In my absence last week, Rev. Ray shared in my place,
please enjoy his teaching, Rev. Don
John 20:31 NLV; “But these
things are written so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God. When you put your trust in Him, you will have life that lasts forever
through His name.”
It has been said that the Christian life
is a journey, not just a destination. Often times in our spiritual walk, we
encounter times of doubt and fear. Wondering if we have made the right
choices and hoping everything will just be okay and turn out all right. So
it was with the disciples as well. They had just spent the last three years
walking side by side with their Messiah, Jesus Christ. But, He had just been
crucified, laid in a grave- but the tomb was now empty; where had He gone?
What would they do? Fear and doubt came across many of them; including
Thomas. Are you in doubt today? Greetings in the Name of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
John 20:19-23 NIV; Jesus
Appears to His Disciples: “On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the
Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with
you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples
were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on
them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. …”
John 20:24-29 NIV, Jesus Appears to Thomas: Now
Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the
disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen
the Lord!” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his
hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side,
I will not believe.” A week later- his disciples were in the house again,
and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood
among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your
finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop
doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus
told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those
who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 14:1-4 NLT; Just previous to this, Jesus
had told the disciples that it was going to be necessary for Him to go away
for a period of time. He explained: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my
Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to
prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you,
so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where
I am going.”
In great fear and in some confusion, their
spiritual leader had left them; just as He said He would, so that His
Father’s will would be perfectly carried through . We know Jesus said it was
necessary for Him to leave so that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit could come
in His place here on earth today.
John 14:16, 26; “And I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide
with you for ever;
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Today, you can have those same words of hope
the disciples were given by Jesus Christ, whom they chose to follow, and to
also learn from.
In one of my favorite songs, “Glorious Day”, sung by Casting
Crowns, the words say in part, …”One day when heaven was filled with His
praises, one day when sin was as black as could be, Jesus came forth to be
born of a Virgin, dwelt among men, my example is He. One day they lead Him
up Calvary’s mountain, one day they nailed Him to die on a tree, suffering
anguish, despised and rejected, bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He. Hands
that healed nations, stretched out on a tree and took the nails for me.
Living He loved me, Dying He saved me, and buried He Carried my sins far
away, Rising He justified freely forever, one day He’s coming, oh Glorious
Day, oh, Glorious Day. Death could not hold Him The grave could not keep Him
from rising again.” !
But, because of their fear of the Roman soldiers, and the Jewish
crowd who had cried out to crucify Jesus on the cross- fear and doubt had
entered their hearts. Today, the enemy, satan, also taunts us with false
accusations; and hurls insults upon the believer for our decision to follow
Christ and put our trust in His promises. Are you also struggling about whom
to listen to today? Is your faith being tested?
Even though Thomas was told that Jesus was just seen again, and
that they had talked with Him- remember, because he was not present with
them the first time- perhaps because he was hiding away; Thomas had his
doubts about the disciples’ testimony.
Now, look at how Jesus came specifically to Thomas; the one who
doubted the others’ testimony because of his own fear:
John 20:26-29 NLV; “Eight
days later the followers were again inside a house. Thomas was with them.
The doors were locked. Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “May you
have peace!” He said to Thomas, “Put your finger into My hands. Put your
hand into My side. Do not doubt, believe!” Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and
my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you believe.
Those who are happy have never seen Me and yet believe!”
The first thing I notice is, Jesus did not
berate and scold Thomas. Jesus simply said to stop doubting and believe.
Jesus wants very much for you today, to leave the past behind, confess with
your mouth and actions, your love for Him; and to also say as Thomas did,
“My Lord, and My God”.
The Apostle Peter, who denied Christ three times, wrote,
1 Peter 1:3-5 “ All praise
to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that
we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now
we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an
inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the
reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by
his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on
the last day for all to see.”
Jesus Christ, very much wants to restore to
you the full Joy of your Salvation- He is reaching out to you with open
arms, pierced hands, and a Forgiving, Loving heart. Your eternal spiritual
hope is found only by believing on Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior.
No one else can give you peace, except the Prince of Peace! ‘til next time I
write, remember, God Loves you.
Reach out to Him, Rev. Ray Pavkov
THOUGHTS
FROM THE ROAD
WET AND SOGGY - Several events last
week fell to the weather, not only in the Northeast but across the country.
For Lynda and I the weather in Ireland was as expected, a little bit of
everything, but that didn’t upset our plans at all. We had a wonderful time
touring the country side.
I managed to master driving on the wrong side of the road, shifting
with my left hand and driving at 100 k/hr down single country lanes. Man was
it exhilarating when a tractor trailer came the other way and you had to
pull the mirror in to pass by! Braking was for those faint of heart.
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO SERVE - This past Saturday, May 18 was
Armed Forces Day, a day set aside to thank those who serve us everyday to
maintain the freedom that we enjoy. If you know someone in the active
military please take the time to tell them you appreciate their service.
VETERAN RACER DICK TRICKLE IS NO LONGER WITH US...Our
friends at A Second Look at Sports shared this and I wanted to pass it
along. Thank you Dr. Dwight Allen for sharing your insights;
My heart goes out to the Dick Trickle family tonight as they try to
work through this tragic loss. I have now hosted the Racing World Program on
WFIN for the last 15 years...and I have learned that life is
fragile....especially if you are a race car driver. Dale Earnhart Sr is no
longer with us...along with a kid named Petty. The pressure of racing deals
with what not only goes on the race track... but what goes off the track! I
have no idea what happened to one Dick Trickle...all I know I pray that
there is a chaplain in his life who can relate to the Trickle Family
tonight...and will work with them...and try to get them through this thing.
Dick was colorful driver...he was a "grass roots driver"...from the "old
school"... as many old racing guru's would put it. He will be missed because
of all he invested in this sport. He is from a vanishing breed...and again
my heart aches for his wife and family...and all his racing fans. As I
reflect on this incident...I am reminded that James tell us that "life is
like a vapor...it is here...and then it is gone"! Yet...we never know when
our time on earth is over...and I would encourage everyone reading this post
to realize that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord...for the Salvation
that is given to all through Christ... who realize they are sinners in need
of a Saviour...SHALL BE SAVED! I pray that as God speaks to your heart
tonight....that you will make that call! Again...my heart goes out to the
Dick Trickle family...may you find some comfort by the friends wo loves
him...and his friend Jesus Christ who died for him. John 3:16
STAFFORD KICKS OFF RACING WEEKEND - With wall to wall racing
on Memorial Day weekend Stafford will get things going when the Whelen
Modified Tour rolls into town to join the regulars on Friday night. This is
always a great way to kick off the holiday weekend, make plans to get off
the couch and see some live racing this weekend.
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
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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