Courage and Joy
Theme of the Week: Marks of a Real Man
Friday, July 1, 2005
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Jesus … was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward (Hebrews 12:2). Bonus Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
Men were designed to lead, not follow. Adam relinquished his leadership in the garden by refusing to step forward with God's word and lead his wife. Today many men do the same: passively yielding to emotions of the moment instead of aggressively leading with God's truth. Our homes and communities are in chaos because of it.
Leadership demands that men have the courage to bridle their passions with the truth. That's the model Jesus Christ—most notably during His temptation in the wilderness—provides. Christ's emotions cried out for surrender to the seductive "glory" being offered Him. But His will was resolute. His reply resonates with the fiber of authentic manhood: "Get out of here, Satan … For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him'" (Matthew 4:10). The courage to lead with truth rather than surrender to feelings always separates the men from the boys.
What internal motivation carried Jesus to the cross? The anticipation of joy! Real manhood demands courage and requires sacrifice, but was never intended to be burdensome. God designed it to be a liberating path to great reward.
—Robert Lewis in Raising a Modern-Day Knight
My Response: I'll thank God for making me a man.
Thought to Apply: God, give us men. Men who possess opinions and a will, men who love honor, men who cannot lie.—J. G. HOLLAND (editor & writer)
Adapted from Raising a Modern-Day Knight (Tyndale, 1997) by permission.
Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
Thank You, Jesus, for modeling true manhood for me. Give me the courage and strength to fill the role You marked out.
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