“I’ve got another golf story for you,” Stan opened up the conversation.
“What have you got for me today?”
“I don’t do it so much anymore, but I used to play with a men’s golf group every Tuesday morning. It was a large group and I usually did not play with the same people in my foursome.”
“One morning as I approached the golf cart to put my golf bag on, I was surprised to see a fellow named ‘Pete,’ as I had not seen him for some time.”
“I got into the cart, shook his hand, commented that I had not seen him for some time, and asked him how he was doing.”
“Pete told me that he had been dealing with throat cancer and hadn’t been able to play golf for several months. I told him it was great to see him back on the course, but his response was that he had seen the doctor just the day before and was told that the cancer was back.”
“Pete went on to say that he was not going to pursue any further treatment, no radiation or chemotherapy, because it had been so painful. He said that he was ‘ready to go.’”
“I sat there for just a few seconds, with nothing to say. Then the voice of the Holy Spirit in me encouraged me to speak to Pete about the importance of knowing where he was going. And so I did.”
“I was able to get the words out, ‘Pete, if you have decided you are ready to go, it is of vital importance to know where you are going when you step into eternity.’”
“I then got out of the cart and retrieved from my golf bag a little booklet that contained the Gospel of John, explained salvation, how to get your ticket to Glory, and be assured of where you are going.”
“Stan, do you always carry those with you?”, I asked.
“Yeah, I do. They come in real handy when the opportunity arises, as it did with Pete.”
“Pete and I spent the rest of the day on the golf course talking about eternity and whether or not he would be prepared when the time came.”
“Did Pete get his ticket that day?” I asked.
“I don’t know that he did,” was Stan’s response. “He said he appreciated our time together and that he would give a lot of thought to what we had talked about. I told him I would be praying for him — for his health and his salvation, and he thanked me.”
“That was the last time I saw Pete on this side of eternity,” Stan said. “A few weeks later I heard he was on Hospice and died shortly after that, but I am very hopeful I will see him on the other side. At least there is a much greater likelihood of that happening than if Pete and I had not played golf together that day — and if I had not been obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit.”
“It is vitally important that I always be ready to respond when God brings someone He wants across my path. That person’s eternal destination may hang in the balance.”
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Always be ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. 1 Peter 3:15.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the salvation you have made available to me and to every person. Please help me in being ready to make an eternal difference in each person you bring before me by sharing the truth of your provision. Keep me aware always that I am where I am with you because people went out of their way to bring me to the truth. May I do the same for whoever you want. Amen.
Waiting for the Train 