A Birthday Tribute

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PASTOR TOBIN!!!

 

Yes, Pastor T, this one IS for you. After all, your witness of faith, your desire to see lives changed, and your heart for your kids is a large reason I can stand here today, a world away living out God’s precious call on my life. I have been honored to have you as an example in faith, in friendship and in family. The role you have played in my life, from my very first mission trip to where I am now, is supernaturally significant. I hope this small sharing of scripture will not only be honoring to you and your life but encourage others to step further into their own faith journeys. 

 

(My first time sharing in church on a mission trip, in Jamaica, circa 2011, Pastor T right)

 

A Preaching on Proverbs 24:10-11

 

I know this is one of your most favorited scriptures and after taking time to study it in honor of you, I found these insights. THEN I was able to share it through Youtube! Check out the link here! (The power went out in the making of this video) 

 

YOUTUBE LINK

 

Not only can I speak testimony of how I have seen you live out this verse, I can speak of how you have done this in my life. In lives of others, I have watched you hold open the door to your own home for so many youth who needed a loving place to spend some of their free time. I’ve also experienced you preaching these truths about death and life in the church. And I have heard countless stories of how you’ve helped dust off the boots of those in need. In my own life, you have certainly been there for many of life’s ups and downs. From that first international mission trip and preaching opportunity pictured above, to the hardships and struggles of my teen years. To the many not so perfect, I need your encouragement conversations we have had. You have certainly lived out the significance of this verse.

 

In studying the Word of God there is so much value in knowing the context of which each scripture was written. So often we read one verse and think “yeah, that’s really good!” Yet sometimes we interpret it without the context when knowing the context could give it more meaning and even more power. In this case, Proverbs 24 is a part of a series of scriptures called “30 sayings of the wise”. It is written by one of the “wisest” characters of the Bible, Solomon, the son of King David. Proverbs 24:10-11 fall in the lineup as the 25th wise saying. Since the saying incorporates both verses and isn’t solely verse 11, I am going to share what I have learned from studying BOTH of these scriptures. 

 

“If you falter in a time of trouble,

    how small is your strength!

Rescue those being led away to death;

    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” 

 

Starting in verse 10, we are posed with a question we all need to ask ourselves. How small is your strength? How likely are you to “turn in the towel” when life gets tricky? Have you been training yourself to stay strong?

 

In considering these thoughts I’m brought back to the title and topic of one of my very first shared blogs, “Time Under Tension Builds Strength”. As you know, I like to workout and so does Pastor T. In the gym, on the field, at the track, or wherever else you might find yourself working out, you know that it is not going to be easy just to show up there. It’s not going to be a “walk in the park” to run five miles or lift 500lbs. It’s going to take repetition to build progress. It’s going to take pain and tension to find growth. 

 

And when we translate this to staying mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong, the same rules apply. We have to train ourselves, practicing strength before being able to walk it the majority of the time. Biblically, we can grow our strength in 3 ways. 

1. Through Prayer and Petition – Through prayer we get to share our hardships, our hopes, our dreams, and all of our thoughts with God. We get to ask Him to help us in our lives and to provide for us or protect us in our time of need. We get to practice turning to Him when times are troubling. THEN as He hears our prayers and begins to answer them in the unique ways He does, we get to experience the growing of our strength and belief in Him. We will see the result of our prayers over time and therefore will build our strength found in the Lord. 
2. Through Understanding the Word – Through the study of scriptures we get to learn more about God and more about ourselves! As we study and search the Word we will be graced with answers to our questions and gifted with the promises of God. In the repetitive study of sitting down with an open Bible, the truths of God will penetrate your heart and grow your strength. You will learn to better understand the will of God for your life and the depth of His love for you. In this, you will deepen and expand your trust in Him, therefore building greater strength. 
3. Through Trusting the Hand of God and Living it Out – Through living out the ways of the Word or the Spirit’s leading in your life you will begin to see victories in your life. As you practice “walking the walk” and “talking the talk” you will grow in confidence and trust that God is who He says He is: provider, protector, healer, comforter, etc. AND you will grow in confidence that YOU are who God says you are: loved, redeemed, healed, whole, honorable, etc. These confidences will too lead to greater strength in your faith. 

 

Through these practices we will equip ourselves with faith to believe “everything works together for your good”, truth to know the promises of God still stand, and joy in all things. Then we will be able to step into the call verse 11 gives to us: 

 

“Rescue those being led away to death;

    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”

 

The goal is to rescue others BUT we can’t help save someone if we ourselves are not well, are not healthy or headed in the proper direction. That’s why verse 10 is so important to being able to accomplish the call of verse 11.

 

Those headed towards death are most certainly in need of rescue and in this case I want to define for you the context of what death means. 

“To Death” can look like anything physically causing you to harm your life.

Examples include:

To sin

To violence

To slander

To self-reliance

To depression

 

Those “headed towards slaughter” are also on their way towards death but I consider this more of the “thoughts that can lead to death”, instead of focusing on the truths of God’s Word. 

Examples include:

Wrong-thinking

Temptation

Anxiety and Worry

Insecurity

Confusion

Anger

 

Through prayer, through the studying of scripture and through the act of living in faith, we find that these death causing actions are in fact death causing actions. We can see people in our lives, online or on tv, headed straight for harm in their life. We have the privilege and honor to show them their not so healthy choices and lead them back towards life. To rescue or to save means to prevent or withhold from action, often the consequence is revealed. Our job becomes the act of helping remove “those” walking in that way from these things. “Those” can be any loved one, friend, or stranger. We have the opportunity and freedom to help any one of “those” that we may encounter. 

An example of this opportunity could look like: someone who freely walks in anger will likely commit violence or someone who sins (murder, adultery, lying, cheating, etc.) knows their actions affect others negatively. As we interceded in these circumstances we get to help reveal the consequence and opportunity for change in their life. The ultimate goal is that by revealing the death or slaughter they are walking towards, we motivate them to turn towards abundant life, towards the strength and health we learned about from verse 10. 

 

*Although through our rescuing we help reveal the consequences, the decision to walk towards life, strength and health remains their choice. 

 

No matter what their final choice, our command, our calling remains the same; to live a life well-lived, to strengthen ourselves, and to walk in healthiness in order to help our brother, sister, friend or stranger in their times of need. 

 

 

Thank you Pastor T for being a man with a strong desire to stay healthy and strong for those all around him. May this next year keep you healthy and strong in body, in family, in community and wherever you might find yourself, like the gym!! Sending hugs and Birthday wishes your way!

 

Lots of Love to you Pastor T!!

 

Savanna

 

(Stephanie, Pastor Tobin’s wife, Pastor T, Himself, & Me, in Florida circa 2019)