A question about Men and leading.
I wanted to bring this older post back to the top. The other day I met Chad, a fellow brother in Christ. We started talking about the Men in this world and he said something I have known for awhile but bares repeating. “This world is under attack, and specifically Men. Satan knows that if you take the Men out of the picture, you affect the Wife, Children, Family, and Business…Eventually the whole world.” That so true. You can look no further than David or Solomon. Two men; one with a heart for God and one with the Wisdom from God. Both attacked by satan in moments of apathy, David by lust and Solomon by selfish desire. Satan had the intention of taking them both out of the picture. Then I read a post by Tam at inProgress about submission, and I commented.
“If men lead as Christ did by serving, then men make it easy for women to submit to their leadership.
If I show my wife enough of Christ she will willfully follow me to Christ.
I have to submit first to Christ through and in servant hood, before I have the right to be submitted to.”
So Men I again Ask, How are you leading?
Read the following. You have heard it or read it before I am sure:
Eph 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."[c] 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
So men how are you doing?
How have you lead your wife to Christ today? Have you served her needs today? Does she know Christ better today than she did yesterday?
How have you done leading the kids today? Did you ignore there calls of Daddy... Daddy.... Daddy... Only to watch them sulk away?
Men whether you like it or not you are leading. Whether your married or not you are leading. The eyes of the world are on the men. The failings of this world are on men.
Gen 3 8-9 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
You see that men... Right there in the garden it all hinged on us. Yes Eve took the apple and ate it first, but where were you to take the apple from her hand and tell her no? God wants to know why you are passive and why you won't step up to the plate. God is looking to men to step up and lead.
Here is where I am going with this. The other day I was asked a questions. (Warning these are tough quesions turn back now if you want):
Can anything break your faith? Tied to a chair, Gun to your wife's/daughter's head, you are asked to deny Christ, what do you do?
Yeah that's right put up or shut up time huh. Every natural instinct in me in that situation would want to wrestle from the bonds and throw myself at the person with the gun. Every natural instinct would be to yell "I deny him I deny him"
But then I reflected for a second. How am I leading? Has my wife and daughter seen enough of Christ in me to follow me to him, to be assured of their salvation, to know that they are justified by Christ, and in the process of being sanctified by God's spirit, and lead to the Glorification with God in heaven. Leading my family and not failing means, I am confident I have shown them enough of Christ in me. That if the trigger is pulled, yes my heart would be crushed and the pain unimaginable, I would be assured to see them again in heaven with my God. Have I lead/done enough that they are living in eternity now, where death (no matter how it happens) is just a step in the path of eternity.
Men you may never be put in the literal situation of a gun to your wife or child's head, BUT: Every day your family must face the barrel of a fully cocked and loaded world. A world that will via for their every attention. A world that will tear them away from the life of eternity. Materialism, greed, sex, drugs... bullies in the school yard, magazines and tv shows telling them how to look or what their self worth should be. Al of it lies that lead to "Do what ever feels good" "It is all in what YOU can do" "You control you".... All of this waiting to take their life. Satan wants them for his one, he is ready to pull the trigger.
What do you do men?
Only because Jesus Christ stood the gap for us can we claim the righteousness that God created us for. Christ died for the gap that we allowed to happen between man and God. It is time to trust in the Righteousness of Christ in you, to trust Him and stand the gap for your family and anyone who is following you.
It is time to lead as God intended, it is time to lead for Eternity.
Again I ask you to read Ephesians. Not in condemnation but instruction.
Eph 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."[c] 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Although this is geared towards family, Men how are you leading in other areas of your life?
