Following the success of the best-selling devotional In His Grip, this companion bible study helps the reader apply the principles from In His Grip to golf and more importantly life.
In His Grip
A Companion Bible Study, a Player's Handbook for Life and Golf
By Jim Sheard
Cross Training Publishing
Copyright © 1999
Jim Sheard
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9781887002950
Chapter One
In His Grip
Psalm 37:23-24
KEY VERSE
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. (Ps. 37:23-24 KJV)
On January 30, 1996, Jim
marked that passage from
Psalms in his Bible and
noted the date. Jim was two months
into the most difficult year of his
fifty-four years of life. Even with all
the trappings of material success, his
life was in shambles. No longer able
to hold down his executive position
due to clinical depression, he sought
answers to life's most challenging
questions: What is the meaning of it all?
Why has God not allowed me to fulfill the
career he gave me? How will I provide for my
family, find health insurance, have enough
money for retirement? How can I enjoy golf if
I don't even have the energy to walk eighteen
holes? What am I to do with these intense
emotions and feelings that keep invading my
mind and body? How do I relate to my family
and friends?
Exactly one year later, Jim came to this
Psalm in his Bible again. That's when
he realized it was God alone who had
sustained him during that difficult
time. Jim realized more clearly than
ever that he had been in God's grip.
Today, when the course of
life is tough for you when
the "bunkers" at work or
with your family seem
impossibly high, when
you don't know if you'll
make the "green" in
regulation, and when
it seems there are
few answers from
a God who seems
distant, rest
assured there
is a God who
cares enough
to hold you
in his grip.
Be Strong and Courageous
Joshua 1:5-9
KEY VERSE
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened,
neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:9)
As Tom Lehman prepared for
the final round of the 1996
U.S. Open at Oakland Hills
in Birmingham, Michigan, he read
Joshua 1:9, which speaks of being
strong and courageous. This passage
of Scripture was just the inspiration he
needed for the final round in which
he paired with his friend, Steve Jones.
As Tom and Steve walked down the first
fairway, they prayed and spoke about
truths they had learned from passages
in Joshua. They reminded themselves
of God's promise in verse eight, "... for
then you shall make your way prosperous,
and then you shall have good
success." This verse was what they needed
throughout the day as they battled the
challenges and pressures that only the
final round of a major can bring.
Although they were competing against
each other for the U.S. Open title, when
Steve hit his tee shot into the woods on
the sixteenth hole, Tom encouraged him
by reminding him that, "The Lord wants
us to be strong and courageous." For
Tom it would have been easy to see this
as an opportunity to prevail against his
friend rather than to encourage him. For
Steve it would have been easy to falter,
but instead he persevered and did not
become discouraged. Although Steve
won the U.S. Open title that day, both
men experienced God's encouragement.
From this experience Tom and Steve
were reminded that they didn't need
to be frightened or dismayed because
strength and courage could be theirs—if
they continually went to the right
source. While God promises to make
our way prosperous and successful,
it does not mean we will win every
championship or succeed in every
situation. It's that way in golf, and it's
that way in life.
Abounding in Hope
Romans 15:1-13
KEY VERSE
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that
by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Rom. 15:13)
The headline of the Golfweek,
June 22, 1996, reads
"Hallelujah! Jones completes
comeback with U.S. Open victory." The
cover photo shows Steve Jones
with his arms raised high in the air,
his putter in his right hand. He is
obviously shouting for joy just like
the caption says: "Steve Jones rejoices
after paring the 72nd hole and
winning his first major title."
The article relates what a long shot it
was for Steve to win the tournament.
He had not won since 1989 and hadn't
finished better than fourth since 1991.
He was 100th in the worldwide Sony
rankings and had missed three
seasons due to a finger injury in a
dirt bike accident. For a while, Steve
and others wondered if he would
ever play again.
Hallelujah was the right word for that
headline, A combination of two Greek
words for "praise" and "Jehovah," it
literally means "Praise the Lord"—Steve's
exact words following his
great victory. In fact, when you look
at the photograph of Steve after his
win, you can almost see the word
"hallelujah" jump off the page. He felt
that much joy.
Hallelujah is a word we can all use to
express our gratitude to God for all
his marvelous works in our lives.
If the Lord Permits
1 Corinthians 16:4-9
KEY VERSE
For I do not want to see you now just in passing;
I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. (1 Cor. 16:7)
While the television audience
saw Tom Lehman's name
being engraved on the
coveted Claret Jug, they did not see
the actual presentation of the trophy
for his winning the 1996 British Open.
When Tom spoke to the assembled
members of Royal Lytham & St. Anne's,
accepting the Claret Jug, he said, I just
want to thank God for giving me this opportunity
today to play in this tournament—to win
this tournament. I really believe that God loves
all of us. He has a special plan for our lives.
Fortunately for me, today, it was in his plan
for me to win. I know He cares about me. I
know He cares about you. God bless you all.
Thank you very much.
God truly does have a plan for our
lives—just as God had a plan for Tom
to win that day. That is why we do
well to hear the words of the apostle
Paul who says he will spend time in
Macedonia, "if the Lord permits." We
have plans, but God directs our steps.
With God as our source of strength,
we can be focused on our goals and
at the same time be spiritually flexible.
The first thing we must do is make
our first priorities (verses 4-5) consistent
with God's priorities. Then we are
free to make detailed flexible commitments
(verses 6-7) ... as he permits.
We can trust in God's provision (verse 6)
and adapt to the practical flow of
life (verse 8) as circumstances allow.
The result of our faithfulness will be
fruitful fields with wide open doors,
even though there will always be
frustrating foes who will oppose God's
work in our lives (verse 9).
What happens to us on the golf
course—and in all of life—is under
God's control. Our job is simply to do
our best and trust him for the results.
Perseverance
Philippians 4:11-13
KEY VERSE
I can do all things in him who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)
An advertisement for Taylor
Made[TM] described Tom Lehman
as "dedicated, humble, and
persevering." That's truth in advertising!
That's the man he really is.
When testifying of his faith in Christ,
Tom says he believes God has given
him the strength to endure. He has
played golf longer and spent more
time on the so-called mini-tours than
most of his competitors.
When it might have been easy to give
up and take the coaching job at
Minnesota, Tom and his wife Melissa
sensed that God wanted him to
persevere in
playing golf. It
was a difficult
decision, and
there were
days when
they wondered
if they'd be
able to pay
their bills.
But Tom did
persevere,
and it paid off when he was named
PGA Player of the Year in 1996 after
winning the British Open. That year
he was the top money winner on
the tour and was rated second in the
worldwide Sony rankings.
Philippians 4:11-13 describes the kind
of perseverance that we should all
want as our hallmark for living. Paul
says we can do all things that are in
God's will if we allow him to be our
strength. That is how we, like Paul,
will learn to face plenty and hunger,
abundance and want.
Scott Simpson once said, "I want the
same discipline in my faith that I
have in my golf game." So it should
be with you and me. We need both
discipline and perseverance, and God
will help us in our pursuit of both.
The Confidence to Win
Proverbs 3:21-35
KEY VERSE
The Lord will be your confidence.... (Prov. 3:26)
When severe rains caused
the delay of the 1996
Players Championship in
Tulsa, Tom Lehman led the tournament
by nine strokes. If the washed-out
course couldn't be prepared for
play on Monday, Tom would win the
tournament, the money, and the
scoring titles for 1996 without even
playing the final round.
But Tom wanted the opportunity to
play the full seventy-two holes to
win the Players' Tournament—and
the other titles that would be his by
virtue of this win. He wanted to win
without the asterisk of only 54 holes
played stamped in his mind and in
the minds of others. He also wanted
to demonstrate that he had the
confidence and ability to prevail.
Tom says one of the greatest lessons
he has learned while struggling to
make a living on the tour has been
one of confidence in his ability to win.
He says there was very little difference
in his ability to play back in the 1980's,
but he had not learned to play with
confidence, to trust his ability. Through
the years, as circumstances set up
roadblocks to his goals and dreams—like
the bad bounce into the fairway
bunker on the 18th hole of the 1996
U.S. Open—Tom gained the confidence
to fight back and to overcome the
challenges that are part of the game
of golf, and of life itself.
Without God as his sourced of
strength and courage, it is unlikely
Tom would have developed that
confidence. God has gifted Tom with
the ability to play the game of golf
and has helped him gain the confidence
he needs to win.
Continues...
Excerpted from In His Grip
by Jim Sheard
Copyright © 1999 by Jim Sheard.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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