As we look to the close of another year it is time to begin to look ahead
and see what lies before us. How do we know what the future holds? We don’t,
but we do know who holds the future. Are we ready for what God has in store?
Preparation for tomorrow starts today. Greetings in the name of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
As the year winds down the preparation for the hope of tomorrow begins.
With December comes the Christian celebration of Advent. In expectation of
the fulfillment of Scripture we focus on being prepared for the coming of
our Lord and Savior. Ask yourself, am I prepared to accept the gift that is
given?
One of the main components for success in racing is being prepared.
Preparation for the track, the weather conditions and the competitors you
will face is essential. If you do not prepare properly your chances for
success are not very good. Try it and see how much preparation plays in
racing success. For your next race don't bother going to the shop. Don't
load the truck. Don't do anything ahead of time. Just go to the garage and
load the car and leave. How successful do you think you will be?
The same happens when we don't give any thought to what God has in store
for us. If we don't take the time to read God's word. If we ignore the
guidance and direction God gives. If we fail to anticipate the blessings
that God has for us then what? We are not prepared for the gift of Jesus.
As Advent begins we have time to prepare, time for us to reflect on the
significance of the birth of Christ. Christmas isn't about Santa Claus or
red-nose reindeer. Christmas is the celebration of the best gift of all, a
Savior. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" tells the story. Linus reads it from the
Gospel of Luke.
Luke 2:8-11; And there were shepherds
living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the
Lord.
The angels proclaimed the birth of a Savior, but how did the
shepherds know? How come they didn't just ignore them and reason it away as
too much drinking. They were expecting this night. The prophets told them
that this day was coming. They had hope from the prophet's words about a
coming savior. They rested in that hope and when the proclamation came they
knew it was true. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed;
Isaiah 7:14; Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call
him Immanuel.
The entire Old Testament points to the coming of Christ. Isaiah said
we would call him Immanuel, which means God with us. The promise from God
was a Savior. Not only a Savior, but His very presence with us. The one who
would be born of a virgin. Our Hope and Salvation.
Have you ever wanted something for Christmas that you couldn't live
without? You dropped every hint you could think of. You hoped that your
parents heard and saw all your hints. You waited anxiously, hoping that you
would receive that gift on Christmas morning.
Remember that movie "The Christmas Story"? Ralphy wanted a Red Ryder BB
gun. He couldn't live without it. He dropped every hint he could and hoped
it would be there on Christmas morning. His father made sure he received
what he asked for.
Allow me to substitute Jesus as that present. You can't live without Him.
You have asked your Father in Heaven for Him. You wait hopeful that you will
receive this gift. God being a good father provides the gift we cannot live
without; the gift of a Savior.
Prepare for his coming just as you would that gift you wanted as a kid.
You learned everything you could about it. You knew all the ins and outs of
it. There wasn't anything you didn't know.
How much do we know about Jesus? Do we know Him completely? Do we know
everything about Him? That's what the time of preparation is for. Prepare to
know Jesus. Prepare to receive God's gift. It is truly a gift you cannot
live without.
Christmas also brings other thoughts to mind, Peace, Joy and Love. Don't
let this time of year pass you by without taking time to contemplate the
blessed event of Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6;
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD
TURKEY
DERBY DOESN’T DISAPPOINT - The early forecast was for mild temperatures,
wrong. How about freezing temps and snow flurries, ah, that’s more like it.
While the weather was disappointing the racing wasn’t. With a surplus of
Mods on hand they even ran a non-qualifiers race. When the dust settled,
young Eric Mauriello took home the victory in the #14 Varney prepared
Modified. The closing laps saw a three-way duel for the lead between
Maurillo, Les Hinckley and hard charging Jimmy Blewett. The only thing that
would have added to the excitement would have been a late race caution, but
that did not happen.
Thank you to all those at Wall Stadium who support what we do. It always
a great time coming to the Jersey shore for Turkey Derby. Your support of
Bob Menschner and RWJM is greatly appreciated.
CHRISTMAS AND BEYOND - Looking ahead we have a few things on our
plate for December. I will be headed to Indy for PRI next week and Rev. Dan
will be headed to Charlotte for the NASCAR Banquet celebrations.
Following that is the indoor race at Trenton. We will have someone there
for you. Looking forward to a safe race.
After a break for Christmas we hit the ground running in 2015 with
Motorsports 2015 in Philly. This is a great time for you to come by and say
hello. We look forward to hearing from you and having you pick up some of
our witness wear. Make your plans now to attend this great mid-winter event.
MAKING PROGRESS - As you know we put out a year-end challenge to
enter 2015 debt-free. We are almost there. Due to some very generous
donations we have made good progress toward that goal, but there is more to
do. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to that effort.
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.
Check our weekly printed pages in "Area Auto Racing
News",
the East Coast’s largest weekly racing paper.
See our on-line Apparel
Store for subscription information.
Check our home page
http://www.rwjm.com for past
articles.
We invite you to input your thoughts as you sign our Guest Book.
Please remember, we can only do what we do because of your prayerful
financial support.
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
SHARE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS WITH YOUR RACING FAMILY.
SEND THEM TO:
RACING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES
PO Box 586
Tolland, CT, 06084
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