<--------------Not a Godly Man:
Trying to write a list of what makes a Godly man is kind of difficult. It's not that there isn't a lot of material on the subject (there is), nor is it because the Bible's silent on the issue (it isn't). Rather, the difficulty comes in trying to narrow down which things need to be said out of the vast array of things that are said! Nevertheless, I'll try and give it a whirl today, and maybe tomorrow, before we move on to the topic of sexuality. Here are 6 words that may just be broad enough to define what a Godly man looks like:
Responsible- Telling a man that he needs to be responsible is nothing new; as a matter of fact it really goes back to our first parents in the Garden of Eden. It was Adam that was given responsibility to "steward" God's creation and to take care of his wife. Men, it is your responsibility to lead your families to the Lord in prayer and Bible reading; it is your responsibility to make sure they're fed, and healthy; it is your responsibility to take care of your household. This point does not just refer to married men or fathers though, this refers to every man! Men were created to be responsible, as much as your sinful nature may fight against it, you know it's true. This leads to lack of purpose and spiritual entropy... and well, that's bad.
Hard Working- Complimenting the idea of being responsible, is the importance of being hard working. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:22, "So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot." Men come to ruin if they don't have something to work hard on. Now, I'm not talking about workaholics, I'm talking about working with purpose. Again, man you were created from the very beginning to work (before it was cursed with difficulty), and it is still your lot in life. There is no excuse in Scripture for a lazy man. As a matter of fact, Proverbs states the fate of the lazy rather nicely: The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Humble- The Apostle Paul, in a passage to long to quote here, urges men in Philippians 2 to be just like Christ. How? Through being humble. It is entirely opposite of our nature to see humility as a Godly attribute. Partly because of our misunderstanding of the word; mainly because we're proud sinners. We make a great mistake when we see humility as similar to weakness, or cowardice. There is a broad difference: Weakness is being "humble" because your a scared wimp refusing to stand up; humility is having the ability to stand up, but not doing so in order to serve another. Humility just means not seeing yourself as the center of the universe. This takes God given strength.
Strong- I don't mean by strong here, muscle or fake action star bravado, etc. What I mean by strong here is moral strength, leadership strength, dependable strength. You can have next to no muscle and be the strongest guy around. The key is finding strength in the Lord and His words. Proverbs 24 says, "A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory."
Integrity- When you go to work, you do the best job you can. You speak the truth to your friends and neighbors. You seek to walk in a way that is consistent with your confession about what you believe. People can accept and love a man who honestly makes mistakes, not living up to his own standards; people cannot accept a man who makes mistakes and pretends he hasn't. It's not perfection, it's honesty, it's integrity.
Biblical- "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." I could spend a few days on these two verses alone, but obviously this under girds everything else I've just written. If the Word is not central to your life, then you may be a "good man" on the outside, but the inner man will crumble. Men learn how to be "competent, equipped for every good work" by being taught from the Scriptures, reproved by the Scriptures, corrected by the Scriptures, trained by the Scriptures.
I guess what I'm really trying to say in all this is look to Jesus on how to be a man. He's the ultimate example of manhood right? But don't just look to him as the example; look to him as the One who will make you into a Godly man. "Be a man", own up and look to Him for the forgiveness you need for not being a good enough man. He'll take care of you.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Erick
RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....
No comments:
Post a Comment