Be a Man

Man_Up

Be a Man! Yes that is what I said. Be a Man! But what does that mean? Does it mean to not cry? Does it mean to take responsibility? Does it mean to be in charge? It just simply means grow up and that may include our masculinity being challenged.

Sometimes our masculinity needs to be challenged. Many have been taught that men don’t cry or show any emotions. Many have been taught that men are to be in control and responsible. The extremes that have been instructed in some cases are not reasonable. However it might not be all wrong. We as men are to be the head of the household. We are to consider ourselves the stronger vessel. Somebody must step up and be responsible.

When taken to extreme, the suggestion that men don’t cry is absurd. When taken to extreme teaching that the man being the head means that he is in charge of everything is absolutely silly. If taken to extreme the thought of men being responsible means accepting the consequences for things beyond their control is outrageous. In many cases these have taught as truths.

There are times men need to cry. Children cry when they don’t get their way. As men we should be able to recognize that there are situations in life we just have to face. We would like to think that we are able to do everything but we are not. When we learn how to allow others to help and that we do not have to be in control of everything life gets much less complicated. Accepting the consequences for things beyond our control may seem admirable however it is not necessary. That is not what God expects. He just wants us to follow Him.

Ezekiel was told by God that his wife would be taken from him and that he was not to cry or mourn or act in any way in distress. He was to be strong for the people. He was an example before them. To take that as men are not to ever cry or that men should be in total control and responsible for everything that happens is a stretch. Masculinity should be gauged by the willingness of one to follow God and accept the role He has for us.

There is a time our masculinity needs to be challenged. When God said he was looking for a man that was the challenge. It doesn’t mean that we have to live like the Lone Ranger or not ever show any emotion. It does mean however that we should show some progress as we mature. We may cry just not over spilt milk.

Be a Man.

Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.

 

Ask, Seek, and Knock

Man_Up

It seems that there are a lot of people in the world who are unhappy. They seem not to be pleased with where they are or what they are doing. Their unhappiness manifests as anger towards others or themselves as well as a number of other symptoms. I am not a specialist in the area so I will not attempt to explain why or how things happen. I just know this. We worry way to much about where we are and what we are doing.

Have you ever asked yourself this? Where would I be if…? What would I be doing if…? We surely have to accept that the decisions or choices that we make contribute to the outcome of our lives. We must teach that sound decisions are important. It does seem or appear that we make some bad or unnecessary choices at times. We may even suffer because of the decisions or choices that we make. Consider this. How many perfect people do we find in the bible?

Not discounting the fact that right decisions is important, we still have to believe that God is merciful. He said ask and you would receive. I don’t know how He works everything out but He does. He said seek and you would find. We need to be proactive at pursuing what we believe God is wanting in our lives. He said knock and the door would be opened. You don’t have to go through every door. If you have reservations that is okay but how are you going to know what is available if you do not knock.

Too much is made of making mistakes. I am not in any way saying that it is okay to make mistakes. I am saying we serve a God who is well able to keep us from falling and to present us as faithful on that day. God’s will for our lives is for us to be fulfilling His will and purpose and that to satisfaction. There are many things that cause us to be unhappy. Determine you are in the place God wants you to be and be faithful.

Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.

Follow God’s Leading

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Have you ever considered the many ways God speaks to those who will listen?

Or maybe by chance have you considered how many different ways He leads those who choose to follow Him. I by no means declare to have all the answers. Neither do I claim to understand everything. However I do know this. God knows where He is taking each of us and He is well able to get us to that spot.

I find in the word that His direction came as a directive, a necessity, an option, and as an unwanted forced participation. Each of us have experienced all of those things happen in our lives. So how are we to know what God is saying and when He is saying it? How are we supposed to know what to accept and what to resist? That is a good question.

I suppose that is what makes this a walk of faith. I am fully convinced at this point that sometimes we don’t know the answer. We just know what is in our heart. We allow the feelings and emotions involved with the experiences we encounter often times to cloud our sensitivity and interrupt our ability to think clearly. We just know we don’t want to hurt any more. We just know we don’t want to miss God. We just know we don’t want to guess on what to do and it messes with us.

So how does God lead? Even better how do you know how to follow? Do what you can. Don’t be too disappointed when you face things beyond your control. There will be things that you absolutely are required to participate in and some of them you may not be given a choice. Part of life you will even enjoy. Stay faithful. Establish yourself and maintain a life of holiness. Above all trust God.

Man_Up and be the man that God wants you to be.

God is looking for a man

Man_Up

Do you believe that you have the potential to change the course of history? Do you see that you have opportunity to positively affect the world in which we live? Do you understand that what you believe and how you apply what you believe in your relationships with others has an eternal consequence?

God said that He looked for a man to stand in the gap and make up the hedge for the land that He would not destroy it but He found none. Is that not disturbing? It is not that He didn’t find a man, for the word declares that man existed at the time. It is not that people were not “spiritual” at the time for they were offering their sacrifices and observing the Holy days. The problem was their relationship with God was lacking. They served God with their mouths and not their hearts. This is an intolerable act with God.

It does not take a rocket scientist to see that there are a lot of things in this world that has not changed. There is a large portion of society today that does not believe, trust, or follow the teachings of Christ. Even among believers the views on critical issues such as salvation, maturity, and commitment vary. Some who consider themselves believers do not accept the bible as the infallible word of God. Many consider good works enough to secure eternal salvation as others hold fast to confession while treating their neighbors like trash.

God is still looking for a man who will believe and follow Him. God is still looking for a man who will trust and commit to Him. God is still looking for a man who will dare care for his neighbor and the world around Him. God is still looking for a man who believes that he can positively affect this society. I hope that person is you. That person can be you.

Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.

Two minute tie-in

Man_Up

There comes a point in every man’s life that he must accept his place in God’s plan for his life.  After a lifetime of watching and observing others in that step it is still mind boggling considering the different responses people choose.  Some walk through calmly like it is no big deal while others struggle with every decision.  Yes, I said decision.  It is a sovereign decision.

It is a decision because of the interruptions and distractions that the involvement in this life offers. The distractions and interruptions offer differing interpretations to reason or meaning to our life which has the potential to cause confusion. It is possible to get caught up in fighting battles and forgetting about the war. God sent Abraham south. If he was required to go East or West because of terrain unable to be navigated there was a point he had to filter all of his decisions with respect to traveling South.

 

We are no different. We must filter all our choices with respect to what God is doing in our lives. There is always going to emotions that try to influence our decision making process. There may be some things we can do to encourage and maintain a sense of sanity to our lives. Taking some time daily to keep ourselves linked to God is one of the disciplines necessary for purpose of developing a life not tossed by every wind or doctrine. Even a relatively small portion of time will contribute greatly to unmovable faith.

 

Try the two minute tie-in. Take just two minutes to read something positive to tie you to believing and building your faith in God. Two minutes may not seem like much time. Realistically it is not. Most people are discouraged because of being overwhelmed by not being able to maintain a rigorous schedule because of interruptions and distractions. Just two minutes is a good place to start.

Try it daily. Try the two minute tie-in.

 

Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.