In justifying the seemingly extravagant claim in the
title of this serial, on account of what some might see as a mere resolution, I
have made a number of points.
First, that the almost 300 men who signed on to The Resolution
for Men at the closing session of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria’s Men’s
Summit 2012, were motivated by a desire “to reclaim their place in God’s
original plan…”
The divine plan they were determined to reclaim
their place in, we pointed out, can be gleaned in outline from Genesis chapter
2, which was the theme scripture for the conference. Succinctly put, that plan
bestows upon the man, as distinct from the woman, the responsibility to
run the affairs of God’s earthly kingdom and therefore, strictly speaking, also
the accountability to God for how that kingdom is run.
I also tried to show that in
subscribing to the resolution, the men didn’t do it lightly. I pointed out that
after watching the movie, Courageous
with the theme, Honour Begins at Home,
some of us recognized ourselves in one or the other of the actors, and while identifying
with their macho image, we also saw the faults and failings that it masks.
In identifying with and seeing
ourselves to varying degrees in those actors, we were helped by the life-giving
spirit in the word that we had soaked in through four days of “prayerful,
spirit-led soul searching, self-evaluating sessions on Rediscovering Manhood
and its many sub-themes.”
We therefore did not need to be
cajoled or induced in any way to make the commitment that the resolution
required. Nor were we under any illusions that it was some non-binding
statement of intentions from which we could walk away lightly.
This was the background against
which I made the bold declaration “that a sizeable percentage of the nearly 300
men…were led of the Spirit of God to do it and will stand by it, through the
challenging days ahead.”
The first two items saw the men
resolving before God concerning their family… to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my
children; to love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of
God as the spiritual leader of my home.
Think about that, dear reader. If more men see themselves
as the spiritual leader of their homes and from that standpoint, be truly
responsible for the family members; love, protect, serve and teach them the
word of God, imagine the quality of men and women who would emerge from such
homes. Imagine that more of the parents of those of this generation were like
that, how much less of the current woes of our nation today would have had!
Imagine that more of us men are…faithful to our wives, love
and honor them and are willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did
for us…that more of us bless our children and teach them to love God with all
of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength and that more of
us train our children to honor authority and live responsibly.
Loved and honoured wives would translate to blissful
homes where the women will blossom as Proverbs 31 women, virtuous, loving,
godly women whose husbands and children will proclaim as blessed. Look around
today, what percentage of our women fit into this mould? Even among those who
do, what percentage became so because their men played their part?
What about teaching our children to love God with all
their hearts, minds and strength and training them to honour authority and live
responsibly? How many of us truly love God and demonstrate it before our
children? How many see honouring
authority as a duty? How can we teach it, if we don’t do it? You can never give
what you don’t have!
The other items in the resolution address broader issues
of true Christian living, many of which men not too many men might be found
guilty of embracing. Is it to “confront evil, pursue justice, and love
mercy”? For many of us evil is too
powerful to confront, justice too elusive to pursue and mercy, the stuff of
weaklings.
Pray
for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion? I can hear
many men say, “yes, on Sundays; the work-a-day pace is much too fast for all
that!” Much the same attitude applies to the rest of the items: forgive those
who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged; learn from my
mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to
God; seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His
will.
A
particular item on the resolution which we at Christian Men’s Network Nigeria
tinkered with and which therefore reads different from what you’ll find
elsewhere is this: “I WILL work diligently at God’s assignment for me and trust
Him to provide for the needs of my family”. It is noteworthy because the belief
that diligent work is the source of provision for self and family is the most
important single cause of the rat race and the frustration that follows it.
Diligence at God’s assignment for us is an act of obedience, which results from
the love we have for our Father. It is NOT a means to provision for the family
or any other end for that matter. God is our source and our sustainer and He
does it in love.
The
last item on the resolution emphasizes the life-long nature of the commitment
and the truth that it is God himself who will provide the ability for us to
stay the course when it declares: “I WILL courageously work with the strength
God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His
glory. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).” So help
us God, (CONCLUDED)
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