Take the Journey!

Becoming a man of God is about becoming the best version of you possible. You were born a male, so God wants you to become an extraordinary man!

Reflect on the journey God is inviting you to take:

  He will take you on ADVENTURE so you learn to love Him and others. He wants you to be great at living the Great Commandment.

  He will forge your CHARACTER as you depend on His power for life and service. He wants you to experience the Great Empowerment of His Holy Spirit.

  He will reveal a special TASK so your life gains influence and focus. He wants you to discover and accept your lead role in His Great Commission.

Are you willing to take the journey? In Mark 4, Jesus tells a parable worth reading carefully as you stand on the cusp of this important journey.

“A farmer went out to sow seed. That is, to generously plant the life-giving Word of God in the hearts of young men.

“As He was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. This is like the young man who hears the Word but allows Satan to steal it away without a fight.

“Some seed fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and withered because their root system was shallow and had no water. This is like the young man who receives the Word with enthusiasm. However, he never spends the time to establish spiritual disciplines, he is never willing to do difficult things, and the Word never set roots into his heart. This caused the new sprouts to wither. When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, he quickly falls away and goes back to old living.

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain. This is the young man who hears the Word but takes his eyes off the prize of becoming like Jesus. He allows the worries of this life, the deceitfuiness of image and peer pressure, and the desires for less important things to come in and choke out the Word, making his life unfruitful.

“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew, and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times. This is the young man who hears the Word, accepts it, and becomes the man God intended him to be. This young man is amazed, and he is amazing! He devoted his heart to Jesus with high expectations and discovers that God regularly far exceeds his wildest dreams. His life is full and overflowing!”

Paraphrase based on Mark 4:3–8; 15–20

There are some valuable lessons to be learned from this passage.

Be Good Soil

The parable tells you four kinds of young men received God’s Word:

  One accepted it but didn’t put up a fight when Satan came to steal the seed away. Being passive cost him his life.

  Then, there was the guy who accepted it, saw some early results, but wasn’t willing to do the challenging things that make men strong. He wanted it to come easy, but since that is not how life works, he withered up and died.

  Next, there was the man who took his eyes off the prize of becoming like Jesus, the ultimate man, and after a while, he gave up. His concern for image and what people might think of him cost him dearly.

  The last guy fought off the devil, did the hard things to gain strength to share with the world, gave sacrificially, and became the young man God intended. He found real life!

What’s it going to be? To be the last guy, the successful one, you’ll have to follow God on ADVENTURES, forge your CHARACTER through hardship, and journey with God to discover your life TASK. By doing this—by going on adventures, fighting the battles, and discovering your purpose—you’ll be doing the things that make you good soil, a heart ready to receive everything God has for you.

Trust the Father

Your Heavenly Father scatters seed generously. You can take on adventures, battles, and special tasks with total confidence. They will be filled with dangers and risks and will demand great sacrifice and uncommon love, but Jesus won’t hold out on you. Your obedient faith will produce results in your life that will far exceed your investment because God is bountiful and generous!

Take No Shortcuts

In the parable, the guys who took shortcuts lost. Being passive has no place in your masculine journey. It’s not even in your vocabulary. Hesitate to do tough things? Not at all! You laugh at challenges, stare them down, and overcome. Fear others and what they’ll say because you are determined to be a godly man? Not a chance. You laid that one to rest a long time ago. You are far more interested in what God thinks of you than in the opinions of others. An adventure with God will take you on a road that’s far less traveled. There are no shortcuts to character. The hard journey to discover your task is far better than a life of aimless wandering. Your pledge is, “With God’s help I will do my best.” Shortcuts lead to second best. Only God’s best is your destiny.

Now that you know how God builds a man, are you willing to go on adventure with Him? Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit shape your character? Are you willing to discover and assume your life task? You can ACT like a man! Let God build your life. If you do, it will be full of exciting ADVENTURE, strong CHARACTER, and a special TASK. That is what being a godly man is all about—becoming the best version of you, the best man you can be. You were born a male, so let God shape you into the extraordinary man He wants you to become!

Are you ready? Go!