THIS SEASON, HERE’S ONE THING EVERY MAN MUST HAVE
In creation, God said the things he created were “good.” After he made man, he said that creation was “very good.” If you listen to someone read Genesis chapter one, you hear, “it was good…it was good…it was good…it was good…it was good…it was very good.” But, God never said it was “perfect.”
We weren’t made to be perfect. We were made to live according to God’s purpose and to be “very good.” For some of us, that takes the performance trap right off the table. You can’t be a perfect man, but you can be “very good.”
But how do we even live “very good”? A few verses later, God suddenly changes his words. In Genesis 2:18, we read, “…It was not good.” What was not good? “It was not good for man to be alone.”
The secret to your “very good” is in relationships.
God is three persons in one being. He has existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from eternity. The trinity is an eternal band of brothers. Before God was anything else, he was God in community.
Most men have many acquaintances but no real friends. Yet a man cannot stay on track without relationships. It’s not that he will probably get off track. It’s certain that a man who does not bind himself to relationships will lose his way.
Adam could not fully live out the image of God without being in a relationship with another person. Marriage is the most intimate of these relationships, but the scriptures teach the power and necessity of other types of relationships as well.
Living in authentic relationships makes it possible for you to do what you were made to do—to reflect the image of God. In a world of temptation and struggle, it is too hard to stay on track without doing the same thing God does—live in community.
Relationships encourage us to keep the faith and walk with Christ. Friends “stimulate you to love and do good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). Men “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). The great commandment of Christ cannot even be accomplished without relationships, for it is to “Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
Think about it this holiday season. Casual acquaintances aren’t enough. Pray for and find a way to bind yourself to a few other men who can help you become all God intends for you to be.
Yes, it’s often easier just to do our own thing without taking the time and energy to let another person get close. But like many things that are convenient, it’s also counterfeit. God uses real friendships to shape and mold us for His glory.
CMN is a brotherhood—a band of brothers. In this season that celebrates our relationship with Christ, find a man near you who you can get to know. Send a text, make a call, give a gesture of friendship. Develop relationships—that’s God’s plan for powerful living, both in this season and for the rest of your life.
