Last time I talked about looking back over the season and seeing how God has blessed. As I looked forward to this weekend, I found myself following that advice. Sometimes you need to step back and reflect before you can really see things clearly. Between Bristol and St. Louis I spent a little time away from the racing world with my daughter. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
One of the challenges in racing is that most of what we do is done when the weather is the best. This summer has had no shortage of glorious days. With those days come plenty of opportunities to head out to the track somewhere. It is difficult on many counts to stay home and rest. I am thankful for the understanding my family gives me to reach out to others, but there comes a time when we need to prioritize things.
It is no secret that the family unit is high in the pecking order of God’s priorities. God has an order to things, they should go something like this, God, marriage, family, others then ourselves. Many times we get our priorities wrong. Notice there are a few things missing from the list. “Things” do not belong on the list of God’s priorities. Things are not important in God’s design, relationships are.
Also take a look at where taking care of ourselves falls. Most times when we get things out of balance is when we flip the list around, putting ourselves first. It is not in our best interest to place importance on ourselves. Selfishness is not an attractive quality.
Listen to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount;
Matthew 6:31-33, (NLT); “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
The trinity of selfishness, me, myself and I, has no place in our lives and shouldn’t be our focus. God created us to serve. When we figure that out we start to understand what is truly important and fulfilling. We are called to serve, not to be served.
Matthew 20:28 (NLT); “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I make this point to say that we do not always get things in the right order. Too many times our priorities get out of order. I am not saying we are not doing good things, but maybe we are not doing the best thing.
There is no such thing as a part-time Pastor; we are on call 24-7. I am amazed at how many cold dinners I have eaten because of a phone call or a person that needed to talk with me. I am not complaining but I hope in some way you might understand the demands on a Pastor’s time. Sometimes we need to remember our priorities and put things in the proper perspective.
We can read in God’s word that he provides for us when we need to take a break.
Matthew 11:28 (NLT); Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Psalm 23:2-3 (NLT); He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
It is necessary to take a break once in a while, to get away from things and renew your strength. To rest and let the rat race run without you. I am thankful that we have grown in such a way that I am able to take that rest.
Racing with Jesus Ministries has been blessed this season with the addition of many new faces to help carry the torch. God has called Todd Heft, Tim Garrison, Rob Hamel, Scotty Frazier, Chris & Christine Minnich and others to serve Him here. They along with our group of existing and dedicated chaplains have been able to go more places and serve more people. We are also confident that God has others waiting in the wings to answer that call.
We now have several tracks and touring series that would allow us to place a Chaplain there if we had them. God has opened doors that were previously closed. God has provided personnel to meet the growing need of faith in the racing community and as we grow we continue to see more opportunities. God has truly blessed us.
A funny thing happened a few weeks ago that should not go unnoticed, we sent out a team of chaplains to a touring event. It may not seem like a milestone event but it is. We have trained up workers who go in the name of Jesus and minister. God has truly blessed. God has provided the workers to cover the events. Racing with Jesus continues to explore new horizons that allows us a greater reach. We continue to see the hand of God growing this ministry. We watch as His plan unfolds before our eyes. God has put His hand of blessing on us.
With this new growth comes new responsibilities and needs. Racing with Jesus Ministries exists through God’s grace and those He leads to support us. Please pray about how you might partner with us and expand our ability to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the racing world. To provide support for our efforts please visit our website, www.rwjm.com and use the “Donate” tab.
I am excited about what God has in store for us. I am also excited about those of you He will call to partner with us. As His Word says,
“Nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
