Welcome to the very first "Real Man Monday." I'm excited to begin this adventure with you and see where it takes us. Don't forget that you get out of this what you put into it. So, watch the videos and take the challenges each week.

Caution

Weeds grow quickly, but oak trees take years. If you want a quick fix to becoming a man of God, these videos are not for you. However, if you realize that becoming a man of God takes a lifetime, let's get started together.

Goal

To slowly grow into a man of God, one week at a time. Each week, we will look at a different aspect of being a man of God.

Today's topic: What is a man of God?

What is a man? Is it when you become 18 years old? Is it when you get married? Is it when you get your first 'real job?' Is it when you have kids?

Ask most guys what it means to be a man, and you'll likely get many different answers. If you ask our culture, you'll get many other explanations, most described by women.

For many guys, if you could sum up the expectation of a man, it would be Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris is strong. Chuck Norris can round-house-kick his way out of anything. Chuck Norris has the respect of his peers. Chuck Norris always gets the girl.

So, let's settle that the stereotypical man is Chuck Norris.

(Did you know Chuck Norris counted to infinity? Twice.)

If Chuck Norris is the stereotype for a man, what is a man of God? It's a blessing to know God has already told us in Micah 6:8,

"Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God."

‭‭‬According to God, a man of God acts justly, loves faithfulness, and walks humbly with God. Here's what we can take away from this:

Acts Justly

This means someone who doesn't sit around and wait on someone to do something. Men of God are not victims, and they are not helpless. They defend what's is right or 'just.' They protect those who are in the right or who are vulnerable. Everyone should feel safe when a man of God is in the room because he is a defender of what is right. (Men of God are the original superheroes.)

Loves Faithfulness

The word faithfulness means someone consistent and dependable. The Bible says a man of God is not only faithful, but he takes pride in it. He loves the ability to be consistently faithful. Faithfulness is our gift to others. To be faithful, we live by principles and not by passions. Passions make great side hustles or hobbies, but we live according to our principles to be faithful over the long term.

Walks humbly with the Lord

Humble doesn't mean we think less of ourselves. It means we think of ourselves less often. Therefore, we do not live according to our agenda first. We live to serve the Lord. The great thing is God wants to accomplish all He places in our hearts. But, we do so with Him, not despite Him.

This week's challenge!

Think about what it is to be a man and a man of God. Think through how you measure up to what God says a man is and what changes you need to make in the future. Ask someone else what their definition of a man is and then about a man of God.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with getting up off the couch. You have to know where you are before seeing where you are going. Spend time this week thinking about where you are. Next week, we will begin doing something about it.