Being "The man"

I was reading this passage a few days ago from the Old Testament story of Abraham:

For Abraham will become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord and do what is right and just. Then I will do for him all that I have promised. Genesis 18:18-19 NLT

Read it again...carefully, especially the bold parts. God had singled Abraham out to be a leader. He was going to be the father of many nations...the grand patriarch of Israel...the one through which the whole world would be blessed. In that process, Abraham would become wealthy, prosperous, widely known in the Middle East and respected by royalty. In modern terms, he would be "the man."

But notice where his responsibility began, where it all hinged. The great leader of nations must first become a leader for his family...and their families as well. Then--and only then--would God carry out His promise to bless Abraham and make him a man among men.

God was setting a precedent of expectation for all men, from that day to this. He was saying "your first and greatest priority in your life is your family." It is your role as the leader of your family to teach them justice, demonstrate love, grant mercy and lead them into righteous acts. And this is best done, not by telling them how to do it, but by showing them with your own life.

No wonder so many of our homes are in a mess. Most dads--if they are even in the home at all--have abdicated the role that God deemed most significant.

Hear me, men. If you want to know the full promises of God as reality in your life, you better start making a priority out of the things God says are important. Your career doesn't matter. Your hobbies are way down the totem pole. Your popularity is irrelevant. What God cares most about is the legacy you are building with your wife and kids. Mess that all up and you've blown the whole deal.

Make time to love your wife and kids the way they deserve and God demands. I guarantee you that all other things fall into place when you put God's plan first in your life.