Chaplain's Corner!

An object continually moving in a straight line is often referred to as perpetual motion. In kart racing we are continually battling against this because our tracks are not straight. We do everything possible to go through a turn as fast as we can. Horsepower, chassis setup, tire compound and aerodynamics all play into avoiding it.

In my last article I began teaching about spiritual growth (sanctification), or becoming Christ-like. The Bible tells us that we all sin (as if we are on a course of perpetual motion). It's not just that we sin, but that we have a sinful nature. Romans 3:10-11 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." Even after becoming a Christian we still are in possession of a sinful nature. Let's use a tea bag to illustrate this. When you put a tea bag in a cup of hot water, the water releases the taste of what is in the bag. The water didn't create the taste; it merely revealed what was in the bag. The pressures around us, unfavorable circumstances, temptations, and the commands of God to love Him and our neighbor merely reveal the sinful nature within us and can show us where we are on the road to being made holy.

For the Christian, the battle for change is a must - like the karters battling against the idea of perpetual motion. Our society has pretty much "left the track" of God's word. Staying on the track offers direction, protection, correction, grace and fullness of life. This change can only come about by the power of the Holy Spirit. Years ago I was accused of religious fanaticism. My reply was that no one can have too much love, peace, joy, etc. as described in Galatians 5:22 where we can read of the fruits of the Spirit.

In Rocky IV, his statement after he defeats the Russian champion, was something like "If I can change and he can change, then we all can change." Thanks to author Jim Berg and his book, Changed into His Image, for its help in writing this article.

God bless, and I'll meet you on the track.

Chaplain Ken