Toy Stories: Ken — Protector vs. Tyrant - Friday
Today’s Verse
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (ESV)
The title of Scott’s sermon on Sunday was Protector vs. Tyrant. It’s a fitting theme because we live surrounded by protection. We’ve got locks on our doors and baby gates on our stairs. Not to mention, gated neighborhoods, security cameras, fences, and guard dogs. We wear bike helmets, seatbelts, and SPF 50. And every app demands a new password—one capital letter, three symbols, your childhood pet’s middle name, and a hieroglyph.
We are constantly trying to protect ourselves—from danger, from embarrassment, from pain.
But for all our layers of defense, some things still get through. The truth is, no lock can keep out anxiety. No fence can stop fear. No password can protect your heart from heartbreak. We build walls around ourselves, hoping to feel safe—but we know we need something stronger.
This is where Jesus steps in. He’s not just another layer of defense; He’s the man between—the one who stepped between us and what we could never face alone.
When Goliath taunted Israel, they needed someone willing to walk into the valley, not to avoid danger but to confront it. David did that once. Jesus did that for eternity.
Jesus used His strength not to dominate but to defend. Not to build His own power but to bear our weakness. That’s what separates a protector from a tyrant—how they use their strength.
Every man is called to reflect that kind of protection—to step in, stand up, and serve. To be the one who shields, encourages, and stands in the gap for others. But this isn’t just for men. Every believer, man or woman, is invited to find their security in Jesus. He protected us not by avoiding pain, but by absorbing it. Not by building walls, but by making a way back to the Father for us.
APPLICATION
Spend a moment today asking where you’re trying to protect yourself instead of trusting Jesus. Invite Him to be your protection—and then to make you a source of safety for others.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for standing between me and what I could never face alone.
Help me rest in Your protection today, and give me the courage to protect others—to use strength, words, and presence to serve, not to control. Make me more like You, the true Protector.
