What if I told you- delayed obedience is disobedience? The fact that you KNOW you should show up to church on Sunday but you just can’t find the right church. The excuse that you know you should do more for your wife, but you just don’t know what to do for her so you do nothing. The fleeting thoughts that you need to spend more time with your son, but you just have so much work to do. All of these are exactly what I am referring to. You are being disobedient to God’s Word.
29” The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31
Jesus gave these commands to reaffirm that there are two commandments that are above all others. These two orders are law and to break them is to disobey God directly. You are on notice. You have now read the commandments of Jesus. Anything less than this is disobedience. You are to love God first. That means, worship Him first. Not your job. Not football on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Not your computer screen. Not that new movie with The Rock. Not drinking beer and playing cards with your buddies. God first.
The second of these commands is to love others. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. What is love? It is an action, a decision. Love is the desire to benefit others at the expense of yourself. This starts at home. The next person you should love is your wife. You should love her as Christ loves the church.
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
1 Peter 3:7
Here, we are told to love our wives in an understanding way OR our prayers will be hindered. The lack of honoring your wife is directly disobedient to God’s Word and is a fast way to keep your prayers from being answered. Watching the Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleaders while your wife is cooking dinner is NOT honoring her. Sneaking off to watch porn when no one else is around, dishonors your wife.
You are to father your children. How do you father them? Do not provoke them to anger. You want to know why your children rebel or don’t listen to you? They have no real relationship with you. You discipline them, you offer toughness but there is not tenderness. You must balance the tough with the tender. Stop treating your son like he is a failure and then wonder why he isn’t successful. Stop expecting your daughter to have better taste in boys when her dad is the first example she has.
You go out and get drunk with your friends while your wife is at home with your kids and expect your kids to behave and respect you. You want your son to get good grades and your daughter to understand the importance of not getting pregnant. You are a hypocrite. You are a FOOL!
Time to man up! You need to understand that the character of the kingdom emanates from the character of the king. You are called to be the king of your home as called by God. You want to know why your wife doesn’t have a strong desire for you? You are a child in a man’s body. You wife has become your mother instead of your wife. You need to stop being a coward and step up.
How many of you want a better marriage? How many of you want your wife to want you like she did when you first met her? How many of you want to see your son be the man you wish you could have been at his age? How many of you want your daughter to be taken care of and cherished as a wife and mother?
Well gentlemen- that’s up to you. You must step up, admit you are wrong and repent. You need to learn the principles to become a Maximized Man and start living it out. Be the image of Christ for your family. Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.
If you want to know more and have a desire to come and see what this is all about then you need to get out to Man Church on Tuesday Nights. At MCI, we have a commitment to serve God in the mission to help you understand your role and equip you to be the husband your wife deserves and the father your children need. We have a commitment to God to help you understand how to be a disciple. We are here to help you learn to be a disciple maker. To be the example for others instead of a statistic. If you are compelled to become a better man, if God is pressing you to get your heart and mind right, then come out and see us. Visit our website for more information!
