Man to Man 2017

Happy New Year men!  If your wife shows this to you it’s from me, Chris, so pay attention.  The Bible tells us to exhort one another which means to be persuasive or encourage.  The intent here is to encourage, however, this may sting a little.
In this world of gender and identity confusion we need to look to our creator to define our roles as men and husbands.  Let’s see what God says to us and what our responsibilities are so we can get started on the right path in 2017.

1 Peter 3:7 ”Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

What does this look like to us as men in real life?  Peter was talking to wives prior to this verse and outlined a few instructions that are meant for us as well:

• He told the wives to submit to their own husbands and to be a godly example.  It depends who you talk to anymore on what it means to be a godly example.  Let’s make it clear that we need to stay close to the words of Jesus who said, “Be holy as I am Holy.”  Call sin what it is and turn from it this year.  1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”
• He talks to wives about their outward beauty.  Men shouldn’t be as worried about the outward appearance either as we are about the inner man who is seen by God through the Holy Spirit.  For guys this means less about what our title is or how much we make, as it does about how we treat our wives and lead our families by being godly examples.  
• Even though we are typically stronger physically than our wives, we are not to be the dictator of our house, but a humble servant and treat them in a loving and respectful way.
• "When we do what is right in the eyes of God, our prayers will not be hindered."  Read Joshua 1:7, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”   This is a promise with a blessing that I certainly want.  Remember, God says many times to be strong and courageous.  This means stand up and stand out if you need to.

I spend a lot of time working in the world with non-Christians whom I don’t expect to be God fearing or righteous.  The problem in our culture is that I can’t tell the difference between the non-Christians and those who are or who say they are.   We hear that times have changed, that God understands our needs, or that Bible isn’t relevant to us anymore.  No, I’m not perfect either, but we have to keep striving for holiness because Jesus told us to.  We’ve got to do better.  We need to encourage and pray for each other, we need to fight side by side and win.  Find a godly man to spend time with as your mentor or if you are that godly man find someone to spend time with and help them grow closer to God.  

Let’s make every effort in 2017 to find out what God says about his plan for our lives.  Let’s ask Him to help us weed out sin so that He will hear our prayers to bless our marriages and our families!