Outrageous, unusual, and frightening concept
though it is, this 1924 Layat had everything necessary to be classified as an automobile. Most prominent was
the propeller shield, laminated propeller, propeller boss, and airfoil-shaped
metal strut at the front of the vehicle.
Behind the propeller, an 8 bhp (brake horsepower) motor built by Scorpion powered the
car. A teardrop plywood fuselage gave it
the shape of an airplane without wings.
Mounted on a rigid front axle and a steering cabane at the tail the
two-seater body resembled a small plane with 3 sets of double windows and a
door with four panes of glass set in a square at the front. Note the lack of any safety regarding that huge wooden propeller and the added danger of steering it from the back wheels at high speeds. Propeller driven by the flat twin engine this
vehicle could reach the frightening speed of 106 mph in a bone-jarring ride.
On the other hand, the vehicle to the right is modern and also has everything necessary to classify it as an automobile. Okay! So it looks like somebody farted in a smart car! Maybe it was conceived by a professional bowler! It is a three-wheel vehicle, also steered from the rear, has no reverse gear, and if necessary, one can roll it home if it stalls! Funny! Both of these vehicles look very different, operate differently, but serve the same purpose. They are transportation, as ridiculous as their design may be, unique to their creator, and able to fulfill each one's purpose.
Everything God created serves its Creator in fulfilling a unique purpose. Peter expressed the same thought to us in his second letter, chapter 1, verses 2-7. He outlines quite clearly a course by which each of us can fulfill our divinely appointed purpose in His Kingdom. Note how he introduces this simple lesson: "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." In our world we often live as if there is no peace, choosing to move at a pace so hurried we miss the daily blessings God sends our way because our attention is focused on too many things at once. Yet Peter begins by bringing us to an abrupt halt to appreciate what we have in the Lord.
"His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." Wow! What a beginning! Life can be confusing if we take our focus off of the Lord. In Him we have everything necessary pertaining to life and godliness. I love that! I'm called! I have a purpose! It is unique to me as I serve my Lord and Savior! My purpose is to live a godly life as He directs. If I try to live a godly life that is directed by someone else I end up like the child in this picture. I've got the tools, but I don't have the power to make them work!
"For by these (His own glory and excellence) He has granted to me His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them I might become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." Remember the parable about the man who sought a pearl of great price, and when he found it he sold everything he had to purchase it? His gift is His precious and magnificent promises! I can change, if I allow Him to change me. I partake of the divine nature! And when I do, with diligence, I can fulfill my purpose in His Kingdom!
The mill pictured on the right needs the waterwheel to turn it, and the waterwheel needs the stream running into the river to turn it. Simple and beautiful this illustration reminds us that with His power to move and motivate we can do whatever He wants us to do. So, applying all diligence in my faith I allow Him to "supply moral excellence, knowledge from that moral excellence, self control from that knowledge, perseverance and godliness produce brotherly kindness, and brotherly kindness produces love. Simple!
Left is a YJ engine from a 1966 Bonneville. This one was bored, balanced, and blueprinted, given a turbo charger, and now produces 575 bhp! Talk about power. Yet it serves no purpose at all if it is not mounted in the car and allowed to be used for what it was designed for. Many believers today take their engines out of their cars, put them on stands, polish them, and admire them, but never use them. Always tinkering with the engine it never actually serves its purpose. In other words, we're good at speaking the right words, but not so good at actually doing the right things. That is sin! No! Peter meant for us to use everything the Lord has given us! How often I fall short of that! I have everything necessary pertaining to life and godliness, but instead of choosing to live and be godly, I fall back into the death from which I was rescued. Take my advice friends. Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you! I will do my best by His grace and power.
