what being a Man really means... - Day 22

Day 22

well it is time to get to business as we get serious about Faith and Family...

as we sat waiting for ethan to go into surgery a few days ago, i was thinking about what i could do to make everything better...i couldn't take the broken arm away...i couldn't make his pain transfer to my arm so i could bear the burden for him...i couldn't take the worry out of his momma's head...i am not trained in reconstructing bones or i would have did it myself...i stood there watching him and wishing there was something i could do...i tried to think about what the bible said was my duty in these types of situations...all i could remember was, i was supposed to love my wife as Christ loved the church and i was supposed to lead my family somehow, someway...how could i make this better...

i looked at ethan and heather and with all the courage i could muster up, i said, let's say a prayer...to my surprise, both of them looked at me and just bowed their heads without saying a word...i prayed that the doctors would be led by God hands and i prayed heather and i would just trust God to take care of ethan during surgery...i prayed for peace of mind for heather as she worried about her baby boy and i prayed for ethan to stay calm...when we said Amen, you could feel God with us in the waiting area...Ethan even felt good enough to get down and play withs some of the toys as we waited a few more minutes...

as they called him back and i carried him into the operating room, i told him God would take care of him and he would be fine...i looked at the anesthesiologist and told them to take care of him...i also told them we prayed for them and the surgeon to make this all better...as i watched my son close his eyes and sleep from the happy gas, i knew i had done everything i could and now he was in Gods hands...funny how God works in our lives to teach us lessons...


Fathers and husbands, this is for you today...i do not have all the answers and do not profess too...i will, however, let you know what the bible says is our responsibility...our mission...our job...the next verses in Ephesians are just a few of the examples, God gives us to follow as husbands....


Ephesians 5:25

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,"

Ephesians 5:28

"Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself."

Ephesians 5:31

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and two will become one flesh."


Challenge:

Men: ask yourself if we are doing these things and write down any others you can think of...

Women: ask yourself if, as men, we would do these things how it would change our homes and what can you do to help in the process...

Challenge 2:

if you need to, ask forgiveness and go over these with your spouse...if you are like me, you may think you are doing these things, but i wasn't...

1. How did Christ love the church?

• Jesus came to serve, not be served - what do we do to serve our wives/families?
• Jesus came to give us life - what do we give our wives/families on a daily basis?
• Jesus came to build up His people - how do we build up our families?
• Jesus came to lead us by his example - what example do they see in us?

2. How do we love our own bodies?

• we feed it nourishment - how well are we feeding our families spiritually not physically?
• we exercise to make sure we are in shape - what are we actually doing to make a difference in our families?
• we dress ourselves in a way that is pleasing - how focussed are we on the outward appearance?
• we take medicine to feel better - are we seeking daily to make sure everyone gets their dose of God?

2. How do we become one flesh?

• committing to be together in marriage - when you said "I DO" did you realize you became 1?
• praying together - are you uniting in prayer with your spouse on a regular basis?
• by understanding God's plan for our homes and following it - do you know what God needs your family to do?
• sexual intercourse - are you having a healthy sex life? (this is important, but not the most important....)

you could go on and on about all the things husbands should do...i know for me, it meant being a servant of God's call...it meant being more about God and my family and less about me...it took me 35 years this week to realize if i will do what God says to in His word, my wife and children will follow the leadership in the home...if i serve my wife and kids, they see God at work in my life and want him to be part of theirs...

as i study the word, i am constantly finding out Jesus didn't come to earth to make us feel bad...he didn't come to tell us what we could and couldn't do...he didn't even come to earth to show us how to buy the right house or get the perfect job....

he came to earth to serve as the sacrificial lamb...he came to give us an example of true love...he came to show us we should love and serve him...he showed us we should love and serve others more than ourselves and everything else will take care of itself...

just so you all know, i am working on all these things too...we are never done working on what God's need us to do until we are in a casket in front of the church...




justinprelsey1977@gmail.com