Be The Man!

 
“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.”

 

1 Kings 2:2

 

Father’s Day is this Sunday and as I study in preparation for it I was thinking about some of the gifts I have received through the years. I think I still have somewhere in my dresser a T-shirt that says “Real Men Love Jesus” and you wouldn’t believe the looks you can get for wearing a shirt with the name “Jesus” on it in public. Women most often see it and smile whereas men often times look at it and if the expression on their face was an indicator of what they were thinking or felt in their heart,  I get the sense that many are not too keen on the idea. Maybe it’s because men usually associate the word “love” on a t-shirt with things like “beer” or “golf” or “fishing”. Regardless of what anyone says or thinks, it’s true…real men do love Jesus even if they don’t sport a t-shirt that says it! Unfortunately, we live in a world and country where the vocal minority say to be a man is anything but being a man who loves Jesus. All the more reason to study God’s Word and to care more about what God says.

King David makes clear the way a man proves himself a man as he writes to instruct his own son, is to be a man who loves and honors God. David penned these words, “And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn”. If you want to be a real man, follow the advice given by the King to his own son here. Walk in the Lord’s ways, keep His statues, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, and obey the Word of God! The same thing goes for moms too with regard to instructing both sons and daughters.

The bottom line is this and not just on Father’s Day. The best way to lead your children to the Lord is to be a good follower of the Lord and David is writing to remind his own son that to be a good leader of the people as king is to be a good follower of the Lord. I like a saying I read years ago on parenting that said, “wherever you want your children to go, go there first” as children learn more by example than any other means. That is true for people in general too.

David provides for us good advice for every child of the King! Walk with God, listen to Him, and you will prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. Dad’s and Mom’s, brother’s and sister’s, pray for your dad’s and for dad’s everywhere this week. Pray for your sons and your brothers that they would grow up and prove themselves a man! If there is anything this country needs more today than ever before, its men, strong men who love the Lord, who love their wives and children. Join me and pray for the men in your life today that they too would walk in the ways of the Lord and know that in doing so we prove to the world that real men really do love Jesus!

 
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

 

Ephesians 6:10

 

I LOVE YOU!