As we begin the season of advent that leads up to the celebration of the birth of Christ I wonder what is on your Christmas List. The four cornerstones of Advent are Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. As we look forward with anticipation what is on your heart? What do you hope for? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
So what does a race team hope for? What do they need to get the job done? What do they need to take the get the shop to next level? We all have a wish list. It is different for each one. Some know exactly what they want and others are still searching for the answer. What is it that we want verses what we need?
What do we hope for? Many time we get want and need confused. We want this and that but the truth is we don’t need those things. Who remembers those things on your wish list that you couldn’t live without? I’ve had a few, some brought tremendous celebration but it didn’t last. It seemed there was always something to move on to.
As we look forward to the birth of Christ we find there is one thing that we can’t live without, Him!
John 1:1-4. NASB; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Sometimes we don’t know what we need. Sometimes we don’t understand what is best for us. Peter, one of the Apostles, knew what it was to have hope in Christ. You see Peter knew what it was to be hopeless. He experienced both extremes, being a close companion of Jesus and being totally separated from him. He didn’t realize what he needed until he had pushed it away. When he denied Christ his heart mourned. He then knew the only hope he could have was through Christ.
Peter understood the difference that having Christ in your life makes. He knew that without Christ life was not worth living. Without Christ the blessing of God would not be on your life. Without Christ we have no hope.
We need to tell people of the hope we have in Christ. Peer knew that it was important for everyone to know that life is different when we put our hope in Christ. For those of us who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior Peter gave us some instructions on how we should share that hope.
1Peter 3:8-10; Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
If we have a hope in Christ we will live like it, we will be humble, show compassion and sympathy. We will value what God values and be focused on the things of God. Let me ask, how has our life changed because we have hope in Christ?
Each of our lives has a story, we have a history. When we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ our lives move in a different direction, changes are made, we turn and head down the road that leads to God.
We have three aspects of our lives that tell the story of hope. We have the person we were, when we lived by our own rules, when we directed our own path, when we determined what was best for us.
The next step along the journey is our encounter with Christ, someone, some place, somehow we are introduced to Jesus. We come to understand to hope, forgiveness and the life he offers. Our heart is led to accept the gift of His grace and we become a child of God.
Live begins anew, we are born-again. The life that God has for you begins and now you let God direct your path and determine what is best for you. We grow to understand that this is a life worth living; this is a life full of hope.
The preparation for the coming Savior begin with hope, hope that comes with a fresh start. The world only has hope when we take Christ to them. We need to share that hope with others. We can set them free from their burdens. We can give them hope for the forgiveness of their sins.
We can do this only if we respond to the hope we have received. In this season of hope the hearts of men are tuned to receive the gift of life that comes from knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Take this opportunity to proclaim the good news of great joy! Take this time and be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
1Peter 3:15; But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
