There are three priorities for Men of God.
1. Jesus Christ is lord
2. The word of God is our sole authority for truth and practice.
3. We are men of prayer
A year of renewal starts with renewing and reviewing the fundamentals. Priorities in life are defined by the basics. God is not concerned about busy-ness. He’s concerned about our heart, for out of the heart are the issues of life.
Men in our society are confused about the role of men in the darkness of our culture. They feel that they have been emasculated, eviscerated, and lost in a world of darkness. However, God has called his men with a purpose… a high and mighty calling to be holy and without blame before him in love. He has empowered us, having called us unto a new identity in Christ that we may walk in the newness of life.
Men are often defined by their work… men of this world are identified by what they do, by their performance and by their accomplishments. However, Jesus Christ said to look not on the things of the world, for everything that is of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. Our identity is not in our busy-ness. To paraphrase what Jesus said, “know ye not that we must be about our Father’s business.” Ye are the salt of the earth… Salt means truth. Men professing to be wise in their own conceits become foolish. The foolish things confound those who profess to be wise in this world. Foolish means to be “unsalty” or unsavory. Men of God have been called as salt and light in an unsavory world of darkness. For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ and him crucified… to those who are perishing the stench of death unto death, but unto them who are saved, the sweet smelling fragrance of life unto life. He has not called us to deliver the message, but to be the message. You are the only Bible that many people will ever read. Do you know, O Christian you’re a sermon in shoes?
Some find their identity in the deceitfulness of riches. We realize that we’re living in a materialistic and hedonistic culture. However, we are deceived when we think that we are above the fray. When we, like Abraham’s nephew Lot, live near the gates of Sodom, the culture of the Sodomites wears off on us. Our profession must be according to Phillipians 1:21. Paul said, “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” I must die to self to live for Christ. In Isaiah 55 God says, “My ways are not thy ways… for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my thoughts than your thoughts and my ways than your ways.”
Life is about reciprocity, about giving and receiving. In God’s economy, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The balance of God’s righteous justice is the law of equity. God provided a way to balance, to reconcile the scales of God’s justice, for we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all weighed in the balance and found wanting. To reconcile the scales of his righteous judgement, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. He who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.
The first three beatitudes are the foundation attitudes to keep our hearts in alignment with God’s heart. Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. However, our identity is not in the things of the earth. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me. Our assurance is that our identity is in Christ and that we know him personally. Our identity is not who we are, rather our identity is whose we are. For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Our filthy rags have been replaced with his robes of righteousness… though your sins be as scarlet, ye shall be as white as snow.
We need not fear the darkness of the end of times… of men who are lovers of self and haters of righteousness. As the scripture says, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” For it is God which worketh in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me with unconditional love?” Peter answered, “I love you, I’m fond of you.” Jesus asked again, “do you love me unconditionally?” Peter answered again, “I’m fond of you.” Jesus said to Peter, “feed my sheep.” The master was teaching his disciple the meaning of unconditional love. However, Peter had not yet learned the meaning of the unconditional spiritual love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. Peter could not love with a spiritual love until after the new birth when he received a new spiritual nature. Through the spirit of the new birth, Peter knew and understood the meaning of unconditional love, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.
In this new year, we may pray for change. However, in the words of Reinhold Niebuhr, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” There is only one person that I can change… the man in the mirror. Therefore, be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
May God richly bless you this new year as we walk in fellowship with him and one with another in the household of faith, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael