As I was reading this morning in first corinthians I ended up in chapter 16,partly because that is the last chapter and partly because these verses are a great reminder about being a Christian Man.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. -1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV
As the apostle reminds us to be "watchful", this is an instruction to be on our guard, to be aware of what is going on, around us but also inside of us. So we are to be watching for the false teacher. We are to be watching for those who are our brothers and sisters who are wandering away, so that we can strive to bring them back. We are to be aware of our own sinful selfish tendencies that would drag us down with sin, so that we can draw close to our God for His strength to overcome.
Then he reminds us to "stand firm". This is not just about some kind of male stubbornness. Though that may be something that your wife or your mother have told you is a gift you have, this is not advocating you being stubborn. No this is about being well grounded in the Faith. There are 4 things that help us do this well in our lives. The first is Spirit led Christ focused prayer. Be a man of prayer. The second is to be a man of the Word. Get into the Bible it is God's very Word and is used to build and strengthen you. The third is fellowship of the community of Faith. Walking with other brothers who will challenge you and encourage you, we are always stronger together, this is one reason why we gather in local communities as the Body of Christ. The fourth may seem odd to you at first but it is Serve. Get involved, use your gifts and abilities, lead where you are gifted and led to by the Spirit, humbly care for and serve others, share your Faith, your testimony, the Gospel. Being active in your Faith will help you to stand firm in it.
As we are reminded to act like men and be strong, I think this is counter cultural in an extreme way in our current culture. This means we are not to be those who cannot take the pressure, we are not to be complainers, we are to be those who show or character and strength in the commitments we make and how we carry them out. This means have the guts to lead in your home and at work and in the community. Be willing to serve,to lead, to extend care, to protect, to provide comfort. Be ready to face the things that may scare you, but don't back down.
Lastly but certainly not least, we are reminded that all of this is to be done with a motivation and a display of love. This love is to be in the same spirit add the love we were shown by Jesus. This is essential because as men we often will default to function and neglect the feelings or emotion of others. We are called to love like Jesus, and He functionally loved in action and also in words and emotional engagement. Who you might "naturally" be is someone who leans more to action or more to emotion etc. .. However we are not being told to be who we naturally are, we are told to become who God had made us to be and to follow the example of our Lord Jesus. So do not allow yourself to become strong and harsh as this is sinful, but so is being a pushover who is sensitive to the emotions of others. Be strong and sensitive to those you interact with. Love love love ....like Jesus.
OK guys let's move forward following the Lord
Preacherman
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