CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Starting Line to Checkered Flag… “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Bartow is at the end of September and I can’t wait! It has been a very long summer with Covid 19, shelter in place and social distancing. With our lives so changed, some of us need a reminder to prepare for the upcoming season. In Ezekiel 38:7 we are told to “Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them.” Not only do we need to prepare ourselves with exercise, hydration and mental focus, we need to support our friends and the other riders in the same way. Soon the time will come when the first classes are on the line to start the season. Will hear the “10 seconds” call. At that point, all the preparation comes to an end, from there it is God’s coverage and protection that will take us to the checkered flag. Proverbs 21:31puts it this way,

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

But victory belongs to the Lord.” Again in Proverbs 16:1, “The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”

The ultimate act of preparation is our personal relationship with Jesus. Is He a casual name you mention on occasion or is He your best friend, your Savior, your Lord? In 1 Peter 1:13, we read, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Is your heart prepared?

See you in September! Blessings on and off the road, Jim and Betty Edleston CMA