God is a Serious Golfer!

“May the Lord make you a thousand times more numerous than you are and bless you as He has promised you!” Deuteronomy 1:11

Any golfers out there? I heard a pastor friend of mine, Jerry Strandquist, say that 98% of the putts that are short don’t go in the hole. That’s food for serious thought!

So why do most of MY missed putts end up short? I’m not a serious golfer, but I would say it’s because I don’t want to hit it too long. I don’t want to overshoot the cup. Why, you may ask? I don’t know. What difference is it if I am 2 feet short of the cup or 2 feet long?

I am told the only people that fail in life are those who fail to try. No golfer hits par every hole. No golfer avoids the water hazards forever. I saw Tiger Woods hit into the sand trap recently, and I thought, “even I can do that!”

So why do we live life like we play golf? Why are we afraid of big goals? Because we’re afraid of missing the mark. So we dumb-down our goals, our life, and even our faith. I hate to have my head in the clouds without also having my feet on the ground. I want to be God’s dreamer, but I don’t want to overshoot.

God already had made Abraham’s seed more than the number of stars he could count. And now Moses is getting inspired… “may God make you a THOUSAND TIMES MORE numerous than you are.” WOW!

What’s God saying to you? Little goals or big goals…. it doesn’t matter. They both take faith. God smiles on us whenever we listen to His voice telling us to get out of the boat and out of our comfort zone. I dare say that God has some big plans for us that are far, far beyond our imagination…. a thousand times bigger than we thought.

So when you are setting spiritual goals, or thinking about how God could use you,… shoot long!

We at Oasis are shooting for 1,000,000 souls to find Christ before the end of 2010… talk about a long-shot! Yet at this fall’s annual banquet, we will celebrate our 1/2 way point.

By God’s grace, we will reach the hole!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

What Kind of a Person am I?

Since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...? (II Peter 3:11-12).

Gas prices at $4/gallon? Who would've thought?

Millions of homes in foreclosure?...Get real.

Real nuclear danger from Iran? You've got to be kidding.

The rapture of the church? We've got a lot of time left!

This isn't Kansas anymore, Toto! Things are a changing faster than we think. Morals are declining or disappearing, church growth is stunted or reversing, crime is increasing, and our nation is becoming more and more godless.

The Bible has been telling us forever that we should lay up treasures in heaven... that none of our stuff is going to last. Yet we are in debt past our eyeballs with stuff that we can't take with us.

What kind of person am I anyway? That's a great question to ponder. Maybe the best one to answer it is the Holy Spirit. After all, He lives inside us. He knows us inside out and upside down. There's nothing hidden from Him.

Holy Spirit, what kind of person am I: religious or righteous?

What consumes me: stuff or souls?

For what am I looking: earthly promotion, or heavenly?

We say we believe in the imminent return of the Lord...He could come at any time.

But if you are like me, a lot of times I believe with my head more than my heart. Sometimes, I'd rather He wait a while. But now, we can all see that our world is changing fast. It's time to believe with our heart... all of it.

Signs of the time? Could be! Perhaps Jesus is returning soon... I mean real soon. What if we don't have decades left, but only years? Does this change what kind of person I am?

It should.

It can!

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries