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“Who’s Your Caddy?”
“Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ — whether to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21, New Living Translation).
Tommy Bolt, winner of the 1958 US Open, tells the story of an incident he had with a caddy during one of his tournaments. This was before professional golfers had their own caddies as they do today. Bolt arrived at the venue for the tournament and was approached by a youngster, “Mr. Bolt, you need a caddy, sir?”
The lad seemed unseasoned, so Bolt replied, “I’ll let you know, kid.” He then went to the caddy master and asked about the youngster. “He’s a real good caddy,” the man said, “knows the course, the greens, and the rules of the game. But he talks a lot.” So Bolt went back to the youngster and said, “You can caddy for me on one condition: Don’t say a word.”
The kid accepted and carried the bag for the Open champion. The first round went well, as did the second, and third. Bolt was in contention in the fourth round, when an errant tee shot landed in the woods. The ball was sitting down in the rough, with a risky shot to the green, which was guarded by water on the right.
Bolt asked the kid, “You think a five iron will do the trick?” The kid shook his head no, but never said a word. “What, you want me to hit a six iron?” Again, the kid shook his head no, but did not speak. Bolt grabbed a six iron a lashed the ball out of the rough and landed on the green, rolling to about three feet for a birdie. As they walked to the green, Bolt said, “Aren’t you going to say something now, after seeing a shot like that?”
The kid then replied, “Mr. Bolt, that wasn’t your ball.”
Many of us go through life with a Caddy we never let speak. He is the Holy Spirit, and we would listen to Him, engaged in an ongoing conversation, He would save us many penalty strokes on the Links of Life.
Is that a five iron in your hand? Ryle
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Trust God for your day, ….Today
Last week at the Wednesday Night Bible discussion we discussed the 8th Commandment listed in Exodus 20, continuing our discussion on what is sin.
1. Exodus 20:15-Thou shalt not steal. God has a very specific outline of what he considers stealing; and it isn’t just taking something that doesn’t belong to you.
2. The Bible includes the buying and selling of human life in the discussion of stealing. Human trafficking is a serious offense to God. In the old testament the punishment for this is death. Exodus 21:16 and Deuteronomy 24:7
3. Leviticus 6:1-7 is very specific in dealing with having something that isn’t yours and the restitution that is required to pay for the sin. Stealing isn’t just taking something that isn’t yours, but also finding something that is lost and not giving it back to the rightful owner. The thief was charged the principle plus one fifth of what they took to repay the debt.
4. The Bible discusses fair business practice in order to keep from stealing on both sides. Just weights or measurements of goods and services and adhering to contracts are listed out in the word. Leviticus 19:35-36, Deuteronomy 25:13-15, and Luke 3:13
5. Stealing isn’t just an act of the body but a result of a heart condition. Matthew 15:19-20 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”
6. All of the above helps to define the sin of stealing. It isn’t just taking something that isn’t yours, but with holding something that belongs to someone. It can be tangible items, ones life, or reputation, if you deprive someone of what belongs to them, you are guilty of stealing. But there is a remedy. First repentance than restitution, returning or paying back that which is owed. Ephesians 4:28-Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
In continuing with our discussion on sin last Wednesday, we explored 2 more of the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20.
1. Thou shalt not kill, Exodus 20:13. There is a difference between killing and murder. In this statement, the Hebrew word for kill specifically means to murder. In Exodus 21:12-15, the people of God are instructed to handle premeditated murder differently than an accidental killing. We are commanded not to take someone’s life or testimony through hate. If we hate our brother, we are just as accountable as a murderer. 1 John 3:15
2. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14. In Matthew 5:27-28 defines the concern of adultery in the New Testament, it isn’t just the act of a relationship of a married person and someone other than their spouse, but it is the act of lusting after another person. Lust is adultery in the heart. God is not just concerned with adultery among people, but also between his church, the Bride, and Christ. God commands us to refrain from lusting after another god.