Tag Archives: character likeness

Man to Man…Living a life wothy of your calling

by

0

cross

I do prison ministry a couple of times a week at one of the local prisons, working with the men in the pre-release program.

We have been studying Ephesians ch. 4 over the last Month.  God has so much for us to learn here. Not the least of which is found in the very first verse. Paul issues a challenge as he begs his new converts in Ephesus to live a life that is worthy of their calling.

For me this is one of those verses that bears repeating every day. So when I rise up in the morning, one of the things I do now, is ask myself this question…Am I living a life worthy of my calling? What is the evidence? and how can I do a better job today? As I pray  after spending time in God’s Word, I ask God to help me live my life worth of my calling, that I may continue to become the man He is calling me to be.

I believe spiritual transformation, at least our part of the transformation process, is gradual and will not be completed until we leave this corrupt body of flesh and walk the streets of heaven. So we are all in different places along the process. That is one of the reasons it is so important that we mentor one another  as men.

The process begins at conversion, new converts are described by Paul as babes in Christ. We need to be nurtured and assisted through the infant stages of our transformation process. God’s part of the process is given at the point of our faith in Christ as savior, or as Jesus describes it to Nicodemus, at the point of the new birth. We are spiritually quickened or made alive in Christ, forgiven , justified, sanctified, a personal relationship with God, all of the promises to believers are passed to us immediately,and more.

Now the transformation process begins,  by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom.12:2)

In this process God will use His Word , people and circumstance to transform us.  As men of God we need other men to assist us in this transformation, men who have experiences outside of our own, to help us navigate the traps and snares the enemy lay’s before us;  Keeping us from reaching the fullness of God’s plan for our lives. Sometimes He will bring people into our lives that seem to be very abrasive, they just clash with who we are and can be difficult to get along with. I believe these people are given by the Grace of God to build character in us that conforms us to the image of Christ, much the same way our trials and sorrows do.

Life can be so much clearer when we have positioned other Godly men in our lives to help us see and understand what God is doing with us.

We were all created for relationship. It is in our DNA. We seek it and need it whether or not we realize or recognize it. It is God-given. When we isolate ourselves and try to do it all on our own, or even just us and God, there is something missing.

Ephesians 4: 3 says…Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  vs. 16.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and  growing and full of love.

In Psalm one, Solomon, David’s son proclaims the Joys and Blessings to those who seek out Godly council. Even the great Kings of  Israel, David and Solomon, surrounded themselves with Godly men like Samuel and Nathan to speak truth into their lives and assist them in their quest to live their lives worthy of their calling, because just as they were, WE are called by God.

Be a man after God’s own heart…

Be a Man like David…

Man to Man….When life ovewhelms

by

0

holding on

This week has been a bit trying. I feel I have been under attack, not from a temptation to act perspective, but a weariness of life perspective, spending all my energy just in hanging on.

There are times when the every day can be used by the enemy to discourage and dampen the call of God on our lives. Often it can be due to the expectations we put on ourselves. Expectations based on our own perspectives and not prayerfully set by God through daily communion and fellowship with Him.

There are times when it seems it takes everything we can muster  just to make life work, and it leaves us feeling empty and unsatisfied. No time spent on realizing any of our dreams, All of our time at work and away from our family and friends, it just feels like we live to work, and that gets depressing very quickly.

So what do we do, how can we get some measure or sense of control back into our lives? What is the solution to having to spend hours and hours working with no time for anything else?

Having asked the question, I don’t know that I have the answer. I think it may be different for each man.

Here are a few things that might be worth considering.

First the obvious. Am I fulfilling God’s call on my life?

Joy for us comes from relationship with God first and foremost. Family follows close behind, but our relationship with family will never be right if we do not put God first in everything. Spending time with Him, in relationship and communion is essential to getting the right perspective on every other thing that fills your day. Do you have  KIROS (God’s Time ) time in your daily schedule? Make the time, even if you have to get up earlier, or go to bed later, or find a quiet place on the way to work and leave a little early, what ever you have to do to create that time alone with only you and God, do it.

Next, maybe take a look at your work week. I know it may sound a little simplistic, but creating an ideal work week, that is, setting certain blocks of time down on paper, that lay out each day and week for you, can help you regain some control over your time. One of the things I took away from my time in sales was to put together an ideal work week. I thought it was silly, and a waste of time until I sat down and did it, refined it a few times and suddenly there were hours of time in my week for things I had not seen before.

Hopefully your spouse is a believer and is on board with working together to help create balance in your lives. You are blessed if that is the case. If that is not the case, one of the things you and God can begin working on together is seeing that change. You need your wife to be your partner in this and in most cases, only God can give you the wisdom and support to bring that to life. I can tell you that having a spiritual partner as well as a life partner is more precious than anything I can imagine, there is nothing that can stand in your way when you are in relationship with God and have a wife that is a spiritual partner. What a blessing.

I believe when these things are in place, everything else will follow. Matthew 6:33 says….But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Jesus is speaking to those worried about the needs we all have in this life, and makes it very clear that God will provide for us if we put Him first.

Psalm 3:

5. I  lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the Lord was watching over me.
6. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
who surround me on every side.
7. Arise, O Lord!
Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8. Victory comes from you, O Lord.
May you bless your people.
David not only had his house to worry about, but the whole house of Israel. As King this was his responsibility, but he wasn’t foolish enough to take it all upon himself. He had relationship and communion with God daily, and there he found solutions, and strength to handle the daily, sometime overwhelming events of life.
The same God want’s relationship with you….
Be a man after God’s own heart…
Be a man like David.

Man to Man ….Getting the Vision Part 2

by

0

welcome home

Rom_8:29

  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

When considering the vision of who God is calling us to be we must evaluate the significance of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and how these facts impact that  vision.

Here we will consider the participation of God in leading us to that vision.

According to Paul in Romans 8, God has a specific interest in the future of every believer. That God, by His foreknowledge, has pre-ordained  that we will be conformed to the image and character likeness of Jesus Christ. So even though we are individuals and that will definitely be reflected in the vision we have for who we are to become, there are also certain traits and points of character that will consistently show up in every believer.

Those Traits and points of character are and will always be part of the transformation process from the point of new birth into God’s family through our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, to the moment we set foot on the streets of heaven and enter forever into the presence of God.

So as we pray and seek God’s guidance to obtaining the vision of Who God is calling us to be, We must account for and include the freedom of God to work in our lives, by what ever means He chooses , to help bring us to a place where we look like Jesus in Character, word and action.

The New Testament is full of discussion and disclosure of these character components, both in the gospel records of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ , and in the epistles, where those common traits are described as the fruit of the spirit. The same Spirit Jesus promised would follow his assention.

John 14:

15  “If you love me, keep my commands.  16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  17  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Galatians 5 lays out the evidence of living in the flesh…

19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
This is what we looked like before Christ began His work in us. Before the new birth , we were spiritually dead, and though we may not have each practiced all of these ” natural man ” character traits, we all practiced some and between us all of these things.  Transformation is a process and even as Christians we still go through spiritual warfare, including daily battles with our old  nature of the flesh.
In Christ however, we have been set free so that we may now choose not to sin. Instead we can embrace the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and intentionally  seek to make The fruit of the Spirit  a part of our new character. They are also found in Gal. 5….
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
As you seek out God’s guidance with forming a vision of where His is calling you, be sure to include those Christ like characteristics, Love, Joy, Patience, Peace, Gentleness, Meekness, Kindness, Self Control, Humility,and many other traits found in the Gospel records of the life of Christ.  Are you intentionally seeking to facilitate the transformation process in your life? Do you have a Vision of what the man God is calling you to be looks like, to keep you focused and daily seeking progression in that transformation process? Are you a part of a group of men with a culture that promotes the transformation process in you? How much time do you spend battling the old desires of the flesh? Have you surrounded yourself with Men of Godly character to help you in overcoming those old desired of the flesh and encourage the fruit of the Spirit in you?
May God richly bless you as you seek out God’s purpose and presence in your life. May He give you a clear vision of where he is leading you and may He surround you with Men who love Him to help you along the way.