The
world is in its present state because men have failed in their
responsibilities. God created man in the beginning and put everything under his
control. The woman missed it because God’s commandment was not well
communicated to her. The man also lacked the self control to resist the offer
of Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
Adam
and Eve were created equal and were given the same power/dominion. Eve was put
under the man after she ate the forbidden fruit Genesis 3:16. God said “It is
not good for the man…..’’. Many boys are tired of being alone and
have taken girls to themselves as wives. This unfortunate union has produced
many premature children- Legitimate Bastards.
God
made the first man in his own image Genesis 1:26
And
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.
There
are three stages in the life of a man
1.
Model
2.Husband
3.Father
MODEL
A
model is a replica, reflection of a thing. A man has to develop himself into
the correct model of the man God made at the beginning
The
First Man
Gen
1:26-28
And
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.
So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
There
are five dimensions of the first man Gen 1 :28
- Fruitful. This means to bear fruits, to have proofs, results, products, reward, success. There are two types of fruits: good fruits and bad fruits. It is not just enough to bear fruits but God desires everyman to bear good fruits Matthew 7:17, John 15:16.
- Multiply. This means to grow, reproduce, swell, enlarge, magnify or increase. Fruits that waste cannot multiply. Therefore good fruits must be preserved properly in order to multiply. For multiplication to occur, you must have a large number of fruits
- Replenish. This means to stock up, reload, replace, top up, fill up or revitalize. Good and bad fruits can multiply but only good fruits can replenish. Therefore multiplication does not guaranty replenishment. There are so many useless fruits all around. This is the reason why increase in the world population has not changed the world for better. Good fruits will be used to replace the bad trees that have been identified.
- Subdue. This is to suppress, put under, control, hold back, check, discipline, tame. This makes it possible for you to determine and control the fruits of a tree. The good seeds that have been planted in place of the bad trees will grow and bear good fruits. This will eliminate bad trees from the garden completely over a period of time.
- Dominion. This is to govern, lead, rule dictate, take over, influence or direct. Dominion is the final stage in which all things submit willing to you because you have been able to subdue them. Dominion is not by force, it is the process whereby everyone and all things surrender willing to your leadership. At the point of dominion, all the trees in the vineyard produce good fruits because the bad trees have been completely removed and replaced by good trees.
Responsibilities
of the First Man
After
God made Adam, he gave him two responsibilities
Gen
2:15
And
the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and
to keep it.
- Dress. This means to cultivate, take care, prune, decorate, deck out or trim.
- Keep. This means to protect from harm, defend, guard, shield, conserve, hide, retain, preserve or conceal.
God
brought Adam to Eve when Adam had succeeded in dressing and keeping the garden.
A man is qualified to be a husband when he is able fulfill these criteria. A
man that cannot dress and keep himself is not fit to dress and keep others. He
will mismanage those kept under his care.
HUSBAND
It is
a pity that in our days we have fathers who have never been husbands. This is
as a result of fornication or adultery. This has also led to increase in the
number of single parents in the society. A man how has not learnt how to be a
good husband can never be a good father.
A
husband was once a boy who has grown into a man by becoming a good model:
1.
He is
a man because he has proofs of bearing Good Fruits
2.
Increase
of his kind (Multiplication) will not endanger mankind.
3.
He has
quality seeds that can Replenish bad trees.
4.
He is
a man who has Subdued himself by being able to control himself and
others.
5.
He is
a man who will not fail God when put in a place of authority(Dominion)
The
husband is the leader in the home and dictates the pace for the family. A good
husband must be able to dress and keep his wife.
Isaiah
5:1-6
Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.
My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
And
he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the
choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress
therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth
wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you,
between me and my vineyard.
What
could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?
wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth
wild grapes?
And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away
the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof,
and it shall be trodden down:
And I
will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall
come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain
no rain upon it.
Dress
Dressing
a garden involves clearing, digging, planting, watering, weeding,
fertilizing, pruning harvesting and processing of the fruits.
How A
Man Should Dress His Wife
- Put on her the necessary ornaments. This is knowing and giving her what is good for her. This can be likened to adding manure to a garden
- Washing, cleaning and making her presentable. Just like you weed and prune a garden, you must care for her. Ephesians 5:25-28.
- Bring out her hidden beauty. Treasures are never found on the surface, you must dig deep to bring them out. A man must search out the hidden treasures in his wife Matthew 13:44.
- Cut off her excesses. Branches of trees are pruned regularly so that the tree can bear more fruits. A man should prune his wife so that she can become all that God wants her to be John 15:2.
Keep
- A man is to protect his wife. This involves defending her in front of others, shielding her from physical, verbal, spiritual, emotional, financial, moral and psychological harm. He is also to hide her in times of trouble, rain or storm and be a shield for her against her enemies.
- A man is to direct and guide his wife in the right path. Just like a horse rider guides the horse to the right path.
- A man is also to preserve his wife. The good things in the wife must be guarded jealously if not they can spoil
When a
man is able to dress and keep his wife successfully, he is qualified to be a
father.
FATHER
The
role of a father is principally to raise children who possess the qualities of
their parents. This is the work of a role model. All things being equal,
children are a replica of their parents.
The
Significance of A Role Model
Bad
Model + Bad Wife =
Bad children
Bad
Model + Good Wife
= Bad children
Good
Model + Bad Wife
= Bad children
Good
Model + Good Wife = Good
children
The
Ratio of good children to bad children is 1 :3. No wonder our world is upside
down because there are too many bad children. The parents determine to a large
extent if a child will become good or bad. The kind of model the child has
plays a paramount role especially in the formative years.
Do you
know that a thief, a killer, prostitute, lazy, spoilt, obedient, good or a
proud child is the product of a home.
All
hope is not lost, we can still make a change. To make a forest filled with good
trees, you need good seeds that have not been contaminated. You and I can make
a change by determining to be a good model for others to follow by standing
with our families for Christ.
ARE
YOU A MAN?
A man
is never given birth too, only babies are given birth too. That you were born a
male and you are over twenty years of age does not make you a man. A man is a
male child who was given birth too and has undergone the stages of been a baby,
kid and then a man.
Qualities
of A Man
1.
Inner and External Strength
Strength
is vigor, power, force or might. God made men to be physically stronger
than women because of the role they are to play in the lives of
women. A man was not made physically stronger so that he can bully, threaten or
beat his wife. A man who bullies, threatens or beats his wife is not a man but
a boy.
A man
also needs inner strength in order to dress and keep a woman. It takes inner
strength to defend, cultivate, protect, prune, decorate, clean, direct, lead
and preserve a woman.
2.
Self Control
A man
who cannot control himself cannot control others. The lack of self control has
destroyed many men e.g. Gehazi 2Kings 5, Cain Genesis 4:1-12, Samson Judges 16
etc.
A man
that God will use to conquer the world must first be a man that God has been
able to help to conquer himself. The greatest battle in life is the battle
against self. Remember that whatever controls you is your master. No one can do
it for you that is why it is called self control. You must make efforts and
rely on the Holy spirit to help you because self control is a fruit of the Holy
Spirit Galatians 5:23
3.
Problem solver. A problem is a difficulty, hindrance or obstacle. The world is
looking up to the men to solve the many problems of the world. God solved the
problem of darkness and emptiness by speaking to the earth in Genesis 1. Many
men today to do not have a clue as to what to do about the situations in their
lives and families. Their families remain the same because their wives and
children are looking up to them for solutions that they do not have. We need to
return to our life manual – Bible. God has shown us what to do and he has given
us the capacity to do the same because we are created in His image.
Joseph,
David and Daniel were relevant men in their days because they were able to
solve the prevailing problems in their days. Men will be remembered for
the problems they solved and the ones they created.
4.
Decision Maker. The man is not just the head, he is the decision maker in the
family. There is room for consultations and contributions from every member of
the family. The final decision after all discussions lies in the hand of the
man. This means that the man must be physically, emotionally, financially,
mentally and psychologically awake to make the right decisions at all times.
We are
paying for the decisions some people made for us and others will pay for the decisions
we also make. Our decisions are very important because indecision is a
decision. The decisions of Achan, Ahab, Jeroboam, Dathan, Abiram and Korah led
to the destruction of their families. The decisions of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph and David brought blessings on generations after them.
It is
not all about you, it is all about your linage/generations because they will
reap the fruit of your decisions. Make the right choice today so that you will
be remembered for good.
5.
Pace Setter. A pace setter is a Pioneer, innovator, or pacemaker. It is not
enough to make decisions; decisions must be backed up with actions. As men, God
has called us to a life of actions but many of us have become men of reactions.
Men of reactions are men who react to what happens around them.
Men
are made to act and then for others to react to their actions. Many men have
left their roles as attackers and have become defenders. A wise man will go out
to attack his enemies and not wait for his enemies at home.
What
pace are you setting as a man in your family and the society at large. Daniel,
Nehemiah, David and Joseph were pacesetter in their days.
CONCLUSION
If we
fail to take our rightful place as men, God will raise women in our place like
Deborah, Abigail, and the women at the tomb of Jesus.
What
You Can Do
A.
Take time to study, meditate and act on this clarion call
B.
Repent if you have lived below God’s expectation for you.
C.
Share with others on the need for them to arise and take their place as men.
No comments:
Post a Comment