Life Is But A Mist

I have been a golf fan since my younger days and I loved to follow Jack Nicklaus. I'm not sure exactly why. It could have been because he went to Ohio State and was a Buckeye. It could have been because of his charisma or the fact that he seemed like a good guy. Nevertheless, he was my guy.

I never thought that his record for major golf championships would be broken in my lifetime. Jack has 18 championships to his credit in the four biggies played each year. When Nicklaus was playing, the next closest active player was Tom Watson at 8, so his record seemed insurmountable.

Then along came Tiger Woods who now stands at 14 championships. Up until a few weeks ago, I figured, as did the rest of the world, that he would eclipse Nicklaus' mark by a wide margin. Woods is relatively young and it seemed like a no-brainer that he would soon fly by Nicklaus.

Well, now I'm not so sure. With Tiger's troubles coming to light recently, I don't believe anyone knows what will happen with him. Shoot, he may never play again, we just don't know.

Also in the news was the sad death of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Chris Henry, 26. Apparently he was arguing with his fiancee and jumped or fell out of a moving pickup truck and was killed. What a shame.

While sad, both of these stories can be a great lesson to all of us. We don't know what tomorrow holds, only the Lord does. So, let's make today count!

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

What Do You Ask From A King?

In our Truth At Work roundtable group this morning, one of our members told a story that really stuck with me (the details might be a bit sketchy, but the point of it is still there!).

Apparently, years ago, Jack Nicklaus was playing golf in a foreign country with the king of that country. The king was so grateful after the round that he told Nicklaus that he wanted to give him a gift. Jack kept saying, "No, you don't need to give me anything."

Finally, someone from that country approached Nicklaus and told him, "You really need to accept a gift from the king. To not do so would be an insult."

The king said again, "Mr. Nicklaus, what would you like?"

Jack, not wanting to be too much trouble responded, "Well, how about a golf club?"

The king said, "It is done. I will give it to you before you leave."

The next morning Nicklaus awoke and went to say goodbye to the king. When he arrived, the king presented him with a deed to a golf club...18 holes and all!

So the moral of the story is this: In the presence of a king, don’t ask for small gifts.

Well, guess what? We are in the presence of a King at all times. So you know what to do!