DOING the SPEED LIMIT

Pastor Todd Christopherson
Mid American Stock Car Series
October 7, 2013

The other day I decided to go up the interstate and set the cruise at 65. That felt really weird. First, most people came flying up. Next, they would slow a little. I am not sure if they thought a State Trooper was near-by or curious who was going so slow. Several stayed at that slow speed for a mile or so before speeding off. It felt very strange to be going that the speed limit for several reasons including that I kind of felt in the way.

I came home and asked God to give me a lesson from this. He brought several of you to mind to share with and here are some of my thoughts.

One, following God’s laws and commands is going to feel strange because we are strangers. Listen to 1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world,… who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Peter reminds us we will be odd, different, strangers when looked at in the eyes of those around us and of this world. We should look different. If we are following the LORD and His ways so we should not be involved in the same things the world is involved in. Sadly, even in the church, we don’t always look differently. Our words and actions should be different. Our families should be different. How we work should be different. Our motives should be different. What happens at and on the track should look different. We could talk a lot about what should be different and we could have a year or more of studying on this but why don’t you just think about that this week and do some digging. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal some things to you.

Next, there were those that slowed down. I don’t know what their motive was but here is what I took from if it. There will be those that will see our example and wonder what is up. Timothy speaks of it this way: 1 Timothy 4:15-16 "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." And 1 Timothy 1:16-17 "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." So what is the example we are going to set? Say they slowed down to check me out and they saw me doing things I should not be doing. Not a good example. It is the same in life. We should be setting that solid, Christ-like, Biblical example.

Peter give us a direct order, 1 Peter 1:17 "....live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." We should have an awe, a reverent fear for the LORD.

I also thought that I could have sped up and blended into traffic. We have choices to be made every day. Are we going to follow the LORD or are we going to blend into society? Listen to the council of the LORD wrote down by Peter 1 Peter 2:11-12 "I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." See, we are to be peculiar, different from the world and give them an example of what it is to be a follower of Jesus, surrender to His LORDship.

Have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,

Pastor Todd

DO you feel like something is missing? Is there a void in your life? Can you SEE that YOU have SINNED and don’t know a way out? DO you recognize that even the smallest of sins buys a one way ticket to hell? There is hope right now, right where you are. TURN, REPENT, to God. Lay your life before Him and ASK to be forgiven. ACKNOWLEDGE that you have sinned and only Jesus can save you from your own sin and CALL out to Jesus as LORD, your LORD.
If today is the day of your salvation I would like to pray for you and would like to help you get started. Please get a message to me that you have called out Jesus as your LORD.

Feel free to contact me at: torch_for_jesus@yahoo.com, 608-630-7301 or
512 Chippewa Court, DeForest, WI 53532