PREFACE; As I read this in light of current events it seems pretty obvious that many of us have turned our focus internally, survival of the fittest! I would like to say that isn’t true, but when push comes to shove we turn into people whose focus becomes get mine at all cost. That is contrary to what this teaches. It saddens my heart to see that, to see how quickly we can descend into anarchy. We are quick to become survivalists, turning our priorities upside down, putting ourselves on the top of the ladder and lowering others to the bottom. God becomes an afterthought. That should not be.
Thou Shall NOT! We get into the moral standard of God. We tend to know these pretty well, at least the stealing and lying one. If your parents were like mine these were impressed upon you in many ways! But these Commandments collectively reveal the way we should treat others. Do we value the lives of others the way that God instructs us to? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Racing is a game of figuring out things before the other guy. We spend our time and effort figuring out how to be the fastest car on the track. When one team achieves that others want to know the secret. What is it they are doing that makes them so fast? The chase begins. I have seen people go to great lengths to keep their speed secrets secret.
I remember when we would honor the Modified Tour Champion with a place in our booth at Motorsports. The car that was on display was not the car that they ran on the track. One crew chief revealed to me that they took the oldest chassis in the shop and put a setup in the car they haven’t used in years. Another put a different shock on the car than the one they ran during the season. I watched as people would pour over the car, take pictures and try to figure out what it was that made them fast.
We are copycats, we want to know the way other people are doing things. Our thinking is knowing that will help us achieve our goals and dreams. Many times we think there is a shortcut to achieving our goal of a satisfying and fulfilling life. There is! Here are the steps to building meaningful, beneficial relationships and a life that matters. Five small things that add up to a great difference in the lives of those we come in contact with.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.
Jesus reminded us; Matthew 7:12; NLT;“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
Let me see if I can break them down a little, expanding on their implications. Don’t tear down someone’s life, don’t cheat, steal, lie or be jealous. Well that should be easy.
No it is not easy because we tend to think we need to manipulate circumstances for our benefit. We think that we know the best way things should work out. We engage in words, actions and behaviors that are destructive not only for others but for ourselves.
Oh we don’t start out there. It is just a little white lie. Everyone is doing it. No one will miss this one little thing. Why wouldn’t God want me to have it? They are just idiots. If we need to have reasons to do something that involves explaining our actions then we are probably not following God’s guidance. The character of the Holy Spirit does not need an explanation.
Galatians 5:22-23; NLT; But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
If the fruits of the Spirit are not the result of our actions, words and deeds then we need to take a step back and reevaluate whose guidance we are following. You see when we live without motives that are hidden, life becomes more satisfying and fulfilling. Think about not having to hide our actions, or remembering who we told what. Think about living and being truly happy for someone who has or did something you have always wanted to do. Think about what life would be like if we spent our time and effort lifting someone up instead of tearing someone down. We can all fall into the trap of hate, deceit, lies and insults. Society seems to be an incubator for negativity and manipulation. We must live differently.
Let’s take murder, I wrote a little about it earlier this year when we talked about living the New Year differently. Here is a little look back;
The goal, to honor God, might seem abstract, let me simplify, how about if we strive to value what God values? Let’s just focus on one thing, human life. Let’s simplify that even more, the goal is to not call anyone an idiot. Easy, right? Not so easy.
Matthew 5:21-22 NLT; ““You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.”
We are good at looking out for number one, but it usually means we mess a lot of other things up, mainly relationships; the way we treat others. It is not possible to focus on yourself and at the same time be aware and concerned about others. Building relationships means sacrificing your own wants and desires. When we focus on ourselves we lose focus on what is important to God, the lives of others.
Don’t fall into the trap of self-gratification and preservation; that is not the way we are wired. We do not find satisfaction and fulfillment in building ourselves up, we never get there. Think about it, are you ever thin enough, good looking enough, healthy enough? No? So what if we stop thinking of ourselves and turn our focus on others? There we can find true fulfillment and satisfaction when we get a different focus.
We can give encouragement, support, companionship, mentoring, the list goes on. It has one thing in common; time. If we stop spending our time focused on ourselves and look around we will find many opportunities to reach the goal. Remember the goal, no one is an idiot. I told you it wasn’t that easy.
We will spend some time here with these five, there is a little more to them than meets the eye, hang with me and I think our lives will be the better for it. 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.
