“The world is calling men to be less. God is calling them to be more.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 21, 2022
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
The late, great Billy Graham once said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
In these uncertain and ungodly times, the world needs more men like Graham described: Men who are willing to stand for what is right, stand for what is good, and stand for the good of others.
The world needs men who will stand even when others tell them to sit down because when one man stands, others will be encouraged to stand too— the ripple of one man’s courage can change the world for good.
The definition of what it means to be a man is under fire in our culture. The traditional roles of manhood have shifted. Many men doubt that they should step up at work, in relationships, in family, and in society. They are afraid to be the men God has called them to be. But Christ’s plan for men is that they would stand up for what He stands for. The world wants men to stand down and quiet down, but the world needs men who will be God’s men.
When a man listens to the world instead of God’s voice, when a man allows others to shame him, define him, and make him sit down rather than stand up, the man will lose His identity and his rudder. He will lose his way. The world is calling men to be less. God is calling them to be more. More like Christ in courage, conviction, and strength. God is calling men to be willing to follow in His footsteps and set the example of doing what is right.
Men were made in the image of God. The strength—both emotional and physical—that God has put into man comes from God alone. But if a man looks about, concerned about who he will offend, disappoint, or make angry, he will not serve God’s agenda and other men will follow in these weakened footsteps because men model for other men what it means to be a man.
When a man follows God, when he serves the Lord and isn’t consumed with what others think, when he is willing to stand up for what is right, others around him will be encouraged and they will become more courageous too—and so one man affects another, that man affects another and so forth and so on.
God needs men who are willing to do what is right, to stand up even when the world is telling them to sit down.
When a man stands up for God, stands up for what is right, stands up for His family, stands for righteousness, there may be those who mock him, shame him, or tell him that he is not a true man. But a man’s true identity is not in who the world tells him to be, but who God calls him to be . . .free from fear and rooted in the courage that comes from knowing God has his back.
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them” (Joshua 1:6).
Prayer
Lord, I thank you that you have made me a man and that I have everything I need to do your will and to stand for what you stand for. Amen.
Application
Find another man and encourage one another in standing for what God stands for.
Related Reading
1 Corinthians 16:13; Psalm 31:24; 2 Timothy 1:7
Worship Resource
Vertical Worship: Strong God
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