What Jesus said about manhood #21 – Hunger for Justice

Jesus said:”God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will be satisfied.” (Matt 5:6 NLT).

Apathy is probably the sickness of our modern age.  When was the last time you stood up for something you believe in?  When was the last time you stood up for something you are passionate about?  When was the last time you stood up for injustice?  When was the last time you stood up for something against your principles?  When was the last time you stood up for God’s principles?  When was the last time you stood up for your wife?   When was the last time you stood up for your children?  When was the last time you stood up for anything?

I found the quote below on the internet and it summarises all I believe should be said about our apathy.

For years, we have been telling God to get out of our schools, get out of our government, and get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly backed out. So how can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?”  In light of recent events such as terrorists attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it all started when Madeline Murray O’Hare, (she was murdered and her body was found recently) complained she did not want any prayer in our schools, and we said OK. 

Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school… the Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbour as yourself; and we said, OK.  In fact, we even agreed that they could take down those 10 commandments, because they just might unduly influence and sway our impressionable little children. 

Then, Dr. Benjamin Spock said we should not spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (by the way Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide); and we said, an expert should know what he’s talking about so we said OK.  Then, someone said teachers and principals had better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don’t want any bad publicity, and we surely don’t want to be sued (There’s a real big difference between disciplining and touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.); and we said, OK. Then to our amazement, we find that these same students are beating up, raping, and even killing not only other students but also the teachers. 

Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they are going to do it anyway, let us give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we will not have to tell their parents they got them at school. Moreover, we said, OK, and sure enough now the average boy looks upon all girls as sluts whose only purpose is to be used for pleasure and who deserve absolutely no respect.  In addition, with the boys all taken care of we then decided to allow the girls to have their birth control. And like the boys, the girls can even get theirs without their parents’ permission. Then suddenly most of the female students had their own little birth control tablets.  Then someone said, let us let our daughters have abortions if they want since so many of them are still getting pregnant, and they will not even have to tell their parents. And we said, OK, and sure enough they went out, still became pregnant, and had abortions in record numbers.

Then some of our top elected officials said it does not matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it does not matter to me what anyone does in private, as long as I have a job and the economy is good. 

Then someone said let us print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said OK, art is good, but suddenly we found our big beautiful country just saturated with pornography.  Then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then went even further by making them available on the internet. And we said OK, they’re entitled to their free speech. 

Then the entertainment industry said, let us make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex, and make parents look like morons.  And let’s record music that encourages rape, drug use, murder, suicide, and satanic themes.  And we said it’s just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they do not know right from wrong, and why it does not bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.  Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with, “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

See, what used to be taboo is now acceptable and it has everything to do with us.  We slowly but surely compromised on God’s standards and although we did not directly allow these things or promoted it, we mostly (silently) sat around and allow these things to crop up without doing anything. 

What can you do you may wonder?  Well firstly, you can vote for the right political party – one that does not support these principles and passes laws that allow or promote un-Godly values.  Secondly, you can join organisations that campaign against these things.  Thirdly, you can speak out about it in your home, community, church, friends and every opportunity you get to defend injustice.  Fourthly, you can teach your children correctly.  The list can go on.  It is time that you stand up of righteousness again – so that you can be satisfied

Men need to be strong men with a stance again.

So there you have it, Real Men hunger and thirst for justice!

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What Jesus said about manhood #20 – Be meek!

Jesus said:”Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt 5:5 AMP).

Meekness is an extremely difficult word to translate into English, because we think “meek” implies weakness.  Do we even know what meekness means?  Well it is very easy to associate meekness with a loser.  Someone who cannot stand up for himself.  Someone that will follow rather than lead.  Someone that will always back off instead of standing his ground.  Someone that will never exert his power or authority.  Someone that never loses control.  Someone that is calm collected and softly spoken.  The list goes on.  There are so many bad associations with the word meek so who wants to be meek?  Yet Jesus said the earth would belong to them.  How could this be?  Perhaps we need to look at the word meekness.

The Amplified Bible calls it mild, patient and longsuffering.  If you Google it you find synonyms like shy and compliant, humble, patient and docile.

However, the best way to know the meaning of a word is to study passages where it is used. As we do, we will see meekness is an attitude or quality of heart [1 Peter 3:4] whereby a person willingly accepts and submits without resistance to the will and desires of God and someone else. The meek person is not self-willed – not continually concerned with self, his own ways, ideas, and wishes. He is willing to put himself in second place and submit himself to achieve what is good in the eyes of God or for others.   This is a sign, not of weakness of character (as some think), but of strength. It requires great self-control to submit to God let alone others.

Meekness is the opposite of self-will, self-interest, and self-assertiveness.  It is an attitude towards others and God.  Meekness is power under control; it is strength directed to a good end; it is focussed energy.  It is no wonder that the meek will inherit the earth.  Meekness is the humility that permits the Master to give it direction.

We as men are many times so caught up in our own world, our own pride, our own goals and our own interest that we forget about God’s purpose and calling on our lives.  We overlook the needs of others and miss opportunities to make a difference.  We are deaf to the Holy Spirit.  If we are meek, we are finely tuned to the voice of God and the needs of others.  That is how we will inherit the earth, we will make a difference that will be remembered beyond our own lifetime, we will cause ripples that changes destinies, and we will indeed inherit the earth.  This entire inheritance if we are meek and tuned into God.  Now isn’t it time that you become meek.

I challenge you this week to evaluate each situation that you may face and seek God’s guidance as to what He wants you to do.  Then you will become meek again, and inherit the earth.

So there you have it, Real Men are meek.

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What Jesus said about manhood #19 – Mourn!

Jesus said:”Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” (Matt 5:4 AMP).

Nobody mourns the loss of someone or something unless it is important to that person.  Mourning arises from the sense of loss the person will be experiencing because of the absence of the object of mourning.  Men tend not to mourn much and can move on quickly.

One may wonder what this phrase has to do with manhood.

Well, we all have a mission.  Something we feel passionate about.   It can be a great transcendental cause like saving souls in Africa or just saving the local park from a townhouse developer.  Whatever it is there is something that stirs our hearts.  Something that we would like to see set straight.  Something that we believe the world will be poorer without.  I believe this is what this scripture could point to:  Something that we mourn, should it not materialise or fall away.

Jesus said that blessed are those who mourn.  Blessed are declared as “happiness produced by the experience of God’s favour and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace” by the Amplified Bible.  That means that blessed or happy are those who feel passionate about a certain cause because they will be comforted.  Either Jesus will give you peace to handle the loss or He may give you a plan to fulfil that passion of yours.  The key I believe is mourning the cause.  We should ask God to stir our hearts again for his causes.  We should again become so passionate about God’s things that we mourn their absence.  The absence of real men in our world.  Real men that can stand up for a cause.  Real men that are not scared to go against the majority because it can affect their popularity.  Real men that are obedient and displays God’s values under all circumstances.  Real men that are spiritual leaders, husbands and fathers in their homes.  A real man that mourns the loss of biblical values in today’s society and is passionate to restore this in his own life.

If we are passionate about something and we mourn that absence thereof, God will comfort us and provide happiness.  What are you passionate about?  Are you sharing that with God?  Are you mourning the absence thereof in your life or in society?  Well, if not, maybe it is time for the passion to return, so that you could be comforted.

So there you have it, Real Men mourn.

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What Jesus said about manhood #18 – Depend on Him!

Jesus said:”God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matt 5:3 NLT).

Men need to be in control of all circumstances and outcomes, or at least so it seems.  We place a huge premium on success.  We let nothing stop us to succeed in what we are busy achieving and will often beat insurmountable odds to overcome.  It is almost as if we are born for this.  We feel alive and our achievements often define by the measure of our vitality.  We want to defeat our peers in the race of life.  We want to conquer the hearts of women, often after the heart of one already belongs to us.  We strive for earthly success and many times see this as God’s reward for a life well lived.  We cannot forgive ourselves for failing and carry this burden for years if not lifetimes.  We are blunt when it comes to helping others, as we are scared that we may lose speed in our own lives.  We are shocked when someone, especially someone in the Christian community messes up and often like to gossip behind someone’s back about his failures and vices.  We are so much better than others are and have everything sorted out, or so we think. But we often forget:”Even if you win the rat race, you stay a rat”. 

Jesus turned this mentality around.  He said that it is not important to succeed.  He said that it is not important that you be rich.  He said that is not important to have all things sorted out.  You see wealth is far more a state of mind than cash in the bank.  Cash in the bank takes your eyes off the ball and that is why we drop it so often or take so much care not to drop the ball.  Alternatively, we are so shocked when someone else drops the ball.  Jesus said that it is far more important to know we are dependent on Him than having things sorted out.  See, poor in spirit (as some translations shows this) does not mean a bad self-image, but a realistic self-assessment that causes us to seek God.  Jesus said that if we are dependent on Him, we will be blessed. Furthermore, the kingdom of heaven will belong to us.  Now isn’t this rather what we want instead of being the master of all outcomes.

I think it is time that you assess who you depend on: Your own abilities or God’s.  If you are not dependent on God, I suggest you repent and go back (declare in prayer today and forever hereafter) and be dependent on God for all outcomes.  Moreover, stop beating yourself up for your failures, and judging others for theirs.  Jesus wants you to be blessed and inherit the kingdom of heaven – if you only allow Him to give it to you.

So there you have it, Real Men are depending on Him.

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What Jesus said about manhood #17 – Stand!

Jesus said:”Come and stand here in the midst.” (Luke 6:8 AMP).

Knowing what the Pharisees were thinking there are several records of Jesus healing people on Jewish Sabbaths.  Last time we spoke about the fact that men often find spirituality in what they do, the rules they obey and the activities they do to feel part of a movement.  As we know, many times the rules become more important than the reasons for the rules – such as the Sabbath.  Jesus said in Mark 2:27-28 that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.  However, enough said about rules.

Jesus told the man with the shrivelled hand (something I think the man was extremely embarrassed about) to “Come and stand here in the midst” (Luke 6:8 AMP) and later he told the man to”Stretch out your hand!” (Luke 6:10 AMP).  Just imagine how embarrassed the man would have been.  Here Jesus is asking him to show to everyone present in that area in the temple his disability – the very thing he is tryin to hide.

So often, we think our efforts are inferior to others.  We think we have nothing to offer. We feel that we cannot make a difference in this world because our talents are not the talents the gathers the lime light.  We feel our talents are not in demand.  We feel that we rather want to hide what we have instead of “standing in the midst” as instructed by Jesus.  Isn’t this you today?  Instead of stepping up to the plate and be the person you know God wants you to be, you are hiding away, too embarrassed to be unmasked as a man of God or a man with specific talents (or lack thereof)

However when the man stepped out in the middle of all the people present at the temple and  stretched out his hand (in obedience) it was healed (Luke 6:10) and just like the other.  I believe this is the message for men today:  We need to stand (not be scared or embarrassed about who we are) and stretch out our hand (be obedient) to Jesus and do the small (apparently) insignificant things to bring great glory to God.  This does take immense courage.  Just imagine how the man with the shrivelled hand must have felt – his whole life he was trying to hide what Jesus asked him to reveal.   Moreover, when he did – it was just like the other.  This to me means that whatever we feel we need to hide or what we are embarrassed about may be just what Jesus need to show his power, grace, love and in many times miracles.

The choice belongs to you today.  Keep on hiding or stand in the middle and stretch out you hand.  You know where your heart is.  You know there will be reward for obedience.  Do not let your opinion of other people and what you think their opinion of you would be determine you obedience to Jesus anymore.  Stand up and be reckoned with.  Let others feel the weight of who you really are in Jesus.

So there you have it, Real Men stand in the midst and stretch out their hand.

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What Jesus said about manhood #16- Beyond the scripture

Jesus said:”You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life.  But the Scriptures point to me.  Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” (John 5:39-40 NLT).

The church is full of men who know what is written in the Bible in broad terms but refuse to submit to it.  Yes if you fully understand the Bible, you will know it is all about Jesus – the only way to eternal life (WJSAM).

Men often find spirituality in religion in what they do!  Men are doers and we feel of value when we do something or participate in some sort of service or action.  The form of religion is far more important than the religion itself when it comes to men.  We like customs because it gives us a sense of belonging and a sense of worth.  We can demonstrate our devotion by excelling in our actions.  We also get highly critical of people not following our customs because everyone is more right than the other.  No wonder the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were so critical of what Jesus said as He saw right through them.  He saw them for what they were.  Despite their outwardly appearance of devotion to God, Jesus did not exactly approve of their customs and behaviour.  To be honest He was quite outspoken and called them “white graves” – pretty on the outside but dead inside (Matt 23:27).  That is why it is still easy to appear religious today.  We can be a deacon, usher, elder, ministry leader and the like without having a real relationship with Jesus.  Most people will not even notice because we are so tuned into the outwardly appearances.

This is what Jesus warned us from in this scripture.  We need to look beyond the words written in the Bible, to what they point at: Him.  We need to have a real relationship with Jesus and then worry about how we will serve or show devotion to Him, not the other way round.

Real Men have a vibrant, real, relationship with Jesus and is not only about the outwardly but what happens early in the morning before everyone else in the household has risen or in the evenings after everyone has gone to bed.  Real Men spend time with their master, hearing his heart and tuning into his thoughts before doing.  This is the challenge to you:  First build your relationship with Jesus and then find out what he wants you to do.

So there you have it, Real Men look beyond the words in scripture, to a real relationship with Jesus.

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What Jesus said about manhood #15 – Please your Father!

Jesus said:”I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (Joh 5:30).

We have already seen that it is about our Father’s business (WJSAM#1) and we need to do what we see our Father does (WJSAM#14).  Now Jesus said that he does not seek to please himself but his Father, the one who sent him.

We quickly forget that we spend a few years on earth and then an eternity with (or without) God.  Where we spent eternity is up to us.  We have seen that Jesus wants us saved (WJSAM #4).  It is our decision.  We now hear another interesting point.  Our lives should not be about seeking our own interest, our own selfish ambition and goals but we should seek to please God, our Father, the one who sent us.  Whether it is a random act of kindness (WJSAM#8,) or whether it is about our family (WJSAM#9), we should seek to please God.

How do we know what God expects of us in every situation?  We should be lead by the Spirit (Rom 8:14) of course.  Now that may be another issue.  How are we lead by the Spirit?  I believe there are a few things we could do to help:

  1. 1.       Ask God every morning to be lead by His Spirit (Luk 11:13).
  2. 2.       Deliberately ask the Holy Spirit to fill you (Eph 5:8)
  3. 3.       Think before you act or talk (Ps 32:8): “What would Jesus do?”
  4. 4.       Listen to that inner voice  (Luk 12:12 and Rom 8:16)

Do not go on a guilt trip if things do not work out at first.  You need to train your mind and body to follow your spirit (and the Holy Spirit) again.  You need to learn to quiet the noise of the world and hear God’s voice.  Try to review each day what situations you were in and how you acted.  This will place reminders in your brain for next time.

Practice makes perfect.  Practice is a way you renew your mind and once that happens, it will come naturally (Rom 12:2).

So there you have it, Real Men do not seek to please themselves but Him who sent them.

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What Jesus said about manhood #14 – See your father!

Jesus said:”I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (Joh 5:19).

It is very interesting to note the “family” approach Jesus and his Father are following.  Jesus lived in dependence on his Father doing only what He would do.  Even more interestingly doing only, what He sees the Father does.

In our world, it is the same: children follow the example of their parents – not what they say the children should do, but what they demonstrate.  Some authors state that the father has even a bigger influence than the mother does – how much more the responsibility on us as men and fathers to demonstrate the correct behaviour. 

The sad thing however is that as children our fathers have dropped many of us.  I do not mean in a physical manner but in an emotional and deeply spiritual way.  Strangely how we still emulate their behaviour today.  They have been absent; we are absent – both physical and emotional.  They were not the spiritual leaders of the household, we are not the spiritual leaders our household either.  They verbally abused your mother and you, and you verbally abuse your wife and children.  Your father have never supported or encouraged you and you do the same to your children.  Funny how the cycle just continues, one generation after the other.  The challenge you have is to stop it in this generation.  You need to break the cycle of destructive habits of the past and create new ones. 

The problem many times is that, since we have been dropped, we have no real role model to emulate and we drop our children in turn.  We have no one that we could learn from as we only have examples of mistakes, no matter where you look.

Unless we are born again (see WJSAM #4)!  Then we have a heavenly father that sent his son to emulate his behaviour (Jesus did what He saw his Father does) and if we emulate Jesus’ behaviour, we emulate our heavenly father’s behaviour.  We have no better role model than Jesus and our Father in Heaven.  Isn’t it time that you start emulating Jesus’ behaviour instead of just listening to what He said?  Isn’t it time that you start emulating your Father in heaven’s behaviour, instead of your earthly father’s?  Isn’t it time that you create new behaviour in your own and your children’s’ lives?  Isn’t it time that you become a real man?

So there you have it, Real Men do what they see their heavenly Father does.

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What Jesus said about manhood #13 – Seriously!

Jesus said:”Do you want to become well?” (Joh 5:6 AMP).

This question seems such a no-brainer: Asking a sick person whether he wants to become well.  Of course, he wants to become well.  Or does he?  Do you?

Take for example career criminals.  They commit a crime, are punished and soon after they get out of jail they do it again.  Take the regular beggars on street corners.  They are there year in year out.  Even if you offer them a job, many do not want to take it or disappear mysteriously after just one day or one week.  Take a smoker who always want to stop smoking but never does.  Think about people who are overweight but cannot say no to a chocolate.  Think about your new year’s resolutions.  Do they really want to change or change their circumstances?

John tells us that Jesus was aware of the man’s condition, yet still He asked, “Are you really earnest about getting well?”  The man confirmed that he is serious about getting well but has an obstacle – no one to help him getting into the pool.  Jesus will help but He wants us to confirm what it is we really need help with.  Seriously!

That is the same question Jesus asks of each of us.  Many times, we have declared our intentions but when push comes to shove, we procrastinate or are not prepared to pay the price for our intentions. Tomorrow we will start.  We first need to do this or that, and then we will follow our calling.  We first want to enjoy our lives, and then we will follow Jesus. 

Back to you.  If you are serious about something you ask of God, you need to be prepared to pay the price for it.  It may cost you something.  Many times God does not do the miracle but gives you the ability and opportunity to achieve what you ask for.  Other times He will make the miracle happens.  The key is you.  Are you serious about what you are asking?  Seriously? 

If you are serious to change, Jesus will help you become the spiritual leader of your household as he expects of you, He will help you become the husband He commands you to be, He will help you become the father you know you should be.  Make sure, ask and wait for the opportunity.

So there you have it, Real Men are serious.  Seriously!

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What Jesus said about manhood #12- Take heart!

Jesus said: ”Take heart son, your sins are forgiven” (Matt 9:2 NLT).

When Jesus was confronted with a paralyzed man, his first reaction was to encourage: Take heart!

We are many times so discouraged when things do not turn out the way we thought it would.  We suffer of an incurable disease, are retrenched, our business fails, have marital problems, our children rebels, and the list can go on.  Our most famous question is, wait for it…”Why?”

So many times, we want to look for excuses for things that are not going according to plan.  We are looking for punishment of our sins as an explanation for our current circumstances.  When things go wrong with a friend of ours (like Job in the times of the Bible), we are looking for reasons why it is so and why he deserves the ‘punishment’.  Many times our sins have brought us to where we are right now.  Just think about someone serving a prison sentence due to a crime he committed.  That however, is not Jesus’ first reaction.  He first wants to encourage us by saying:”Take heart”.   We first seek to understand, Jesus first encourage.

The bystanders could not understand when Jesus said to the man, “…your sins are forgiven.”  It would have been easier to say as he later said in Mark 2:9-11, “Stand up, pick up your mat and go home (NLT).  So why did Jesus not do it one can wonder?

The problem is that what appears on the surface as the reason for our predicament is many times not the real reason.  Instead of judging the surface, we need to look deeper.  Instead of being judgemental, we need to investigate and trust the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the real need.  The real need of the paralyzed man, according to Jesus, was not to walk but to have his sins forgiven.  The ‘why’ comes second!  Once the real need is addressed one can return to the surface.

To prove his point Jesus then continued, as quoted above in Mark above, to address the surface issues.  We need to first be encouraged, then look for the needs below the surface and lastly address the surface issues.  .

So there you have it, Real Men Take heart and address the real issues instead of scratching on the surface for cause and effects.

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