The Transmission of Life...READY, SET...DRIVE

Well, today we reach what many people would consider the most important gear in our transmission of life...the gear know as D RIVE. But let's take a moment or two and really put on our thinking caps as we unpack this particular gear.

Now, granted, Drive is a very important gear to have working properly in your car...and if you remember my discourse on the gear of Reverse, you may remember that I told you that my transmission in my 1957 Bel Aire began to falter and would not let me go backwards at all; however, it wasn't very long before it would not let me go forward either, thus my trade for my '66 Nova Super Sport. In fact, I was barely able to get the '57 Chevy into the car lot at City Chevrolet to make the trade for my new car. So, it was increasingly clear to me that my transmission was going bad and pretty soon, I would have a 3600 pound piece of yard art if I did not make a trade.

But here's another thought about drive! It pays to know where you are going before you pull the stick shift or press a button for Drive....especially at the price of gas these days! Now, I am not against a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive to enjoy the peace and tranquility of God's beautiful handiwork; but if you do that on Monday morning and all of the days that follow, it won't be long before you have no job, no income and no money to fuel your idle time of driving aimlessly around, soaking up the scenery. Yes, life is better; no, make that BEST, when you GO WITH GOD! Take our Bible hero, David, who at his father's request, took bread and cheese to his 3 brothers on the battle front of the Israelites and the Philistines. Now, Goliath kept coming out each morning around sunrise, challenging the Israelites to send out their most fearsome warrior to do battle with him...to the victor would go the spoils; the losers would serve the victorious army. But, NO ONE DARED TO ENTER THAT RING OF CERTAIN DEATH...except David!

So, David put himself in DRIVE, not because he was the better warrior; rather, David went forth because he had the GOD OF ISRAEL ON HIS SIDE AND HE HAD ALREADY CLAIMED THE VICTORY. So, with purpose and God on your side, it makes PERFECT sense to drive forward and claim that which God has already promised....if you want to read the entire story and see how David was driven to go forth and defeat the giant, Goliath, then read 1Samuel 17. IT'S A STORY OF GOD'S DIRECTION AND POWER LIKE NO OTHER!

And last, but not least, is our desire to go where God leads. It is our earnest desire and our responsibility to put ourselves in the Drive position in the transmission of life; to be always ready to follow God's instructions, to walk and to proceed in His ways and to take as many of the lost with us as we live, not just in the life, but in the life that is eternal. I think the passage that speaks to this mindset and wills us to live in this manner is the theme of Malachi 4:1-3, that reads, "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills and peoples shall flow to it,  and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

So, my final questions of this series....which gear are you stuck in and what do you intend to do regarding your situation? Is Park your favorite gear since you can just stay still and do nothing...or are you fighting hard to get out of Reverse and get moving in the right direction? Are you in Neutral and thus, at a whim, can be moved in almost any direction with the slightest nudge or push? Are you in Drive, moving forward; perhaps in the right direction with God... or driving where you want to go, with little thought or concern that you may be heading the wrong way?  This much is true....God is ready to go with you...NOT AS YOUR CO-PILOT; BUT AS THE ONE WHO IS DRIVING AND NAVIGATING BECAUSE HE HAS THE WHEEL!!!

Letting go of the Wheel...For God's Got Control,

WPQ

Poem for the day...
You're motoring down life's highway,
Driving as though you know the route;
But just when you think you've made it,
Here comes that thing called....doubt!
 
You wonder if you missed a turn,
Or failed to see the sign?
So are you lost, in search of,
Something you can't find?
 
But if the Father has the wheel,
You need not fear the drive..
For as you let Him take control
You can rest and enjoy the ride!!!
 
                       
WPQ © October 2025