Yesterday, the golf world was hit with the shocking news of a merger between competing tours - the PGA Tour, the LIV Golf League, and the DP World Tour. Although there's still information to be sorted out, this controversial decision is stirring up a lot of emotions. Over the last 18 months, we've seen marquee golfers leave the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf League, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Invest Fund. Players like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka were paid huge sums of money to leave the PGA Tour behind. These golfers were criticized for chasing the promises of a new opportunity with LIV, but they were willing to deal with the verbal attacks that questioned their integrity. Meanwhile, top PGA Tour players like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Patrick Cantlay remained loyal. Instead of receiving an enormous payday from LIV Golf, they stuck around to do what they thought was right and stood by the PGA Tour. So now, while trying to understand what this merger means, it appears the players who left and made a lot of money doing so are being welcomed back and included in this newly formed unified entity. But what about the players who never left? Do they deserve to be compensated for not leaving? How should they feel about all of this? PGA Tour golfer, Callum Tarren, told the Golf Channel, "It's disappointing being a PGA Tour member. The guys who've stayed loyal to the PGA Tour, it's kind of a kick in the teeth for them. Obviously, Rory was a huge advocate of the PGA Tour, and now it looks like all of this hard work and sticking up for the PGA Tour was just left by the wayside." There's bound to be more fallout from this very complicated situation, and even though most golfers involved will eventually embrace this merger for the future of golf, I can't help but think about the players who remained loyal all along. They must be second-guessing their decision to stay while watching all the players who left make all that money and still get to come back. The loyal golfers could easily feel bitter and frustrated that they missed out and think they're owed something for never leaving. As I was listening to a conversation about this on the radio last night, I was reminded of the story of the prodigal son. Jesus tells a parable in Luke 15 about a son who received a share of his father’s estate (before his death) and went off to a distant country to spend all of his wealth. Not going as well as he'd hoped, the son eventually came to his senses and returned to his father, who welcomed him with open arms and even threw him a party. This story has lots of layers and is a beautiful representation of God’s grace and love toward us. For our purposes today, as we parallel what’s going on in golf, I want to focus on the story's older brother who is similar to the golfers who didn’t leave the PGA Tour. In Luke 15:25-31 (NIV) it says, “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.'" We can understand how the older brother must have felt and we can also imagine how the loyal PGA Tour players must feel right now. If we're honest with ourselves, we can sometimes respond like the "older brother" when we act entitled after serving and obeying God and remaining loyal to Him. We feel like God owes us something for our loyalty, integrity, and commitment to Him. When He doesn't do what we want Him to or answer our prayers the way we want Him to, we can become bitter, angry, or frustrated. We then start to question whether we should have been loyal or if we, too, should have gone off and made more money, lived it up, and chased the promises of the world. We especially think this way when we realize how God shows grace and love with open arms toward those who turn their back on Him and then later return. When we feel bitter or frustrated or second-guess ourselves because we think we missed out on something by honoring God...or that now God owes us something, we must remember that being with God and remaining loyal to Him is always the best decision - even when things turn out differently than we think they should. God doesn't owe us anything, yet He gives us everything we need. What we need most is Him anyway. Being in His presence is much better than having a "young goat"! So instead of thinking we could have had this or had that, but our integrity didn't allow it, let's be reminded that following Jesus is ultimately better than chasing sin. Let's stop telling God He should be blessing us more and we deserve more because we've been loyal. Instead, let's remember He is telling us, "You are always with Me, and everything I have is yours.” What the world is offering us fades away, but being with God and the inheritance we have in Christ lasts forever. The choice to remain with Him is always the right one! I'm Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking I deserve certain things from You or that You owe me something. I'm so thankful for Your love and grace and the ability You've given me to be with You now and forever. Help me to stop chasing other things or allowing jealousy and bitterness to creep in. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. In what ways do you relate to the "older brother" and the loyal golfers? 2. Why is it important for us to change our mindset about how we think God owes us something?
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