Sitting and just sipping coffee is such a wonderful indulgence of mine. Usually coffee I consume is in between tasks and rarely just sitting and listening to birds chirp. But this morning that’s exactly what I’m doing. And I like it!
Too often in life we don’t stop long enough to appreciate something that God created that’s meant to bring us joy – like sipping coffee or enjoying a fresh crisp spring breeze. This weekend has allowed me to remember that and I have been reminded to appreciate my wife and who God has called me to be as her husband.
Guys – this is for you. The lady in your life, you know, the one you asked to marry you and probably washes your dirty socks without even thinking about it deserves to be appreciated. There seems to be a trend, a decline in men who don’t know how to be men. I’m not talking about your typical world view of what a man should be. That view is contorted at best. Words like honor, loyalty, integrity, ethical, moral, courageous, and protector seem to be missing or have adopted the wrong connotations – primarily due to the movie and tv industry.
Fidelity is no longer emphasized in a marriage. It’s ok, according to Hollywood, that we no longer honor the loyalty a man and woman ought to share. Adultery is more acceptable and leads to a shallow relationship, one without depth.
Jesus states in Matthew
Matt. 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
This deals with the inner heart. It is a long look, one that causes arousal. It’s a thought that enters the brain and the longer it is dwelled upon the, the closer it gets to tapping roots into the heart. Think about that new car or the latest device out there. You see it advertised. It looks incredible! And the longer you dwell on it the more you desire it.
Covet is the word to describe this and is lost in our world today. To covet something means to set ones desire on something. It’s not an outward sin, but one that is internalized, and out of it flows all sorts of evil. Look at the actions that David was willing to take to have Bathsheba – all to fulfill what his heart was coveting.
The warning then, men, is to be careful little eyes what you see! The organ that leads to infidelity isn’t a sexual one, rather, it is the eye!
As men, particularly husbands and fathers, we are protectors of our homes, both physically and spiritually. We are in a battle where the enemy’s goal is to break down the family, a basic building block of our society. As men, we are to courageously protect and fight for our wives and children.
Paul writes,
Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
Men, we are to love our wives with the same tenacity and passion that Christ has for you and I. Love isn’t meant to be left in the bedroom. Love is to be self sacrificing – one that puts her needs before your own. It’s one that tells you that you are willing to lay down your life for her without question.
Guys, your position in her life and the life of your family is to be their leader. Leaders lead from the front. You are the frontline defense in spiritual warfare.
I guess what Paul writes to Timothy summarizes my thoughts this morning.
1Tim. 3:1-7 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Paul is referring to someone seeking to serve as a pastor, but I want you to see the parts he writes about husbands.
“…the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)”
This all seems like a tall order for us guys. Reality, on our own, it is! But we aren’t meant to be a husband or father on our own. We are to invite Christ to come alongside us and be our Helper and Counselor. This truly is something only God can equip us to do!
My coffee cup is empty. And my thoughts on the topic are fleshed out as well. I want to leave you with this summarizing thought. Stop long enough to appreciate what God has created outside you and what He is creating inside you. God wants us to enjoy His creation. Delight yourself in Him and all His benefits.
Psa. 37:4-7 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
