In the spirit of faithful discipleship, let’s delve deeper into what it truly means to be men after God’s own heart. When we discuss the idea of godly men, we refer to men who aspire to reflect God’s character and virtues. And it is important to clarify here, dear brethren, that in saying this, we don’t intend to liken men to gods, as depicted by some of the Marvel superheroes, but rather we acknowledge that we were wonderfully crafted by the one true God to be reflections of His glorious image.
We find this wonderfully portrayed in Genesis 1:27 (ESV), where it says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” By this, it implies that we are to take after the character of God – who is a God of grace, mercy, and boundless love – to lead and impact the world positively.
When we talk about the kind of men we want to nurture in our church, we mean men who exude God’s character, displaying humility, selflessness, kindness, and patience. This is well-articulated in Ephesians 4:32 (ESV), “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” We desire men who would lay down their lives for others, just as Jesus did for us, echoing John 15:13 (ESV), “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Our ultimate desire is for the men in our church to passionately pursue God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, impacting their families, communities, and the world for Christ. This draws from the command in Mark 12:30 (ESV), “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
The men of our church should strive to replicate the selflessness of Jesus, who emptied Himself for the sake of mankind, as stated in Philippians 2:7 (ESV), “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” We strive to inspire godly leadership in our men, ensuring they leverage their influence to point others back to Jesus.
In the book of Judges, we see the impact of ungodly leadership. The nation of Israel went from being faithful to God to becoming faithless due to the lack of godly leadership. A pattern of disobedience and disregard for God’s commands led them astray, causing them to worship other gods.
But, the good news is that our God is a God of second chances and restoration. He raised up judges who led the people back to Him, showcasing his enduring love and mercy. We want the men in our church to learn from these lessons and remain steadfast in their commitment to God, pointing others to Him in all they do.
As we seek to follow the path of godliness, let’s remain rooted in His Word, and strive to lead with God’s love and grace, mirroring His character in all we do. Let’s commit to being godly men, serving the Lord and influencing the world positively for Christ.