Have you ever thought about what it takes to do what we do? Those who provide the opportunity for racers to race sometimes go unnoticed. First we need a place to race. As time passes tracks have fallen by the wayside. It takes a thick skin to be a track owner, you never do anything right. Everyone has an opinion on how to do it better. That isn’t only reserved for track owners. Across the board keyboard warriors have made providing racing opportunities a thankless proposition.

Not only for track owners, but promoters, sanctioning bodies, officials, track workers, car and motor builders, and everyone connected with what makes this sport go. They all have stories of someone who thinks they can do a better job. That is not the good side of racing. I have read a few stories of people giving up and getting out, too much drama. But despite that I am thankful to all who provide a way for racers to race. 

The road to the track goes through many generations of racers who have come before us and paved the way. Their stories and adventures reveal what it takes to pursue this dream. They have provided a guide for the journey. Their dedication and commitment is there for us to draw on for encouragement. Many of us wouldn’t be here without an example and inspiration to emulate. There is so much we need to consider when we take into account what goes into what we do.

I am reminded of the statement Christ made explaining the reason he came;

John 10:10; NIV; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Most of the things that we value in life are provided by someone else’s effort. Think about what goes into our daily life. Let’s just take the food we eat. In a different time, this would be a very lean part of the year, our winter provisions would be running out. The garden hasn’t been planted yet. The food available to eat is at the end of its life cycle. That isn’t the case for us though, we just hop in the car and head to the Piggly Wiggly and get what we need. Think about every product on the shelf and how it got there. That’s just one part of our life.

Now let’s take a look at our life. We would not have the opportunity for a full and satisfying life if Christ didn’t come. In the beginning, God provided paradise for us and we corrupted it. Truth is we corrupt most things that are provided for us. We were estranged from God and something had to be done. Christ accomplished on the cross what we could not. His sacrifice provided for our salvation.

Christ demonstrated to us that he is in the provision business, even when we deny Him. If we take a look at the passage in the 21^st chapter of John’s gospel we see Jesus providing for Peter and the other disciples. Although Jesus had been through a difficult time he was there for Peter who had reached rock bottom. Peter thought he would be stronger and able to withstand the pressure but he was not. Peter denied Christ.

When Peter thought it couldn’t get worse, he went back to what he was doing before Christ called him, fishing. He failed, all night fishing and nothing to show for it. The night was similar to the night three years ago when he was on the shore cleaning his nets after a night of fishing that yielded no fish. Christ provided on that morning also.

As they sailed to shore the sun was rising and John saw a fire on the beach. Someone was there preparing breakfast. It was Jesus. At the mention of his name Peter left the boat and headed to the shore. 

John 21:4-7; NLT: At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.

Jesus invited them to come and have some breakfast.

John 24:10-15; NLT “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Jesus proceeded to restore Peter one denial at a time and give him direction for what he wanted him to do. He provided the forgiveness Peter needed to be useful to God again. Jesus provided for his physical, mental, and spiritual needs.

One of the promises of God is to be there for us and provide what we need. Jesus was there at Peter’s lowest point to provide what he needed most, restoration. Jesus had breakfast prepared because he knew they would be hungry. Jesus had a provision of fish available for them to catch so that their pride as fishermen would be satisfied. Jesus provided the grace of forgiveness for Peter for each of his denials. He was spiritually restored to serve God.

Jesus offers the same to us.  Jesus is the source of life. He provided for our life by giving His. He provides completely. He not only meets our spiritual needs, but he provides for our physical and mental needs as well. I would encourage each of us to consider accepting His offer and turning to Jesus for His provision.

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.

I want to thank my wife, Lynda, for sharing her thoughts last week. I think it is always good to see things from a different perspective. This Christmas season maybe we can take a different approach; let us try to take a step back and soak in the true meaning, relax and enjoy.

Preparing is something that can become obsessive. I know; I am the one of those people who has to have everything all planned out. If you ever saw my backpack you would see that I have every option covered and then some. I struggle to relax and let things happen. My wife’s column was more for me than anyone else. 

Have you ever noticed that you can be so caught up in planning and preparing that you miss the enjoyment and excitement of an event? Before you realize, it’s over and you are wondering what happened. Christmas is too important to get caught up in all the trappings and miss the point; God sent His Son to come and give His life for us. He would lay down his life so that we could live.

John 3:16-17; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Romans 5:6-8; You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Sacrifice is not something racers are unfamiliar with; we all make sacrifices to do what we enjoy. How about making a sacrifice for someone else’s benefit? Many times, we rationalize whether they deserve it before we give. Therein lies the gift of Christmas, while we were yet undeserving Christ came and gave his life for us.  

Ephesians 2:8-9; God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

How do we prepare to receive such a gift? We don’t have to, instead we receive it, not because we deserve it but because it is offered to us. There is so much love in this gift that we have trouble getting our hands around it.

In this gift we can find many things; 

We find hope, hope for tomorrow, hope for forgiveness of our shortcomings, hope for others. 

We find a peace that isn’t easy to understand, a confidence that we are cared for and nothing can defeat us. 

We receive a joy that doesn’t depend on the circumstances that surround us. We can be joyful whether we have everything or nothing at all. 

It all comes from the love that Jesus has for us, a love so powerful that it would allow him to give his life for you and me. 

I urge you to receive the gift that God offers, the life that comes from accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That is the preparation that needs to be done to fully experience the true meaning of this Christmas season. Take Christ out of Christmas and all you have left is a mess.

Let Christmas happen, open the gift that Christ offers. Then relax and enjoy the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love found in the gift of Jesus Christ. Christ came so that we could have life and live it to its fullest.

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.