| Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...” (Gen. 1:26)
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What makes a man? There used to be a time when that was an easy question to answer. These days there is so much confusion as to what a man is, or should be, but we need not look far to find out what makes a real man. The answer is found in the Bible.
In the Bible we are given many examples of God looking for men to do His work. A lot of these men rose to the occasion and did incredible works in the name of God, while others failed miserably. Who were these men? What made them so great? They were men of honor, valor, integrity and inner strength. They were not men of compromise; they were men of great character. God gives all us men the opportunity to become such a man, but too often, fail. Why? The answer is simple: Too many of us are striving to be a “man’s man”, when we should be striving to be “God’s man”.
Let’s look at some of the men God has called and then failed: Adam, Saul, Samson, and Judas. Compare them to men like David, Gideon, Paul and the greatest man of all, Jesus Christ. With the exception of Christ, these men were nothing special, but they did possess tremendous integrity and strength of character. They dug deep down and tapped into their God given strength,however,one of the problems with men today, is that we are convinced that we have to rely on our own strength and abilities. Granted, God gave us ability but if we don’t turn to the One that created us, we soon find we are actually very weak.
We are called to step forward to fight as soldiers in God’s army, and just like an earthly army, He is looking for the best. If you think you are not strong enough,don’t worry about that. He sees something in you. He chose Gideon after he found him hiding in a wine press. God will give you the tools and strength; you only have to say yes.
So men, it is time that we started taking our place back as Godly men! It is my hope and prayer that with the grace of the Holy Spirit that this weekly devotional will help us all become great men. Do you want to be a 'man’s man', or do you want to be God’s man?
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The Mighty Soldier A soldier is weak, When he fights on his feet. For his strength fails him, And he plunges to defeat. But a soldier is strong, When he fights on his knees- For God’s strength fail not. Thus taking hold of victories. Everett E. Pyse |
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| JANUARY 3, 2011
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DON’T LOOK BACK!
“But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Gen. 19:26
As we enter into a new year, we have a choice to make: Will we look forward, or will we look back? Are we looking forward to a new year of promise, or are we approaching it with dread? Are we looking back to last year with fondness, or remorse? If we look to the past, it always holds us back. If we look at the good times, we may be tempted to maintain the status quo. If we look back at the hard times, we get mired down by them, and may be afraid to move forward. Look at Lot’s wife. They were commanded to leave and not look back. Their past life held nothing for them, to stay behind meant destruction, only moving forward with God held promise. We can clearly see the dangers of looking back.
To move forward can be frightening. The future, after all is the un-known. What will it hold for us? Where will it bring me? These are questions the believer need not be concerned with, because if we walk forward with God, it can only lead to great things. Does this mean it will be easy? No! Will it be worth it? Yes! In the book of Romans, Paul describes Abraham’s faith. “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Rom. 4:20, 21) To stay put requires very little effort, but we risk stagnating like standing water will. Moving forward does take effort, so we are to be strengthened by our faith.
God has made us a promise. Will we believe it or not? We can complain about the journey we are on, and be left behind, as an entire generation of Israelites learned, or we can move boldly forward in the confidence of God’s promise to us, as Joshua’s generation had. Look at Josh. 3:15-17: The priests moved forward, dipping their feet into the Jordan, (vs.15), an obvious obstacle. The waters stopped and piled up before them, (vs.16). God had made a way because of their faith. Finally they stood on firm ground, (vs.17), and before them lay the Promised Land.
So, let us not look back, but keep moving forward. Nothing stops a river, and the impact it has on the landscape is incredible. If we move forward with God, our impact can have the same effect in a fallen and hurting world.
Verse to meditate on: But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Lk. 9:62 |
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| JANUARY 10, 2011
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SIDE-LINER, OR FRONT LINER
“So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.” 1Sam.17:48
We are under attack, but as the bible says in Ephesians, we do not wrestle with flesh, but against principalities, powers and rulers of darkness. (Eph. 6:12) What will we do? Will we face the enemy on our terms, or do we stay on the defensive and fight on his terms?
Every defensive position or fortification, regardless of how strong it was has always met defeat. How? By an army that attacked! During both world wars, Canada, like many other countries formed a home guard to maintain civil order and to protect our shores from invasion, yet they were never needed. By contrast, the Axis armies in Germany and Japan both used theirs and were still defeated. Why is this? The answer is very simple: Courageous leaders and their men got out of the trenches and brought the fight to the enemy. The outcome was victory. It has been said by Mao Zedong and paraphrased by many others, that the only real defence is an active defence, or a strong offence.
Our enemy is no different. He is constantly attacking us, and trying to soften our defences, and if we stay in our trenches, the enemy will defeat us, it is only a matter of time. So why aren’t we taking ground instead of just holding it? Unfortunately, too many of us men do not see the strength and power we have. We don’t know what we are fighting against. We are looking in all of the wrong places, when in reality, we don’t have to look far. We have to quit relying on our own strength, and rely on our GOD given strength. Let’s look at a couple of examples of men who found their God given strength.
David: A small shepherd not trained in war and he took on a giant. As we see from the verse at the beginning, he not only faced Goliath, but he hurried toward him and the Philistine army!
Gideon: Describes himself as coming from the being the least from the weakest clan, and yet once he saw the power of God, accomplished great feats.
I could cite many, many more examples, but you get the point. How did these men realize they were powerful warriors? God told them they were! We all have the strength in us to defeat our enemy, if we have the One who gives us strength in us. If we stay on the defensive, we will fall. Be a Joshua and tear down those walls. Send the enemy packing! Chase Satan and his army back to where he came from and make sure his tail is between his legs when you do it! Come on men! Let’s tap into the warrior within. Stop cheering from the sidelines and head out to the front lines and take the fight to the enemy and you will be victorious! God has even given us the weapons and armour we need! (Eph. 6:10-20) “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Eph. 6:10)
Verse to meditate on: Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” |
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| JANUARY 17, 2011
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ARE YOU READY TO SURRENDER?
“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” Matt. 18:2-4
Surrender? After all that talk of the warrior within us? Indeed, the two topics seem to be polar opposites, but let’s put it into context. One definition of surrender is definitely negative: Surrender, verb: 2A, to give oneself up into the power of another esp. as a prisoner. The second definition is far more positive: B, to give oneself over to something (as an influence or course of action), to give oneself up in the power of another-to yield. (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary)
We are called to surrender to God, just as a little child will surrender himself to the authority of a parent in order to survive. This is to totally depend on another. A soldier in battle must surrender himself to the authority of his commander and to his comrades; otherwise, he will be trying to win the fight on his own. It is not possible, nor is a life dependent on oneself possible.
Surrender requires us to be humble. A difficult task for men to say the least, but as it says in James 4:7, we are to submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Satan will not flee from us based on our word, or our authority, but only in the name of Christ! It is much the same if we are pulled over by a Mountie. We are not submitting to that person’s authority, but to the government that granted him the authority.
I remember when I was in Bible College. I was struggling with my faith and wondering why God was constantly letting my little girl suffer with serious lung afflictions that on two occasions almost claimed her life. I told God, if she were to be taken, that He and I were finished. Rather than rebuking me, He gently told me that He wants to help, if I would only give her into His hands! I had to surrender my daughter to Him if He was to help her.
Imagine you had a loved one who was seriously ill and required life saving surgery. Wouldn’t we have to surrender or yield that person to the surgeon? Or would it be better if we tried to perform the surgery on our own? That would be quite foolish, and yet we do the same thing when we don’t surrender our lives to God. Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. “Now do not be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.” (2Chron. 30:8)
Come on guys, tear down the walls around your heart and surrender to God. When I finally did, life truly began. Verse to meditate on: “Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb. 12:9)
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