What A Man Is Called To

What A Man Is Called To

I have been writing about the prosperity gospel on this blog, and I plan on continuing with that theme, but I wanted to share something for and about men in advance of Father’s Day. I personally believe the greatest need in America is for godly men because that is so foundational to everything else. I am tired of men being so disparaged in our culture today. However, it is a great challenge to be the kind of man God calls us to be. I feel like I fall so far short in rising to that challenge. We have a lot of balls to juggle. Here are the foundational roles God calls us to as men:

1. A Relationship With God (1:26-27, 2:7, 3:8): This is what we were created for. This is where life truly comes from. Men tend to have a problem with pride and self-sufficiency. We often want to do things our own way. However, God wants us to live in dependence upon Him. He wants us to live like we are the creature and He is the Creator, like He is the Lord and we are the servants. Adam had everything, but he fell when he disobeyed God. Our sin has also separated us from God so the first step spiritually is for us to give our lives to Christ so we can have a relationship with God. We desperately need the grace of God. We then need to discipline ourselves to grow in grace and walk in fellowship with the Lord. 1 Timothy 4:7 tells us to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. 2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2. A Relationship With His Wife (1:26-27, 2:18-25): Adam lived in paradise but something was missing without Eve. We need our wives. Marriage is designed to be a relationship where we complete and compliment one another. It is a total union defined by complete commitment. We are called to honor our wives (1 Peter 3:7) and to love and lead them (Ephesians 5:22-33).

3. Fatherhood (1:28): We are told to be fruitful and multiply. Malachi 2:15 teaches us that part of the purpose of marriage is raising godly offspring. We are called to train our children (see Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6).

4. Work (1:26-31, 2:15): God created us to work-even before the fall. Sin has made it more difficult, but it is still something that God created us for. There is fulfillment in doing what God wants us to do in the way that He wants us to do it. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
A. We are to provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:4, 8).
B. We are to do our work as unto the Lord.
C. We are to be witnesses for Christ through our work.
D. We are to keep our work in perspective though and not make it a higher priority than family.

5. Being God’s Agents in the World (1:28): God has given us dominion over His creation. He has called us to be stewards of His world. Before the Fall, that was primarily expressed through tending the garden. Today, it is about building God’s Kingdom. The vehicle that God uses primarily today as far as building His Kingdom is the Church. He wants men to serve others, evangelize, be leaders, etc. God has gifted us to be His ministers, and truly serving Him is crucial for our fulfillment and satisfaction. He wants us to invest our lives in things of eternal value.

I have taught in the past that we are supposed to put God first, wife second, kids third, church fourth, work fifth, etc. However, something that Dr. Robertson McQuilkin wrote in an article that I referenced in church on Sunday really spoke to me. This is my paraphrase, but he basically said that we are to put God first, but when we do that, instead of ranking other priorities, we should view everything that God has called us to do as a first priority as well because it is a matter of obedience to Him. How do we make all of these things a first priority? Well, I feel like I don’t do that very well a lot of the time, but that drives me back to Jesus in confession and repentance, to seek His wisdom and guidance, and to ask to be filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. That is really how the Christian life is designed to be lived. As men, we are to depend on the God-Man, who is the only One who can empower us to be the men that God has created us to be. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”