Pastor Weekly - 3/12/25

Hello ICC Family!

I was humbled yesterday.  I’ve always wanted to be a “car guy.”  One of those people that never needed to take their car to the shop because they could take care of regular maintenance and small car issues on their own.  Unfortunately, that is not me.  I have never even changed my own oil.  While we lived overseas, I always thought that I would take a class to learn the basics if we ever returned to the U.S.  I’m not sure classes like that exist, however.  It seems like you either have those skills passed on to you by a family member, or you are clueless like me.

Anyway, yesterday a guy came by in the afternoon to look at my truck.  While I haven’t advertised it anywhere yet, it has had a “for sale” sign on it for a month now.  Since I’m not a car guy, when I bought it I didn’t really know what I was getting or what it was worth.  Two years later… I still don’t really know enough to be able to describe it in detail or know exactly what it is worth.  Now it has worked out fine and has been a blessing to be able to get around in it for a couple of years.  I am grateful for it.  But I was humbled yesterday when a complete stranger came to look it over, ask questions, and test drive it.  I knew it was a 2-wheel drive.  I guessed correctly that it was a V6.  Other than that, I’m not sure I knew the answer to any of the rest of his questions.  So, he started to tell me what it was, what this and that meant, etc.  Before I could tell him about why the check engine light was on, he diagnosed the problem simply by listening to the engine running and the exhaust system.  He could tell that the spare tire had not been used in years, and that the truck was missing the weird rod system you would need to even get it down.  As we test-drove it around my neighborhood, he told me about how long it would be until the clutch would need to be replaced.  I believed him.

I have been driving that truck for 2 years and could barely tell you the make and model, let alone diagnose any engine issues.  Because he was actually a car guy, he looked at it for 10 minutes and took in all the information he needed to determine whether it was worth the price I was asking.  I felt like an idiot!  To the point that I almost felt like I should just give him the truck because he obviously would be a better steward of it and more deserving of it than me.

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him

if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 4:29

If the Lord tarries, there is still a chance that I can learn more about cars and trucks and engines.  But I will have to put time and energy into it.  I will have to prioritize the pursuit of that knowledge and skill over the pursuit of other things.  I will have to invest money into buying the right tools and gear.

But even more than being a car guy, I want to be a Jesus guy.  A disciple.  A man like David, who is described as a man after God’s own heart.  It will take time and energy, and prioritization and investment, and a determined pursuit of him to get there.  The wonderful thing about this goal, however, is that the Bible promises over and over that it is possible.  If we seek him with everything within us… we will find him!  It is an amazing promise!  At the same time, it is also a tender warning.  Just because I drove my truck for 2 years doesn’t mean I know about it.  In the same way, too many people are going to get to the end thinking they knew Jesus and had served him, only to realize too late that even though they may have been going to church for years, they didn’t really know anything about Jesus, the cross, or salvation.  Let’s all determine not to be humbled in that way…  Being a car guy would be great, but being a Jesus guy is eternally essential!

Blessings to all of you and know that I am praying for you!

I hope to see you this evening for discipleship at 6:15.

Pastor Aaron