How about Today!

Today, have you considered today?  Really this moment in time.  This day you have before.  The hours and minutes that are before you.  How about them?  Have you considered that the time you have is a precious gift?  Please do not stop here and head off to a time management course, that would not be what I am talking about here. 

Instead of getting wrapped up in time itself, consider what do you do with the time you have been given.  It is a special gift, no one else has the time that you have, it has been given to you by God for a reason.  As men we need to start making proper use of what we have been given.  We need to stop the complacency.  We need to stop the procrastinating.  We  need to stop the excuses!  Sure we can all make excuses, but really is there any valid explanation as to why we did not use what we have been given for the purposes we have been given it?  So ....   

What about today?  What will you do with the gift of today?  How will you use the day?  Will you use it to serve yourself?  Will you barely use it, just gliding through life getting by and not doing much?  Or will you decide to live surrendered to Jesus Christ?  Will you seek to humble yourself so that Jesus can work in and through you to make the best use of your time.  

Guys, here is the challenge - GET RADICAL IN YOUR FAITH!  -  GET REAL IN YOUR LIFE!  -  STOP THE EXCUSES!  -  START BEING A REAL MAN, THE MAN YOU ARE CALLED TO BE!

I know life can be frustrating and we all have problems and issues, but we need to make war against the issues and problems.  We need to become fierce warriors who will not stop until these things are vanquished. The path to being this warrior is found in a surrendered life to the Almighty God, serve Him and Him alone!

Lets start, how about today!

Preacherman

Fathers Day

Today is Fathers Day and I have a challenge and reminder to the Dads out there.  God has given you your children as a gift, they are not a nuisance or a burden we are to bear. They are an opportunity for us to lead.  An opportunity for us to invest.  An opportunity for us to help them to become so much more.

Being a father is the 3rd most important job you will ever have and your effectiveness as a father will be influenced by the first 2.  The most important job you have is to be a worshiper of God, to follow Jesus Christ.  This is more important than anything else and the only way we will effectively help our children in this life is with a solid foundation in Jesus Christ.  The second most important job is to love your wife.  It is true, part of who you are called to be is a man who loves his wife properly and cares for her effectively.  This not only makes caring for your children more effective, but it also gives them the right example to follow as they get older.  How you treat their mother directly affects your children, even if you are not married to their mom, how you treat her will affect the kids.  If you treat her poorly and with a negative attitude then that will negatively affect the children.  Treating their mom well will have a positive effect on the children.

As a Dad, you need to be prepared to live sacrificially to make sure your priorities are in order - God, Wife, Kids ... then job and everything else.  This is how you will leave a legacy that will span generations, it is the proper investment made in the right priorities.  Even if your wife and kids do not want to go to Church, you need to lead by example and go anyway, encouraging them to join you.  You need to be a man of the Word and prayer, leading your family spiritually.

Men, pay attention to the lies that the world tells, they are always seeking to deceive you and your family, as a man, husband and father, you are responsible to take a stand for what is True and right and not allow the deception to creep into your home.

So men, today I want to challenge you to be who you are called to be.  Lead in your homes and serve sacrificially with love.  Put the needs of your wife and children before your own, starting with leading them to a relationship with God.

Preacherman

Last Night

Last night at HIT Men we had a great video by Loui Giglio where he reminded us (mostly out of the book of Colossians) about the great "mystery".  This "mystery" that has been hidden for the ages is now revealed to His saints which is "Christ in you".  Yes when we repent of our sins and by the Grace of God accept Jesus as our Lord, believing with all Faith that it is true.  Then by the power of the Holy spirit, we are indwelt with Jesus.  Also we are immersed in Jesus and He in God.  This is such a wonder and miracle.
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Because of this great work of Grace, we are not called to "try harder" or to "promise to get it right".  Rather we are to live fully surrendered to Jesus and He is the one who is to live in and through us.  When we mess things up and fall back in our selfish ways and sinfulness, it is not because we were not trying hard enough.  Rather it is because we were trying when we should have been acknowledging that we cannot do it and there is only one who can, Jesus.

So we are to surrender to Him.  We are to pray, not that we can try harder but that we can be surrendered and humble before our Lord, seeking Him and for Him to show up and live.  It is He who need to respond in our situations.  It is He who needs to overcome the issues.  It is He who can make you a better man.  etc....

The best way to fight the battles of this life is to surrender to the One who has all the victory.

Preacherman

Lest we forget ...

I was reminded recently of the great price that many have paid for our Faith.  As Christian men we need these reminders so that we keep the important things of our faith as being what should drive us.  There have been many, right from the founding of our faith who have perished because of the Truth.


Stephen one of the first deacons was killed for preaching the Truth about Jesus
The Apostle Paul who used to be named Saul and was involved in the death of Stephen, later died for his intense spreading the the gospel and planting of Churches.
Peter, the Apostle who denied Jesus just before he died, later died for his strong teaching and preaching of the Truth about Jesus
There are so many more have since died for our beliefs but of course Jesus died for us first.  Without His death and resurrection our faith would not even be.  


We as followers of Jesus, need to stand for what is True and right.  Teachings like "God Exists", "The Bible is True", "The Trinity", "Jesus is God", "Sin is real and people are sinful and doomed on their own", "Salvation is by Grace through the completed work of Jesus", "Christianity is about Jesus Transforming us to live for Him" and a whole lot more.


So I want to challenge us as HIT Men to lead this charge.  We will NOT allow Atheism to become "ok" with Christianity.  We will NOT allow liberalism to creep into the Church and weaken
Scripture.  WE will NOT stand by and do nothing while this world goes to hell without knowing about the hope that is found in Jesus.


Let us not forget the great price that was paid ... now let us go forth and enter the battle!