Keep Standing!
From the book “The Titus Ten”: Every action we take, whether big or small, positive or negative, has a rippling effect. Every decision, every word, every step, and every moment will have some influence on your life and the lives of others.
There is a rippling effect of one decision after another decision.
When Paul wrote to Titus and gave him instructions on how to navigate all the dysfunction that was happening in the church at Crete – he told him first to start dealing with the rebellious men. These men were dividing the church, disrupting families, and destroying the church’s effectiveness and witness. They were also preaching a false gospel – and because of that, a rippling effect started to occur.
When rebellious men start to teach a false gospel, then a misunderstood and misapplied gospel is lived out. If you get everything in life right but get the gospel wrong, you have nothing right.
The gospel forms everything and brings clarity to everything. The gospel changes everything and is the foundation of everything.
You want to know what is broken in your life. The gospel will indicate that (and how you can put it back together).
Do you want to make an important decision for your future? Let the gospel form that decision.
Do you get frustrated by the distorted view of God, the world, and the definition of right and wrong in society today? The gospel is the only way out of this distorted view and the way back to God’s original intention for manhood and right and wrong.
We, as men, need to let the gospel dictate our lives, our decisions, our worldview, and our world.
When a man is self-willed and not living under the rule of God, he misuses his calling. This misuse primarily happens in two ways: He is either overly aggressive or overly passive. Both are equally dangerous.
We’ll either try to dominate and control, or we’ll simply watch as those under our care are harassed and abused.
The gospel is not only good news for our future, it is good news for our today. It is not just a guide to lead us to heaven later, but a guide to lead us into life now.
To truly become a “Godly Man” – you have to build your life on the foundation of the gospel. How do we do that? Submit your life to Jesus.
Without Christ, every attempt we make to be better will ultimately fall short. We are broken, and we are sinful, but we don’t need to just externally change; we need internal change. Our biggest problem is a sin problem – but seeing our biggest problem as a sin problem should give us hope. If our issues were just sociological, psychological, or mental, we may never have a solution. Yet, through Jesus – He is our solution. He is our hope.
Men, we are broken, that’s the bottom line. If you try to fix the broken parts of your life but don’t find a cure, you will never get out of your brokenness. Instead, you will leave the rippling effect of hurt, pain, and suffering for not only you but those you love and care about.
We don’t need self-help, we need divine help. The only way into restored manhood is by having your sin taken care of. Jesus is your answer.
How do we do that? Submit, Seek, and Strive.
Submit: Make an intentional choice daily to submit yourself daily to the lordship of Jesus.
Seek: Look (seek) to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus.
Strive: To live out the gospel in our daily lives and let that alone be the foundation of who you are.
With that, we don’t have to always suffer from the rippling effects of sin, we start making decisions that create rippling effects of Christlikeness.
Matthew 7: 24-27 - 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
In every man’s life, storms are going to come. The winds are going to blow. Life will be filled with challenges and struggles. And the storms will ultimately expose you. Some will crumble, and some will stand.
Build your life on the gospel and be one who is left standing.
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