"Who has the keys?" or "I am my co-pilot"

Tonight was our last youth Bible study for this school year. We met at Landa Park, played sand volleyball, tossed the pigskin, ate some delicious hot dogs from the grill, and finished up our study on obedience.

We've explored obedience like a map. Check it out:

Some people see a map and feel restricted to only the places the roads take them: "Why isn't there a road directly from San Antonio, TX to Akron, OH? You mean I have to go through Dallas, Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Columbus? How restrictive! If it were up to me, I would pave a road straight from where I am to where I want to go! Staying on these roads is a drag!"

Other people see a map and feel liberated by all the places the map can take them: "You mean that by following these roads I'm free to see Dallas, Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus on the way to Akron? How cool is that! I'll bet there's new, exciting things to see in all those places, and thanks to the roads, I get to explore all of them! If these roads weren't here, I'd be trapped where I am, but now I'm free!"

We made a connection between those attitudes and the different perspectives people have on obedience. Such as:

Some people see obedience as a list of restrictions - someone telling me what I can and can't do and when I can and can't do it. To these people, obedience = rules = not making my own choices = no fun. Looking at it this way, obedience is a prison and the warden is a cruel killjoy, creating a situation where I never get to do the things I would like.

On the other hand, the Bible describes obedience as freedom. If we choose, day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute and decision to decision to live in obedience to God's commands, we experience genuine freedom, and have the chance to realize the fullest extents of what human life on earth can be (see John 10 for more about that).

So, either obedience = rules or obedience = freedom, depending on your perspective. Obviously, the human side of us goes directly to the restrictive opinion, and as we explore our relationship with God (or "shine our spoon" - see a previous blog post about that), our opinion of what obedience is can be transformed as well.

Once we've come close enough to God to see that obeying God brings freedom, then we have to deal with our will. To submit to God (decide to be obedient), we have to put our will aside and pursue His. That is not always easy (almost always not easy, in fact), and is probably the biggest obstacle keeping us from being obedient to God and experiencing the full life that Jesus came to bring us.

I remember seeing the following slogan on a bumper sticker: "Jesus is my co-pilot." I appreciate the idea the person was trying to get across, you know, including Jesus in every area of life and all that, but I disagree with the seating arrangement. Jesus didn't come to earth, live a sinless life for 33 years and die a cruel death on the cross to pay for my sins to sit in the passenger seat and be my co-pilot, just in case I ever need Him. Jesus did all that to be the pilot - to drive - to be the guy with the keys. Maybe a better way to get your point across would be a bumper sticker that says "I am my co-pilot, Jesus has the keys" (I may need to work on that a little...it's more theologically accurate, but doesn't really flow like a bumper sticker should).

So, tonight, at our final Bible study, we reviewed those ideas, and to help these principles stick in the minds of our students and leaders, I gave everyone a blank car key with two things engraved on it. Check it:


This side says "WNL 08-09" (stands for Wednesday Night Live 2008-2009). Wednesday Night Live is the name of our youth Bible study.

This side has "John 14:15" on it. John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command." If you really love Jesus, He won't be in the co-pilot seat, in the back seat, in the trunk or surfing on the roof of the car. He'll be driving (making the decisions about where you go and when).

I'm hoping that my students put this blank key on their keyring, put it in their pocket, wear it on a chain around their neck, or find some other way that it can serve as a constant reminder to them about the importance of obedience, and give them the chance to make the good (hard) choice to be obedient - this summer and beyond.

Until next time - RevPhil