Man up...be who you are in Christ

‘Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own self interest but each of you to the interest of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”  -  Philippians 2:1-5

Now that we know who we are in Christ, (see blog #5) we as men, husbands and fathers need to BE who we are in Christ. As Paul points out to the Philippians above, if we truly believe that we are friends, heirs and accepted and united with Christ, then we need to be like minded in Christ. Now Paul is speaking to the church and fellow believers here but it can also help us to realize that everything you do as the leader of your family, the Man of the household, you need to do without selfish ambition or vanity. You must humbly value your wife, and yes even your kids, above yourself. No matter what “feels good”, “looks good” or “sounds good” you must look out for the interest of your loved ones over your own.

Yes, I know you work hard, yes, I know you may feel like your missing out on something, and yes I know you’ve sacrificed; but if we are one with Christ, if we have the Spirit living inside of us so that “We can understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:12) then we need to live up to what we’ve already attained by not only realizing that we need to be like Christ but realize once and for all that you ARE like Christ.

BE who you are guys, humble yourselves like Jesus did, put your family ahead of what you think you deserve and love them almost as much as you love Him. I think it’s the least you can do for a God that has done so much for you. (Philippians 2:6-8)

A homework assignment...

John 1:12 – John 15:15 – Romans 8:17 – Romans 15:7 – 1 Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19 – 1 Corinthians 6:17 – 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Galatians 4:7 – Galatians 5:1 – Ephesians 1:3 – Ephesians 1:4 – Ephesians 1:7 – Ephesians 1:13 – Ephesians 4:24 – Philippians 3:20 – Colossians 2:10 – Colossians 3:4 – Colossians 3:12 – 1 Thessalonians 1:4…

Okay, time for some homework..but this is homework that is going to make you feel really good..homework that is going to remind you, no matter how hard it gets this week, who God says that you are. This is going to be an exercise that affirms your identity in Christ..or easier said.. this is an opportunity to really understand how awesome it is to be called a believer in Jesus Christ.

See all you gotta do is take 10 minutes out of your busy day and look up each of these verses listed above (thanks to Kenneth Boa on Bible.org). and read them..That’s it..that’s the assignment. Now when you do so, be prepared to be reminded of the incredible truths, from Scripture, about who you are in Christ.

Oh, and just in case you don’t have the time right this minute, here’s a cliff notes version…you are a child of God, a friend of Jesus, an heir with Christ, you’ve been accepted by Christ, you are a new creature in Christ, you have been set free, blessed, forgiven, sealed with the Holy Spirit, made complete AND holy, beloved and chosen..WOW!! Remember that guys..remember that fathers.. remember that “head of the households”..No matter what, you are all of the above and more when you walk with the One and Only..when you put Him first in your family and in your own life.

Now get cracking on that homework and be blown away at who you are because of what He has done.