What’s Next?

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”—2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)

When the world shut down in 2020, I took on a new hobby: golf. I was terrible at it—and I still am. The first time I played, though, there was a spark, a hunger, and a desire to get better. I live on a golf course, so I would go out back and hit balls a few times a week. I started watching YouTube videos on golf, followed a bunch of Instagram golf pages, and even started sharing my newfound love of golf with anyone who would listen. My father-in-law even bought his own clubs because I got him to start playing. And I now have a group of friends I regularly play with!

You’re probably wondering what my golf game has to do with Jesus. Absolutely nothing, but it gives us a glimpse of what our relationship with Jesus should look like. When we give our lives to Him, He literally saves us from hell and promises us heaven simply by His grace. And when we get baptized, we’re publicly telling the world we’re His followers. But it doesn’t end there. Psalm 34:8 (NKJV) tells us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Once we’ve had a taste of the goodness of Jesus, we should want more . . . just like I felt with golf.

We should have a desire to spend more time with Him in prayer and in the Bible. This is how we get to communicate and interact with Him. We talk to Him, and He talks back to us. So, start reading your Bible more. Maybe start with one chapter a day. Pray. Have a conversation with Him, and leave room for Him to talk, too. Don’t let it be a one-sided conversation.

In the same way I would tell people about golf, we should also tell people (evangelize) about how amazing Jesus is. There should be a fire and excitement for this thing called evangelism. If we found eternal life in Him, joy in Him, and peace in Him, shouldn’t we want others to get to know Him, too?

Remember how I said I now even have friends I golf with? That’s my golf community—like-minded people I enjoy spending time with. We analyze each other’s swings, offer pointers, and give encouragement when we’re not playing so well. As Christians, we need this type of community with other believers so we can pray for each other, hang out, eat food, encourage one another, call each other out when needed, etc. Who are the people you have Christian community with?