Jesus is my co-pilot?

I read this post the other day about how we shouldn't use any of the names of God in vain.  One of the times mentioned when we do it is when someone says "Jesus is my co-pilot".  I have to say, when I've heard that before, or seen it on a T-shirt or something, using God's name in vain isn't something I've thought about.  I always wondered - Why is Jesus only your co-pilot?  Isn't that kind of a weird thing? The topic came up in class Sunday, which made me think this is a good time to do an update.  The original is from November 2014.  It's now August 2017 - almost three years later.  I'll put the updates in text like this, so you can tell what's new. Obviously, "Jesus us my co-pilot" violates a different one of the commandments - the one about "Thou shalt have no gods before Me".  Am I giving away something when I use "thou shalt"?  Always seems like I do that in certain circumstances. So that's at least two commandments we violate every time we say that, or drive around with a bumper sticker that says it.  Actually - I haven't seen one of them for a long time, but I'm guessing that's because the saying is out of vogue - not because it might violate a commandment.  Or maybe it's because I live in ultra liberal California.  I just checked - christianbook.com and even Amazon sell Jesus / God is my co-pilot stuff. Anyway - If we were going to do anything - wouldn't Jesus be our Pilot?  Seems like that would make more sense.  What do we do if He's our co-pilot?  Let Him take over when we're tired?  Maybe He can take control when we're in trouble?  Come to think of it - maybe being a co-pilot is really correct.  Even if it's not what was intended?  Then we get to things like Jesus can have control of the plane until He starts heading off in a direction where I don't want to go.  Then I'm exercising my rights as a pilot and taking back control!  Sounds like having another God before me. I tried to find the origin of this statement, but no one seems to be giving or taking credit for it.  There is, however, a saying "God is my co-pilot", for which credit goes to an actual pilot in WW II.  In 1943 an air force fighter pilot named Robert L. Scott published an autobiography of his experiences in the military and he titled it God Is My Co-Pilot. ¹http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/god-is-my-co-pilot/  It didn't turn into a "catchphrase" until the 1970s and '80s.  I assume, some well-meaning person changed it from God to Jesus. II kind of liked some of the comments that were recorded from other people over the years -

• 1999 Hensley Misadventures in the (213) 83 : Kathryn is Dandy’s born-again housekeeper. She drives a Toyota truck packed to the gills with cleaning products and the spirit of the Lord. I met her once at Dandy’s and remember asking her about her God Is My Pilot bumper sticker. “I thought the expression was ‘God Is My Copilot,’” I said. “I promoted him,” she said, eyeing me judgmentally, “and you should too.”
• 2003 Hall The Walk at Work: Seven Steps to Spiritual Success on the Job 33 : There’s a saying, “If the Lord is your copilot, you need to switch seats.”
• 2003 Schmidt Lead On: Why Churches Stall and How Leaders Get Them Going 62 : One of my pet peeves is Christian clichés that are sentimentally appealing but theologically inaccurate. One such phrase is “God is my copilot.” It conjures an image of the Christian as being in control while God is simply along for the ride, ready to help in case of emergency. The truth is, God is my pilot, and more often than not He instructs me to keep my hands off the controls!
• 2007 Dickow Raising Christian Children in a Secular World: Christian Parenting 17 : When I was in high school in the mid 1970’s there was a popular saying, “God is my co-pilot.” I guess it was a way to reestablish God in the lives of many people who had turned away in the untamed 60’s. And although the saying was cute I never gave it much thought.
• 2008 Stevens Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? 47 : What do you think when you walk past one car that says, “God Is My Co-Pilot” and the next one that reads, “If God Is Your Co-Pilot, Switch Seats”? Here’s the truth: when I see a bumper sticker that says “Too Blessed to Be Depressed” or “This Car is Prayer-Conditioned,” I’m embarrassed.  ²http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/god-is-my-co-pilot/

Anyway - back to the origin of this article. What made me think of this was a dream I had last night. In our small group at church, we're reading Francis Chan's book Forgotten God: Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit .  If you really want Jesus to be your co-pilot - don't read the book.  Stay as far away from it as possible!  If you're in that situation though - and want to change it - by all means, get the book.  We're using the study guide and the videos as well for our discussions. So - the dream. I'm in a small plane - and I'm the pilot.  There's a co-pilot and two other people in the plane with me.  The people who really know how to fly a physical airplane - they're sitting in the back.  Telling me how to fly.  The co-pilot - he just sits there.  Doesn't say anything.  Ever.  The whole dream.  He just sits there. There's another plane following us.  There's four people in that plane too.  None of them know how to fly.  But they are trying - not too successfully - to follow me.  Don't ask me how.  Given that no one sitting at the controls of the planes knows how to fly - seems like we should never have gotten off the ground.  But we did. There's buildings all around us.  There's electric and phone wires all over the place too.  Must be really tall buildings and telephone poles, because I rarely come close to the ground.  (It's a dream.  It doesn't have to be realistic!) There's also another plane.  He keeps buzzing me.  Trying to keep me from getting above the buildings and the wires. And the poor folks in the plane behind are trying to follow me! Seems like this goes on forever.  I just can't get the plane away from the wires and the buildings.  Can't imagine how no one ever hits anything.  But we didn't. Eventually, I wake up.  Never did get away from the buildings, the wires, and the other plane.  Neither did the plane following my lead, trying to get away by doing what I was doing. After waking up - I realize what this was all about. Isn't life like what I just described?  Last night I was the group leader.  So people are "following" me - trying to lead a flight where I don't know how to fly.  How often are we all in a situation where it's like the blind leading the blind?  And how often are we kept hemmed in by things seemingly beyond our control?  Enter the tall building and the wires.  And then there are the people and events that are trying to keep us down.  Enter the second plane.  And not only am I the pilot of the lead plane - I've got people in the back telling me from the world's point of view how to fly - but I've got the wrong co-pilot in the front seat - because He's already told me I should have gotten the Holy Spirit!  We are in big trouble.  He must have told me that before we started the flight, because - as I mentioned - He never spoke during the flight.  But somehow - I know He's the wrong co-pilot. The good news - at least since I had Jesus with me - we didn't crash and burn.  But we didn't get away and do what we wanted to do - because we didn't have the Holy Spirit.  And that reminds me of something else we talked about last night - When Paul wrote -

1Co 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

We didn't crash and burn - but we didn't accomplish anything either.  If we keep that up, we'll make it to Heaven - because we've got Jesus with us.  But we'll just barely make it with nothing to show - because we accomplished nothing good - because we didn't have the Holy Spirit. How did I arrive at this?  Read on. In the small group last night, like I said, it was my turn to lead the discussion.  We take turns - rotating through the group.  Just happened to be me that night.  We were talking about the Holy Spirit (obviously).  At one point we were talking when Jesus was telling the disciples how He was going to be going away and the Holy Spirit would come -

The Work of the Holy Spirit