The last seven lessons have led us to the final
characteristic of faith; D.O.G., Depend on God. When we depend on God we are
placing our life in the only hands that can guide us in the right direction.
What direction is our life headed and who are we depending on to show us the
way? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The last few weeks we talked about faith and who we need to place
that faith in. The best life is built upon the foundation of faith in God.
For our part we need to trust and obey, there is no other way. We might
think there is and others may tell us there is, but the fact remains, the
creator and sustainer of everything knows a thing or two about how to live
the best life.
My wife, Lynda, is always quick to remind me that God spelled
backward is dog. I think it is a neat way to remind us of the way we need to
live out our faith. We need to Depend On God. Dogs have something to teach
us about faith. Don’t have a dog? No problem I have a list. Let’s take a
look at what we can learn from them.
Things I learned from a dog:
When loved ones come home run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity of a joy ride.
Allow the wind and fresh air in your face to be pure ecstasy.
If what you want lies buried, dig till you find it.
Never pretend to be something you are not.
No matter how often you are scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing
and pout...run right back and make friends.
Run, romp and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop and lie on your back in the grass.
On hot days drink lots of water and lie in the shade of a tree.
Be loyal.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm, but stop when you've had enough.
And most of all...when someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit
close by and nuzzle them gently.
We can
apply many of those lessons to our daily life and be the better for it. Dogs
offer us unconditional love; that can wipe away a multitude of pain and
sorrow. Funny thing is they don’t care what we do, how much we make, whether
we are famous or not. They love us anyway.
It isn’t so easy for us. Unconditional love is only possible when
we depend on God. The way it works is like this, when we stop focusing on
what we want and let God have control over our life we are free to love
others without an agenda. Think about that for a moment, free to reach out
to anyone and everyone without a thought about what is in it for you.
In racing almost everything we do is motivated by what we gain from
the deal. We get sponsors based on the exposure we can offer. That may
involve using their product and promoting their business among other things.
We do it because we get to race. They do it because they get their business
advertised.
It is not very different in the rest of the world; we make
relationships based on what we get out of them. I would say that very few of
us care for others without conditions. We always are looking out for what’s
in it for us.
James tells us that we need to realize that God is in control and
no matter what we think or plan it still remains in God’s hands.
James 4:13-17, Now
listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
spend a year there,
carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will
happen tomorrow. What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead,
you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will,
we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such
boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows
the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
James
points out that when we make our agenda and we live focused on that agenda
we bypass what God would have us do. Even if we plan on doing good things we
miss the point if we are not doing what God wants us to. I remember it this
way, “Get out of my way I am going to do great things for God.” We can get
so focused on what we think is right that we lose sight of what is going on
around us.
We see it in racing, teams are so intent on winning they will do
almost anything. They justify the means by the result. How do we live our
life? Do we think we can live any way we want as long we do something good.
If we have faith we will depend on God to provide our direction.
When we start to think that we know what is best we start down the wrong
road. Depending on God isn’t easy because it means relinquishing control of
our life to Him. Letting God have control means that we will have to stop
living our agenda and live on His.
Let me challenge you this week to stop and ask God for His
direction. Depend on God and He will lead you down the right road. The
writer of Proverbs puts it this way;
Proverbs 3:5-6,
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
THOUGHTS
FROM THE ROAD
HEADED SOUTH - This week we head to
Bristol , the Coliseum of Racing. It is always a neat experience to see a
race there and even more awesome to watch from the infield. One racecar
fires an engine and the place comes alive!
We’ll be there for the first race of the season for the K&N Pro
Series East. It will be great to get back with the teams and meet the new
drivers competing in the series. We also enjoy renewing acquaintances with
the returning teams.
From Bristol the K&N series moves to the historic
Greenville-Pickens, another great place to watch a race.
FOUR WEEKS AND COUNTING - It wont be long now before the
racing season gets underway up north, with Waterford getting ready for the
Bud Blast Off, Thompson the Icebreaker and Stafford the Sizzler the sound of
modified thunder will be ringing throughout Southern New England. Let’s hope
the snow melts before we have to shovel out our pit stalls!
EASTER WORSHIP SERVICES - Many times we have a Palm Sunday
Service at the track but Easter is early this year. With that in mind I
would like to invite you to join me for Easter Services at Mt. Carmel
Christian Church in North Haven , CT. For Palm Sunday service will be at
11:00 on March 24. On Easter we will be having a Sunrise Service at the
Pavilion in Sleeping Giant State Park followed by breakfast at the church
and then Easter service. All are welcome and if you need directions just
drop me a note.
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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Please remember, we can only do what we do because of your prayerful
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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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RACING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES
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Tolland, CT, 06084
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