The Example

I recently went to Milam County Cowboy Church in Rockdale to witness my sister, brother-in-law and nephews be baptized all at once. It took all I had not to burst in tears of joy! There was one comment that the preacher said as he asked who is first; my brother-in-law volunteered and then the preacher said to him “that’s the way it should be because men are the spiritual leaders of their families.”

Spiritual leader, what exactly is that?

The meaning of a leader is an individual who goes first and leads by example; therefore, others are motivated to follow that individual. This individual must have a deep-rooted commitment to a goal even if nobody follows. I am passionate about seeing men develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. Why... because once a man gets a relationship with the living God, Jesus; they are powerful weapons against all that is evil. They become powerful leaders in their families, workplaces, churches, community and in all walks of life.

Men struggle for purpose, direction and respect; when these are not meet or there is an unhealthy approach to obtaining these then this is when men fall. Men will seek something to give them some sort of artificial substitute in the form of addictions such as drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, money, work; any thing that opposes or takes God’s word out of context (1John 3:4). Men who struggle with purpose, meaning and respect turn to some sort of substitute because they usually didn’t have adequate leadership in their own lives. Men that never had their fathers’ speak into their lives, raise them, teach them, love them, respect them or call them out as men in an encouraging manner are usually the ones searching and accepting artificial substitutes or a lie. Jesus speaks truth; and the disciples that walked were no different then any other man living today.

I am not taking importance away from women because they play an important role in reflecting the bride or church; men must be a groom or the reflection of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus there is no church, without a groom there is not bride. Statistics show women raising children alone without a father or male role model have a higher chance of struggling in many areas. Men play an important role because they are to be leaders but how can we as men be affective leaders if we are struggling with our own lives trying to find purpose, direction and respect while falling prey to the sin of the world. Teenage boys, young men and older men are walking around searching for these things in the wrong places… men would rather chase their selfish desire by hanging out in clubs, womanizing, drugging or drinking, spending money on meaningless things; anything to mask the fact that their lives have no purpose, no direction and that they get no respect.

I can speak into these things because I struggled with these things. I do have a father and he taught me valuable lessons that have carried me throughout live; however, one thing that was not revealed to me clearly was the importance of a relationship with Jesus. Yes we prayed and I said I believed in God but really never understood what I was saying. My father is a hard working man and always has been, he has always made sure that food was on the table, that we had clothes on our backs and a roof over our head. We lived comfortable but as I grew older I struggled because I didn’t have a purpose, direction or the respect that I’d envisioned; therefore, I struggled with all of the artificial substitutes that I mentioned before. Many people blame their struggles on others, and most of the time that may be true, but there is a time to quit blaming others and look to ourselves. Most men grow temperamental, easily offended and have prejudices of their environment when purpose, direction and respect are missing; this is true for myself and Jesus’ disciples. Even though I may not have had the perfect spiritual upbringing that some churches would look for; I was teachable. Jesus is looking for men willing to learn. Problem is that most of us get so caught up in our lack of purpose, direction and respect that we fill our lives with materialism, addictions and pride which destroys the opportunity to meet with Jesus and overcome our issues to experience what we are truly called to.

When Jesus sends out his disciples one of the things He tells them is to not take any money, clothes or shoes; to literately go with the clothes on their back; then he tells them to not hesitate when offered hospitality as long as they are working (Matthew 10:9-10). Why would he tell them this? Well, He wanted them to always be in a position of needing God and not getting blinded or distracted with the selfish needs. If God was always the provider then they would always look to Him, not their selves. When Jesus sends out the disciples He wants them to be totally reliant on God’s direction. If you want a purpose, a direction and respect then you must look to Jesus. Men are the method that Jesus uses to win the world and He is waiting on us to create space for Him to reveal His truth. That truth is Jesus is looking for men who are fed up with the religion that is vested in a small minority of people and the hypocrisy that fills our lives. Jesus picked men who where common laboring men, having no professional training beyond their basic knowledge of their vocation, they weren’t considered wealthy or rich. These men represented an average group of men in their society in their day; they most certainly were not the men the Pharisees would have chosen. Jesus chose these men because they were teachable; however, they were still mistaken in their judgment, slow to comprehend spiritual things but also they were honest men willing to confess their need. Jesus is waiting to use you in a big way… He wants to give you a purpose, direction and respect.

Follow His lead… “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” – John 13:15

When Peter falls on his knees and tells Jesus to leave him because he is too much of a sinner; Jesus simple says “Don’t be afraid” and calls him out of his selfish lifestyle and reveals a life of purpose, direction and respect (Luke 5:8-11).

Make room for Jesus, lose the pride and look to Him. Your family, children, wife and so many others need to be lead by a Spiritual Leader who has learned to follow the example of Jesus Christ.