~from Chip

Behold The Man

A week ago, while we were sitting under a shelter overlooking the Judean Desert and Wadi Qel, I received a word from God. It was remarkable mostly because I had not heard His voice in some time, and now I heard him as I was returning from my desert trip. How strange it was to have put myself in the position of being deaf to the One I longed to hear the most! The word I received was very obviously meant for me, but I got the feeling that it was not only for me, but possibly for the men around me.

“You can no longer be the man you used to be. You have to move on to be the man I know you can be. Remember, I said ‘Behold, I am making all things new,’ and ‘you are a new creation.’ And I meant it! Your life is not your own. Your most important ministry will always be to your wife (and your family). Thicken your skin and follow me!”

“You can no longer be the man you used to be.”
- Do any of us REALLY want to stay where we have been, or do we truly want to move forward?

“You have to move on to be the man I know you can be.”
- Isn’t this the essence of the Pilgrimage experience? The act of studying Jesus, the man, has to call us to a new and higher standard or we simply have not paid attention.

“Remember I said, ‘Behold I am making all things new,’ and ‘you are a new creation.’ and I meant it!”
- That’s right! And it is high time to embrace the future and to move on with humility and love. Love for my family, my friends, my church, and those people that I do not want to love. Meeting people from everywhere on the planet teaches you that everyone has a story. Everyone carries baggage AND awards. My job as a Christian man is to rejoice in their victories and to pray through their struggles. A real man of Christ does not have the time to be indifferent or indignant.

“Your life is not your own”
- This is so true. It was bought with a price. A horrible and beautiful price, and we insult that gift every time we deny it by trying to do things on our own. Our lives should remain wholly in His hands.

“Your most important ministry will always be to your wife (and your family)”
- Thank God! Sometimes, we look at the duties and responsibilities we have taken on and give them our best, while we give our wives what is left. I love the fact that God instructs us to devote ourselves to him first, and our wives next.

“Thicken your skin and follow me!”
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is clear that we do not have the right to demand our own way or our own comfort all the time; perhaps even any of the time! We learned this week that Jesus does not want us comfortable in our faith, because without discomfort, He knows we will not move.

Studying Jesus the man has taught me that I can be both tender and tough. A man of steel and velvet I heard someone once say.

Studying where Jesus lived has taught me that my surroundings might dictate where I can go and what I can do, but they can never limit how much I can love.

Studying where Jesus died showed me that no matter how hard life gets, or how lonely I may feel, He will always be with me – and He can comfort me because He went through so much more.

Lastly, studying where Jesus rose again reminds me that every day is a gift of God. There is a time to run from point A to point B, but there is much more time and much more need to look to my right and to my left, and to make sure that I am listening with both my ears.