What Does it Mean to be a Man of God?

Does it mean that I claim His name? Does it mean that my allegiance belongs to Him; that I bear the title Christ- follower, believer, Christian? What does it mean to be a man of God?


Does it mean that I rule my life in ways that avoid the moral pit falls and snares of this world? Does it mean that holiness is a battle I strive to win? Does it mean that I work at the development of "God" character, the fruit of the Spirit, in my life? What does it mean?


Does it mean that I force-feed my spirit the Word of God? Does it mean that I strive to make prayer happen interwoven into my busy schedule? What does it mean?

Does it mean that I labor intensely for the sake of the Kingdom? Relentlessly working, reaching out to the hurting, counseling the struggling, leading the willing, seeking the lost? What does it mean?


It may mean all of these things. In fact my life may often be defined by these things, but does it mean I'm a man of God?

Maybe,....

Or maybe a man of God is one who walks in grace so real, fellowship so close, communion so deep, spirit so broken, awe so inspiring, worship so lifted, that who we are becoming is like who God is.

Then the title becomes character.
Holiness a trait, not a goal.
The Word indwelt, not just studied.
Prayer a life stream, not a scheduled appointment.
Kingdom advancement an undeniable consequence, not just the focus of my striving.

What does it mean to be a man of God?


Lord, help me to be such a man.

Chasing after other gods

I was reading in Hosea. It is always a fascinating book for me to read. Who names a girl Gomer? Who marries a prostitute and expects faithfulness? Who names their children "not my people," "no mercy", "no love"? I have often said, "thank you Lord you didn't call me to be Hosea."

In the midst of this book I was hammered by a statement, a charge God brings against the people of Israel. Hos 6:10 says, "My people have defiled themselves by chasing after other gods." Chasing after other gods-at first the statement just rolled by, then my brain tripped over the truth. It was very easy for me as a leader to chase after other gods. As I sat in the window in the coffee house, I saw clearly how easy it was for me to chase after gods.

There are no temples in my yard, no idols in my home, no false festivals on my calendar, yet I saw all the ways I so easily chased after false gods.

I saw how easy it is to replace "Christ in me the hope of Glory" for "hard work by me the hope of glory." And that was only the first of many false gods I could so easily chase. Others included "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" with "I can do all things"; "You shall have no other gods before me" with "you shall no other gods before me except for rest, recreation and pleasure";
"Meditate on my words day and night" with meditate on the words of Ed Young, George Barna, Crawford Loritts, Reggie McNeal and Andy Stanley"; "without faith it is impossible to please God" with "without faith in coaching, PowerPoint's, blackberry, social networking and websites it's impossible to please God."
It was so easy to chase after other things than Him.

In the same book Hosea wrote. "Oh that we might know the Lord. Let us press on to know Him."

What are you chasing after today? As a leader. As a man or woman of God. What are you chasing? Have other gods become more pressing than pressing on to know Him? Let it not be said of us that we "exchanged the Glory of God for the disgrace of idols[1]" even the modern ones.

Sharp Edges

I love my landscaping and flower beds. I love how they look when they are neatly mulched, weeded and trimmed. But I have learned unless I maintain the edging on my beds they begin to look sloppy and loose their appeal. So on a semi-regular basis I have to focus on the edging. Whether it's a hand edger, spade, or edging attachment on a Mantis, edging takes work. It takes time and is tedious. Long before I'm finished with it, I'm tired of it. But when the work is done, the beds look so much better.


It hit me the other day how much my life was like a landscape bed. Sometimes when it is neatly trimmed, and well weeded, the fruit of the Spirit is very evident. But more often than I'd like to admit, the evidence of weeds, those fleshly fruit, have emerged. I'm testy here, a little lazy there, less than gentle, self control wavers. What I've discovered is that during those times, the edges of my life need tending. The lines that define who I am as a follower, as a leader become ragged. There is a real need to focus on the edging.

So I get back to the hard work of fasting, prayer, devotion. It feels tedious. Long before I'm finished I'm tempted to quit, but when the work is done, when the investment is made, the shape of my life looks so much better. How are the edges of your life as a leader? Are the lines that define you sharp and clean, or have they been neglected for awhile? Is it time for you dig in and focus on the basic things that define us as followers? If you are like me, from time to time it's a necessary discipline in keeping the edges clean.