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Smooth Water
“Chaplains Blog Book … Augusta, GA 2009”
By Gerald Aldridge, RFC chaplain
IHBA “Augusta Southern Nationals”
As I reflect on this race, the sights, sounds, smells (nitro, racing fuel, food cooking, etc.), and most of all the people, it reminds me how blessed I am to be a part of the ministry provided by “Racer’s For Christ.” This is my 8th year of service as a chaplain. The Lord put a call on my life many years ago, to serve Him in this type of ministry. What better place than this? I have seen salvations, healing, deliverance, and been blessed by the people I’ve met along the way. Thank you Lord for all you do!
When I arrived in Augusta, GA for the 24th Annual “Augusta Southern Nationals,” it was a great feeling to be greeted by friends I have made over the past three years. I am still amazed at the level of voluntary involvement this event generates. The whole event is run by people volunteering time and resources to raise money for the Georgia Special Olympics. Many of these volunteers are second and some third generation families that are committed to the cause. We need this type of commitment in our Christian lives, and our churches.
This racing season has been a good one for me. As a chaplain, I have made no trips to the hospital with injured drivers. When I checked in with race control, I advised them that my prayer for this event would be not to change that status.
My prayer was answered Saturday! We had two Top Fuel Hydro crashes right off the starting line, both drivers walked away unhurt (after the rescue boat got them back to the “in ramp”).
During my time of preparation for this race, I began seeking the Lord for direction on the message that I needed to deliver come Sunday morning’s chapel service. The biggest problem was finding a quiet time to allow the Lord to speak to my heart. With so many things going on, and so many people looking for answers about so many other things, I was running out of time. Any of you ever have that situation? Well, anyway I did find a quiet time, and the word He gave me was “Grace.”
Grace by definition is unmerited favor. As I began to research Grace, I found in Strong’s Concordance approximately 38 listings in the Old Testament, and 129 in the New Testament. Starting in Genesis 6:8 – But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And ending in Revelation 22:21 – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all – Amen.
If the greatest, most important book ever written ends with God blessing us with the “Grace of Jesus Christ,” maybe grace deserves more than a casual consideration. Have you ever considered what condition our lives would be in without God’s grace?
One Christian writer referred to it as, “The fast food of a spiritual diet,” and cautioned that “Undeserved kindness could be the junk food of slackers.” Grace can be taken advantage of by those who think they deserve it. Grace can be used as a safety net for those who think they can sin now and repent later.
What is God’s unmerited favor? Romans 2:4 – Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?
Acts 14:16-17 – In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways, yet he did not leave Himself without a witness by doing good, by giving rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and your hearts with joy.
Descriptions of Grace:
A- God’s favor as we read in Genesis 6:8.
B- God’ forgiving mercy; Romans 11:6 – And if they are saved by God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s wonderful kindness would not be what it really is – free and undeserved.
C- Gospel; John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
D- Gifts; 1 Peter 4:10 – God has given each one of us gifts – He expects us to use them for His glory.
E- Eternal life; 1 Peter 1:13 – Think clearly and exercise self control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to us at the return of Jesus Christ.
Grace is the source of:
A- Salvation; Ephesians 2:8 – By grace you are saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.
B- Call of God
C- Faith
D- Justification
E- Forgiveness
F- Consolation
Grace is described as:
A- All-abundant
B- All-sufficient
C- Glorious
D- Great
E- Manifold
F- Rich
G- Undeserved; 1 Timothy 1:12-16 – How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him, even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ. I hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had mercy on me because I did it with ignorance and unbelief. Oh how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus. This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- and I was the worst of them all. But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
Believers:
A- Are under grace
B- Receive grace
C- Stand in grace
D- Abound in grace
E- Are strong in grace
F- Grow in grace
G- Speak with grace
H- Inherit grace
Dangers of Grace
A- Grace can be abused.
B- Grace can be frustrated; Galatians 2:21- I am not one of those who treats the grace of Gad as meaningless. For if I could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.
This message was delivered to about eighty people, who attended chapel service in the Boathouse Bar; it produced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which led several people to share testimony about God’s grace in their lives. How has God’s grace touched your life?
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