by Shannon Tillman | May 15, 2024 | Thoughts
My mom enjoys science fiction. She used to watch episodes of the TV show “Star Trek”. When an enemy vessel would approach, the captain would say “shields up” and some sort of force field would be employed to protect the ship.
I had difficulty even writing that paragraph because I am not a sci-fi fan. I prefer a biography any day. I love learning about people and events. However, there are some passages in the Bible that feel more like a sci-fi movie than historical fact. Truth is stranger than fiction.
In the book of Exodus, the ten plagues ravaged Egypt. Pharoah refused to let the Israelites leave the country so the Lord allowed plague after plague to hit the nation. In the first six plagues the people experienced water turning to blood, frogs invading the land, gnats swarming around, flies covering everything, livestock dying, and skin boils causing extreme pain to the people. The seventh plague sent to Egypt was hail.
Exodus 9:22-26
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
This was a storm of enormous proportions. The hail killed both animals and people in the fields. Miraculously, in the plague of hail, Moses and Aaron traveled freely to Pharoah without suffering any harm.
Exodus 9:27-29
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.” Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Moses and Aaron walked out of a city ravished by hail without a problem. I imagine huge hailstones falling within feet of them but they could walk in the confidence of God’s protection. It was as if the Captain of the Universe said “shields up” and Moses and Aaron were completely covered. Moses and Aaron walked in faith of God’s care for them.
When we are in God’s will, He protects us. Even in judgment against a nation, the Lord can provide supernatural covering over us. This covering provided another testimony to the people of Egypt. They saw Aaron and Moses walking through the land unharmed. Animals and people outside had died, but not these two men. It clearly proved the message that the Lord was the true God, while the gods of Egypt were nothing and could not provide security or help.
When others see how God cares for us even during difficult times, we will be able to share with them our testimonies of the Lord’s protection and rescue during our lives. We can walk through the storm without harm. We may see the lightning, feel the wind and rain, but what could knock us over or take us out is not allowed to come near us. God is our shield in the storm. We can trust Him not only to walk us through, but also to pray for others in their storms, just as Moses did.
Exodus 9:29
Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Our safety in the midst of the storm allows us to pray for others in the storm so that the Lord is glorified. He protects, rescues, and delivers us from the storms, even ones we ourselves have caused. Whatever storm you are in, trust the Lord to guide you safely through. Shields up!
by Shannon Tillman | May 8, 2024 | Thoughts
My family does not like it when I am in control of the remote control. I always pick a biography to watch. I enjoy learning about the lives of others. I am inspired by how people persevered in their difficulties and chose to make a difference despite the obstacles. I cry during the stories while the family waits for a moment to wrestle the remote control from me.
Recently, when I had the remote, I picked a documentary on Charles Wesley. Charles lived in England during the 1700s. He was a clergyman, hymn writer, poet. He and his brother, John Wesley, began the Methodist movement. Charles wrote close to 9,000 hymns over a course of fifty years. They said he averaged around ten poetic lines a day to accomplish this feat.
The documentary was broken into segments, one being the hymns, others being topics such as early life, education, conversion, family, etc. However, I believed that separating the hymn accomplishment was a disservice to Charles Wesley. Because when you put the poems next to his life, it is even more of a marvel to realize he wrote ten lines a day.
Charles was married to Sarah Gwynne. They had eight children together. However, five of their children died and never reached adulthood. Charles wrote ten lines of Christian poetry a day. The documentary stated that their children that did live did not share the same faith and one lived in rebellion. Yet, Charles wrote songs to the Lord, ten lines, every day. While preaching, Charles was often barred from pulpits, despised by many church leaders. Yet, he wrote ten lines of a hymn daily. He was attacked by mobs while preaching in open fields and had objects and mud thrown at him. Charles wrote his ten lines of poetry. His brother and he had heated arguments and painful separations. Charles still penned his ten lines of praise. He dealt with serious illness. Somehow, the ten lines were written each day. His wife almost died of smallpox, which did take the life of one of his sons, and she was scarred horribly by the disease. And Charles wrote his ten lines each day.
In the midst of pain, Charles wrote hymns of praise, or sorrow, of searching out God’s heart. That is his true legacy. He pressed into the heart of God in the pain instead of closing off the Lord because of his difficulties. Around the world, his songs are song hundreds of years after they are written. The one that would be most recognized today would be “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. He wrote these hymns, line by line, day by day despite his losses and pain.
We all suffer difficulties. We choose our response. We may not be writers, poets, hymn writers. But each day we can choose our “ten lines” of praise. Maybe it is prayer, a song, a psalm, a Scripture, or a quiet commitment to trust God in the heartaches of life. Charles Wesley is an example of this to us.
That is the reason why I believe I should have the remote control more often! We can learn and apply spiritual lessons from those who have gone before us. Give me the remote!
by Shannon Tillman | May 1, 2024 | Thoughts
I often return to the bible passage in John 4, the meeting of Jesus with a Samaritan woman. There is so much in these verses that are life changing. In this post, I want to focus on one sliver of the spiritual riches given in this encounter.
John 4:16-19
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.
Jesus lets the woman know that He knows the secret, the disgrace, the shame, the sin, the issue. Jesus already knew. But He wants her to know that He knows. She takes the revelation as proof that He is a prophet, which He is. Yet, I wonder if His revelation was a set-up for a later part of the conversation.
John 4:25-26
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Jesus revealed to a woman, a Samaritan woman (Samaritans were considered less-than by the Jews), a woman living in sin, a woman with a shameful past, that He is the Messiah. He does not tell anyone else this amazing truth. He picked the most outcast of society to declare that He was the long-awaited Messiah, the One whom the world has waited upon for thousands of years. The disciples were not told this. The crowds never received this verbal affirmation of His title. But this woman heard the word first-hand.
I believe Jesus told her that He knew her past and current shame and sin so that she would know that He reveals Himself despite ourselves. She could never think “If He only knew the real me, He would never have told me that He was the Messiah. He probably wouldn’t have even spoken to me.” Instead, she knew that He knew and still revealed who He is to her. Amazing! Jesus wanted to make it clear that He was declaring the message that the world had been waiting on since the fall of Adam and Eve to a woman with a shady past and sinful present. Jesus knows and still reveals the mysteries of heaven to unworthy vessels.
Jesus knows. He knows our failures, our sins, our issues, our wasted time, our neglected dreams, our…. All the things that come to our heads and bring shame to our hearts, He knows. And He still wants to have a conversation with us. And He still wants to share the mysteries of heaven with us. And He still tells us things that others may never have heard first-hand. Jesus the Messiah, loves us and shares who He is with us. May we marvel at His heart toward us!
by Shannon Tillman | Apr 24, 2024 | Thoughts
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is a command, so it is not an option. We are ordered to not let evil overcome us. How can we choose to not be overwhelmed, knocked down, or discouraged by evil? For it must be a choice since it is a command, thus we decide whether to obey or not. The strategy for obedience is given in the second half of the verse.
We are to “overcome evil with good.” God alone is good.
Mark 10:18
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
Thus, we overcome evil by God. How do we practically do this? We must focus on His goodness instead of the evil circumstances. We must trust Him even when we do not understand why we are suffering. We must seek His counsel on how to respond in a manner that reflects His goodness instead of our natural desires. In other words, to overcome evil is an intentional battle plan to combat evil with the goodness of God.
Is this easy? No. However, it is commanded for our benefit. God wants to protect us from being knocked down by evil. He wants to work through us so that evil is vanquished. The Lord does not want evil to prevail against us. The only way for us to not be consumed by the evil is to conquer the evil. The goodness of God is the assured victory over all evil!
Whatever evil situation that has risen against you is now your opportunity for victory! When you stand in the goodness of God, the enemy not only cannot knock you down, he also loses ground against you. The evil is overcome and the flag of goodness is placed up as the victory. In your difficulties, get the battle plan from God. His goodness will win!
by Shannon Tillman | Apr 17, 2024 | Bible Study
Have you ever been blind-sided by someone? I wonder if that is how Philemon felt when he received a letter from the Apostle Paul. I am sure upon its arrival, Philemon felt honored to be singled out for personal correspondence from the esteemed preacher. However, the letter ends up being a difficult call to action.
The letter begins with compliments to Philemon as one who is a dear friend, fellow worker, one who loves God’s people, and has great faith. These words would have definitely encouraged Philemon. Then, the tone of the letter changes.
Philemon verses 8-11
Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Onesimus was a slave of Philemon. He ran away yet somehow, though, he was influenced by the preaching of Paul and became a believer in Jesus. Amazingly, Onesimus the slave is led to Christ by the same person who led his master to Christ. Onesimus must have confessed his past sins and thus Paul sent him back with this letter.
Philemon verses 12-16
I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
Suddenly, a seemingly friendly letter, becomes a series of difficult choices. Would Philemon forgive Onesimus? Not only that, would he choose to see Onesimus no longer as a slave but now as a brother in Christ? Would he trust Paul’s heart about this man’s transformation and his usefulness to Paul? Would Philemon free his slave to serve in the ministry?
Paul knew that he was asking a lot in this short letter. He was asking for a radical heart change in Philemon. Yet, Paul pressed the point even further.
Philemon verses 17-19
So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.
Welcome the one who offended you as if you were welcoming your spiritual leader and friend. Demand payback, not from the one who owes it, but from the one who literally shared with you the message of eternal life. These are Paul’s requests to Philemon.
Philemon verses 20-21
I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
In honoring Paul’s desires, Philemon would refresh his heart. Paul believed that Philemon would go above and beyond in response. If he did, we do not know. There are speculations in church history. Onesimus, the slave, may have become Onesimus the minister with Paul if he is the same man mentioned in Colossians 4. I hope Philemon did respond to Paul’s requests, because this would be the right thing to do.
I must admit, my standards for Philemon are higher than the standards I set for myself. I want him to forgive his slave, embrace him as a brother, and release him back to Paul for ministry. Yet, when I recently finished reading this short letter, God brought a person to my mind who did some terrible things against me. Immediately, I felt a guard go up in my heart against this person. Then, I realized, The Lord had blind-sided me with this letter, just as Paul had done to Philemon.
What if the person asks forgiveness? Would I hold the one in judgment? Would I want them to prove their transformation? Would they have to earn trust and relationship back piece by piece, like a slave working toward freedom? Or would I embrace them with love and release them into the fullness of God’s calling over their lives?
The same questions that Paul asked of Philemon, God asks of me. They are the same questions the Lord is asking you for each person that has wounded and caused you harm. The letter is to each of us. What will our response be?
