Daily Devotion from Ryan Marks book Thoughts

Thought 133

Accept the Challenge –Be a MAN!

      Some “men” really are not men. Yet, some “boys” really are men. Let’s look at the Biblical definitions of a man: he provides for his family (1 Timothy 5:8), he is a servant leader (Eph. 5), he is humble (1 Peter 5:5), he is committed to Christ, (Phil. 3:12-14), and he is diligent (Heb. 6:11). There are many more Biblical qualities of a man, but we do not have enough space to go into them all.

Boys, you are not growing into men of God in our culture. You cannot be both a child and a man – you can only be one or the other.

 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Luke 16:13 NIV

“When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

Are you obedient, submissive, and dependent to the Father? Are you bold, confident, and sure of your faith in Christ? Men . . . .  and boys, you like a challenge, don’t you? Here’s one: except the challenge of genuine manhood. You can never be perfect, but by God’s grace you can improve, grow and learn (from the Holy Spirit and Scripture). Dwell on these character traits of manhood below, really think about what they mean. You might even want to write down ways to apply the two or three that you need most right now.

Humility                            Initiative                                 Motivated

Loving kindness            Strong Character                     Grounded

Strength                         Providing Spirit                      a Defender

Warrior                              Patience                                 Firmness

Resilience                      Peaceableness                      a Slow Tongue

Conviction                         Frugality                                 Fruitfulness

Willingness to Listen       Diligence                                Responsibility

Commitment