{"id":1379,"date":"2014-01-30T09:41:51","date_gmt":"2014-01-30T14:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danielgoepfrich.com\/?p=1379"},"modified":"2022-09-06T10:38:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T14:38:43","slug":"the-rules-of-improvement-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologyisforeveryone.com\/the-rules-of-improvement-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rules of Improvement, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who know me well know that I love golf. Now \u201clove\u201d may seem like a strong word, but it\u2019s more than \u201cI like to golf.\u201d Of course, I do like to play the game. But I also like to watch it. (Really!) I even read about it!<\/p>

Life may sometimes be like a box of chocolates, but it is also very much like golf, and a recent article by the legendary golf instructor and analyst, Peter Kostis, offers a great comparison. In this post and the next, I will show how his three great rules of golf instruction are equally applicable to Christians and the Church. (The article is \u201cThe Rules of Improvement\u201d from Golf Magazine<\/em>, November, 2013.)<\/p>

By way of introduction to his rules, Kostis wrote:<\/p>

One good thing about getting older? I\u2019ve now seen every \u201cnew secret\u201d and \u201cmagic method\u201d that\u2019s come down the pike. When I started teaching in the 1970s, we had nothing but the club, the ball and our eyes to diagnose swing flaws. Eventually, video came along, and then high-definition\/high-speed video. Now we have launch monitors like TrackMan. Technology was supposed to solve all our problems. It hasn\u2019t. \u2026 Sure, technological developments help teachers, but they\u2019re merely tools to aid students. They don\u2019t fix every flaw.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Before we explore Kostis\u2019 three rules in the next post, let\u2019s draw a broad parallel between golf and the Christian life. A golf instructor has one main job: make me a better golfer. This includes doing what it takes to correct my flaws, improve my skills, and, ultimately, lower my score. He teaches and corrects to make me better at the game.<\/p>

The Scriptures say that Christians have an ultimate goal, too: to become like Christ (Romans 8:29), and our Christlikeness can be seen and measured by how well we \u201cplay\u201d this game called the Christian life. Our accomplishments will be the basis for our final scorecard at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).<\/p>

In the same way that Kostis and others have very specific methods for improving golfers, Christians have the Scriptures to improve us. Notice the similarities (2 Timothy 3:16-17):<\/p>

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful <\/em>[the best players are the ones who seek and listen to the best help] 
for teaching<\/em> [what I should do to play well] 
for correction<\/em> [what I should not<\/span> do to play well] 
for reproof<\/em> [point out the flaws in my game] 
and for training in righteousness<\/em> [create good habits, build \u201cmuscle memory\u201d] 
so that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work<\/em> [correct swing, club selection, putting line, and (hopefully) lots of birdies]<\/blockquote>

We don\u2019t need the latest technology or new theology, emergent ideas or ancient rituals. There are no secrets or tricks to spiritual growth. The best golfers in the world are the best because they are intentional about being the best. They practice hours every day, hitting hundreds of thousands of golf balls every year. They evaluate every part of their game, always tweaking, looking for that \u201cgroove.\u201d<\/p>

Most Christians? We rarely read our Bibles, we suffer through church services so we can get on with our Sunday plans, and we wouldn\u2019t dream of picking up a theology book. We let culture tell us what is important, and we pack our calendars so full that there is no room to breathe, much less to spend time intentionally meditating on God\u2019s written plan for life or listening for his Spirit.<\/p>

And then we wonder why our game doesn\u2019t improve. We keep missing the mark to the left and right of the fairway. We end up in bunkers of depression. The rough and weeds seem to choke out the joy we once had. And when we finally do hit the green, it seems that we\u2019re always putting for bogey or worse.<\/p>

Simply put, we will never play well as long as we refuse to practice hard<\/strong><\/em>. I\u2019m not talking about following a list of rules to make God happy. I\u2019m talking about deliberate, intentional, practical steps toward spiritual growth.<\/p>