Moving Forward
Monday— …200 men of the tribe of Issachar…understood the signs of the times and the best course to take. 2 Chron 12:32
Mel’s Snack Shop launched amid great hoopla. Mel himself brimmed with ideas and enthusiasm. He had good salesmanship and a good reputation. But the venture tanked within a year. He offered good products and a clean store, so what was the problem? Mel didn’t understand his customers. He did business like it was 1953 and the internet generation wasn’t interested. Teens with cars didn’t care about a soda counter with no WiFi, an old-fashioned Juke box, or shelves filled with Cracker Jacks. If Mel had understood the times, he may have known the best course to take and might have saved his business.
When Israel was in trouble, only a select few seemed to understand the problem. One tribe, Issachar, had spent time analyzing issues and brainstorming solutions. They were willing to change some old ways of doing things in order to conquer new challenges. We still need people like that. However, Issachar had one advantage over us: no social media. No YouTubers, bloggers, or TikTok influencers. Israel listened to the people who actually knew what was going on and what to do about it. And it saved their country. An avalanche of information is available to us, but we must filter it with wisdom: “Is this an emotional rant or does this person understand the signs of our times? Do they have a godly solution? Do I?”
Challenge: Before we offer our opinion, we need to understand the signs of the times and the best course to take.
Prayer: Father, make me like the men of Issachar, who understood what was going on better than the rest. They offered wise guidance because they saw not only the problem, but your solution. Grant me that kind of discernment. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Tuesday— Forgetting the past, I press on to what lies ahead. Philippians 3:13
He was 45—a tired 45. He’d come to ask the counselor how to deal with the loneliness that dominated his life. “When do you remember it starting?” she asked. He knew the answer. “When my wife left me,” he said. The counselor made a note. “And when was that?” she asked. “Twenty years ago,” he answered. “I came home, found her with another man, and I never got over it. I’ll never forgive her for that. Been living in my mom’s basement ever since.” The counselor lifted a brow. “And you’ve not done anything since then? New relationships? Hobbies?” He shook his head, almost proudly. “Nope.”
He’d been hurt. We all have. No one gets through life without being hurt. But what we do with the hurt determines the level of power it continues to hold over us. We can’t change what other people have done, but we don’t have to let them continue to harm us. We decide how much power to give it in the future. Forgetting the past does not mean it’s gone—some pains leave lasting scars. But we don’t have to make pain our identity: “I was abused. I was an alcoholic. I was raped. I was betrayed… therefore, I have a right to give up, become addicted, act out, or seek revenge.” Paul says, “Forget the past.” The hurtful event may have shaped us and scarred us, but it doesn’t have to destroy us. We have all the power to decide whether the harmful person or painful event determines our future or whether we will press on to better things ahead.
Challenge: What in your past is holding you back from being all you could be? Forget it and press on to what lies ahead.
Prayer: Father, you know those things that were so painful I can barely think about them. You offer healing and I receive it. I forgive, let go, and forget all that lies behind me. Tomorrow is a new day and I press eagerly onward. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Wednesday—Since we are surrounded by a crowd of witnesses, let’s strip off every weight that slows us down. Heb. 12:1-2
Coach Wilson eyed the line of toned runners before him. He’d worked with them for six months to get them ready for the regional triathlon, and they were in fine shape. He strode before them like an army sergeant, then stopped and spun on his heel. “Who’s clanking?” he barked. No one moved. He stepped back a few paces. “Jones? Are you clanking?” Tim Jones looked up nervously. “Ugh, yessir. I thought I might need some things…it’s all day, sir, so I strapped on my phone, some water bottles, a couple of—” “WHAT!” screamed the coach. “You strapped on…what’s the matter with you, Jones! You’ll disgrace us all! Not a single extra ounce, haven’t I preached that since day one? Strip down til I’m satisfied, then get back here. Now!”
No athlete who expects to win will carry a single ounce more than necessary for the race. So Coach Paul alludes to that in his pre-game pep talk: “Strip down, Christian! Get rid of all the worldly nonsense that’s holding you back from living a life of radical devotion to Christ! What’s that clanking? Is that pride? Are those sin habits? Get rid of that greed, envy, and materialism. Sexual lust has to go. It’s slowing you down. Study the heroes that came before you. See how they did it. Earth-bound priorities are stealing your focus. What about all your stuff? Do you own it or does it own you? Reevaluate what’s in your way of completing your race with honors. Get rid of it while you have the chance. Strip it off, then get in the race. Now!”
Challenge: Is your Christian life clanking? Are you dragging useless priorities with you as you follow Christ? Strip them off.
Prayer: Father, if you were Coach Wilson, evaluating my readiness to complete my race with honors, would you hear me clanking? What have I strapped onto my Christian life that is in our way? Help me strip it off. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Thursday— Let us run with endurance the race set before us… Hebrews 12:1-2
The fifty-yard dash doesn’t require endurance; a marathon does. While we often wish life was a sprint, it’s more like the Amazing Race. And there are plenty of sideroads along the way where we’d exit if we could. Detours. Hills. Distractions. We run out of steam. Out of motivation. But the course goes on…and on…and on… Idealism got us to thirty, then enthusiasm took us another decade. Duty dominated our forties, but once we pass 50, life can start to feel lo-o-ong. The retirement years require something else. Endurance. Recent studies reveal that depression and suicide among older adults is epidemic. Why?
By retirement age, we’ve pretty much seen it all and done it all and now we’re just tired. With no real motivation to get up in the morning, we need something else to keep us in the game. Endurance. So what is endurance? The kind Paul is talking about means we bear up under life’s ongoing stresses. We may not want to, but we get up anyway. We smile anyway. We serve anyway. We stay faithful in our marriages, our commitments, and our character anyway. We don’t give up when we want to. We don’t hide in pills and the bottle or destroy a lifelong testimony by veering into the weeds. Endurance means we keep obeying the Lord when there seems no benefit to it. We keep trusting when God has disappointed us, keep believing when faith is a memory. We put one foot after the other on the path He’s set before us and keep at it until Jesus says, “Well done.”
Challenge: No matter the season of life you’re in, you’re commanded to endure even when the race feels very long.
Prayer: Jesus, help me meditate on what it means to endure to the end. No matter how long or how hard my race becomes, may I endure until you call me home. Help me remember that hearing your words, “Well done,” will be worth it all. Amen.
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Friday— Keeping our eyes on Jesus, who, because of the joy set before Him, endured the cross… and the shame. Heb 12:2
There has to be a “because.” A mother endures 30 hours of agonizing labor because of the baby she’ll soon hold in her arms. An athlete commits to months of rigorous training because of the hope of winning games. We always need a “because” in order to endure difficulties. When we lose sight of our “because,” we give up. The gain doesn’t seem worth the pain. Jesus had a “because.” It was the joy waiting for Him for all eternity. It helped Him endure the torture of the cross, the horror of bearing all our sin, the shame heaped on Him from those who did not understand. His “because” was us. Our “because” is Him.
Without eternity in mind, it can be nearly impossible to endure or to keep moving forward. It’s too easy to become mired in stress, frustrations, disappointments, and problems. Life tosses us dozens of reasons to give up, so we need a rock-solid “because” to keep going. Because Jesus did it, we can do it. Because the Creator of the universe has invited us to live like His sons and daughters, we can refocus our gaze. Because we’re promised an eternity of joy and peace, we can endure a few years of unhappiness and chaos. Because of the joy set before us, we can mimic our Leader, endure life’s challenges, ignore Satan’s shame, and press on to the reward promised to those who endure to the end. Endurance means He’s our “because.”
Challenge: What’s your “because?” The only one that lasts is the One Jesus had: For the joy set before us.
Prayer: Father, help me refocus with Jesus as my “because.” Life gets overwhelming and it can be hard to move forward. Help me keep my eyes on Jesus and make Him my “because,” so one day I’ll hear Him say, “Well done.” In His name, amen.
