Trust God Like Jesus Did

by Shannon Tillman | Dec 26, 2024 | Bible Study

Psalm 22 is a Messianic prophesy. Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, this Psalm, written by king David, gives specific details about the crucifixion of Jesus.

Psalm 22:14a, 16b-18
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint…. they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them.

This psalm not only gives insight into the death of Jesus but also gives insight into the time of Jesus in the womb of Mary.

Psalm 22:9-10
Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

These two verses explain the life of Jesus: total trust in God. In every situation, He trusted God. In every stage of life, He trusted God. Trust is not a feeling but an action. Every circumstance is a venue to showcase faith in God. I will either trust and obey, or I will choose my own way. From birth, Jesus trusted the Lord.

His faith journey did not lead to riches but to rags, not to safety but to suffering, not to a castle but to a cross. The outcome of trust on earth is not always the world’s idea of what victory should look like. However, what seems like defeat on earth ultimately leads to victory in heaven. Jesus trusted God to the point of death, even death on a cross, and because He did so the way of salvation was presented to the world. And for 2,000 years, lives have been eternally saved by this good news.

Psalm 22:30-31
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

Spiritual victory in life, a life that impacts generations, comes down to one thing: trust. Every situation is an opportunity to showcase faith in God. We can choose to be like Jesus. His life was one of trusting God completely. Because He trusted God even to the point of death, He conquered sin and the grave. Today, we proclaim “He has done it!” New generations for 2,000 years have been told of the victory at the cross. He trusted God and lives are still being changed.

We can follow His example of trust starting today. Do not look back on the times you did not trust God “from the womb”. Instead, choose this moment to trust Him in each situation you are facing. A life marked by trust of God is a life that looks like Jesus.

More Details Please

by Shannon Tillman | Dec 19, 2024 | Bible Study

Have you ever wanted just a few more details on how something happened or how a conversation took place? That is how I feel when I read this verse.

Matthew 1:18
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

The most magnificent miracle since creation takes place and we are only given one verse in the book of Matthew. One verse! I have questions. How did this happen exactly? What emotions did she feel? Did she see evidence of the Holy Spirit like a cloud or was it more of a feeling? Was there supernatural light in the room or even a light emanating from her body? Or maybe nothing obvious happened and it truly was all by faith? I want to know more! We are left with only one verse that does not answer all of my questions.

The book of Luke does not add much more detail:

Luke 1:34-35
But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.

However, a Jewish audience would have connected the work of the Spirit over Mary with significant moments in Jewish history.

For example, Bezalel had the Spirit to build the tabernacle of God.

Exodus 31:1-4
Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.

The Spirit came upon seventy elders in the wilderness to help Moses lead Israel.

Numbers 11:25
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.

The Spirit came upon Balaam to bless Israel and to prevent him from cursing the people.

Numbers 24:1-3
Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message…

In the book of Judges, the Spirit of the Lord often came upon different people so that they had the power to defeat the enemies of Israel. One such example is Othniel.

Judges 3:9-10
But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul to confirm his kingship, with signs of prophesy and transformation.

1 Samuel 10:6
The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.

Sadly, due to his sin, the Spirit of the Lord left Saul and an evil spirit came to torment him. This is what opened the door for the next king of Israel, David.

1 Samuel 16:13a
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David…

The Spirit of God came to give prophetic warnings to the people.

2 Chronicles 24:20
Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”

When Matthew wrote how the Spirit came upon Mary, the readers would recall that when the Spirit came upon a person then powerful, mighty events took place that impacted not just the person but the nation and even other countries as well. That one verse is a link to thousands of years of history, which began with the first mention of the Spirit in Genesis.

Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

The Spirit that hovered over darkness prepared the way for light to shine. Once again, the Spirit hovered over Mary to bring the spiritual Light into this dark world. This Light, Jesus, would build the spiritual temple of God. He would disperse the Spirit to others. He would bless Israel to become the first carriers to bless the nations with the gospel message. He would conquer the enemy. He would give prophetic words and see lives transformed. He would rebuke and give warning. He would come powerfully upon His people so that families, people, nations are changed!

This one verse unwraps the miracle of the gift of the Spirit to us. While in the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon people, we now have the miracle of the Spirit within us just as Jesus promised.

John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (emphasis mine)

Read again the verse that in a few words capture this great miracle:

Matthew 1:18
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your work throughout history on us, in us, and through us. Continue your powerful work in your people today! Amen!

Joseph: a Man of Humble Obedience

by Kevin Tillman | Dec 12, 2024 | Bible Study

He’s one of the most important characters in the Bible, yet there is not one quote from him any where in Scripture. Joseph, the father of Jesus, had the privilege and responsibility of raising the child Jesus in his home. Not just any man could do this job. This was an assignment of someone with faithfulness. I believe Joseph serves as an example for men today. Once again, not one quote from him in the Bible, yet we have several instances of obedience. Joseph was humble and faithful.

I believe everything we need to know about Joseph is seen clearly in one verse:

Matthew 1:24

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”

There it is … “he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him”. Joseph was obedient. he didn’t mull it over. He heard a message, and he responded in faithfulness.

On four occasions we see Joseph had a dream and a message from an angel. In each dream, the same outcome. He woke up, and he obeyed.

The first dream was the angel telling Joseph that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that he was to still take her as his wife. Talk about a big ask! Joseph had already been planning on divorcing Mary quietly, which was a way to protect her. Even when he felt he had been betrayed, his love for Mary was strong. But now, the command is to Mary her anyway. The baby is not from another man, this baby is from God. Joseph knew this to be true, but Joseph had to know that not everyone would believe such a story. I’m sure he had to be aware of the gossip that would come. Yet, here he is a humble and faithful man that “did what the angel of the Lord commanded him.”

The second dream was when Joseph was told to leave for Egypt.

Matthew 2:13-15

“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

There’s a warning, but the warning is only valid if it’s heard.

As a side note from the Joseph narrative, isn’t that a word for us today? God can put warnings and roadblocks in front of us. He can try and sway us in the right direction. The Holy Spirit can prompt us to do (or not do) something. But, if we aren’t willing to obey, it’s just a warning.

Back to Joseph … he does heed the warning. Once again, look at Joseph’s response, “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt”. I actually love the “during the night” part. This was a dream, meaning presumably this was at night. Joseph didn’t waste any time obeying. This was a simple, “God said it, let’s go” type of thing. Wow, if that isn’t a lesson for us today!

The third dream occurred when it was now safe to go back to Israel.

Matthew 2:19-21

“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.”

Joseph’s response should be fairly easy to decipher at this point. Once again, “So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.” I just love these immediate responses. There wasn’t a wait a few days to get things in place. Nope, it was immediate, “he got up”. I think it’s clear why Joseph was the right man for this responsiblity.

The fourth dream was another warning dream. This time Joseph was given a different route.

Matthew 2:22

“But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, “

Once again Joseph was listening. he was warned in a dream, and then he “withdrew to the district of Galilee”. The implication of this dream is significant I believe. Joseph had previously been told to head back to Israel, so he started the journey. Now, while on that journey, a new word. This time, take a detour. God says, go another way. What a lesson for us. God may send us in a direction, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a straight line. There will be twists and turns and detours on the path. Our job, much like Joseph, is to humbly obey.

Joseph was a man that only got a small portion of time in the Scriptures. At some point he died before the crucifixion of Jesus. We have no recorded words by Joseph, but we do see a humble and faithful man.

I don’t have hard evidence for this, but I do believe Joesph is what we might call a “man’s man” today. We do know he was a carpenter. He built things with his hands. He was a tradesman. I picture him as being a man of few words. What we do know are these four dreams that provided Joseph four opportunities to obey, and he did! I picture Joseph as a quiet man of humility. No where do we see any indication that Joseph complained about what he had lost. Undoubtedly he was talked about. His name was drug through the mud by many. Yet, this faithful man was concerned about obedience and protecting his wife and his new son, who just happened to be the promised Messiah.

So, what’s our takeaway? First and foremost, God chooses people of humble character for great assignments. Secondly, obedience is the key. Joseph could have chosen to not respond to the angel’s dreams. But, he did. He obeyed, and God continued to take care of him. It’s the same for us today. God blesses obedience. When we take a step of faith, God blesses it. Stay humble, listen, and then obey. That’s the lesson from the life of Joseph.

Cain and Abel

by Shannon Tillman | Nov 21, 2024 | Bible Study

Have you ever seen something new to you, even though it has always been there? No, I am not referring to a Christmas love movie. Actually, I am thinking more of a crime scene. There are many reasons that I could never be a detective. For one, I faint at blood. Another, is that I do not pay attention to details.

A few months back, my husband and I were walking the neighborhood when I saw a solar panel fixture in the median. I said, “Look at the new solar panel light.”

He replied, “Shannon, that has always been there.” After years of walking the same route, I finally saw the solar panels. No one would hire me to investigate a crime.

I felt the same way recently when I read the Cain and Abel passage. I have heard this crime tale for years, but something struck me in a different way this time when I read again about the gruesome scene when one brother killed the other.

Genesis 4:2-16
” …Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.  And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

The Lord tells Cain that If he does what is right, then his offering would be accepted. In other words, his offering was wrong. Throughout Scripture, we see animal sacrifices. Could it be (now this is my attempt of being a detective establishing motive, so bear with me), could it be that Cain knew that the acceptable sacrifice was a lamb? Did he know that blood had to be shed? If so, then why did he bring vegetables? Is there a possibility that Cain did not want to ask his brother for a lamb so he decided to bring vegetables instead?

Ponder this with me. I had never thought about this before, that Cain could have received a lamb from Abel or even traded vegetables to get one from him. Instead of doing this, Cain chose his own way, his own opinion, his own desire. What if the sin began because Cain refused to humble himself and admit that he had lack in his life, or that his way would not work, or he needed help or guidance from others? Unfortunately, he would rather bring an offering of his own choosing than have his brother help him.

Before we judge Cain, we should look at ourselves. Have we chosen to do what we want to do even though it was outside of God’s will? Have we “spiritualized” our actions even though the attitude is really not of God? Have we refused to humble ourselves before others to get the help we need? Have we become angry at others who truly are righteous because we do not want to face the unrighteousness in our own lives? Could it be our attitudes led to more sin because we refused opportunities of humility along the way? (Like a detective, I am asking a lot of questions!) Cain needed a lamb and refused. We, too, need a Lamb, Jesus. When we choose pride, we reject the Lord’s ways for our lives.

Cain refused to humble himself to ask for a lamb. Cain refused to humble himself when rebuked by God. Cain refused to humble himself and acknowledge his attitude against his brother was wrong. Refusing humility opened the door to shocking sin.

Genesis 4:8
“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

Cain ignored God’s warning and murdered his brother. Cain killed his brother instead of killing the wrong desires in his own heart. Cain blamed Abel for being righteous compared to judging the unrighteousness in his own thoughts and actions. Before we congratulate ourselves for being a better person than Cain, let us read the words of Jesus:

Matthew 5:21-22
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Been angry at anyone lately? You are subject to judgment. Called anyone names? You should stand before the court. Condemning others? That puts you in danger of being condemned. We are Cain. We have hurt our brothers and sisters due to our own pride and selfish ambition. Cain suffered consequences for his actions.

Genesis 4:9-12
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Cain never acknowledges his sin against his brother. Even after God confronts him, he still is only concerned about the punishment he received compared to the actions he had committed.

Genesis 4:13-14
“Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

Even though Cain never humbled himself, God still showed him mercy.

Genesis 4:15
“But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.”

Even in the light of mercy shown to him, Cain did not acknowledge his sin. Proud until the end, Cain did not even show remorse for the biggest loss of all.

Genesis 4:16
“So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

Cain went out from the Lord’s presence. He never acknowledged that he was bothered by the loss of God in his life. He would rather live under punishment than humble himself and receive forgiveness.

Today, we can choose a different response.

Matthew 5:23-24
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

Cain’s refusal to humble himself to acquire a lamb from his brother, Cain’s anger at the rejection of his offering, Cain’s lack of humility at God’s rebuke, began a series of events leading to crime and punishment. Cain looked at his brother instead of looking at himself. We justify punishing others instead of changing ourselves. Our lack of humility can lead to the same.

We can have a different response than Cain’s response at the altar. We can choose the path of humility and pursue reconciliation. By doing so, we place ourselves in right relationship with God and others, staying in His presence, the greatest gift of all.

Life is a Marathon

by Kevin Tillman | Nov 14, 2024 | Bible Study

Have you ever started something with full intentions only to fall short the next day? Yeah, we all have. I’ve started a new diet numerous times on a full stomach full of burgers and fries with a thought of “I’ve got to do better.” Similarly, we have those sins that just keep recurring. We say things like, “that’s it, that’s the last time .. never again.”

The Bible uses sports metaphors quite a bit, particularly we see life being compared to a race. We can sprint out of the gate with all the gusto and intentions in the world, but we must remember, it’s a long race. Life is a marathon. There will be times where we mess up, there will be times where it hurts, and yes, there will be times when we want to quit.  Let’s turn our attention to the author of Hebrews…

Hebrews 12:1c-2a

“let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith.

Endurance. That’s the goal. But there’s a key bit of instruction that precedes these verses.

Hebrews 12:1b

“…let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us,”

Before running with endurance, we must “rid ourselves” of the obstacles and the sin. I love how the Living Bible states this,

Hebrews 12:1b

“let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up;”

I picture a runner starting a race with their legs tied together. I’m having elementary school day flash backs of that sack race … remember those? In order for us to even start this marathon, we must get rid of the sin. But, not just the sin, also the things that “so easily entangle us” or those things that “wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up.” What are these things? It could be a bad relationship. It could be hanging with the wrong crowd. It could be the places we frequently go to. It can be anything that is setting itself up as a hindrance in our lives. I heard a pastor say many years ago, “if you’re struggling with alcohol, don’t go to the bar to eat the peanuts.” Honestly, I don’t know that they serve peanuts at bars, but he made the point. Don’t put yourself in the situation that will cause you to fall. Just avoid it … “Rid ourselves” and “strip it off”

But what if you’ve already started the race? What if you’ve been a Christian for years, and yet you’re still struggling with some of the same weights? To use another sports metaphor, this is a good time to take a time-out. Picture yourself running a marathon, like literally running a marathon. You’re in the race, and you’re exhausted. You have weights strapped around both legs. You are carrying a 50 pound backpack. You'[re fighting with everything in you to keep going, but you’re struggling to just take the next step. Though you may not be able to relate in a literal sense, I think most of us have felt like that at times in our spiritual journey. So, take the timeout, and stop! Yes, quit running. Regroup, take a breath, access the situation, and then make necessary changes. You’re still in the race, but you are taking a breath. It’s going to be much easier to finish once you unload all of that extra weight. As a matter of fact, you’ll find it way easier! A warning though, many people won’t understand you. You’ll even get advice such as “keep running, don’t stop, don’t quit”. These people mean well. They see you as giving up, but in reality you’re actually figuring it out. This isn’t a passive time. You aren’t just standing still. You are actually being more active than before. You are deliberately removing the weights. Here’s the somewhat scary part. As you start taking stuff off, you are publicly revealing your flaws. As you stop, you are telling everyone basically, “I got issues” and “I’ve got to work on this”. This is likely why many people just continue to run with the weights, sins, and burdens of life. They’d rather have these issues forever, than to risk humiliation. Pride is a crazy thing, that makes us do crazy things!

So, what can keep us motivated during this process?

Hebrews 12:2b

“…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus focused on the “joy set before Him”, while he “endured the cross”. Make no mistake, stopping during the race to remove weights will not be easy. Some will laugh and mock. You will sacrifice reputation to some extent. Your pride will be hurt. Did I mention pride is a crazy thing? You will be embarrassed. But, if we can look to the “joy set before us” this will give us a long term perspective. If we live in the “now” we will likely never deal with our issues. But, if we can focus on the joy ahead and the reward, we can start living the life we were created to live.

The writer of Hebrews furthers this point …

Hebrews 12:3

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

As we are in our timeout and actively dealing with our stuff, we are to keep our minds focused on what Jesus endured. Remembering all that he went through will give us motivation to “not grow weary and lose heart.”

On this marathon race of life, there are basically two ways we can be stopped. One is we are led by the Spirit for the purpose of removing the sin and entanglements. The other way is we are led by self with thoughts of “this is too hard”, so we get tired and we give up. Either way can lead to the timeout. And, honestly, God can use either way. You can either hear the Spirit of God, listen, obey, and do the hard work. Or, you can wear yourself out to the point of exhaustion, and then maybe God can work with you. Sounds a little harsh right? Well, yeah, it is … but I think we can all relate to some extent. Here’s the good news, God loves us too much to just let us keep running with all of the weight. He can first speak to us with a gentle “let’s work on this together”, or we can just run ourselves to the point of defeat, and then listen.

Hebrews 12:5b-6

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Correction is a great thing, but we don’t like it. If we’re corrected it means we have to admit we were wrong. Have I mentioned pride is a crazy thing? By the way, we aren’t being corrected here by another fallible human being. Sometimes corrections from others are justified, and sometimes it’s just another opinion (another blog for another day). But here, this is the creator of the universe. The Creator always knows the creation better than the creation knows itself. Meaning, God understands you better than you understand yourself. Because He loves you so much, He’s going to correct your course. He’s going to call for that timeout, or He’ll allow you to wear yourself out to the point of the timeout.

As you start your healing, it will be challenging. Even though these things are weighting you down, they will seem like a part of you is being lost. Getting rid of sin and baggage is always the right thing to do, but it’s never the easy thing to do. I love the way the Living Bible phrases this …

Hebrews 12:11-12

“Being punished isn’t enjoyable while it is happening—it hurts! But afterwards we can see the result, a quiet growth in grace and character. So take a new grip with your tired hands, stand firm on your shaky legs,”

The Bible straight up tells us, this is going to hurt! You are going to go through some stuff to get to the other side. This is likely why many Christians are content to stay in their defeated lives (ouch, that was strong). It’s true. Many don’t want to put in the effort and the hard work of overcoming. They don’t want to be faced with their sins and baggage. It brings shame and guilt and regret to the surface. It expose them as being something they haven’t portrayed to others. As a side note, the Christian that stands up and says, “I have issues and I’m going to work on them” is not the hypocrite. The hypocrite is the one that continues on like there isn’t an issue. Harsh words, but pride is crazy right? Look at the results though “a quiet growth in grace and character”. Isn’t that a beautiful phrasing? I love that last part of Hebrews 12:12, “take a new grip with your tired hands, stand firm on your shaky legs”. When you start the healing, it’s going to feel different. Your balance might be off because all of that weight is being removed. But, “stand firm”, use those “shaky legs” and learn to walk in a whole new way!

This next step is so important. Let’s return to our analogy of a literal marathon. You’re at the point now of getting back up. You’ve taken the timeout. You’ve figured some stuff out. You’ve dropped all of that weight and all of the ropes tying you together. You’re getting back up, but you’re wobbly. It’s a whole new race now. Here’s what the author of Hebrews says to do next (also from the Living Bible)…

Hebrews 12:13

“and mark out a straight, smooth path for your feet so that those who follow you, though weak and lame, will not fall and hurt themselves but become strong.”

Don’t just start running. Before you get back on the course, set out a plan. What does that look like? If you’ve identified the problems and the entanglements, avoid the situations that would make you fall back into the same patterns. Yes, that may mean more hard steps. Some people may need to go bye-bye. Some things and places may need to hear an adios. The point is to have a plan. Know what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. As a side note, it’s not just leaving stuff out, it’s adding stuff in. You are replacing the toxic people with people that will help you. You are replacing the bad habits with new ones that will guide you. Some stuff out, some stuff in. Have a plan! By the way, don’t miss the “those who follow you” part of this verse. There are others watching you. There are others following you. Your steps, your plan are crucial to them, and not just you.

Though it’s not confirmed, many scholars believe that the apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. Here are some of Paul’s last words of his life, in a letter he wrote to Timothy…

II Timothy 4:7

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

He finished the race. That’s our goal, to finish, and to finish strong. I love how Paul said he “fought the good fight”. Don’t miss that, Paul likened life to a fight. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns right? It’s hard. We are screwups that get it wrong quite often. Remember, pride is crazy! it’s a fight. My mind is just now drifting to Rocky III. Rocky is fighting Clubber Lane (Mr. T). Rocky is getting killed in the ring. He’s taking shot after shot after shot. But then, somewhere in those middle rounds, Rocky starts taunting Clubber Lane … “you ain’t so bad, you ain’t so bad”. Rocky then starts dodging the incoming shots. Rocky is being rejuvenated. He realized that the worst he opponent had wasn’t enough to knock him out. He regains his stamina and he goes on to get the knockout .. By the way, sorry for the spoiler alert, but I think a 40 year old movie is past that point. It’s a fight for sure, but a fight we can and will win if we keep our eyes in the right direction, get rid of all the junk, accept correction, and have a plan.

My final encouragement is to do one of two things. Either take a timeout and fix the stuff, or get back up and get in the race.  Either way, remember … Life’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.