Don’t Drink the Transmission Fluid

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Vincent Van Gogh, Tree Roots, July 1890. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. – Ephesians 3:14-21 (ESV)

Our little tree never stood a chance. The other trees in our neighborhood flourished, grew, thrived. The crab apples flowered in spring, beautiful and vibrant. These trees were well rooted in good soil with plenty of water.

Our tree was planted in the same soil. It got the same water. I believe – the plot our neighborhood was built on having once been an auto salvage yard – our tree’s root system tapped into the transmission of a 1962 Ford F100 pickup truck buried deep beneath our front lawn.

I’m pretty sure 62-year-old transmission fluid would have an adverse (poisonous) effect on the nourishment and health of a tree. Trees weren’t created to get nourishment from refined petroleum products. They need to take root in good soil with the right amount of good water.

In the same way, we need to be rooted in Christ. It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit we receive strength through Jesus and His love to live our lives as God wants.

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. – Colossians 2:6-10 (ESV)

In Jesus – and Him alone – we find our strength. But we have to walk in Him to truly experience His peace, grace, mercy, love…

How do we walk in Jesus? Here are some thoughts:

  1. Fix your faith in God through Jesus Christ. Trust in the Lord fully. Completely. 100%. Even when it makes no sense. Trust in God. Rest in Him. Let Christ be your solid foundation.
  2. Fix your priorities on Him. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11, ESV). Pray. Constantly and consistently. Read – study – the Bible. Let God speak to you through His Word and prayer. Be open to the Lord. Listen and follow His leading.
  3. Fix your eyes on Christ. Remember Peter walking on the stormy waters to reach Jesus. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was fine. But when he turned his attention to the storm raging around him, he started to sink. He called out to the Lord Who saved him. Immediately. Even when the circumstances look dire, don’t look away from Jesus. God is Truth. Our perceptions are not always, for we are limited by our humanity. Better to leave it all with our Father God Who is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.
  4. Fix your mind on the Lord. Develop the mind of Christ. Paul instructs us what and how we should think: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9. ESV).
  5. Fix your heart on Jesus. Love the Lord above all. Realize – well, as much as we faulty humans can – the height, length, width and depth of His love for you. He died for you. You. He’s with you always. You. God’s gifts are wonderful. He’s our Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Provider, Healer, Guide… The best gift of all is that the Lord gave us is Himself.

Find your strength by walking with Christ. In doing so, you will find your soul rooted deep in God. And, frankly, there is no better place to put down roots than in the good soil of God and His Word.

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 2024 by Chris Courtney. All rights reserved.

The Recovering Egotist’s Plea

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Heavenly Father, I thank You and praise You for all You are! You are the Creator and Sustainer of all. There is nothing beyond Your grasp.

Your control.

Your abilities.

Your wisdom.

You.

I only know what I know, and that ain’t much.

I only see what I can see, and that’s neither far nor clear.

I only do what I can do, which is very limited.

I can’t know everything.

I can’t walk forward without running into obstacles.

I can’t make everything right.

Thank You, Lord… I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to stumble blindly through this life. I don’t have to fear my insecurities and troubles.

You, dear Father, are sovereign over all. You owe me nothing.

But I owe You everything. My very life.

Father, I lay down my ego, my fears and worries and doubts, my perceived “need” to be in control of my circumstances. Nothing happens without You knowing about it beforehand. Nothing is beyond your reach.

You call me not to figure it all out, but to trust You. To trust You with everything.

Everything.

And walk in Your light, without fear.

Fear nothing.

Fear no one.

For YOU, my Father – Abba – are omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

Your will be done, not mine.

Your wisdom, not mine.

Thank You, Lord God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Guide me in Your will, on Your path.

Amen.

The Cans

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Fat Man, the atomic can that destroyed Nagasaki, Japan, and led to end of World War II. U.S. Department of Defense, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

August 6, 1945, dawned clear over southern Japan. It had been 1338 days since the Japanese had attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. And a war-weary world was about to change.

Profoundly.

Instantly.

Three US B-29 bombers had taken off from Tinian Island at 2:45 that morning. At 8:15 am, one of those planes – named Enola Gay – flew over the center of Hiroshima. At an altitude of 31,000 feet, the bomb bay doors swung open and out dropped “Little Boy”, a missile-shaped can filled with 140 lbs. of uranium-235.

The nuclear-enriched can fell through the blue skies for 44.4 seconds. And then, 1900 feet above the Shija Surgical Clinic (some 800 feet off from hitting a bridge that was the intended target), everything changed.

Profoundly.

Instantly.

With a blinding flash and deafening boom.

In an instant, the temperature below the can’s detonation soared to 7000 degrees Fahrenheit. Not that anyone directly under the can could attest to it: estimates put the number killed instantly at 66,000 to 140,000 people, with tens of thousands more injured.

Black rain fell from the blue skies.

Little Boy had ushered in the Atomic Age. All that from one atomic can.

Three days later, a repeat performance over Nagasaki. The intended target – the city of Kokora – was overcast. The crew of the Bockscar – carrying “Fat Man”, another atomic can containing a mere 11 lbs. of plutonium – turned toward Nagasaki, which was also overcast. But, just as the bomber flew over the intended bomb sight, the clouds parted. The skies cleared.

Blinding flash.

Deafening boom.

Another 40,000 dead.

Instantly.

Another six days later – August 15, 1945 – the Japanese government announced its intention to surrender. The capitulation of the Empire of Japan was made official on September 2, 1945, on board the USS Missouri, as the articles of surrender were signed by the warring parties.

The war that had engulfed so much of the planet was finally over. And the world was changed.

Profoundly.

Instantly.

How did the world come to this point? The tangled web of pacts and alliances and festering nationalist bruised egos reaches back to well before the first World War. I believe you could argue it all started when Cain’s jealousy and anger led him to pick up that rock and approach his brother.

The problem is simple: sin. I know, that’s an awfully simplistic answer to such a complicated question. But, when you get down to it, the only difference between all wars in history – from Old Testament battles to the current situations in Ukraine and the Middle East – is improved weaponry. The root of it all is hatred – one group hating another. We break the Tenth Commandment on a global scale.

My point here is not to spark some debate over “just wars” or whether God is (or is not) a pacifist, etc. The point is that as long as sin exists – as long as all humanity is infected with the curse of the knowledge of good and evil – there will people who hate people.

Governments who hate other countries.

Idealogues who hate any who oppose their views.

Someone who covets someone else’s land.

Or oil fields.

Or piece of ocean.

Or riches.

Solomon was right. There is nothing new under the sun. As long as sin exists, there we be oppressors. There will be dictators. There will be out-of-control insanity (and, frankly, nonsensical stupidity) raging amongst nations.

By and large, the circumstances of this world are outside the control of average human beings. Our lives get turned and twisted and torn by the decisions of others.

Again, it’s OK.

How can I say that? How can I look around and say, “it’s ok”?

The world is as it has always been. There have always been people groups who hate, attack and subjugate other people groups.

We can’t control it. We can’t stop it. We can’t even fully understand it.

The good news in all this: we don’t have to.

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. – Matthew 24:6-14 (ESV)

As followers of Christ, we have nothing to fear. God is love, and there is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear. We are all infected with the same sin – rooted as always in selfish covetousness. Thankfully, through the price Jesus paid on the cross, we have salvation – a means of escape from this sinful place.

God is sovereign. He’s in control of this crazy world, despite its out-of-control appearance. At the end of the day (or, should I say, “end of days”?), those who think they are in charge will learn how much control they truly wield. The will of God – the Creator and Sustainer of all – will not be thwarted.

Despite appearances.

The day is coming when Jesus will return. That’s a fact. And, when He does, this world be more profoundly changed than ever before.

Profoundly.

Instantly.

Blinding flash of light.

Deafening boom.

Greater than any atomic can ever dropped.

Done.

So don’t get caught up in the distress and dire straits we find our world in. Focus on Truth.

Focus on Jesus.

Stay in God’s Word.

Do not fear and don’t try to figure it all out. Trust God. Trust His timing. Trust His Word.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (ESV)

Today

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This is the day the Lord has made. Even if clouds threaten to roll over your blue skies, the blue is still there. It’s just obscured by cloud cover. The same is true with God. He’s always here. Always with His children. Promised to never leave nor forsake us. Our view just gets obscured by life’s cloud cover. Know He is with you. Know Jesus loves you. Know God is high above the troubles of this life.

How Great is the Love of our Father!

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31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)

God owes us nothing. He created us. We are His.

Thankfully, our God is a gracious, merciful Father. He doesn’t just love us. He is love. And perfect love – which can only come from God – casts out fear (read 1 John 4).

When we begin to grasp the immensity of the love of our Abba, Father, and His never-changing steadfast love, the fears and worries of life begin to shrink. When we choose to trust God, we realize He is far and above our circumstances. When we see the Lord for Who He is and worship Him wholeheartedly, seeking Him first and foremost, we begin to understand that our lives are indeed in His hands, and there is no situation where we should fear.

God owes us nothing. We owe Him everything. Yet He loves us. Trust in the Lord’s love. Trust in Jesus. And praise Him with thanksgiving and joy – ALWAYS!!

The Simon Peter Principle

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I’m learning today that I have a long way to go.

It’s one thing to know it. As a Christian, I realize sanctification – the lifelong process of God working in us to grow us closer to Him and in His holiness – is just that: a process.

It’s another thing altogether to feel God telling you: you have a long way to go.

I find myself trying to fix my problems. I’m fine, I can do this. Right?

yeah… no.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels like I do. I struggle with a lot of fears.

Failure.

Rejection.

Humiliation.

Loss.

Friends marathons on TV.

I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights lately. I’ve been so focused on my stressful situations that I forgot the true Peter Principle. Not the Laurence J. Peters management book, but the Simon Peter Principle.

You’re most likely familiar with the account of Peter walking to Jesus on the stormy sea (Matthew 14:22-33). Peter wants so bad to please Jesus. He loves Him. And everything is going fine, until..

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:30-31 (ESV).

I’m embarrassed to admit it because, over the years, I’ve taught this Scripture more times than I can count. And I still face these fears.

I need to remember to keep my eyes on Jesus, not on the storm. I have to trust God in all things, at all times.

Even when the storm still rages, He has ahold of me.

Even when the stress grows, God is still in control.

Even when the fear compounds, I am safely in His hands.

Today – Easter Sunday – the Lord reminded me of what He did for us.

He reminded me of the Simon Peter Principle: keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing He has me in His grasp, and will never let me go. He’s in control of the storm, and the boat, and the entirety of our circumstances. I may feel like I’m going to drown, but I’m not.

He reminded me He is the only source of good.

He reminded me I don’t need to understand what’s going on in my life. I just need to trust Him.

He reminded me of His miracles – water to wine, providing the coin in the fish’s mouth to pay the tax, knowing the woman at the well having never met her, healing after healing, sight to the blind, strength to the lame, feeding tens of thousands with one child’s lunch, raising Lazarus from the dead, raising Himself from the dead, ascending into Heaven… He reminded me He can handle my little problems.

He reminded me to let go of my pride.

He reminded me that, even if I can’t feel His presence, He is still with me.

He reminded me my struggles are His way of growing me.

He reminded me to walk by faith, not by sight.

He reminded me His Word is Truth, not the world.

He reminded me He loves me.

And, by the way, the same goes for you. For those of us who love God, He is with us. He is greater than our troubles, our fears, our weaknesses, our pain, our sorrow, our cares…

Just trust God.

The Gift of Unimaginable Price

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The first Good Friday felt anything but good.

I try to imagine it, but I can’t. Any one of the events Jesus faced in the 24 hours before His death would have been too much for me. Betrayed. Abandoned. Humiliated. Arrested. Unfairly tried and convicted.

The torture Jesus endured at the hands of the Romans… I won’t recount it here. The fact that Jesus even made it to Golgotha alive is astounding. The brutality of it all is too much to even imagine. The pain Jesus – perfectly Holy Jesus Christ, untouched by sin – went through to take on my sin…

But the worst had to be the feeling of being abandoned by His Father.

Put it all together and you have the reward of sin. Unimaginable pain. Loneliness beyond belief. Humiliation. Sorrow. Death.

But when you look at Jesus taking all of that sin for us.

For me.

For you.

That is the reward of love. We don’t deserve it. But it is a gift. We can’t earn love. But Jesus gave us the gift of love on that cross. It is free, yet far more precious than anything on earth. It is a gift beyond price.

I cannot imagine how Jesus felt on that first Good Friday. But I have to try, so I can understand the great price of His gift. Jesus Christ – God incarnate – gave us Himself. Willingly. Without a second thought. He took on the unimaginable, so we don’t have to. He made a way for us that would be otherwise utterly impossible.

The first Good Friday felt anything but good. But just wait until the third day.

Through the Fog

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Ian Furst, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” – Luke 24:34 (KJV)

Curae quae meum animum divorse trahunt

That is the Latin definition of the word “cares” in Luke 24:34. The phrase translates to “cares that distract my mind”. Cares is just another word for anxiety. And anxious thoughts definitely distract our minds from focusing on God.

The problem is simple: when we worry, we’re saying we don’t trust God. We’re saying, “God, I realize you are sovereign over all. You created everything. You sustain everything. You set the stars and intricately designed all life.

Including mine.

But – and, yes, the big “but” often leads us to the problem – you don’t understand what I’m going through. You know everything, but my limited knowledge tells me to be afraid. You’re all powerful, but my issues are beyond your abilities. You’re everywhere all the time, and your Holy Spirit lives inside me, but I’m facing life all alone.

If you stop and think about it, anxiety is very irrational. We choose to believe in what we see and perceive because we don’t trust in God’s love, grace, wisdom, strength… We see life our way, not His. We believe what we see as rational.

We become “overcharged” with worry. When you were a kid, did you ever rub your feet on the carpet to build up static electricity, then touch someone else for the sheer joy of shocking someone else with your finger? Anxiety and worry are like that: a buildup of fear that needs to be discharged from our minds.

The collection of anxious thoughts creates brain fog. We have a difficult time seeing through the thick haze of fear. We can’t see the Truth for the troubles we perceive.

Luke warns us to “take heed” – to not allow the cares of this life to overtake our thoughts. We have to choose who we’re going to trust. Are we going to believe our limited understanding of our circumstances when those beliefs run counter to what God says? Or are we going to trust the Lord wholeheartedly and take him at His Word.

I find I frequently have to fall back on my old standby passage of Scripture when I’m facing anxiety: Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV)

4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Always – ALWAYS – be filled with joy in The LORD. Not circumstances. Not the things of the world. But in God because He has us. He is sovereign over everything, including me and my life. If I can’t feel prescence, it dioesn’t meean He isn’t with me. If I perceive impending trouble, I need to embrace God and His Word and put my focus on our Father and His Word and His promises, not my limited understanding.

 5 “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; “Let the world see your gentleness – which is reasonable for Christians, for Our God is with us always. The Lord is near!

6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Always rejoice. Never fear. Don’t worry about anything. Instead take everything to God in prayer, choosing to trust in Him and thanking Him for His care and concern, knowing your problems are now in God’s more-than-capable hands. Cast your cares on God, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). 

7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We don’t have to understand what we fear. We shouldn’t be wasting time and energy twisting and turning in our doubts and fears. When we believe God and take Him at His Word, we can have His peace. We don’t need to react to our circumstances. We need to trust in God. Just trust in God.

8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” This is where our minds need to be. Not distracted and bothered and throttled by our fears, but focused on God in faith, knowing He will see us through any and every circumstance we face.

If that’s not good news, I don’t know what is.