I’d like to first take the time out to wish a Happy Father’s Day to every last dad out there! I find it kind of funny that I had been putting off this particular entry of my blog, and here comes Father’s Day. I say that because this particular entry of my blog is going to deal with a sort of a hash of the previous entries with one serious point emphasized: LEGACY. Every man, on some level, wants to leave his mark on the world. Some men pursue wealth and power (Not the best idea, Matthew 6:24), while others propagate the world with 12 and 20 kids by 5-6 women (Also not the best idea).
One thing that I found interesting was that during a discussion in my men’s group (and other discussions, actually), my pastor told us (paraphrasing his direct quote), “When a baby’s born, the mom is making sure that the baby is healthy, while the dad is looking for image and likeness.” Now this doesn’t mean that the dad doesn’t want the baby to be healthy, or that the dad is concerned that the kid may not be his based on facial features and the like. It’s a part of the male ego to want to leave behind a legacy, and while this in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, there’s an order and standard to legacy that must be followed…give you a hint: you can’t find it lest you put your mind on things above (Colossians 3:1).
It is written that God has a distinct Image and Likeness. His Image, Hebrews 1:3, says that this Image is Jesus Christ the Son (some translations like the NRSV say “exact imprint of God’s very being”), and his Likeness, or Values, are the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience/long-suffering, self-control). However, it is ALSO written that man was created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:26, AMP), “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.” The reason why we couldn’t do what Christ did (and what He had to do) was the goof Adam made in Genesis 3, thus giving man/woman their sin nature. God also made a great commission to us, the very first charge, “Be fruitful and multiply, subdue it, and take dominion”.
But what does that mean in today’s terms? And what does that mean in terms of being a father? Well the Kingdom-driven (godly) man has to reflect these things to maintain his functional masculinity throw intensive self-examination, independent study of the Word, and uninterrupted Fellowship with God, whether this be through the altar time (See Abraham, Genesis 12 and 13), or through having fellowship with others who genuine seek the Kingdom (Matthew 18:20). In Matthew 28:18, Christ made his own commission, to go forth and make disciples” in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (paraphrase)” and He also said that He is with us to the end (verse 20).
Nelson you still haven’t really answered this question!
Hold on I’m getting to it! Sheesh…LOL
Genesis 1:28 coupled to Matthew 28:18 means two basic things.
1) God wants everything in the universe to reflect Him, this is his ideal scenario, His basic Work.
2) He’s charged us (men and women mind you, but I’m talking to the MEN right now [1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:25-26]) to go out and do His Work.
How do we do this work? The short answer is by loving God with everything that we have and in-turn, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40).
-And loving God and abiding in Him comes from obeying his Commandments (both from Matthew 22:35-40 and Exodus 20:4-18) and thus, having Him abide in us as we do in Him (John 14:15, John 15:10).
The not-so-short answer is as such. Men, take whatever you’ve learned and pass it on to the next cat behind you. Make sure you continue gaining knowledge to be able to pass on to the next person down the line. Dads, guide your kids. Husbands love your wives (yes I’m going there again, I LOVE Ephesians 5). Teach boys how to be men, tell girls (within appropriate parameters, don’t go running up to some 13yr old stranger on the street!) what a real man is supposed to look like. Uplift your contemporaries (fellow men), use yourselves as buffers between what someone is going through and the Holy Spirit (within appropriate boundaries, see previous post). And yes men, we have to exercise the “die to the self” principle (within God’s limits) with every dynamic we are a part of (we put ourselves last), just as Christ did for us, He IS our head after all (1 Corinthians 11:3 [again]). Give accounts of what you’ve gone through, mistakes you’ve made, be a barrier the best you can between the person you’re uplifting/counseling and the poor decision they are going to make. Be patriarchs of your families. Make behavior patterns change in youths when they step in your territory. Shouldn’t anyone have dominion over your house but God Himself.
But Nelson, you’re neither married nor have any kids! What about single men?
Yes, yes, yes, the single man. Well, do all the same things. Mentor someone else’s kids whenever the opportunity genuinely arises. Remember that men with kids carry a large responsibility, and whatever help you can lend is probably appreciated. Give unto yourself to all those around you. Keep boundaries and develop appropriate dynamics with the women folk around you. And don’t let deceptive rationale get, or even worse keep you in a holding pattern or poor decision-making (see the part about fellowshipping with God). Not really too too different…I’d personally say that single men, as we come up, need to train to be patriarchs, whether that’s to be a pastor, a dad, great-uncle, or any kind of leader anywhere (and yes ladies you can lead things too…I ain’t no chauvinist now! AGAIN, talking to the MEN!)
And (second) most importantly, REFLECT your words with your walk…and be genuine.
The most important thing we as men have to learn is to learn where we end and God begins. We do ourselves, and the folks around us a huge favor when we do this, regardless of what the initial reaction is.
When we follow all this stuff, we leave a darn impressive legacy, and get that well done (Matthew 25:23) as we continue pressing toward that Mark that God has laid out for us (Philippians 3:10-16).
Happy Father’s Day goes first to the Father in Heaven, and then to real dads, but even real men without kids who practice functional masculinity get a small cut of this pie. LOL Hope you enjoyed.
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