Godly Men (flashback-xanga)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

godly men. Two days ago I was asked to write on godly men I've encountered in my life for a small group of men. I've been wracking my mind since trying to decide, "What do I want to focus on? What do these men of God to hear?" Oh, I've known many godly men in my years. I've seen them grow; I've seen them fall; and I've seen them be shunned.  Being a godly man doesn't mean you're perfect. <imo> Being a godly man is a fruit of a man who has the heart that is STRIVING to be like Christ, understanding that he's weak (so very very weak) but continuously get back up again...only by the Lord's grace and strength.  Proverbs 24:16a  for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again... Now, I've touched on the inside of a godly man (yearning to be like Christ). I also want to talk about what the first assignment your Creator gave you. ^right? Shortly after God created Adam, even before He made Eve...(Genesis 2) God set him in the Garden "to work it and keep it"

We immediately think of a manly Adam who is sweating away tilling the ground, getting dirty "working" the Garden.

This isn't the case, in fact the ground wasn't even hard before the fall (Genesis 3).God cursed Adam with, "You'll have to sweat to get your food,the ground is now cursed." 

The original Hebrew is also used in the context of a priest, someone who "works" and NURTURES the heart.  <imo> The first thing the Lord told you to do is nurture hearts, be a priest to your family of God, to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Alright now, "keep" the garden. This is a protective word, not possessive.  I've known men who aren't protective...and they were a danger to those around them. Do you want to be a threat to your sisters, or do you want to protect them?

I pray that all of you yearn to be like Christ...and when people think of you, they don't say, "Gee, he's a MANLY MAN!"But rather"What a godly man*."*devoted to all the godly brothers I've had

**double thanks to the protective men because they make women understand they are precious and valuable.