I was at a men's conference this past weekend at First Baptist Church of Woodstock. It was fun, insightful and uplifting to see so many men worshipping God together. During one of the sessions Pastor Hunt spoke about the top 3 struggles that men face today. Ego and Pride, Greed and Lust.
The more I thought about these, the more that I see they are so prevalent in our society today. Lets cover these three topics.
Ego and Pride. One in the same yet different at times. As men we are a prideful bunch. We take pride in all sorts of things, such as our home, our toys, our sports, our kids, our wives, our intelligence, our jobs, our cars and others. That ego gets in our way more often than not. It makes us hard to deal with. It affects our horizontal relationships and friendships. It makes us say things we regret. It makes us tough guys. It makes communicating with our spouse difficult at times. It really does more damage than good. The word "ego" does not appear in the Bible. Now the idea of "ego" certainly appears in the Bible. The word ego generally refers to an exaggerated sense of self-importance, which usually results is an excessive preoccupation with “self." The idea of "Self " is one of the biggest idols facing society today. When it all becomes about you and not God, then we get in over our head. When the focus is on "I" then we start to loose out on God's true blessings. I am going to do this, I did that, I am a self made man. All those are focused on the "I" and not the HE.
Look to Isaiah 14:13-14. Here we see a description of Satan. Here its all about Satan and his ego. He thought of himself to be like God. It was his ego that led to his downfall, just like many men today. We live in a world where it is all to easy to become ensnared in this trap. Society for the most part is about the ego. Look around you. Most everything is geared towards your ego. That's why they make $100k sport cars. They tell us men that sexual conquest is a measurement of manhood. We are told that we have to look a certain way, have certain jobs, live certain places. All of those are just ways to stumble over the ego. Just like Satan did. He was a heavenly being at one time but his ego caused his downfall and removal from heaven. So what about us puny humans?
The answer is humility. We have to see ourselves for who we really are. Sinners who are separated from God. Totally unable to save ourselves. Being humble is what Micah 6:8 tells us to do. An example for you football fans. Lane Kiffin, the outspoken former coach at USC was recently hired at the University of Alabama. Fans were in an uproar. He's too brash, he wont fit at Bama, he will ruin the program. I heard them all. During signing day at the University he was introduced to a thunderous applause and he was visual very emotional at the reception he was given. He thank the crowd while holding back the tears. Why? Well when you are fired from your job at the airport and left there with your bag and no ticket home, that will humble you. Then he was given another chance at one of the top programs in the nation.
The parallels with God and our pride should be very noticeable. Our ego causes us to stumble but God in all his glory uses that stumbling block to teach us, show his love, his mercy and his grace. Its hard for men out there in the world. We have so much responsibilities as husbands, fathers, friends, workers and heads of households. That ego can rear its ugly head at any time. So pray for us men, that we can truly be a man of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment