Men of Faith

I was moved to tears. One man stood up, walked to the alter and kneeled before the Lord. A second man joined him. My husband joined them. Before all was said and done, the alter was filled from one side of the sanctuary to the other with men seeking to do the Lord's will for their families. Desiring to lead their families closer to Christ. To do right things. Good things. Godly things. To love Jesus better. To love their wives and children better. To be present in their homes. Mentally present, actively present, not just physically present. To live out their faith in the place where it is most important with the people who are most important, in their homes with their families.

As I sat in my seat watching this take place, I was in awe of what God was doing in our church. The world is looking for a way to return to our roots, to the way things used to be when marriages stood the test of time and families spent time together. Remember the Nickelodeon commercials a few years ago about the family table? I don't believe that eating together is going to necessarily save the family, though it will help, but we actually DO have the answer! The church knows this answer! It starts with the men of the church stepping up and doing right things, restructuring their priorities so that their families see God in His proper place followed by the family in second place. This is the way God designed things. A man's first place of ministry is within his home (a woman's too) and it should be more important than any other ministry, job or hobby.

I am excited for these men who stepped forward this morning and made new commitments or renewed old ones, who know they don't have it all right yet, but they're on the journey to get it there. I'm proud to say that, as I listened to today's sermon, I knew my husband was already working toward these things even though I know he would tell you that he doesn't have it all figured out yet. He's moving forward toward Jesus, and that's what matters. Instead of using the lack of a good earthly example as an excuse, he is rising above excuses and becoming the man God intends for him to be. I am blessed. Truly. I love this man.

If Christian men made and kept these commitments to love their families and lead them toward Jesus, can you imagine the impact we would have on the world? If the world could look at Christian families and see a difference, it would be contagious. Jesus is contagious. This is what I am praying for. Impacting the world starts at home. I'm so excited about what God can do through families who choose His ways. I can't wait to see what God does through the faithfulness of these men who stepped forward this morning in faith. God is amazing, and this morning, I got to His awe-inspiring presence at the alter in the sanctuary of our church. This is a blessing that I will not soon forget.