For it is by grace you have been saved...

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Real Men: In Honor of Father’s Day

I plan to share with our church this Sunday how much I dislike Father’s Day.  Not that I don’t like the cards, and the nice gifts the kids have made me over the years.  Being a self-centered sinner like anyone, I like being the center of attention, so I like that part of Father’s Day.

What I don’t like is the fact that as I prepare to address God’s people on that day I usually seek to find a way to apply our text to fathers, reminding us of our duty before God.  And as I study what Scripture has to say to fathers, I realize this:  my role model as a father is God, and my role model as a husband is Jesus.  No pressure, right?

So I dislike Father’s Day in part because as I study up on the topic, I’m reminded of far short I fall of those perfect examples.  I’m reminded of my weakness, my failure of being the Christ-like model to my family I should be.  And I’ll make resolutions to do better, which often turn out like most New Year’s resolutions; they last a few months and then…

In the end, though, I’m reminded of this.  I’m a sinner.  I’m imperfect.  And though that should never be used as an excuse for complacency, the reality is that as I look at the perfect example of Christ I’m always going to fall short.  Yet that shouldn’t discourage me to the point of just giving up. It should continue to motivate me to seek Him more.

So, while we’ll never be husbands and fathers that match up to the perfect example of our Heavenly Father and our Bridegroom, we can still push forward in His power seeking to be Real Men.  And by that I’m not talking about the naked, hairy man, grunting sort of thing.  I’m talking about being a Real Man by biblical standards.  What’s that?  Well, here’s the picture of being a real man. (Thanks to the folks at Raising Godly Children for the great picture)
 This is it.  Perfection will never come.  But being a Real Man means…

1. Seeking God in His Word.  We have to be in the Word of God, seeking Him, growing into His image and likeness.  I don’t care how big and tough, or how rich and smart you are, men.  If you aren’t a man of God, seeking His Word and applying to your heart regularly, you’re not a Real Man.  It’s that simple. And one of the reasons that’s so important is because of that second characteristic in the above picture…

2. Teaching Your Children.  John Bunyan wrote to men saying: “First, concerning the spiritual state of his family; he ought to be very diligent and cautious, doing his utmost both to increase faith where it is begun, and to begin it where it is not.  Therefore, he must diligently and frequently bring before his family the things of God, from His Holy Word, in accordance with what is suitable for each person.  And let no man question his authority from the Word of God for such a practice.” 

Teaching your kids to throw a ball is great.  Teaching them to hunt is fantastic. Teaching them about cars or computers or whatever your thing is a wonderful way to spend your time.  But if you neglect to teach them the Word of God, you have neglected the most important thing you could ever teach.  We don’t need more highly educated kids, we need more godly men and women, and then will come as Real Men teach their children the things of God.  And then…

3.  Loving Your Wife.  Real Men don’t take their wives for granted, don’t “lord” their authority over them, don’t neglect them in favor of longing after airbrushed images of other women or the latest thing to walk in at work.  Real Men love their wives, as Christ loved the church: sacrificially, voluntarily, unconditionally.

This is not only for the sake of ourselves and our wives, but for the sake of our witness to Christ.  Larry McCall writes that “To some degree what the world thinks of Christ and the church will come from what they see in us.  They will see how our marriages mirror His relationship with His church as the ultimate marriage prototype.”

We’ll never be perfect.  We’ll never fully reflect the model of our Heavenly Father or our Loving Bridegroom.  But we can, by His power at work within us, still seek to be Real Men and encourage each other to do the same.  So celebrate this Father’s Day by knowing that you may not be perfect, but you are the man God placed in your family to reflect Him.  So do it with all you have, and give God all the glory.

No comments: