“A few years ago,” Stan began, “a friend and I were in a golf tournament at the golf club I was a part of at the time. It was a two-person team event.”
“Good time?” I asked.
“It was great,” Stan replied. “We had a lot of fun, but it didn’t end as we had hoped.”
Continuing, he said, “It was the last day of the three-day tournament. We were doing well. All we needed to do in order to win the whole tournament was for me to sink a putt on the last hole. Do that and the trophy would be ours!”
“What happened?”
“I lined up the putt. It was about six feet. My partner said, ‘Don’t be short.’ I struck the ball. It was going right towards the hole, but stopped about one inch short. We lost.”
“Heartbreak!” I responded.
“For a little while,” Stan said. “No permanent damage. It was just a golf tournament.”
Continuing, he added, “It was nothing like the coming up short the writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote about.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Coming up short of entering into God’s rest,” Stan replied.
“How could that happen?” I responded.
“Unbelief,” Stan said. “That’s what is written in the letter to the Hebrews. The writer warns the readers, including me, that it comes from unbelief. Failure to sink the putt of belief, if you will!”
“Putt of belief?” I responded.
“Yes,” Stan said, “my belief is to be just that, belief. No half-belief. No part-time belief. No coming up short. Nothing less than full belief in every area of my being so I don’t fall short of God’s rest in all that He has for me on both sides of eternity.”
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Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering into His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. Hebrews 4:1.
Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief. Mark 9:24.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for all you have for me in spending eternity with you when it’s time. Thank you, too, for all you have for me on this side of eternity while I wait for the train. Because of what you have said in your word, I know that my coming up short of what you have for me is always the result of my unbelief. I confess that too often my belief is less than you intend. Please forgive me. I believe; please help my unbelief so I will be who you intend, doing what you intend, in every aspect of my being. May my rest be completely in you. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Where are you on the scale of belief? Are you where you want to be? Are you where you think God wants you to be? Why or why not? Admitting unbelief may be the first step towards greater belief. Who said, “I believe; help my unbelief” and why did he say it? Can you relate to that? What does unconditional belief look like? Is it possible to get to that point?
Waiting for the Train 