Daily Jewel

by pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Aug. 12, 2011

“Stay on Track”
“…do not forget my words or swerve from them…” – Proverbs 4:5

How many times have we heard or been told that when driving down the road do not swerve should an animal run in front of you. When teaching my children to drive both my wife and I emphasized that point, but this was a hard lesson my daughter learned when she was a teenager. One day she and my son were traveling down a country road. It was around dusk and she saw what she thought was a buzzard standing in the middle of road. The closer she got the more she realized that is exactly what she was seeing and unfortunately the buzzard was not moving. Before she knew it she was right on top it and instead of hitting the bird she swerved—which caused her to fishtail on the gravel on the shoulder. The back of the car hit some brush that was on the side of the road causing more damage than if she had hit the bird. In my daughter’s defense, how many of us—even those who are experienced drivers find ourselves doing the very same thing? It is almost an instinct. An instinct that is more dangerous to the driver. Solomon is reflecting. He is remembering the lessons taught to him by his father. David was the most respected man in all of Israel—and it may be safe to say in most of the world as well. It is also safe to say that David made his share of mistakes in life—costly mistakes. Mistakes that proved deadly to many in the land. Perhaps these words were David’s way to warn his Son—“I know what I am talking about and I want to keep you on the straight and narrow path and prevent you the pain and humility I have experienced.” Essentially, David was telling Solomon—stay on course! Don’t swerve and in the end you will reach the goal! In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Thomas Nelson, 1998), author John C. Maxwell discusses “The Law of Navigation” (Chapter 4). His opening line is insightful: “Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.” He tells the stories of two teams of explorers whose goal was to be the first team to reach the South Pole. One team was led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Long before his team was scheduled to depart in 1911, Amundsen studied the methods of experienced Arctic explorers and determined that the safest plan was to negotiate the trip over the frozen Antarctic surface by dogsled. For his team he chose experienced skiers and dog handlers. The trip for the two-month journey to the Pole was divided into six-hour days, giving men and their dogs time to rest and prepare for the next day’s travels. Amundsen’s attention to detail was impressive. He set up depots along the way, depositing supplies and food for the return trip. He purchased the finest gear possible. He anticipated every possible hindrance throughout the trip. He charted the course with perfection. All of the members of his team survived, successfully reaching the Pole and completing the return trip with no serious problems. The other team was led by Robert Falcon Scott, a British naval officer who was familiar with overall conditions in the Antarctic. Instead of using dogsleds, Scott decided to use newer technology—motorized sleds, complemented by ponies. Only five days into the journey the motors on the sledges broke down. Soon afterward, it was discovered that the ponies couldn’t survive in the sub-zero weather and had to be euthanized. The men ended up hauling the 200-pound sleds themselves. Scott had purchased inferior equipment that failed to hold up in the cold weather. His men suffered scurvy, frostbite, and frequent snow-blindness. Food and water supplies were inadequate. After covering the eight hundred miles in ten weeks, Scott’s group arrived at the South Pole on January 17, 1912, only to discover that Amundsen’s team had beaten them to the goal by more than a month. Scott’s return trip was tragic. Two months into the return and short of supplies and exhausted, Scott’s team was still 150 miles from their destination. Scott and all of his men died. From these examples, Maxwell draws what he calls the Laws of Navigation. He concludes that we need to: · Anticipate the entire trip. “We need to see the whole trip before leaving the dock.” We need to “have a vision for the destination”—from start to finish. · Listen to what others have observed. We need to gather information from many reliable and Godly sources. · Examine the conditions thoroughly before making commitments. Maxwell says, “Good navigators count the cost before making commitments for themselves and others.” · Make certain to include both faith and fact. “If you can’t confidently make the trip in your mind, you’re not going to be able to take it in real life. You can’t minimize obstacles or rationalize your challenges.” I think David knew in his heart that Solomon would succeed him on the throne. He knew what it took to be a leader but mostly—what it took to be a “Man of God.” His hope was to steer his son in that direction and for him to stay the course! How are we doing on our road?
Pastor J. T. Carnell