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By Rev Don Rivers
There are times in life when we need to step up, step up to the challenge we face and accept the greater responsibility. The time comes when it is necessary to own up to who we are and the decisions we make. At times we shrink back from accepting the responsibilities of our choices. That doesn’t reflect well on us. Are you ready to step up? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The opportunity comes for you to move up to a new division, faster cars, better competition, longer races, are you ready? Many times in our racing career we have decisions to make about stepping up to the next level. That comes with many questions, am I ready, can I compete, will I be able to win?
In the racing world today many of those decisions are being made at a younger age. Too young for many, drivers haven’t had the chance to mature. At that young age many of those decisions are made for drivers by someone else; that adds the pressure to live up to someone else’s expectations. In a sport that is already full of challenging choices this is just another one to consider.
They say the first sign of maturity comes with the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left. That thought is lost on many who were born after the nineties because of the advent of digital radios and buttons for the volume. Suffice to say when we mature we realize that life doesn’t have to be lived at full volume, everything isn’t life or death and there are somethings that are better dealt with after we have had some time to think about it. The key to maturity is taking responsibility for your actions.
Maturity means stepping up and accepting the consequences for our actions. That isn’t the norm these days; too many times we want to place blame on something or someone else. Sometimes we think our choices only affect us, that is not true. Every decision we make has consequences, not only for us, but those around us. When we refuse to accept the responsibility for our decisions; we refuse to step up. It is as they say, time to own it.
For our lives to be meaningful and satisfying it requires us to step up and take responsibility for ourselves. One of those decisions that only we can make is our decision to pursue a relationship with God. You and you alone can decide to meet God face to face. No one else can do it for you. Isaiah had such an encounter, let’s take a look at how it went.
Isaiah 6:1-8; NLT; It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
There are a few things we can learn from Isaiah that will help us understand who God is and help us prepare to step up.
First, Isaiah had an idea of what God looked like. Would we recognize God if we were standing before Him? Do you remember the movie Bruce Almighty? There was a bum on the street corner. Do you remember that at the end of the movie you could see who he really was? Sometimes what we see isn’t what is really there. There is a difference between looking through God’s eyes vs our eyes, feeling with God’s heart vs our heart and listening with God’s ears vs our ears. Would we recognize God if we saw Him?
Second, Isaiah knew who he was, a sinner. He knew he was not worthy enough to be in God’s presence. We refuse to face that reality and are not honest with ourselves. We think we can be good enough, we cannot. When we come to the conclusion of who we are, taking responsibility for our choices is required. Have we taken responsibility for the decisions we make in life?
Third, Isaiah knew that sin has no place before God. We sometimes think that we can have sin in our lives and still serve God. God is just and sin is not something He allows in His presence. We need to live in a way that honors God. That is something we cannot do, but a provision has been made for our forgiveness.
Truth is, living a sinless life is not possible. We all fall short. We can’t be good enough to overcome our infinite capacity to sin. No matter how good we are there is still that nature in us to sin against God. Something outside of us is necessary to make us worthy to be in God’s presence. That provision is the sacrifice Christ made for us in His death and resurrection.
Romans 5:8; NLT; But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Fourth, God made a provision to remove Isaiah’s sin. He cleansed him and made atonement for his sin. God also made a provision to forgive our sin, Jesus Christ. Jesus came and gave his life to atone for our sin. He submitted himself to death on the cross, a perfect sacrifice for our imperfection. Through Him we can be forgiven and have a personal relationship with God.
Fifth, Isaiah responded when God called. How many times do we come up with excuses when God calls? We tend to look for someone else to answer, surely he doesn’t mean me. Isaiah wasn’t perfect; he was willing, why? He was willing because of the forgiveness he received from God. God did not condemn him for his sin, he made atonement for it. The same is offered to us as a gift from God in Jesus Christ. When we receive Jesus we are then ready to do the work God has prepared for us to do. Will we step up and accept the challenge? Other people’s lives depend on it.
Ephesians 2:8-10; For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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.
