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Over the past few weeks, I’ve had reason to think a lot about knees, most particularly my own right knee.
For a decade or two I have not enjoyed good health in either my left or right knee. (Fortunately, I only have two of them…) Due to overuse, misuse, years and miles, my knees don’t work well. But then, in June, while at the beach with kids and grandkids, I had a blowout in my right knee, sidelining me from fun and games and finally convincing me that I had avoided surgery long enough.
This right knee (at one point, my “good knee”) had proven itself wholly unreliable. So, with a vision for reliability, I went under the knife on July 20th and got my first total knee replacement. Hope for a better future prompted the decision to go under the knife, but I don’t want you to think that your pastor’s decision for elective surgery was made without biblical warrant.
In the twelfth chapter of the book of Hebrews, the author (we don’t know who wrote Hebrews) wrote about Christian growth from two perspectives.
First, he addressed growth via the route of God’s discipline.
Discipline (or “training”) is the process through which God takes His sons and daughters (us!) “so that we may share His holiness.” (v. 10). This discipline can take all sorts of forms, including persecution (v. 4), corrective action (v. 6), and directive action (vv. 7, 9, 11) This discipline is imposed by God. In the same way that fathers (and mothers) discipline their children by either imposing consequences for misbehavior or allowing their kids to taste the natural consequences of their actions, God does the same with His sons and daughters. He actively disciplines us for our good (v. 10)
The writer urged his readers to allow themselves to be trained by God’s discipline. Submit to it. We are to let God’s training have its good effect in building faith and faithfulness into our lives.
The verses that follow shift our focus to a second perspective on Christian growth. We turn from thoughts of submission to thoughts of initiative, from passivity to activity, and from the need to respond well to God’s discipline to the need for us each to take decisive action.
The word pictures he uses are striking: [Hebrews 12:12] Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and THE KNEES THAT ARE FEEBLE (my emphasis), and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
At present, my hands are OK. My knees, not so much. Prior to the surgery, both of them were chronically painful, weak, unstable, and unreliable. If I were to have reliable knees, I needed to do what was necessary to strengthen them. Over the years, I had tried lots of things to strengthen my knees before finally resorting to the modern solution of knee replacement surgery.
And eventually, with two new knees, I hope to be able to lead an active life, play with grandkids, take hikes with Kathy, and go camping to wild places with friends old and young where we can have long talks about life and God around a campfire, far away from the lure of screens.
I’m not at all saying that everyone should follow my lead in dealing with bodily aches and pains. Each one of us has to do what we can to strengthen hands and knees. But this has been my journey.
And to be clear, when the author of Hebrews wrote about strengthening hands and knees, he wasn’t recommending surgery or first-century remedies on literal hands or knees. He was urging that we who believe in Jesus strengthen those areas of our inner lives that are chronically weak, unstable, and unreliable.
Throughout, the main thrust of the letter of Hebrews’ is to urge believers in Jesus to remain faithful to Jesus despite hardships and even persecution. We are to cling to Jesus – something that can only be done with strong hands. We are to stand firm for Jesus – an action that requires strong, stable knees.
So, here is an open-ended question that surfaces after a very brief meditation on Hebrews 12:12-13.
Is there anything in your life that is keeping you from clinging to Jesus, from standing firm for Jesus?
Is there a habit that needs to be broken?
Is there a speech pattern that must be abandoned?
Is there an attitude to confess and turn from?
Is there a relationship that is causing you to stumble into sin?
Is there a self-discipline that you need to adopt?
By all means, submit to the Lord’s discipline in your life…AND take action by the power God provides to fix what’s broken, strengthen what’s weak, and stabilize what’s wobbly.
When our knees are strong, we can walk, run, and play. When our inner lives and spiritual knees are strong, we can walk with Jesus.
Yours (for stronger knees)…His,
Dave