Many times looks can be deceiving. Sometimes it is intentional, we don’t want to spill the beans and let everyone know what we have. But our commitment to Christ and service to him has to more than skin deep. When the race is run will our true character reveal we belong to Christ? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To say there is some gamesmanship at the racetrack is an understatement. No one goes out for practice and runs full tilt; they always keep something in reserve for when it matters. I remember a recent practice session where a driver turned a quick lap. After talking with one of the team members I learned that there was more where that came from.
“Wait until we tweak it and put stickers on, we’ll post a number they all can shoot at.”
They did; fast lap of the day in the last practice session with no time for the others to do much but scratch their heads and wonder, what’s in there?
Although there are places in life that holding your cards close to your vest is an expected part of the deal, for us to reflect the character of God we need to be a little more transparent. People should be able to watch our actions and hear our words and know that we follow a moral standard that is set by God. Being a closet Christian doesn’t honor God’s charge to us to “go and make disciples”
Life and racing can be a pressure cooker, the heat is turned up and our true character is revealed. Like a carrot, egg or coffee bean, some of us wilt under pressure, some of us harden, but there are some that rise to the occasion and change the environment around them. When placed in boiling water a carrot gets soft, an egg hardens but a coffee bean changes the water and emits a pleasing aroma.
As Christians our presence should emulate the coffee bean, we should change the environment, not let the environment change us. Our character should reflect the love, grace and mercy God offers those who need guidance and direction. We should be in the hope business. Our perspective, attitude, and actions should change the situation for the better.
Do people wonder if we are truly committed to what is best for them? Do they have questions about what we have in our heart? Sometimes we hide things we don’t want others to see. We hide our true selves. We act differently depending on the situation and location. On certain days of the week, we are fine upstanding members of the church community; on other days you would never know we graced the doors of a church. We leave others wondering what’s in there. We create doubt.
James 3:9-11; With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
It is important that we, as followers of Christ, are genuine, what you see is what you get. Some call it transparent; our motives should be clear to all. As James writes, we should not praise God in one moment and curse man in the next. Our character should be the same as God’s.
Lack of consistency is a problem we all face; when we change our behavior depending on the situation, we cause people to wonder who we really are. I remember an old saying, if being a Christian was a crime, would our life show enough evidence to be convicted? I hope so.
Now there are some indications as to our character that we can find in each of our lives. One is priority, what things do we put a priority on. The greatest pressure packed situation I can think of, the crucifixion. There Christ was, nailed to a cross, dying between two thieves. Beaten insulted, stripped of His dignity, he hung there innocent. Where were His thoughts? What was he thinking.
Luke 23:34; NLT; Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Luke 23:39-43; NLT; One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The words of Christ reflect His character, His love, grace and mercy. Even in the most pressure packed, stressful situation we can imagine, He changed the environment; “Father forgive them…” “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
And it affected those around Him;
Luke 23:47; NLT; When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.”
Think about the people you know; how many of them are genuine? We can put the people we know into two groups, those we can trust and those we can’t. Let’s face it, there are some people we know that when they tell us something we wonder if it is true or not.
There are people we can count on; when they give us their word and make a commitment, we can plan on them doing everything in their power to fulfill it. These are the people that we can depend on. These are the people we spend our time with.
As Christians we should lead people to God. We should live a life that honors God. We should follow God’s lead wherever it brings us, putting our trust and faith in Him. People should not wonder what our true character is.
When others see us as two faced, one time we do this another time we do that, we create doubt. When they doubt us, they doubt God; they decide they don’t need Him. We do a great disservice to our Lord when we confuse people with our words and actions.
We need to think about the example we set. The character our actions reveal. Is it consistent with what we claim to be? Are the things we say and do honoring to God? Not just in certain places at certain times, but everywhere, all the time.
Let us make a commitment to one another to work on being a more genuine reflection of the character of Christ, every moment of everyday, let others see Jesus in us.
Run the race in such a way as to win, throw off everything that hinders and focus on Jesus. Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
