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By Rev Don Rivers
Belief and Faith are not the same thing. Some believe there is a God. Others put their faith in God. Knowing there is a God and putting our trust and faith in Him are two different things. If we were asked; do you believe or do you have faith? What would our response be? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As I was talking with a driver once the thought of faith came to mind. When a driver straps into a racecar he has trusted his life to the crew that put the car together. Think about all the hands that have touched that car. Think of all the components that were built in other places. Think about how many different things have to come together to make things work. How much faith does it take to trust someone with your life?
Do you remember the shuttle disaster? It came down to one little item, an O Ring. That’s all it took to change the fate of those Astronauts. I remember reading about the first manned space launch in the USA. The first Astronaut was Alan Shepard, who flew aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft on May 5, 1961. He was asked what was going through his mind as he sat in the capsule on the launchpad. He said, “Everything below me went our to the lowest bidder.” Now that’s faith.
How about you, do you have belief or faith? I have an offer; There was a tight rope walker that amazed people by walking across a great ravine on a single rope. When he got to the other side he asked, “Who believes I can walk back with this wheelbarrow?” Someone spoke up and said they thought he could. The tight rope walker sought to change his belief to faith, the tight ropewalker said if you have faith I can do it, get in the wheelbarrow.
Are you willing to get in the wheelbarrow? It is very similar to getting in a racecar someone prepared for you, or a rocket being launched into space. It takes trust and faith in the team when you sit in the driver’s seat. Driving it to the edge demonstrates your faith.
I remember a spring race a few years back. The #3 team asked Todd Szegedy to drive for them. Szegedy got into a strange car with very little practice. He qualified well and drove the car home to a third-place finish. What allowed him to drive with such confidence? He could drive the car in this way because of his faith in the team. His faith and trust in the crew allowed him to push beyond his unfamiliarity with the car and put doubt out of his mind.
Do we believe in God or do we just believe there is a God. Many times I hear people say, “I believe there is a God.” That’s an interesting thought. Satan not only believes there is a God, he knows God exists. Knowing that God exist moves us to a decision point.
Is believing there is a God enough? NO! I think we miss the point if we think that is all there is. God made a provision through the death and resurrection of Jesus for us to have a personal relationship with him. God desires that we know him, not just know of him. God desires to bless us and help us to live an abundant life. Is it enough to believe He exists?
Speaking of faith, let’s consider Abraham and the challenge he was given to put his faith in God. First God asked him to pack up and move. Where? I’ll tell you later, just put your faith in me. Scriptures says;
Hebrews 11:8-9; It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.
God provided Abraham a son and then asked him to sacrifice his son to Him.
Hebrews 11:17-19a; It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.
Even when God’s directions don’t give us all the details or when God’s direction do not make sense to us, faith follows. Faith overcomes our doubts and fears. By faith we move in the direction God leads and let Him fill in the details. Faith requires action.
Hebrews tells us about faith…
Hebrews 11:1-3; Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
We don’t always see what is done to our racecars. We also can’t see and touch some of the things Scripture tells us. Just because we cannot see them doesn’t mean they are not there. God created the universe from what we cannot see. Believing He exists is one thing, trusting Him with your life is another altogether.
Do you remember the wheelbarrow? Are we willing to get in and cross the ravine? Getting in the wheelbarrow is like putting your life in God’s hands! Trust God and have faith that He is who he says He is. If you look around you will see enough evidence in the lives of those who trust God to know he is there.
1 Corinthians 9:24; NLT; Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!
Hebrews 12:1b-2a; Therefore… let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Run the race in such a way as to win, throw off everything that hinders and focus on 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.
