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MAN (part 3): parts of the godly man


The Christmas season is upon us, and signs of the season are everywhere.  The lights seem to be growing and gleaming brighter each day.  Notice the nativity scenes becoming more prevalent inside and outside.  Radio station after radio station are playing songs of the season that talk about a baby born at Christmas.

Yep.  People are talking about Jesus.  It is that time of the year when people listen more and talk more about the reason for life, the way of salvation, the promise of God and the meaning of Christmas.  That would be the one who is the way, the truth and the life, and His name is Jesus.

After Jesus was born there was a group of people who came to see and to worship Him.  I am not talking about the shepherds.  I am talking about the wise men.  Tradition tells us that there were three wise men, but we are not sure of that.  There were three gifts that the Bible talks about.  The Christmas story has so many facets that take our mind and our hearts to a new land of celebration.

I’d like to spend another day in the MAN series talking about what a godly man who has been transformed by God looks like.  There are many different portions of the Bible that points to our guidance and success.  God has a plan for you and for me.

A wise man has several things going through his life that were placed there by God.  Galatians 6 opens some of those windows for us.  Read a few verses with me.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

The godly man understands that he is his brother’s keeper.  It doesn’t say judge or jury.  We are called to help others see the goodness of God.  That means we can and must encourage those we care about to live for God.

The godly further is careful not to fall in to temptation.  The best way to avoid this pit it to stay honest and to make sure we share life with others who care about us.  To encourage each other, to be honest with each other, to hold each other accountable keeps us strong and close to God.

The godly man shares the burdens of those he cares about.  To “share a burden” can mean all kinds of things.  This is about meeting needs.  This is about being there when someone is in pain and dealing with tough situations life throws at us.  This means correcting someone when they are headed the wrong way. 

The godly understand the strength of humility.  Don't think too high or too low of yourself.  God tells us who we are based on what He has done and on what He says.  This is another part to listening to other godly people who care about us.

The godly man examines himself often and seeks to make sure that he is not trying to compare himself to others.   The power of comparison takes us to places we should not go.  Comparison makes us leave real success behind.

The godly man understands that his actions, his words, his thoughts and his life are in God’s hands.  The godly man cares more about what God has planned than anything else.

Every person has a choice.  We can live our way or God’s way.  The godly man puts God first.  We have a choice.

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