"Lead Me" by Sanctus Real

A friend of mine thought this song would be a good fit for my blog, and after listening to it, I must say, I agree. Enjoy!

Teach Them to Work

Let's face it, getting children to work can be in itself, work. Children aren't born with a desire to do chores, they're born with a desire to eat s'mores! (Ok, bad attempt at humor.)

Seriously though, God has given children what they need to overcome their propensity to avoid hard work, they're called Mom and Dad.

As parents, one of the many virtues and attributes God has called us to pass along to our children is a good work ethic. A good work ethic will help your children immensely as they grow into adulthood. Few things are more repulsive than lazy adults.

The word of God has much to say about work. It calls us to work diligently, to work hard, to work smart, to work a lot, to work honestly, to work well with others, to work as unto the LORD, are you seeing the picture? A lazy person does none of these. In fact, when God created Adam, He gave him a job before He gave him a wife.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. -Genesis 2:15

therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. -Genesis 3:23

The word of God also has much to say about being lazy, for instance:

• Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. -Proverbs 10:4

• The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions. -Proverbs 12:27

• The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. -Proverbs 26:15

• If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. -Ecclesiastes 10:18

• We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. -Hebrews 6:12

These are just a sample of how God feels about lazy people, so please, do not allow your children (or yourself) to fall into this category. It paints an extremely poor picture of the God you represent. The LORD has called us to work six days and rest one; the culture has called us to rest six and perhaps, if necessary, work one.

We serve a mighty God, and one who worked to create the world we live in,

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. -Genesis 2:2

so let us be found faithful in completing the tasks He has called us to. Our children must know the sinfulness of being lazy, the Godliness of being a good worker, and see Mom and Dad practicing what they preach!

~Strength and Honor~

Power Quote

"When there's no hope for tomorrow,
there's no power for today."
-Mark Jobe
(Lead Pastor, New Life Community Church, Chicago, IL)

A Masculine Christianity: The Lion and the Lamb (Pt. II)

In my previous post I talked a bit about how men need to function as Lions in their homes when protection is the need of the hour, and there are many times when protection is the need of the day. But then there are times when men needn't be Lions, protectively prowling the grounds of their homes, looking for enemies that may have made entrance into their castles, and destroying them as the dutiful leader and protector that God has called them to be. No, sometimes men to function as Lambs, gentle, harmless, little lambs.

Jesus is called the Lamb of God, just as Jesus was called the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and to be the kind of husband, father, and leader we need to be, we too, must function as Lambs when called upon.

There are many times in my home when I've felt the need to function as a lamb, and not a lion. Most of those times have been when I'm dealing with my wife or my daughters, but not all. See, my wife and daughters are more delicate than my boys, so I must be careful and take caution when dealing with my wife and daughters. I need to be careful not to crush their spirits or make them fear me, and from experience of not always doing this correctly, it can happen easily.

My boys on the other hand, I can be a little harsher with. Not always, mind you, because as young boys, they too can be crushed in spirit, and I never wish to do that to them. My goal for my boys is to raise them to be Godly, masculine men who learn to lead their homes by watching how I lead mine, and I hope to lead my home by watching how Jesus leads the church!

So men, consider how you too can function as a lamb in your own home, or life, if your still unmarried, and ask the LORD to show you where you've failed. To truly be leaders who exemplify Jesus Christ in our homes, we must learn to function as Lions and as Lambs, and this my friends, is only possible by looking to Christ. He was the perfect Lion, and He was the perfect Lamb, so let us look to him as we seek to grow into what the LORD truly desires from us!

~Strength and Honor~

A Masculine Christianity: The Lion and the Lamb

The imagery of Jesus as the Lion and the Lamb is one that we Men can learn much from. There are times when courage and bravery are called for in this life, then, there are times when utter dependence and peacefulness are the need of the moment.

We see this dualism lived out in the life of Jesus Christ. He was the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and also, the Lamb of God. When confronted by the Pharisees, He vigorously fought against them, knowing that these religious leaders were attempting to hijack the nation and use it as a means of self-aggrandizement. These men were everything Jesus called them; liars, thieves, serpents, wolves, hypocrites, blasphemers, etc., and needed to be dealt with harshly. And I believe as Men, we are called upon at times to function as Lions in our own lives, with our own families.

Is someone threatening the spiritual or physical well being of your wife and children? Is someone seeking to steal the hearts of your wife and children and lead them down a path of spiritual ruin? Are philosophies entering your home through people, programs, or relationships that are not in keeping with faithfulness to Jesus Christ? Well, if any or all of these are present in your life at this time, you need to rise up and be the leader and protector that God has called and commissioned you to be.

Don't worry about what others might say, because they'll say it anyway, just listen to the Lord and Man-up! Step up to the plate and protect your home. You have one shot in this life to do it right, don't let life pass you by as Satan attacks your home like he did in the Garden, when Adam succumbed to his seduction and plunged the human race into utter chaos and lost what was most precious to him and his wife Eve, their relationship to the Father of Creation.

Men, hear me well, especially if you have teenage daughters. Any boy who ain't looking for a wife is looking to score with your precious little girl. If you disagree with me, you should change your name to Adam as well. Think about your teenage years, what were you like? Especially if you're a first generation Christ follower like myself. You know your intentions weren't good with other Men's daughters, so why would you think it's different now? Wake up, step up, put your cup on, and fight, like you're called too in Scripture...

14And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."
Nehemiah 4:14 (ESV)

Don't be a Lamb when you need to be a Lion. You're daughters need you to protect them, God has called you to protect them, now find your sword and kill a beast. Whether the beast has a name, (maybe someone you know personally), or is a "perceived role model," who is stealing their hearts in more subtle ways, whichever the case, they must be dealt with swiftly and decisively.

One example of a "perceived role model" stealing the hearts of teenage girls subtly is none other than Miley Cyrus. If you think I'm exaggerating, just Google her name and click 'images' to see what's she's promoting. Do I blame her? Partly, but mostly her Dad, Billy Ray, who's pimping his daughter for the o' mighty dollar.

So I leave you Men with this thought; Is anything threatening your family? Not just physical threats which are much easier to detect. But spiritually, which may even be more important. You know, where the heart lies. Are your wife and children being protected by you there, where it counts most? If not, are you willing to be a Man and defend those God has entrusted to you? If you won't fight for your family, who will you fight for?

Next up, functioning as Lambs for the well being of our homes...