Whether or not you’re a fan of professional golf, The Masters marks the annual start of spring with its patrons, blossoming pink azaleas, and dulcet piano theme song. This year marked the remarkable return of Tiger Woods following a nearly fatal car accident 18 months ago, but it was the runaway play of 25 year old Scottie Scheffler that grabbed the attention of the world. He had a four-putt double-bogey on the last hole and still won by three strokes.
It was an incredible run for a “kid” only two years older than my oldest daughter (that was a tough sentence to type, I nearly deleted it), but it’s what he said afterward about his win and his work that will stick with me for a long time. Here’s a snippet:
“So for me, my identity isn’t a golf score. Like [my wife] Meredith told me this morning, ‘if you win this golf tournament today, if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots, if you never win another golf tournament again, I’m still going to love you, you’re still going to be the same person, Jesus loves you and nothing changes.’ All I’m trying to do is glorify God and that’s why I’m here and that’s why I’m in position.”
This isn’t a cursory hat tip to the “man upstairs,” this shows a fundamental embrace of Gospel reality. And while you and I may not be professional athletes, it’s true of our everyday work as well. When our identity is in our work, then our performance determines our value. But when our identity is in Christ, then our value has been eternally settled by the finished work of Jesus. (That’s no small statement, I would read it again).
It’s there that our daily work, freed by grace from the tyranny of self-justification, can finally glorify God as it was intended. A Masters green jacket will undoubtedly shape Scottie Scheffler’s golf career, but the Gospel has defined his identity. It can define yours, too.
On the Website This Week:
ARTICLE: The Apostle Paul and B4T
VIDEO: The Gospel is Not
May this Holy Week leave you in awe of our risen Savior,
Erik Cooper | The Stone Table
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