“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love.”
I Corinthians 16:13-14
Are You Strong?
It was project day on the farm; the cedar fence was coming down.
Buried three feet deep, dirt and mud had packed the posts tightly. I loosened and removed a few. My bulked-up son loosened and removed a few more.
Finally, I asked my son-in-law to help. Raised on a farm, I watched him bear hug the remaining cedar posts and snatch them out of the ground like toothpicks. While he was no match for my son in the gym, at the farm his strength was obvious.
Your Strength is Being Tested
Strength is measured many ways. When it comes to faith, it’s testing that reveals our spiritual strength.
Make no mistake: Our strength is being tested!
Society is in a moral and spiritual tailspin. Our families are being inundated with “values” that are so abhorrent that it is easy to dismiss as fringe.
But recent conversations with some MD5 men have confirmed that fringe has become mainstream. Don’t be fooled into thinking your family is immune.
They are not.
There is an urgent need to live out the definition of biblical manhood:
Reject Passivity
Accept Responsibility
Invest Eternally
Lead Courageously
If you Don’t Stand for Something You’ll Fall for Anything
Are you prepared?
Do you have the spiritual strength and moral fortitude to stand firm, regardless of the consequences?
It’s time to put I Corinthians 16:13-14 into practice:
Be watchful – Anticipate and pay attention when it comes to safeguarding our families.
Stand firm in the faith - Be clear and resolute on your unchanging values.
Act like men – Reject passivity and lead courageously. This is not a time to stand idly by.
Be strong – Our strength comes from God. Anchor yourself and your family to His Word.
Move forward in love – Our motivation is not anger; it’s compassion for a broken world and the spiritual wellbeing of our families.
Let’s be men of conviction; let’s “act like men.”
It’s what the world is missing, what our families desperately need, and what God has called us to!
John Meriweather
MD5 Facilitator