24 Jan 2015 by Jason Law CM –
Psalm 127:3-5 reminds us of the treasure that comes from the children that God has blessed us with. This particular psalm expressly tells us that children that are brought up in the Lord are like arrows in a master archer’s hands. They have the power to extend the Kingdom of God far beyond anything we may think of, act as stalwart defenders of the work and word of God, and become the pride of God’s army.
This is the reward that comes from responsible stewardship of God’s blessing, and the heart cannot express the joy and level of tranquility when a man and his family are within God’s approval and blessing. Being a father, natural or spiritual, is an important responsibility. So is being a husband.
Where do we start to begin the journey to be better husbands and fathers? We start with ourselves as authentic men! We need to learn to be the kind of men that God wants us to be. Learning to be all these do not come through a single event but a process over time.
About Men Alive
To answer this need, Men Alive, the men’s ministry at DUMC, was formed to provide a platform through talks, small groups (MAG -Mentoring and Accountability Group) and retreats; a safe place where powerful learning opportunities are available for ALL men, single or married.
Specifically, Men Alive meet one Saturday per month, sessions where men gather together to learn from spiritual leaders, commune to share advice from personal lessons in life or discuss issues with a group of friends, encourage one another, and pray together in unity.
Their first session for the year was held on the 17th of January 2015. Before Pastor Chris Kam shared the word, Brother Keong, the coordinator of the ministry communicated about its heart for the MOSAIC Generation, those that are from 18-35 years old. He imparted that the Church’s near-future will largely depend on the composition of this generation that still remains faithful to God, and that the Church needs to follow-up and disciple this group of people. The young adults shared that their generation are looking for churches that are relevant, real, and relational.
The Three Ps That Make a Man of God
Pastor Chris Kam shared that there are 3 Ps that make a guy a mature man of God:
- Perspective
Developing an eternal perspective mean placing our foundation in Christ and taking care of our walk with God. We need to be careful about how we build our lives. Develop a culture of accountability and establish guard rails/barriers to areas that we shouldn’t cross.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 teaches us about God’s system of reward. God takes note of what we do on earth, which mean that what we do matters. The parable of the 5 talents (Matthew 25:14-30) teaches us that God’s reward system is not based on the amount of thing we do, but on our faithfulness. As men, this particularly applies to the people God has blessed us with; parent to children, husband to wife. We must always recognize what God has given to us and that families are both a responsibility as well as a blessing.
- Priorities
There are 4 categories of things in life; 1. Important and Urgent, 2. Important but Not Urgent, 3. Not Important but Urgent, 4. Not Important and Not Urgent. Mature men know how to differentiate between what is important and urgent.
Pastor Chris Kam shared about the 5% Principle; that is, the 5% that matters. 85% of everything we do in life, anybody can do them. These come automatically and we do not have to pay attention to them. Some examples of these are television, having a good meal, sleeping, and so on. 10% of everything, someone with the same training can do them. These include technical work and jobs requiring degrees.
However, there is another 5% in our life that nobody can do except us and that’s where healthy men are different from the others. For example, no one else can take over roles of husbands to wives. The roles are unique to them and it is their responsibility to take good care of their families. Good husbands and fathers know how to invest in the emotional bank accounts of their family.
No one else can keep ourselves spiritually fit; that can only come from a personal walk with God. That goes as well for being physically fit and setting the proper pace in life and taking time to enjoy life (resting in God; the meaning of Sabbath). Setting proper priorities makes the difference between lives.
- Patterns
Pastor Chris Kam also shared that setting patterns for the things we do will also shape either good, godly, spiritual lives or empty ones. He explained that studies have shown that our brains have a knack of adapting our regular activities into habits. This frees up our minds for other things. By setting a pattern for our spiritual lives, our devotional life will slowly become more effortless and increasingly natural to us. Good habits set us in front of others, bad habits sets us back, and many successful men have the wisdom to follow good patterns of life through.
Men Alive meet one Saturday every month. The next sessions are as follows:
You can find out more about Men Alive at: http://menalive.dumc.my/
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