ADVICE FOR MEN
Proverbs 18: 22
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
A real man follows Jesus.
Biblically, he is not defined as a great athlete, or highly intelligent, or an outdoorsman, or handsome or a successful business man.
He is a committed Christ follower. Period.
Robert Lewis wrote a book entitled, Raising a Modern Day Knight. The book endeavors to define Manhood.
Lewis says that a “real man” must embrace a transcendent cause to make his life count. His life’s pursuit should be truly heroic, timeless, and supremely meaningful.
According to Pastor Joe Tanner (Parkway Baptist Church), “A godly man loves God and lives intentionally for His Glory. He loves his family, the church and the lost, selflessly and sacrificially. He rejects passivity, takes responsibility, leads courageously, and expects a greater reward from the Lord.”
As a young man, consider memorizing this definition.
As a man, you must find a suitable teammate for life.
The following mandate should be your most important consideration ……
“The purpose of marriage is to serve the Lord more effectively as a team than you could as an individual.”
— Pastor Garvin Martin
As a young man, consider these questions:
If you marry an unbeliever and have children, will it send a mixed message to the child if the mother is a nominal Christian / agnostic and the father is a believer? Will you put the child in a situation where he or she will have to side with the father or the mother?
If you wish for your family to tithe, why would your unbelieving wife want to give 10% of her money to a “fairy tale”?
Do you have a common blue print?
Where will you live (near family or away from family)?
Do you want to live in an apartment, house or condo?
Will your wife travel for her job? How much?
Homeschool, Private School or Public School for the kids?
One income family or two income family (Who will raise your children? You, your wife, a relative or a childcare facility?)
Will this woman help care for aging parents?
If you concede that the Lord wants you to put Him first in your life, how can it benefit you spiritually to enter into a long term relationship with a woman that doesn’t want to do the same? (And the two shall become one …..)
If you marry and unbeliever and your wife cheats, lies or fails to conduct herself in a moral manner, isn’t it true that she has not submitted to the authority of God? Why would she submit to your Biblical authority? Remember that the Gospel is a command.
Will your wife attend church with you? If not, do you wish to spend every Sunday morning alone? Do you wish to share numerous prayer requests for your unbelieving spouse
Is the woman you are considering as life’s teammate beautiful?
The answer begs the question, “How do you define beauty?”
Right?
Which definition will YOU choose? The world’s definition OR a Biblical definition.
1 Peter 3: 3-4
Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses. Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly
What it means:
Consider the inside more than the outside. External beauty fades ……. Biblical beauty increases over time.
Does this woman have a gentle and quiet spirit?
1 Timothy 4: 8
Physical exercise has some value, but training for godliness is much more important, for it promises a reward in this life and in the life to come
What it means:
Exercising and staying in shape is a good thing; but, God expects us to stay in shape spiritually by reading our Bibles, Praying, Serving others, etc. Consider how much time is devoted to the external versus the internal. Imagine her “spiritual body.” Is it emaciated because she has not consumed the Word of God? Is it fat and sloppy because she is consuming God’s word; but not serving (exercising spiritually)?
Does this woman have her priorities in order?
The man is the covenant initiator.
If you wish to marry, consider the traditional significance of “asking the father’s permission.”
If the Lord leads you to “DATE” or “COURT”, you should be searching for an ambassadorial teammate.
2 Corinthians 5: 20
Psalm 34: 3
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Can you satisfy the intent of this verse with her?
