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Reality check:

“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of the man reveals the man”

Proverbs 27:19

            What does your reflection say about you? Where does your heart stand? What is the condition and strength of your foundation? Did you try to hide the issues and sins in your life with a skim coating or did you begin a construction project to firmly plant yourself on the Rock?

By no means think that this process and self evaluation is easy. We must each allow the Holy Spirit, who indwells us as Christians, to search our hearts and minds to reveal to us the changes we must make. This can be a painful process, especially at first. But as we submit to our Savior and allow Him to change, shape, and mold us like clay (Romans 9:21), He will be faithful to continue the good work He began in us, until He comes back for us (Philippians 1:6).

One of the possibilities which is most frightening to me, is beginning to resist His work in me, and beginning to retake control of my own life and heart. In essence, this would be like throwing water on a raging fire. The fire still struggles for survival and smolders, but while it is throwing smoke in people’s eyes, it drastically decreases in the heat output. In the book of Revelations, chapter 3, the message the Apostle John is told to write down to the church in Laodicea says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth… Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”

 

Can that be said of me? Can that be said of you?

 

In the end it is the decision of choosing which side of a fence or line in the sand to be on. Lukewarm is trying to straddle the fence so that one can satisfy and worship self as well as God. But ultimately, this is attempting to lift ourselves up to God’s level, or lowering God to ours. In either case it will not work… “no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

Do we want to worship God or self? Be obedient to God and His Word, or ourselves and the words of man?

 

Crossroads:

Do you think you are hot, cold, or lukewarm?

What would others answer about you?

What needs to be changed in your life and heart to move from being lukewarm to hot?

Challenge: consider a real change you can make in your life to move towards being hot instead of lukewarm. Pray about it and then implement the change.

 

“Wives submit to your own husbands as unto the Lord”

Eph. 5:24

 

This is perhaps one of the most controversial verses in our society, as well as misused or misapplied. In a broad sense some like to used this verse and the others like it to teach that a woman must submit to any man that tells her to do something. But a woman does not have to submit to any man except her husband according to this verse. Husbands like this verse because it seems to give them the place of leadership – or kingship of the family structure, and requires that all their subjects bow to their will. Women, on the other hand, do not like this verse because it requires them to be submissive to their husband even when their husband is acting like a fool.

So, why designate such a controversial verse as a crossroads? Because whether he likes it or not, every man is the head of his household, and will answer for his congregation (family). Realistically, every man desires to be respected and admired by his wife and kids… That they would follow him, seek his counsel, and look to him to lead the way. Yet, we often forget to step back and truly consider where we are leading or if we are single, where we are preparing to lead. Think back to previous days – you will lead based on the foundation you have established. And you will only be respected and followed if your walking on the path that matches that foundation. Otherwise, you will be viewed by your spouse, children, and those around you as a hypocrite.

Remember: Love is given, respect is earned. Think about it: Jesus models the definition of love for us, which is expounded upon in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” This verse is most often quoted in weddings, as the husband and wife-to-be look star-gazed into each others eyes. Yet in Ephesians 5:25, 33, husbands are told to love their wives “just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”, and wives are told to “respect their husbands.”

As men, we go to work and try to earn the respect of our coworkers, boss, and customers, not their love. We find fulfillment in this ‘give and take’ process in which we can gain substantial respect and honor from those around us.

When we finish the day at the office and step into our houses, we fail to continue in the process by strive to earn the respect of our wives. We can become self-centered and selfish, expecting our wife to wait on us, make dinner, keep the house clean, and raise the children… All while maintaining a submissiveness that can only be found in the old black and white sitcoms. She may do her best at fulfilling all these roles, out of love for her family, because love comes easier to her to express and respect is easier for the man to express. So instead of following the instructions of Ephesians 5, we swap the attribute we should be expressing towards each other for the one what we want the other to give us.

Even as Godly men who understand these concepts, we can often confuse the differences between love and respect, thinking that if we are respecting our wives, we are expressing love. Except respect is defined as: “the deference to a right, privilege, or privileged position; the condition of being esteemed or honored.” This is much different than the definition of love in Ephesians 5.

Stop for a minute and contemplate the two definition we have studied. One is love, one is respect. Men are called to love their wives. This means men are to be patient, love, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs his wife does, not delighting in evil, rejoicing with the truth, always protecting, always trusting, always hoping, always persevering.

Wives are called to respect their husband’s. This means women are to defer to the right, privilege, or privileged position her husband that has been bestowed by God, the Creator of all; and esteem or honor him.

So how do we find ourselves married to the ‘submissive’ wife? It has got to begin in our own hearts, lives, and actions, being submissive and obedient to God as we are commanded. Then we must choose to fulfill the God-given roles of servant leaders, unselfishly serving our families, and loving our wives. And all this only comes from a strong foundation.

Crossroads:

Do you demand submissiveness or respect?

Do you come home to serve, love, and earn respect or do you stop when you leave the office because respect is easier to achieve at work?

Foundation check and challenge: continue to invest in and work on your foundation in Jesus Christ. Make sure you take the time to read, study and understand scripture, and pray. Consider Jesus washing the disciples feet, Paul and all the trials he went through to share the Good News… How can you improve your self-less conveyance of love towards your wife and kids? Apply it.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 1:7

            It can become ingrained in men to fear nothing, and by no means is a man to display his emotions. While women are often afraid of mice, and children can be afraid of spiders, it is our job to step in to save the day by stepping on them, trapping them, or picking them up by their tails. Even in the middle of the night when our wives hear that noise downstairs that we slept through and thus never heard, it is our job to go investigate in the dark, even if we have to hide our own fear. We would rather step into the danger of the unknown, than lose respect or lose face by revealing our own fears.

Society cries from the rooftops that God is not to be feared, because He does not even exist. In fact, we are an accident of two molecules that just happened to collide billions of years ago. Enjoy life and make the most of it, because there is nothing to fear. Ironically, if that truly were the case, then there really is no such thing as moral law. And if there is no moral law the structure of society breaks down into chaos because everyone can do what is right in their own eyes. In such a society, there is no such thing as sin, and there is nothing wrong with the strong overpowering the weak.

Or those that cannot bring themselves to believe the fiction of evolution, allow God to exist, but then place themselves equal to or above God as a judge of His character and power.

In other words, we choose to lift ourselves above God to render a verdict utilizing our limited perspective and understanding as to whether God should really be allowed to create an eternal place of punishment (hell) or if He should be loving enough that He breaks His own laws to allow everyone to enter heaven. We lift ourselves up to God’s level to determine whether a sin is really a sin, or even when a baby is really a baby and when it is just an inconvenience.

The ultimate question that trumps all others that we will encounter and must answer throughout our lives is: whether we fear God, or worship man. You see, fearing God is not a matter of cowering before Him, it is the divine revelation that we are a created being and His wisdom and understanding far exceeds our own. Yet it’s more than a reverence and respect, even as the church has attempted to water it down and describe it as.

If God were pictured as a loving Father, His kids would know His love, but they would also understand that love in action by their also experiencing His discipline upon breaking His rules. Besides which, throughout scripture, anyone who came into the presence of God fell down as dead (John in Revelation), or immediately feared for their lives because they saw their own sin, His righteousness, and assumed they would die (such as Elijah).

It is the difference in how we measure something. When we are constructing a building or addition to a building, carpenters will always reach for a solid, unchanging, always accurate tape measure or yardstick. No one wants to use a yardstick made of rubber that can be stretched to make the measurement read whatever number the carpenter wishes. That would be foolish, and would either result in the building falling down, or the building not being constructed to the specifications of the owner.

Yet, society does not want to believe that there is an Absolute Truth that is beyond their scope of understanding or control. If we have to admit that there is a standard and Absolute Truth that can never change, then we have to admit that there is someone who established this Truth: God. Then we must choose if we are going to bend our knee and submit to this Creator of all, or rebel. Ironically, we ultimately fool ourselves because even if we choose to pretend that God doesn’t exist, or choose to rebel, it doesn’t mean we are any more in charge than if we had submitted to Him and His Truth. You see, refusing to submit to gravity doesn’t mean you will fly when you jump off a tall building. The Truth of gravity will still result in your free fall.

No, instead, as Godly men, we must choose to fear God by understanding and realizing that everything is in His control. Submitting to Him and His Will actually gives meaning and purpose to life so that we do not have to despair and spend our lives chasing after the wind. Through a deeper understanding of His Word, we are able to find fulfillment and rest, obediently laboring in His work appointed for us, to one day hear Him say, “well done good and faithful servant.”

Jesus teaches in Luke 12:4,5: “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has the power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” Understand that God’s desire is for us to trust Him, and that no one has the ability to harm us eternally – we choose whether to fear God or not. Thus we must choose, as Godly men, to invest wholeheartedly into His kingdom, knowing life here is temporary anyways, and no longer fear what man, or Satan tries to do to compel us to either deny our faith, or hide it.

 

Crossroads:

Whom do you fear?

What type of yardstick do you use? Do you expect others to use an Absolute Truth around you or a truth relative to themselves?

By your words and actions are you teaching/modeling for your children, wife, or others around you the fear of God?

Challenge:

Choose whom you will fear, and who you will no longer fear. Set your heart and mind to stay the course even in the midst of turmoil – choosing to be the salt and light to the world that Jesus described in Matthew.

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and receives favor from God.”

Proverbs 18:22

It seems like a stark contrast in scripture; how there’s praises and blessings given for being married, and then descriptions such as Paul’s “it is better to remain singles as I am (unless you cannot control your flesh and sexual desires)” (1Cor. 7:8). Maybe this is due to the associated blessings and difficulties with becoming and maintaining a healthy marriage. Or maybe it is because your choice of marriage partner will largely determine whether you are living in the dream life of Song of Songs, or finding the furtherest corner of your roof to live on.

While there are many scripture passages that address a woman’s conduct, as well as others that can be applied to both men and women, there are many many more addressing how men are to act while fulfilling the roles of husband and father. One of the most pointed to and probably quoted scripture in the church on the conduct and quality of a woman is, you’ve guessed it, Proverbs 31. Dubbed the Proverbs 31 woman, it is overlooked that this section of scripture is actually written specifically to a man. Proverbs 31 verse 1 & 2 says: “The sayings of King Lemuel – an inspired utterance his mother taught him. Listen my son!”

In other words, a loving caring mother was providing future instruction to her son, so that he knows the types of qualities to look for in a future wife. While she provided him with examples of these qualities, that does not mean the perfect woman would be or do all these things all the time. Instead, the diligent cultivation of his personal garden, and their marriage garden would grow these attributes into rich qualities.

Why is it, as men, we fail to cultivate our garden, and choose instead to peer over the fence at another man’s garden? Ultimately, to compare the woman you made a life-long covenant before God with (to forsake all others for), to other women. Why? To selfishly determine in your heart whether your covenant should hold up against what you visually are seeing now. In other words, it’s like asking: “if I had both my wife and this woman (whom I might know nothing about) standing side by side, which would I choose to vow a lifetime to now?”

Obviously, this is a ridiculous question, if you are a God-worshiping, man of integrity, because you already made a permanent commitment to your wife, whom you know deeply, while you can only be superficially infatuated and lusting after the other woman. Yes, you have most likely learned more about the woman you married than when you first met her (if you haven’t that is a different serious discussion as to why not) and she has also learned more about you.

What we expect from each other is perfection. To never be hurt by her, to never be sinned against, and, of course, for her to be forgiving when you sin against her. So realistically, as time progresses in marriage, we often expect our spouse to be perfectly understanding of our personal failings and sins against her, but for her to never or rarely sin against us.

But what the truth is that we need to embrace and move forward from is: that the people closest to us are the ones that will sin against us the most and we will sin against the most. They are also the ones that we should forgive the most and seek forgiveness from (repent to) the most. After all, if the most important person in our life is Jesus, we never stop sinning against Him, and He never stops forgiving us as we ask. If His relationship with His bride, the church, is mirrored by the relationship between a husband and wife (Eph. 5), then the pattern of sinning, repenting, and forgiveness should be the same (other than Jesus does not sin against His bride, while we as men, do).

 

Crossroads:

What is your opinion and attitude towards marriage in general and yours specifically?

Do you expect perfection from your spouse?

What does Jesus expect of you in your walk with Him?

Challenge:

Make it a point to “not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26), or sin against your spouse. Humbly and honestly talk it through, repent, and seek forgiveness. Do not become defensive when or if she is hurt in her response, since the sin was against her. Pray together daily.

“I made a Covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.”

Job 31:1

 

As men, we think that we are strong enough that we will not be mastered by anything. This mindset and prideful thinking allows us to get into situations that we never thought we would find ourselves in. You see, sin is conceived in our hearts and minds long before it finds it’s way out into our actions or reactions. In it’s basic terms, “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). In other words, just as a river feeding a pond will eventually cause the pond to overflow it’s banks, so what we allow into our hearts and minds through our eyes and ears will overflow out of our mouths and conceive actions.

We are warned of this natural course of events in Galatians 6:7,8: “do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Building on this concept of a man sowing and reaping, we can imagine a man’s life being divided into numerous gardens that require his attention, care, cultivation, and sowing. These consist of the garden of his wife, another for each child, one for work, one for his personal time, and one for his own spiritual walk. How, as well as what type of seed a man sows into his various gardens determines what grows for him.

If a man either by neglect or choice fails cultivate and sow healthy seed into his spiritual garden then it’s plants will wither and die. Then there will be nothing to feed on, or overflow out of this area when the circumstances have need of it. Additionally, whether it is the spiritual garden or another, if he fails to properly cultivate it, identifying weeds and pulling them out at the root immediately, then soon the garden in question will be overcome by weeds to the point of overflowing. It is also important to note that the health of one garden will affect the surrounding gardens.

So a mans primary garden to be cultivated, weeded, and watered should be his own spiritual garden, as it also will provide strength, resources, and nourishment to the other gardens in his life. “Remove the log in your own eye before removing the speck in your brothers eye.” (Matthew 7:4,5). The health and well bring of his own garden then spills over into the care and cultivation of his wife and kids. But this first means removing the little foxes and weeds from his own garden. This means choosing to flee the immoral woman (1 Cor. 6:18), whether on television, on the Internet, in an advertisement, or walking down the street.

This means “taking every though captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5) so that we do not give the devil a foot hold (Eph. 4:27) in our gardens.

Admittedly, it is a difficult thing to do. After all, men were made to be visually oriented (remember that was a blessing when it comes to providing protection for his family). Yet, many men figure there is no harm in admiring a pretty woman as she walks past. Put mildly, this is how a slippery slope operates. Eventually, once the seed has been planted and watered enough, the eyes will no longer be satisfied with what they once were. This is how even the most dedicated of Christian men move from ads featuring women, to pornography addiction. And this is how the same man can go from a simple, playful flirt with a coworker or stranger to adultery.

This is how King David went from observing Bathsheba bathing on the roof, to committing adultery, to murdering one of his Mighty Men. This is how King Solomon found himself with 300 wives and 700 concubines, and still saying that having them all was not satisfying but chasing after the wind.

We become dissatisfied with the blessing God has given us, and lust after something else. This is why one of the qualifications for elder stated by Paul requires the man to be the husband of one wife (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:6) this indicates that he does not lust after other women but tends and cultivates his garden with his wife.

When a man focuses on his wife and does not lust after other women, or compare his wife to the other women he sees, then a process begins to take shape that I like to call ‘the ship-effect.’ When a military ship leaves port and goes to sea, the only people that the crew sees and interacts with are the other crew members. The longer they are underway, the more attractive the members of the opposite sex begin to be. The same can be true when a Godly husband leaves port and focuses his eyes and desire for his wife alone. Proverbs 5:18,19 says: “rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love.” This can only be true when a man’s heart and eyes solely belong to and long for his wife.

Crossroads:

What do you allow your eyes to see and even to study?

What condition is your heart and mind in?

What is the condition of your personal garden and the garden with your spouse?

Left turn: enjoy all that your eyes can see and try to prove King Solomon wrong.

Right turn: choose the path less traveled, and turn your eyes and heart back to God and your spouse.

Challenge: make a covenant with your eyes to not look lustfully at another woman and focus all your attention on your bride. (when you fail repent and start again – don’t give up the fight to break-free from this pattern).

“Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it”

(Colossians 4:17).

Or said a different way: “Be faithful to the calling to which you have been called.” Too often, as Christian men, we are guilty of neglecting the ‘great’ that God has directed us to do. This or these items are the things that God spoke to our hearts through the Holy Spirit for us to accomplish for His glory. Yet even when this calling is clear, we allow ourselves to become distracted with the good things that we could be doing, instead of focusing on the great we were called to. These good things, in and of themselves are not necessarily bad or sinful things, but added together they still accomplish the job they were intended to do. Think about it. If God called you to spend your energy and resources on something great for His kingdom, why would He then throw so much good your way to keep you from accomplishing the great He called you to?

In examining my own life, most of the time, the goodthat was placed before me like a carrot on a string were things to accomplish that had little to do with eternal consequences. The great calling He called me to has everything to do with eternity. So, is it possible, in my own life at least, that these good things are not actually placed in front of me by God? Could it be my own flesh…. Or could it actually be Satan deliberately trying to distract me and create such a burden for me that there is no way for me to accomplish God’s great calling in my life?

Now a Godly man must be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit so that he can determine whether the good that has been placed in front of him is an opportunity from God, or a distraction from God. There will be opportunities from God to do good and to be a witness for His glory. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10).

Our calling from God also does not free us from the other commandments and responsibilities that He has given to us. For instance, we are still required to work, provide for our families, be gentle with our wives, teach our children, to protect them, and to mirror Christ to them. On the other hand, things that cause us to be removed from these expectations God has placed on us, or His calling for us, should be prayed about and properly dealt with. For instance, if my hobby is to restore an antique car (non-eternal), causes me to neglect my God-given responsibilities to wife or kids (eternal), and causes me to put aside or devote less time to the calling to which He called me, then the goodhas crowded out the great and must be removed, even if it is painful.

Crossroads:

What is or are the calling(s) to which you have been called by God?

Do you focus your heart and energy on this calling or have you crowded it with other things?

Do things need to change in your mindset or ability to say no or yes to other possibilities?

Challenge: apply what you have learned about your calling, and work to become faithful to that/those callings. (Remember, your primary calling is your personal walk with God, then your wife, then your kids.. Only after these callings by God is what else He has called you to).

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

       Throughout scripture we are called many things as Christians. Often as men, we think of these titles as side jobs, or things to which the chosen few are called to fulfill. This mindset allows us to not feel guilty as we focus our attention on material gain, climbing the corporate ladder, or achieving praise from the Christians and nonChristians around us. Yet we often fail to accomplish more than the chasing after the wind that King Solomon concluded almost everything a man can set his mind to do was.

As Christian men, we must set our eyes, minds, and hearts on the things above, not on earthly things that easily distract us, or cause us to sin (Colossians 3:2). These things above, include what God has specifically called us to and desires us to become. While some men are ‘called’ to be priests or pastors for their communities, Christian men are called and specifically assigned to be the priests of their households. This means that we possess the primary responsibility for the spiritual well being of our wife and children.

Obviously, we cannot force someone to accept Christ into their lives, and we certainly should never expect a family member who does not believe to act as if he or she did. It is the condition of the heart that must be prayed for and the focus of all.

In order for the man to properly fulfill his role as priest, he must be actively reading and learning scripture, praying, and striving to live a life that is acceptable to God. While no one is perfect but Christ alone, we must strive to be holy, because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).

This of Moses for a moment. While the children of Israel shied away from knowing God personally, it was Moses who climbed the mountain time after time to meet face to face with God. He went without food, he endured hardship, he maintained his faith even when there was fighting and complaining in the camp. He even interceded for them when God declared He was done with them and would start over with Moses.

Instead of climbing a mountain, are you willing to grow calluses on your knees in prayer and intercession for your wife and kids? Are you willing to invest the time and energy into doing whatever it takes to meet face to face with God on behalf of one of your children or your wife? Are you willing to walk into the Holy of Holies? After all, you are part of a chosen people – the people called Christian (little Christ’s), and you are a royal priesthood – washed in His blood for His service.

We say we believe, but do our hearts and actions flow out from this belief or from the worship of what lies below.

 

Crossroads:

Are your eyes set on things above or on the earthy things that can distract you?

What is the condition of your heart?

Are you setting your heart and mind on becoming a royal priest, or neglecting this responsibility in your family?

Challenge: set your heart and mind to become the priest of your household. Make it a point to spend time reading scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you so that you can teach your family.

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“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.”

Deuteronomy 5:12

The word sabbath means “a day of rest and religious observance.” The idea many people have regarding the sabbath is: that it’s just a church-established day of worship and rest. Ironically, if this were really case, wouldn’t it then hold true that people within the church would be the first to model a holy day of rest and focus on God?

Yet it seems that the opposite is almost true.

Churches cater to the desires of it’s attendees by scheduling earlier and earlier services, so that the people can come ‘worship’ and have their one hour with God for the week, and then run off to enjoy a day off of work, not a sabbath. It is opposed to the sinful nature of man to actually take a day of rest and worship of God.

How can I say that? Because church is engrained in our culture as something we do as opposed to something that we are. Jesus said in Mark 2:27: “the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” In other words, the God who created us and saved us, placed in our bodies and souls the need to actually rest once every seven days from our work. Yet the culture, and Satan who drives it, demands a constant work, racing through our lives to achieve and invest all of our energy, resources, and attention, into something that will not actually last.

The ultimate chasing after the wind in an effort to make a difference, or be remembered. When in fact, society is quick to forget. All each of us leave physically here on earth is our buried bodies that are given a headstone with a single sentence that defines our whole lives – and even that is forgotten and neglected. On the other hand, the very thing that the world cries out for us to neglect, the soul that will live forever, is what we neglect in our physical race.

On the seventh day, after God had created everything, He rested from all that He had done, and established that day as holy (Genesis 2:3). While God did not tire, and thus need to rest, He established the example for us, as a father would to His newly created children.

As the church, and we as Godly men, choose to neglect God’s example and command, we teach our children by example, that one can pick and choose what parts of God’s Word, Law, and Commandments to follow and which ones they will ignore. In other words, by our example of choosing to lift ourselves up as judges of God’s law, we become the primary examples for our children to ignore God’s word, and neglect our commands. After all, if we will not submit to God’s word and direction, why should our children submit to ours?

Do you think I am being harsh? Do you think that I am making a bigger deal out of our choices and example, and their potential consequences? Before you judge, lets consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:19 we are told: “anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Crossroads:

How do you spend your Sabbath days?

Do you make it a point to rest or to work, or to spend time cultivating your family’s interactions?

Challenge: prayerfully consider how you spend your sabbaths and compare that to God’s design and purpose for the sabbath. If there a changes that need to be made, enact them.

“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.”

Song of Songs 2:15.

As men, our drive is often to conquer and have dominion over the things in our lives. But once we have conquered them, we often neglect to give the attention needed to the very thing our heart so desperately drove us towards in the first place. In fact, it is usually the things closest to us, such as our wife and kids, that we take for granted the most, and thus easily neglect the most.

In the dating or courting season of our drive to conquer (figure out if she’s the one and to marry her), all we can think about is the woman God has brought into our lives and she captivates us. Yet over the course of our married lives together, it is easy to become focused on other needs. If the “vineyard” represents our marriage and love that has been cultivated, then the “foxes” are all the seemingly little things that can draw our time and attention away from the care of that vineyard. It could also represent the small steps we take away from our brides and towards sin. And once you have allowed these seemingly small foxes into the vineyard, they come to know the weaknesses in your vineyards walls and foundation. Then they systematically exploit those weaknesses to invade the vineyard and leave it devastated.

“But I enjoy watching the little foxes scurry around,” you may say… “Or I do not see the harm in my little sin.”“Surely such a seemingly insignificant thing cannot destroy the beautiful vineyard my wife and I have cultivated.” Yet remember back to King Solomon and the book of Ecclesiastes: he did everything he could to satisfy the desires of his flesh. His conclusion was that it was like chasing after the wind. The reason was, even if he gained a temporary satisfaction, it was a fleeting moment. The stomach always wants more, the eyes always want to see more, the flesh always craves more.

So, the end result of this matter is to choose a path from this cross roads of decision you have now come upon. One path is the daily, and some times every minute, decision to fear God and keep His Commandments (as King Solomon concluded). The other path is to try to prove King Solomon wrong, and play with the little foxes. Put another way, it is to either risk the condition and beautify of the garden/vineyard that God has blessed you with, or to inspect the walls and foundation and perform construction if need be to remove the foxes.

Interestingly, there was a man once placed in a perfect garden, and God blessed him with a helper suitable for him… This man entertained the seemingly little fox (serpent) that entered his garden, chose to listen instead of chasing the fox (serpent) out of the garden to protect his wife, and the end result was that he lost the garden and a permanent separation came between he and his wife. The decision is before you.

 

Crossroads:

What are the little foxes that have entered your garden and begun to eat of its fruit?

Are there any actions you need to take in your own life or in your marriage to remove the foxes, and rebuild the walls to protect the garden?

Are you walking towards a life that is chasing after the wind or one that is spiritually fulfilling? Which one do you want to live?

Challenge: permanently remove anything from your life that would be considered a little fox. Build the necessary walls or repair the walls that have been compromised, in order to permanently keep these little foxes out.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

 

This verse does not represent a guarantee or a promise, as it has often been used to portray. If it were that simple, then it would over rule your child’s (and yours from once being a child) free will. Instead of considering it a promise, let’s consider the implications from a different arena: sports.

An athlete preparing for competition does not just one day pick up a sport, and walk onto the field to compete in the Olympics. While there are natural talents that propel a aspiring athlete into more serious training, even the greatest athletes were and still are trained. In and of itself, training is physically and mentally demanding on the trainee. It requires new levels of discipline as he or she must harness the body to physically surpass limitations, and mentally to overcome barriers of doubt. Additionally, it takes a large investment of time and must become the focal point around which his life rotates. For an aspiring athlete to truly succeed and enter the arena of greatness, he or she must come to the place of being consumed by the sport and possess a coach that both loves the sport and encourages the athlete.

Training our children is in many respects like being the coach for an aspiring athlete. In order to succeed, we must possess a more in depth understanding of the ‘sport’ than our child, but train them in such a way as to instill values and the drive to propel them to master the ‘sport’ more than we have. Additionally, We must be willing to immerse ourselves in further study in an effort to improve our understanding and application of every attribute of the ‘sport.’ In the same way that a sports coach can only teach his athletes what he knows and has applied himself, so a man can only teach and truly convey to his children what he knows and has applied.

Of course that does not mean a man who is a new Christian cannot impart spiritual truth and train his children, in the same way that there is no guarantee that a man who has been a Christian forever will automatically succeed in this endeavor either. One of the fundamental keys which is often neglected, is the aspect of going beyond verbal instruction. If you are striving to instill and train a belief structure and value system in your children’s lives that you do not apply to your own and model for them, then you are a hypocrite in their eyes and they will ultimately rebel against the training. We are called to be salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16. Explaining the salt or light to your children is not enough. Light must be seen to be appreciated and salt must be tasted to be of any use.

One last thought to ponder: King Rehoboam (found in 1 Kings 12) was King Solomon’s son. Solomon was given incredible wisdom, but Rehoboam seemed foolish in the outset of his reign. While the conclusion of all of King Solomon’s searchings in Ecclesiastes is: to fear God and keep His commandments, and that everything else is chasing after the wind (Eccl. 12:13), that wisdom and lesson was not engrained or trained into his son. What his son saw from his father’s life out weighed what he might have been told – he saw his father happily acquiring gold, women, parks, and everything his heart desired, and this training is what began to guide Rehoboam when he became king, ultimately costing him the kingdom.

 

Crossroads:

What role do you take in the training up your children in both a physical and spiritual sense? (if you don’t have children how are you preparing to train them?)

What can we, as Christian men and father’s learn from the relationship (or lack thereof) between King Solomon and his son King Rehoboam?

Is there anything you need to do to become a better equipped coach and trainer?

Challenge: work to immerse yourself in the knowledge and understanding you need to be the coach and trainer of your kids