I’ve had the topic of being a Man of God on my heart this week.
I’m not sure why it’s been so consistently on my mind, but I was hesitant to write a blog about it…because I honestly am in no position to lecture on this topic. So as I formulate these words I am really writing a challenge to myself, that will hopefully resonate with some other men as well.
It’s fitting this post comes in the month of November, a month in which our ‘manliness’ is defined by the length of the beards we grow. My generation, and our society in general, has lost sight of what it means to be a man. We have false ideas and fabrications of what true manliness looks like, speaks like and acts like. See if any of these sentences resonate with you:
- Our Sundays are more focused on fantasy football than worshiping our Father.
- Our ‘manliness’ is defined by the size of our muscles, not the size of our heart.
- We focus more on our relationships with females than our relationship with the Lord.
- We are more focused on what the world thinks of us than what our Heavenly Father thinks of us.
- We are content to let the females of our generation lead the spiritual charge while we watch from the sidelines.
The list could go on FOREVER! It is so easy to fall prey to the world around us, as it whispers in our ears falsehoods of our gender. Enough is enough…Men of God it’s time to RISE UP!
Although there are many things that go into being a Godly man, today let’s focus on two points.
1) No matter how high you want to rise…if you don’t have a solid foundation you will crumble. I believe the most important step is having Christ as the center in EVERY phase of life. He should be the driving force behind our routines, our actions and our words. He should be our building block. We have the perfect example to follow, and although we will fall short of his perfection it should not deter our effort.
2) It’s important to understand that being a Man of God does not mean we are suddenly immune to sin. We will still have the battles of lust, addiction, pride, anger, temptation…you name the sin. The difference is our lives are no longer defined by our sins, they are defined by the Savior who died for them!
So I challenge you to address how you have defined your manhood.
It’s time to become the Men of Faith God has desired for us, and the men a dying world desperately needs.
Be a man who shines the light of Jesus every single day.
Be a man who break the mold of how women are treated.
Be a man who is compassionate and understanding
Be a man who is unafraid to speak up and fight for what’s right.
Be a man who can lead by leading or following.
Be a man who is quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Be a man who is unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Be a man who reflects our maker.
RISE UP and be the man God has called you to be!
There is a song I love by a group of Christian rappers. The group is called the ‘116 clique’, after a verse in the book of Romans.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes:first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” – Romans 1:16
Even if this isn’t your taste in music I ask you give the music video a watch. The title is ‘Man Up Anthem’ and speaks on the topic. One of my favorite lines comes in the last verse of the song:
“Being a man has nothing to do with age…you can be a boy till the day you lay in your grave.”
Don’t let yourself get one more day closer to your grave without becoming the Man of God you are called to be. RISE UP!
