“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2nd Corinthians 3:4-6 ESV
Most every man I have ever met has a deep need to be "the man." I don't think that in every case this is out of ego, but more out of the need to think of himself as competent when it comes to navigating their way through life.
I would have to include myself in that group as well.
The desire to see myself as competent, whether as a leader, a husband, a father, a friend, or a brother, is a big part of the reason I push myself to excel. But, when left unfiltered by the Holy Spirit and God's Word, my desire to be a competent man can become as deadly as a water moccasins venom. It can infect my heart, cloud my vision, and warp my relationships with those around me.
Over and over again, I have had to force myself to understand the eternal truth that there is really nothing I can do to make myself a fully competent man. I can never learn enough. I can never make enough money. And I can never possess enough wisdom to handle my life and the lives I am entrusted with on every level. And the fact remains, I have learned that this "achievement" I was searching for through my own "competence," how ever good my intentions may be, was completely a carnal and worldly desire.
Men, here is what we all have to come to grips with: The fact that we are in Christ, the fact that we are washed in the blood of His eternal covenant; it's "Christ in us" that makes us competent. Nothing you can do or learn or achieve will make you a competent man. Whether you are a leader in the workplace or simply a simple laborer, your competence is completely tainted without God's help. Our own ability to try and be "the man" is only as good as the depth to which we know THE MAN.
Knowing that simple truth allows us to step back and live our lives without the bondage of having to perform, because our performance is measured only by whether or not we are grafted in the great I Am.
Most every man I have ever met has a deep need to be "the man." I don't think that in every case this is out of ego, but more out of the need to think of himself as competent when it comes to navigating their way through life.
I would have to include myself in that group as well.
The desire to see myself as competent, whether as a leader, a husband, a father, a friend, or a brother, is a big part of the reason I push myself to excel. But, when left unfiltered by the Holy Spirit and God's Word, my desire to be a competent man can become as deadly as a water moccasins venom. It can infect my heart, cloud my vision, and warp my relationships with those around me.
Over and over again, I have had to force myself to understand the eternal truth that there is really nothing I can do to make myself a fully competent man. I can never learn enough. I can never make enough money. And I can never possess enough wisdom to handle my life and the lives I am entrusted with on every level. And the fact remains, I have learned that this "achievement" I was searching for through my own "competence," how ever good my intentions may be, was completely a carnal and worldly desire.
Men, here is what we all have to come to grips with: The fact that we are in Christ, the fact that we are washed in the blood of His eternal covenant; it's "Christ in us" that makes us competent. Nothing you can do or learn or achieve will make you a competent man. Whether you are a leader in the workplace or simply a simple laborer, your competence is completely tainted without God's help. Our own ability to try and be "the man" is only as good as the depth to which we know THE MAN.
Knowing that simple truth allows us to step back and live our lives without the bondage of having to perform, because our performance is measured only by whether or not we are grafted in the great I Am.
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