Is it just me or do women seem to make women friends easily? Men aren't so lucky. Men seem uncomfortable having close friendships with other men. Oh, men can golf together, fish together and play cards together, but don't ask men to pray together or encourage one another spiritually. Men are much more comfortable just watching the game and exchanging high-fives when the team scores. But sadly, most men have missed out on spiritual blessings because of their inability to make close spiritual friendships with other men.A man needs brothers in Christ who know him authentically and who are committed to spur him on towards integrity and becoming all that God created him to be. The bottom line fact is that an isolated follower of Jesus is extremely vulnerable to the temptations in today’s world and to the enemy’s schemes. When men choose to go-it-alone spiritually, it's tough. “And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Everyone needs a friend ...
- The Lone Ranger had Tonto
- Batman had Robin
- Superman had, well no one, but you're not Superman!
- David had Jonathan.
- Jesus had his friends, the apostles.
We need to be men who are willing to share spiritual struggles and victories with other men whether it looks macho or not. Besides, men, we'll all have six men to carry us when we’re dead, so who’s going to carry us when we’re alive? I will admit that I have been blessed with some very close friendships with other men in my life. Men that have held me accountable and prayed with me on a regular basis. I can't imagine what it would be like not to have other men in my life.
Why do you think Christian men stuggle building open and authentic relationships with other Christian men?
Labels: Accountability, Men
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Here is a quick question for you to think about today. Is there such a thing as "Christian Maintenance?" Do we maintain our Christianity? Notice I didn't say "maintain our salvation" because I know I don't maintain my salvation ... God does. But what about maintaining my spiritual growth?I preached this past Sunday about what a Christian should do to maintain his or her spiritual health. We maintain lots of things in our lives ... our cars, our homes, our bodies, and our minds, just to name a few. If we don't maintain those things they quit working or quit growing.
So, what about our Christian lives? Here's a list of a few things to help with maintenance...
- Bible Study - daily reading from God's word. It teaches us love.
- Prayer - daily communication with God. It teaches us dependancy.
- Accountability - through a support group or Christian friend.
- Church - one of the main ways God strengthens and builds us up.
I don't know about you, but my tank gets empty really quick. I need refilled or "maintained" on a regular basis. Out of the four things mentioned above, we tend to overlook accountability more than the others. Why is that?
So, do you think we need to spiritually maintain? How do we do it? And, what did I leave off my list that should be there that would help us? Any thoughts? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Labels: Accountability, Bible Study, Church, Prayer, Spiritual Growth
