From The Chaplain’s Desk

What It means to be a REAL Man of God?

Men, is your life characterized by courage, strength, and love?

We need to live out our callings as men, to be and do what God has called us to be and do. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16:13 "Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong. Your every action must be done with love. Despite accepted cultural norms, acting like men doesn't mean being macho, arrogant, overbearing, rude, or harsh. That's immaturity and sin. Men are to love and serve through controlled strength. The power of godly men is wrought through the redemptive work of Christ in our hearts and lives. To be a man in our world-- a biblical man-- will look different than much of what passes for manhood in the world and even in contemporary Christian cultural expressions.

Being men means building the lives of those we are responsible for on the bedrock that is Christ. But that can't happen unless our own lives are founded on Christ. So let me briefly explain some ways we must act like men regardless of our current life stage.

First, we must fight the good fight. Second Timothy 4:7 says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." The sign of a good end to the Christian life is a life well fought, a race well run, a faith well kept. That means we need to be well equipped for battle. We need to wear the armor of God, as explained in Ephesians 6.

Secondly, we must be men of integrity. We fight the good fight "of faith" according to 1 Timothy 6. It's faith in Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, and for the sake of the Gospel in the world. We aren't fighting to do good deeds that God might be pleased with us. We are fighting because God was and is pleased with the work of Jesus on our behalf. That's the Gospel, and it creates men who act like men. Every day we face inestimable temptations that require the fight.

Third, we must pursue God. It has been said that the passive Christian life is no life at all. Too many Christian men see the fight as only about avoiding sin. That's crucial, but there's also

a positive fight that we must embrace. We fight as a pursuit of God, that we may know Him better, more deeply. He is our greatest treasure. Knowing Jesus is our greatest joy. We have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 7:23), we are His, and knowing Him better is our eternal pursuit and the source of our eternal blessing.

  You can contact Ron Fraser, Transport for Christ President at 717-426-9977.