Some people are born with certain talents or gifted with
certain abilities but for most of us we need to practice to get it right.
Humility isn’t something we are born with; it is something we need to
practice. One of the most difficult things to do in our lives is to yield to
someone else’s requests. Faith produces humility. Greetings, in the name of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
How easy is it to let someone pass you on the track? Even when your
car isn’t performing the way it should it is difficult to be passed by. It
is hard to face the fact that we are not the best car out there. We want to
be first, we want to be the one everyone follows.
In racing, the objective is to finish first. Everything we do is
focused on winning; getting to the finish line first. We practice and fine
tune with one hope in mind, that when the checkered flag flies we will be
first. Sometimes we want to be first at all costs. We will push and shove
our way to the front. Nothing will stand in the way of getting to the front
first.
That thought process causes problems, not only for us but for
others. Think about all the people that we have pushed out of the way to get
to the front. How about the people we have run over? How many people have we
ignored because we are focused on what we want?
Have you ever noticed when you are out on the highway and you go to
pass someone they speed up so that it is harder to pass them. Do we think
that we need to be first?
I see it more and more each day when I am driving down the street,
someone is at a side street waiting to pull out and then it happens; they
pull right out in front of me. They drive a couple hundred yards and turn.
Why couldn’t they wait? Why was it necessary to make me slow down for them?
We have a desire in life to be first. We think we deserve to be in
front of everyone else. We have developed into a society that wants to be
served. Waiting is for someone else.
Think about what goes through your mind when you come up on a
delay? We start to analyze a way to get around it without waiting. We start
looking for shortcuts. We do not want to be inconvenienced or delayed. Is
that really what we should be thinking?
Jesus had some thoughts on being first:
Mark 9:33-35, They
came to Capernaum . When he, (Jesus), was in the house, he asked them,
"What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on
the way they had argued
about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,
"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of
all."
I suggest we might take a moment
and notice what is going on around us. We should take a look around; look at
what’s going on, look at the people involved and maybe we can reach out and
help someone. We should take some time and put ourselves in someone else’s
shoes. When we put others first we start to understand the way Jesus looked
at things. Philippians 2: 5-8 tells us this;
Philippians 2: 5-8;
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very
nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
WOW! What
a high standard for us. Can we even come close? Jesus did not ask us to do
anything He wasn’t willing to do himself. He laid down His life for us. With
that in mind it makes my impatience seem rather selfish. How come it is so
difficult to wait for someone or take time out of my agenda to consider
others and the challenges they face. I catch myself but often times I have
missed the opportunity to show the love that God has for them.
James, keeping to his straight forward way explains it to us:
James 4:1-12, What
causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that
battle within you?
You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have
what you want. You quarrel and fight.
You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives,
that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is
hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses
to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think
Scripture says without reason that the spirit
he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That
is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts,
you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning
and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother
or judges him
speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not
keeping it,
but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one
who is able to save and destroy.
But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
James
knows the battles that go on inside our hearts. He knows the struggle we
have between doing what is right and doing what we want. He knows because he
struggled with them himself. We all struggle with them. The blessing comes
when we get beyond that. When we fall at the foot of the throne of God and
give Him control over our lives. We are blessed when we submit to His
authority. Do you remember one of the verses we studied in the past?
Matthew 5:3; “God
blesses those who realize their need for Him, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.”
Faith is demonstrated when we take
ourselves off the throne and put God there. To do this requires that we bow
before Him, humble ourselves and submit to His authority. We demonstrate our
faith in Him by serving others. When we can look outside ourselves to the
needs of others and do something about it we start to demonstrate the
humility that shows our faith.
Look at the sentence in the passage,
James 4:10; “Humble
yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up.”
When we demonstrate our faith in
God He lifts us up above our worries and cares. God lifts us up and our
lives are full, satisfying and complete. We receive a crown that won’t fade
or tarnish. We are at peace, a peace that passes all understanding.
These verses contain one of the most important things we need to
learn and live as Christians. They teach us the very nature of Jesus,
humility and servanthood. Take some time this week and look around, instead
of trying to accomplish your agenda slow down and reach out to those in
need. Show the love of God to those you meet.
THOUGHTS
FROM THE ROAD
RACE-A-RAMA IS BACK - This past
weekend a familiar face returned to the Northeast, Race-A-Rama at the Big E.
It was part of Frank Marata’s Auto Show and I am sure it brought back some
memories for many fans and racers alike. I had plans to head up that way but
God had other plans. I enjoyed hearing about and seeing all the action
taking place, racing is just around the corner.
HOME WITH THE LORD - I want to thank you all for your kind
words, thoughts and prayers. My mom is at peace, home with the Lord. We
still have some earthly things to go through, but she is at peace and that
is what matters.
Let me take a moment and encourage you to reach out to the folks
you know who are separated from the Lord. My mom was entangled in a cult and
she isolated herself from her family and friends. They told her their way
was the only true way. When she started to ask questions they cast her
aside.
I spent over two years helping my mom find the love of God that
comes through Christ Jesus. I helped her understand that it wasn’t about
following a set of rules and hoping you were good enough. It was about the
sacrifice that Christ made on the cross and the gift of salvation that God
offered to those who receive and believe in the name of Jesus.
She received that and now rests in peace as a child of God, home in
heaven.
Too much of our lives are spent pursuing fame, fortune and
recognition, we don’t need to. We should instead pursue God through Jesus
Christ. We think too much about performance and ourselves that we forget to
really embrace one another with the love of Christ.
We all have the same value in God’s eyes, each one of us is worth
the sacrifice that Christ made. If only one of us received it, he still
would have come and given his life. As long as there is still breath in your
lungs it is not too late to receive Him. If you know someone who is heading
in the wrong direction you need to go to them and help them find their way
home.
I am thankful that God allowed me the patience and the wisdom to
help my mom find her way home. Today we are at peace knowing she is with
God. Thank you Jesus.
BRISTOL AND GREENVILLE-PICKENS - The K&N season gets into
full swing in March with a couple of races at some historic venues. Look for
us along the highways and byways.
Until next time, be a witness for our Lord with the ministry decals
and apparel. See them at the Show Your Faith Apparel Store at
http://www.rwjm.com/store. Send us your prayer and counseling needs no matter
what part of our racing family you are in, or give us a call. Remember that
God loves you, we love you and
Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing. GOD BLESS.
 Mail reaches us at Racing with Jesus Ministries, PO Box 586,
Tolland, CT 06084.
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Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace."
May God always Bless you, everyday in everyway. Rev. Don
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