My brother in Christ reminded me that too many men have lost their thumbs.

He then shared with me how the ancient Israelites capitalized on this same messy predicament.

After a battle during which the Lord God gave them victory in Canaan following Joshua’s death, they captured a ruler there and issued him a dose of his own medicine:

“But Adoni-bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me…’” [Judges 1:7]

Have you ever considered the consequences of such a thing?

Losing this shortest appendage on the hand would be a real game changer, especially if I need to effectively wield a weapon. If I can’t do that, I’m not much use as a defense mechanism. But faithful disciples of Jesus Christ need guard their spiritual thumbs if they intend to stay in the battle and be able to convey truth and encouragement to His Body.

And make no mistake, whether enemies of the cross or fools acting in ignorance, there’s no shortage of warriors out to annihilate the power of Jesus Christ’s good news about the coming kingdom and resurrection by seeking to sever the thumbs of every man so acting or speaking about them.

The evidence of lopsided battles are littered throughout our communities at every level of public enterprise or jurisdiction. Sadly, our homes and congregations are also packed with thumbless men who lack enough knowledge, training and backbone to persevere as serious disciples of Christ.

However, it’s not too late.

The good news is that the Bible holds the key to showing me how to retain every part of me necessary to run with endurance the race that lies before me. [Heb. 12:1-2]

Because I can’t defend anything without everything intact.