Men of Action
John Schaefer served as police chief for both Placentia and San Marino. This had been his ambition since he was a cadet in Police Academy. When he transitioned out of civil service and into church leadership, the minister who interviewed him said, “Are you willing to step down from being the man in charge to not being the man in charge?” This is the same question that a man of God asks himself every day…. Am I in charge or is Jesus Christ Lord?
No disciple of Jesus Christ was ever given a diploma that said, your training is complete. A disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ.. In this life we never arrive. As Paul said, I count myself not to have apprehended, (of having taken hold of the ultimate prize) but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth toward those things that are before me.…..we press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
There is a difference between success and significance. John recalls that in the public sector he was given many commendations and awards to recognize his service to his community. However, as Jesus said to the Pharisees, they have their reward of men. But when you pray, go into your prayer closet so that you’re not heard of men but of God. The significance is that God is the one who is glorified.
Every disciple of Christ is discipled by another brother in Christ. Ananias was the one God called to disciple the Apostle Paul.
God calls us to be a laser and not a shotgun. The laser focuses energy on the target, whereas a shotgun scatters the shot. As God’s ordnance, his smart bombs, we press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus according to the guidance, control, and propulsion of the Holy Spirit.
A prayer from the Jesusit prayer book says, I pray that others may be esteemed more than I, and that in the opinion of the world, others may increase that I may decrease, that others may become holier than I.
Our prayer is that others may be recognized for their significance in glorifying not themselves, but God himself.
God has called each of us and has entrusted us with talents to invest so that they increase and grow exponentially to God’s glory.
Therefore 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, be strong.
God has called his men as men of action. Men who act according to God’s calling come to understand the meaning of biblical manhood. Manhoood makes a family whole, a woman safe, a child confident and a community strong.
Men are known by who they are, evidenced by what they believe and what they do. Even though men often fail, they are not known for their defeats, but for how they handle adversity.
What is the significance of your life? The question for a man of God is, if you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Men of this world trend toward passivity…. Since today’s women are more involved with higher education and thrive in the workplace, men look at them and say, If I can’t win, I’l just sit back. These men are lambasted and ridiculed as becoming marginalized in their roles, and because they have become passive, women step up and take leadership responsibility.
However, God says through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthian 16:18 and following: Aquit ye like men, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Do all things with the love of God.
Faith without works is dead… therefore, work out your own salvation, your wholeness in Christ, with awe, respect, and reverence for God…. Then when our will is aligned with. God’s will and our heart with God’s heart, as men of action, it is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Success is not what the world considers success. Success is the impact we have for Our Lord Jesus Christ according the power of God energized as we act empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Therefore, let your light of Christ shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael
