A dear brother in the Lord recently shared with me the following insights from a blog called "the Rebelution." On the blog there's a list of qualities of "A real man". It is my prayer that God will lead and direct me to one such man who strives for these qualities, whose first desire is to praise and honour the Lord in all he does and says. This list is pretty intense - and yet the life of a Christian is not meant to be soft and cushy; the way is hard and narrow, and it takes much hard work, perseverance, and dependence on Jesus to stay on it.
So here it is, "A real man" by The Rebelution. I've made it a prayer, and will continue to pray this prayer both for my future husband, should the Lord ever bless me in this way, and also for all the young men of our churches and youth groups. May God work in their lives to bring up a generation of men eager to serve Him and lead His people in spreading the good news of salvation to all who are yet lost. It all begins with a simple heart change, and with a hunger and thirst for the knowledge and fear of the Lord!
I pray that my future husband will...
- understand and live according to the basic purposes for which he was created: to worship, honor, and serve God. (Romans 12:1-2)
- value and carefully handle the scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:15)
- not pride himself on being knowledgeable in the sinful ways of the world. (1 John 2:15-16, James 4:4, Philippians 4:8)
- not be embarrassed to worship God and pray in a group setting. (Mark 8:38)
I pray that my future husband will
- be wise, yet humble. (Proverbs 2:1-10, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16)
- that he will take leadership in a self-sacrificing way. (Ephesians 5:25-28)
- be kind because, “What is desirable in man is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22)
- not try to prove himself but simply be confident as he walks in the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 14:26-27)
I pray that my future husband will...
- not put others down with his actions, attitude, words, or his strength. But on the contrary, affirm and build others up (Proverbs 15:4, Ephesians 4:29)
- treat his sisters and mother with as much respect as he would treat a prospective wife. (Matthew 25:21)
- not only respect but appreciate a young lady’s purity and innocence. In our culture innocence isn’t retained by accident. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3)
- value his purity as much as he values a young lady’s purity. I pray that he may not be ashamed to live and act differently from the world in order to guard himself. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Ecclesiastes 7:26)
I pray that my future husband will...
- be able to look a girl straight in the eye without communicating any impurity. (Proverbs 20:11)
- not be ashamed to identify himself with his family (Ephesians 6:2-3)
- that he be a gentleman, polite and showing women honor in everyday things such as opening doors, etc. (1 Peter 3:7)
- that he have no desire to be gross in order to impress other men. He better not burp! Or swear, or tell disgusting stories. (Proverbs 13:5, Ephesians 5:4)
I pray that my future husband will...
- show by his actions that he loves children. (Matthew 19:13-14)
- that he will be pleasant and express joy rather than feeling that it’s masculine to be sullen. (Proverbs 21:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:16)
- that he won’t blame others for his own problems but will embrace responsibility. (Proverbs 12:27)
- that he will be able to accept correction (Proverbs 12:1, Proverbs 29:1)
I pray that my future husband will...
- be mature in his emotions and his expressions of them. That he will be able to deal with the trials of life logically, with wisdom, not on a basis of emotional instability. (Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 12:18)
- that he will understand the value of work and is financially responsible. (Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Luke 16:10-11)
- that he be able to express himself with intelligent words rather than using “street talk”. (Proverbs 17:20, Titus 2:6-8, 1 Peter 4:11, Ephesians 4:29)
_______________________
Lord God of heaven, I pray that your name will be lifted high as men pattern their lives after your Son’s example, in dependence on the Holy Spirit. I pray that this list will inspire men to reach ever higher, to "aim for the stars" in Godliness and zeal for the Jesus of the Bible who has given His life for His people.
4 comments:
hey thanks louise, i think i'll use this for my workshop at tamarack. :)
This list is great! I just hope that young women in the churches do not expect any one young man to have all of these qualities under his belt! It's ok to be working on and striving for them and not be there yet--let's not expect perfection!
And I just have to say--what's with the "He better not burp!"??
true... we can't expect anyone to be perfect; yet we must always be striving to become more like Christ.
"he better not burp" is just what I mean that to say... burping, though sometimes humorous, is gross.
:)
I'm feeling you on the burping situation...
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