Racing has its way of sorting things out, the pressure cooker of summer determines who has what it takes to withstand the heat and position themselves for the stretch run. The teams that can make it through the heat without wilting are prepared to finish the race. I always look to this time of year for an indication of who is prepared to persevere. 

We need to prepare the same way in life, we will face pressure and heat. How well we prepare indicates if we will persevere. The writer of Chronicles gives us some guidance toward that. Here is an Old Testament passage that will help. 

2 Chronicles 7:13-16; “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. 

Let me provide a little background to this passage. Solomon, David’s son, had completed the temple of our Lord. God responded to that completion with these verses. God explained that when we face difficulties we need to come into the house of God, kneel before his throne, confess our sins and pray with all our heart. 

God promised to always be there, to see and listen when His people come before him and show him the respect He deserves as God, he will hear and heal. 

Where do we turn when the going gets tough? Where do we go for answers when the questions are beyond our understanding? What do we do when we realize we have no control over the situations of our lives? There is only one place to turn, we must come before God and seek His direction. 

The great thing to remember is that if we come before God with humility and seeking forgiveness, He will hear and heal. That is His promise and He has the power and authority to keep it. 

So how do we respond when the heat is turned up? Here is an illustration that can help see the different ways we can respond. Which one most reflects our tendency? 

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. 

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. 

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. 

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?” 

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. 

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. 

The daughter then asked. “What does it mean?” 

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity—boiling water—but each reacted differently. 

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. 

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, it’s inside became hardened. 

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. 

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?” 

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? 

Am I the egg that starts with a soft heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my outside look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? 

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. 

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? 

How do we handle Adversity? Are we a Carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?  

2 Chronicles 7:13-16; “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

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 help us continue this ministry. Thank You.

In racing only one car receives the checkered flag signifying the winner. Many run with the goal of winning, but there is only one who receives the prize. Life is like a race and each one of us must run in such a way as to win. Not for the prize we receive here but for the reward of eternal life with God in Heaven.

Do you remember your first win? Wasn’t it fantastic? It seems like the world stops turning and for that moment you are the center of attention. It doesn’t matter how many times you win after that there is nothing that can replace the first time. Winning never gets old. Once we have won we have the desire to repeat the experience over and over. 

I have had the pleasure of sharing many first time wins with drivers and teams over the years. I never get tired of going to Victory Lane and shaking the hand of a first timer. I remember one driver at Stafford Motor Speedway. He worked his way up the ranks from Dare Stocks to Late Models to SK Modifieds. When he won for the first time in an SK there was jubilation in Victory Lane, more hugs and high fives than normal. It was encouraging to share that moment with them.

What does it take to win? Many say it is luck, everything has to be right and then the cards have to fall your way. I think God’s Word has some direction for us in that regard. Paul writes that first we must prepare then run according to the rules. To prepare and run in a way that is against the rules disqualifies us for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 

Paul talks about the discipline we must have to qualify for the prize. As we train for and run the race there will be many choices we have to make. How we decide will ultimately determine if we qualify for the prize. 

Let’s look at this way. At the next race in the driver’s meeting they change the rules and it becomes a foot race. The drivers, instead of using their racecars have to run the same number of laps with their feet. How many could? I suspect not many. We haven’t prepared to run the race that way.

You see, even the race we choose to run is a decision. Some of us choose to run the rat race. We get caught up in all the things of this world and run a race that doesn’t qualify us for a heavenly home. We need to choose to run the right race. Jesus said;

Matthew 6:19-21; “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Jesus meant that we have a choice about the things we pursue in our lives. We can pursue the temporary things that fade and pass away or we can pursue the eternal things, the things that will remain with us forever. 

At the end of his life Paul talked about the race he had run; 

2Timothy 4:7-8; I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 

Paul taught many how to run the race in a way that honors God. He also was an example to many on how to live a life that honors God. Who taught us how to run the race? Who is responsible for our understanding and knowledge of God? Who is following our example, good or bad? 

We all need to be committed to running the race in a way as to win. Not only do we need to learn what that is, we also need to model it for others to follow. Victory comes when we receive the sacrifice Christ made on the cross for us.

The writer of Hebrews leaves us with these instructions;

Hebrews 12:1-3; Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

Prepare for and run the race in such a way as to win! Do not run the wrong race; choose the right way, the way that leads to the cross. Run in such a way as to qualify for the prize.

“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.

I put the shovel away the other day and started tucking away the things I have out during the winter for weather related activities. I may have jumped the gun with the forecast of a winter storm coming. No matter, the weather is changing, the temperatures are rising and soon the tracks in the Northeast will be buzzing. 

How do you prepare for the arrival of the racing season? I have seen many racecars over the last few weeks in different stages of completion. Some are just a bare frame with parts sitting all around. Others are further along but need some sheet metal. Still others only need to have the graphics added. Then there are those who are ready to go, car can be rolled in the box and off to the track.

No matter which stage of preparedness you are in, the fact remains the car doesn’t prepare itself. The time and effort to just prepare the car is great but taking the additional time to make the right adjustments will determine your progress. The expertise to set up the car and use that as a baseline to build from is essential. You have to know where you are to determine if the changes were beneficial. Most racers can put the car together but the ones that are prepared have remembered the lessons learned, decided what needed to be changed, made the adjustments and are ready to move forward.

I have heard it said that if you aren’t changing things you are really falling behind. Those of us who start the season where they left off have lost ground. They haven’t kept up and learned. Teams that have taken a look at how the season ended and made adjustments have moved forward.

Life is always changing. Each day presents circumstances that require us to make decisions. Are we prepared to make the choices that move our lives forward? Change is not comfortable and making changes has a risk involved. We seek to be comfortable and secure, but that is an ever changing target. If we are not prepared to make adjustments and change we are doomed to a life that is unsatisfying and unfulfilled. We cannot stay where we are and experience the blessings of God.

I know it is a risk to change. Sometimes you make the wrong decision and have to backtrack. Knowing what doesn’t work is also a way to move forward. Using the excuse that it may not work just keeps us from learning from past changes. I am reminded of the line from the song What Faith Can Do by Kutlass;

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard

  Impossible is not a word

  It’s just a reason for someone not to try”

I have a picture over my desk at Christian Life Chapel that reads; “We do not know what is possible until we do what is impossible!”

Being prepared to change is a necessity in life, I am reminded of the nation of Israel that rebelled against Moses for leading them into the desert to die. The mountains were around them; the Red Sea was in front of them and Pharaoh’s army was coming from behind them.

Exodus 14:10b-14; NLT; They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

As history goes, Moses, at the direction of God raised his staff, God parted the waters and they walked through on dry land. Pharaoh’s army followed and were swallowed up when God released the waters. 

We struggle to move forward, to make changes, to trust God and have faith in His plan. Change means work, it means we cannot stay in our comfort zone. Change means exactly that; we cannot stay the same. We cannot grow, progress, or develop if we do not change. 

2 Corinthians 5:17; NLT; This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

There are many Scriptures that encourage us to put the old behind us and focus on the new creation we are in Christ Jesus. That is easy to say sometimes but much harder to put into place. Perseverance and endurance come to mind. To persevere we must endure, that implies discomfort and insecurity. We do well to focus on the goal and not on the circumstances that surround us.

One of the greatest social ills we face today is that we have raised a generation that doesn’t know how to endure and persevere. We have robbed them of the satisfaction and fulfilment of change. You may ask how. We have made it too easy; we have removed too many obstacles; we have eliminated winners and losers. We have robbed them of the struggle. 

The consequence of that is in our mind, we wonder where our value comes from. We wonder what we can add to this world. We struggle to find our place. We don’t develop character. We lose hope. The struggle with change is necessary for us to find our place, to find fulfillment.

Romans 5:3-5a; NLT; We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.

Change should fill us with Joy and Peace, we should look forward to it with excitement and anticipation, we should welcome the opportunity to improve. The reality is it doesn’t, we have been conditioned to do things the same way we always have. I wonder if we realize that we are driving ourselves nuts?

Hebrews 12:1-2a; NLT; Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes 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.

On the way to the cross there were some things that had to be planned and prepared for. One was the Passover Feast. In the New Testament it received a new name, The Last Supper. This would be the last meal Jesus would have with his disciples before he surrendered to the authorities. As with any meal there were preparations to be made.

We touched on this last week, we need to prepare for things before they arrive. We plan our schedule, put a star by the big events, list out the things that need to be in place, prepare a checklist and mark things off as we finish them. Our focus is on being prepared to go.

How have your preparations been going? I wonder if there might be an item or two that didn’t make the list. As we prepare and check items off we discovered there were a few that were overlooked. Change in plans, add that to the list. I wonder if the additions to the list are greater than the list we started with? That can be overwhelming, but that is a topic for another day.

As they came together to celebrate the Passover feast the disciples did not quite understand that this would be the Last Supper. They were preoccupied with some bench racing of their own. As they gathered around the table the discussion topic was which one of them was the greater, which one would sit in the seat of honor when the Kingdom of God was put in place?

I liken it to the conversations in the garage about how good we are going to do this year. As we review all the improvements we made. The anticipation of good finishes, victories and even, if the cards fall right, a championship. Victory is easier when the car hasn’t left the garage.

As the disciples debated their standing before God, there was work to be done.

John 13:4-5; So he (Jesus) got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

I am sure you recall the familiar refrain; “wash your hands, it’s time for dinner”. Well in biblical times not only your hands but your feet needed to be washed. It was customary to have a servant available to handle the task. We have come to understand that the disciples would rotate the task between themselves when they came together for the evening meal, but not this time. They were so caught up in who was first that they overlooked the customary task of foot washing.

Jesus took the task to hand and started washing their feet. Do you think the room got quiet? Do you think their attention shifted for themselves to Jesus? I think we all have been guilty of overlooking a basic task, preoccupied with a selfish thought. I think about the weight on Christ’s shoulders, he knew the events that would unfold later that night. He knew what the next day would hold for him. Yet he didn’t command someone else to do it, He simply got up and did what needed to be done. He demonstrated what a true servant does.

Did he even wash the feet of Judas? Knowing he was the one who would betray him? 

Jesus came to Peter and the discussion went something like this.

John 13:6-10; When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”

“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”

10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”

There is a physical and spiritual meaning to Christ’s actions. Your feet are dirty and they need to be washed. Also, your soul is dirty and needs to be cleansed. Christ has set an example. What does that mean? On one hand it means do the task that needs to be done, nothing is beneath you. On the other hand, there is a symbolic nature to the actions of Jesus. Through His sacrifice our souls are washed clean. Not only once but continually.

John 13;12-15; After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

Do we understand? Christ has set an example, forgive each other, serve each other. Not just the easy jobs, the dirty ones also. Not only that but, we who are saved need to continue to be cleansed because we continue to sin. Without the cleansing blood of Christ we have no part in Him. Only by humbly admitting our inabilities and allowing Christ to forgive us do we have a place with Him.

We don’t need to go too far to find dirty feet; Stained and bruised from the road of life. We need to walk alongside each other, helping deal with the choices and decisions that have separated us from Christ. We need to be ready to meet people where they are, humble ourselves and take on the lowly, messy task of lifting someone up and cleaning them off.

John 13:17; Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

No one is greater than any other. No master is greater than his servant. There is serving to be done. Now we know. Blessed if we do.

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.