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By Rev Don Rivers
You have heard the saying; “We’ve always done it that way.” How many times do we fall back on tradition, what is comfortable and what we know and think we are moving forward? Let me say this, moving forward has little to do with where we have been and what we know than we think. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Lynda and I camp down by a river. Each morning we wake up and see the changes in that river. I remember the quote from Greek Philosopher Heraclitus, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” We are ever changing along with everything around us. We are never in the same place twice.
We have many traditions in life, many surround Holiday celebrations; Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day to name a few. Last week, the third Saturday in May, we celebrate Armed Services Day, a day we honor all who have served and are serving. It seems to get lost sometimes because it isn’t one of the big holidays. It is no less important. Thank you to all who served and are currently serving.
Rev. Pat, the founder of this ministry was a Navy vet and always instilled in us the responsibility to remember those who have volunteered to secure and maintain the freedoms we enjoy. That is a tradition that should not fade away. Thank you Rev. Pat for reminding us.
Traditions at the track have changed. For the longest time May belonged to Indianapolis and the 500. That was the focus of the racing world. Now that has faded. The racing community used to respect certain Holidays, Easter and Mother’s Day, those traditions have faded. Many times traditions change and the way we always have done it fades away. While breaking from tradition isn’t always bad, I think there are some that should remain honored.
As the quote says, the river is never the same, that means our life. Everyday there is a new set of situations and obstacles that need to be overcome. How we do that indicates how open minded we are. How flexible we are. Can we embrace something new and different or are we stuck with a traditional mindset?
What happens when we fail to adapt to the situation around us? I have heard it said many times; “This was good enough for us, it is good enough for them.” That type of thinking only guarantees you will be left behind. When we look at the future and decide to stay in the past we assure ourselves of failure.
There will always be a group that is comfortable and secure in the way they always have done things, but you can see how that type of vision limits our ability to embrace and understand new opportunities.
We can see that even in God’s Word, let’s take the Book of Acts of the Apostles. You can notice the friction that was taking place between the traditionalist and the progressives. Let me say this, there are some things that matter to God and those don’t change, but there are other things that change depending on circumstances. Learning that will go a long way toward reaching people with the grace that God offers.
Isaiah 43:19; NLT; For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
God is constantly building on the foundation He set. He is building our lives into lives that reflect His character. If we refuse to allow God to change us, we relegate our life to less than what God wants it to be.
Acts 15:1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
These men didn’t want things to change. They wanted everything to be as it was. Why is it that we struggle to rely on the Holy Spirit? Why is it that we need to create a set of rules that we feel comfortable with to determine the motives of someone’s heart? We struggle with allowing God to do what He wants with who He wants.
Religious behavior is just that, doing the same thing over and over religiously. We can be religious about anything. How does that help us? It doesn’t. To live in a way that honors God we need to have trust and faith. We need to let God guide and direct us, lead us out of our comfort zone.
Looking back at the first disciples it occurred to me that we would have had trouble listening to the Apostles, based on their previous occupations, proclaiming the Good News. We would have looked upon them with some doubt. What would it take for us to believe?
Do we trust God? Do we have faith that He knows what He is doing? You see faith isn’t just about what is happening in our lives, it is also about what God is doing in the lives of others and through the group of believers we call the Church.
It is not that God is changing His moral standard; it is that He is revealing it to others in ways we couldn’t imagine years ago. Our methods of communicating the Good News have changed dramatically, we have print, electronic, streaming, the list goes on. If we stick to the traditional ways we would not reach as many people with the message. We must reflect the times. As Paul said;
1 Corinthians 9:22b; Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
If we rely on tradition to determine the work of God we will miss the work of the Holy Spirit. Just because that is the way we have always done it doesn’t mean that is the only way God works. Let us break from tradition and let God lead us through His Spirit. Let’s commit to letting the Holy Spirit lead us!
Acts 15:11; We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
