Thursday, April 23, 2015

Weekend Devotion 4.24.15

Perhaps the male is under assault politically and all things masculine that accompany that are as well.  Jim Harbaugh said recently that he loved the game of football (under attack) because it is the last place (or bastion) of masculinity.  As we learned in our men's devotion Wednesday night, the act of "Googling" the word masculinity brings up a host of items when the search is concluded.  Rodney Gurley, who led the discussion, found a link that gave terms commonly used to describe masculinity and femininity. 

Masculine:  independent, non-emotional, aggressive, tough-skinned, competitive, clumsy, experienced, strong, active, self-confident, sexually aggressive, rebellious.

Feminine:  dependent, emotional, passive, sensitive, quiet, graceful, innocent, weak, flirtatious, nurturing, sexually submissive, accepting

God's Word?  Yesterday we discussed that God created "all of them, male and female" in His image and two words we discovered were:  humble and nurturing.  So, a man of God, striving to be "Christ-like" can see humble and nurturing as two qualities to work toward.

What else?  Strength is certainly a quality of God.  We see his in Psalm 27:1, "The Lord is my stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?"  We also read in Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Yet this strength is a spiritual strength given from following Christ and literally practicing "thy will be done."  The men that night referred to that as "leadership."  We take the lead in depending on God for guidance for ourselves, our families, our church.

In Philippians 4:6 -7, we see Paul instruct us to "not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  From that, we concluded "patience."

Humble, nurturing, leadership, patience. There are more, but as we look at these qualities, we learn that as men of Christ, our qualities of masculinity are really qualities of being formed in the very nature of God.  Our masculinity is not defined in earthly terms, but rather in Godly terms.

Pray for Christ to enable you to achieve these qualities as together we walk here on earth.

Hope Men's Ministry

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