Men's Breakfast Devotion

Our Wednesday night men’s discipleship group is going through a study on RightNow Media called Be A Godly Man

It is based upon

I Corinthians 16:13-14

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

We have been looking at what Act like men looks like

what stand looks like

what be strong looks like

Not from a worldly perspective but from a Godly perspective

a biblical perspective

It has been awesome

I have seen growth in each man who has committed to being there and putting forth the effort of application through the Holy Spirit

I say that to get to where God lead me for this morning.

Romans 12:9-13

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

Being a Christian man is hard

It is simple but hard

That is one reason I love Men’s Encounter......shameless plug Men’s Encounter through CCO in Oronogo is Sept 15-17…I pray you will consider attending if you have not attended and serving if you have attended.

The reason I love it is we don’t hide the fact that following Jesus is hard....in fact Jesus himself said as much

Mark 8:34-36

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

In fact Jesus even said animals have dens and birds nest but Jesus, the Son of man has no where to lay His head

Doing the work God has called us to do is hard

It will cost us

It will require sacrifice

It is simple but hard

Romans 12 shows us what we as Christian men should look and sound like

Remember that 12 starts by reminding us we are to be living sacrifices

Our minds are to be renewed by being in the word

We are to be transformed men

Jesus men

Counter-cultural men

Godly Men

now here in 9

First our love must be genuine

Be authentic

Dont be fake

Live your life in a fashion that gives God glory

Love well

Jesus loved you when you hated Him so you as a Christian are to love everyone

Not just say you love them but love them in a genuine manner

Looking to serve them

Looking for their best

Putting them ahead of you

Loving them as Christ loved you on the cross!

Abhor....hate what is evil

How many truly hate what is evil

Many say we do but do we

What is your play list on your phone or the radio station in your vehicle say about that

What do you shows and movie and entertainment choices say

What does your social media say

If you are listening or watching things made by those who hate God, non-Christians you better be careful.....can you watch NFL and still hate what is evil

Can you listen to acdc or metiallica or other artists who sing about evil and demonic things.....nope, not in my opinion…hate what is evil

If there is evil in it you must leave it alone

You must stand in full defiance against it

You must protect your brides and your children from it

You must fight to keep it out of your church and from around those you love

Abhor what is evil

Hold fast to what is good

Love the Word of God

Love gathering in fellowship and worship with the saints

If it is good, what is good....anything that brings glory to God is good

Hold fast to that

Make that our foundation

Make that what we stand upon

Stand upon God’s Word

even more as the days of evil are upon us

People you know

People you could influence

People you could reach with the Gospel

they are going to go to hell because they are lost if you do not hold fast to what is good!

Love one another with brotherly affection

More than just once a month, or twice a month if you go to Sheldon’s breakfast and ours

More than just on Sundays

More than just on Wednesday nights

As most of you know Melody, my beautiful bride had lumpectomy Thursday

So many brothers checked on me and are still checking on me and her....what a blessing to be loved with brotherly affection

Look for ways to love your brothers

Look for ways to serve your brothers

Outdo one another in showing honor

Men you were just told to compete with each other to show honor

How do you show honor....you bring glory to God

You compete to live out the Word of God in a real way to those around you

Someone is sick and needs something done around their house....compete to show God honor by just showing up and getting it done

Our neighborhoods

Our communities should never have anything lacking if God’s Men truly tried to outdo one another in showing honor

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord

I was hoping Josh Lamb was going to be here today

My dear brother Josh Lamb from Sheldon is not slothful in zeal especially in worship

If you have ever been around him when there is corporate worship you will hear his zeal

Not in a way to show off but truly worship God with a fervent spirit

We should be loud at times

We should be excited all the time

We should be looking for ways to be zealful and helping others to be fervent in spirit as well

There should never be anything that needs done in our churches if we are full of zeal and fervent in spirit serving the Lord!

Rejoice in hope, patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

Live in the hope you have in Jesus

It doesn’t matter what happens to us or around us on this earth if we have Jesus

Live like it

Rejoice in the hope you have

When Mel and I got her cancer diagnosis we rejoiced in hope

We have Jesus

God is in control

We were not alone

Sure if she were to subcome to this cancer it would crush me physically

I would mourn her because I miss her

but I would rejoice in the hope that I have in Jesus that to be absent from me is to be present with Jesus!

That is our hope Rejoice in it

Patient in tribulation…don’t look for a quick fix…stand and love as God loves you

Bathe everything in prayer

EVERYTHING

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality

Look for ways to love on people in real tangible ways

Looking for ways to meet needs

That means you have to be on the look out for needs

People all around you have needs

Those you sit in church with..the saints

Those you sit in men’s group and bible studies with

Those you work with

Those you meet on the street

Look for needs

Look to meet needs

Show hospitality

Invite people to your house

Invite people out for dinner following church

Invite people camping with you

Look to be hospitable

If your church has someone filling the pulpit he should have so many offers to eat that he is overwhelmed by the hospitality of the congregation

If a new person comes to church they should have so many invites to lunch and fellowship they are moved by the hospitality of God’s saints

If you are sick your fridge and freezer should fill up qucikly

Not to do works but because of what Jesus did on the cross

paying for your sin

paying for my sin

dying in our place

offering salvation and forgiveness

all while we hated him

all while we were His enemies

I have a question to end with today

Does your life match Romans 12:9-13?

If not what stands between you and God

You see the life described here in Romans is a changed life

A life that is lived in love and admiration of the work Jesus did on the cross

A life that is changed because of the true love you receive day in and day out by Jesus

Are you living for Jesus

Does your life match Romans 12?

Let’s pray.