Haggai 2:9

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Every sport has both internal mental pressures as well as external physical pressures which must be overcome for success. Golf is no different. The mental aspects are as important as the physical requirements. Our minds have to be focused while performing the physical movements. If we get too “mental”, our minds handcuff our bodies and prevent any type of freedom of movement. Conversely, too much focus on the physical and the body overtake the mind.

The Jews who were charged with rebuilding the temple following their return from Babylon faced these similar pressures. Judah’s enemies even infiltrated the group of workers in order to hinder progress. Additionally, the internal sins of the Jews thwarted the progress of the finishing of the temple. Haggai’s job was the encourage the people to take pride in the importance of this temple for the worship of God. They were to focus on the importance of the temple instead of their own safety or security.

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit when we place faith in Jesus Christ. Inevitably, we will face external pressures from family and friends. Our own flesh which has not been saved is the internal exertion and it will always crave its own fulfillment. We feel as if we cannot have freedom of worship unless these pressures are satisfied. Thus, we erroneously attempt to satisfy these desires first. However, as Paul preached in 1 Corinthians 3:11, that we are to focus on our foundation which is Jesus Christ. He instructed us to be careful as to what we attempt to build on this solid foundation. This footing will never fail us when our focus of worship is both sincere and spirit-led.

A successful golf swing puts great focus on the ground below our feet. Consider how difficult it is for most of us to concentrate when our footing is compromised while stand in sand, on pine needles or on the side of a hill. We focus more on footing than the ball in front of us. Christ provides that solid footing onto which should have the utmost faith. This foundation can never fail unless our self-placed pressures construct “temples” of selfishness and worldly satisfaction. Have faith in our solid foundation through Christ. It provides us a certain confidence allowing and guaranteeing our spiritual success.