This morning in my devotional time I read a familiar story from the book of Genesis.
Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths
One of the things in this passage that I find very interesting is that the serpent spoke up and gave his opinion, Eve spoke up and gave her thoughts, however, Adam remained completely silent during the entire event. What if Adam, who God had originally spoken to about what would happen if they ate of the tree, had spoken up? What if Adam would have been a leader instead of an observer.
I guess I could talk about the state of men today and how common place it is for men to sit back, put their head down, and let life happen to them and their family rather then stand up and and protect their family. However, I think it would be best for me to look in the mirror and ask myself a few question first before pointing fingers at others?
While the Bible clearly affirms the equality of men and women (Galatians 3:28), it also tells us plainly that God has assigned the responsibility of spiritual leadership in the home to husbands: "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them" (Colossians 3:18-19).
As the Christ Like Servant Leader of the home, what kinds of qualities are required in a husband who desires to fulfill this high and holy calling?
A man must have strong connection with his Heavenly Father, find his happiness first and foremost in Christ.
A man must be balanced in his commitments and nurturing in his concern for the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of his wife and family.
A man must be proactive, spotting potential challenges to his family and come up with workable solutions to the problem.
A man must have integrity at all times, seeking to be the safest, wisest, and most respected man his wife and children know.
These four qualities drive me to ask myself a few things:
Do I lead my family spiritually?
Do I stay in tune with God so that I can see physical, financial, and family battles as they are coming? Or do I get so caught up in the day to day routine that I let life hit me and simply role with the punches like Adam did?
Do I take the lead when battles come or do I let my wife carry all the weight of figuring out what to do and which direction we should go?
What am I doing to serve, love, protect, and support my wife in her daily life as a woman and mother?
What am I doing to serve, love, protect, and lead my children? Am I involved or simply observing?
Have I led with enough integrity that when I do speak up my wife, and children know I have their best interest in mind.
My prayer as a man:
God from the Garden of Eden up till now, nothing much has really changed. The enemy crawls up as close to my family as he can trying to deceive us daily. Help me as a husband and father to be like Christ and not Adam. Help me to be a servant leader. Help me to be a proactive leader. Help me to be balanced in my lifestyle. Help me to have Godly character in all I do so that my wife and children are able to fulfill their God given destinies in life.