By Hook or By Crook #RTTBROS #nightlight

Philippians 3:14 - "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Medieval peasants had a hard life, and one of their constant struggles was finding enough fuel to heat their homes and cook their food. The forests belonged to the lords and nobles, but there was an old law that allowed common folks to gather firewood under very specific conditions. They could only take dead wood, and they could only cut what they could reach with their tools, either a reaper's bill-hook or a shepherd's crook. No axes, no saws, no climbing trees, just what they could snag with those two tools.

So these determined peasants would head into the forest with their hooks and crooks, and they'd work at it until they had gathered enough fuel for their families. It didn't matter if a branch was stuck high in a tree or tangled in thorny bushes, they'd figure out a way to get it down. "By hook or by crook," they'd say, "we're going to get what we need to survive."

That phrase stuck around because it captured something deep in the human spirit, this determination to achieve a goal no matter what obstacles get in the way. And you know what? I think that's exactly the kind of determination Paul was talking about when he wrote to the Philippians about pressing toward the mark.

Paul said he was going to pursue the prize of his high calling in Christ Jesus, and nothing was going to stop him. Not shipwrecks, not beatings, not prison, not persecution. By hook or by crook, he was going to finish the race God had set before him. He'd use whatever tools he had, work around whatever obstacles appeared, and keep moving toward that eternal prize.

Friend, that same holy determination needs to mark our walk with God. There are going to be days when following Jesus feels easy and natural, but there are also going to be days when everything seems to be working against your faith. That's when you need that medieval peasant spirit, that "by hook or by crook" attitude.

Maybe your hook is prayer and your crook is God's Word. Maybe you use the hook of Christian fellowship and the crook of worship music. Whatever tools God has given you, use them with determination. Don't let obstacles keep you from the fuel your soul needs to keep burning bright for Him.

Prayer: Lord, give me holy determination to pursue You by hook or by crook, using whatever tools You provide to overcome the obstacles in my path. Amen.