Forgiveness and healing

Be A Messenger

“Humanitarian”

hu·man·i·tar·i·an /hyuˌmænɪˈtɛəriən or, often, yu-/ Pronunciation Key [hyoo-man-i-tair-ee-uhn]

(Adjective)

1) Having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people.

2) Of or pertaining to ethical or theological humanitarianism.

3) Pertaining to the saving of human lives or to the alleviation of suffering: a humanitarian crisis.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

I fully realize the word humanitarian is a word that is most often used in secular circles, but I want to borrow it for our readings this week. As you can see above, the word humanitarian is used to describe someone who is concerned with helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people. It is my belief that this is what we are to do as followers of Christ. We, like no one else, have the ability to better people’s lives physically, spiritually, and mentally. We also have the ability to help them experience more joy, which transcends an emotion such as happiness.

Have you heard this following statement before? Single men are positioned to do more humanitarian work around the world than any other demographic. As you read these devotionals this week, pray that God would show you just what he is calling you out to do. There is no greater time in your life to use your resources to impact the world and invest in God’s Kingdom than right now.

1.2.71.1.1 Call

(1) Matthew 28:19 (AMP)
¹⁹Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(2) 2 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)
¹You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
²and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

(3) As Christians, we have a call from God that we must answer. As Christian men, we have an even greater call from God to answer. God created us and placed within us a unique identity to provide for, protect, and lead women and children. Too often, I see women having to step up and lead in ways that push them outside of God’s design. Now I am not talking about roles here, but rather identity. Anatomy is not the only thing that separates men from women. We each have a unique identity that was created by the very hand of God.

When Christ said, “Go, make, and baptize,” as recorded in Matthew 28, he was talking to all those who were gathered, as well as all those who would read and hear the words later. It is my belief that we men are to lead out in this endeavor. Jesus did not say, “If you have the gift of an evangelist, go.” No, God desires for all of us to go, and we men need to step out and lead.

The fact is we need to step out and lead in just about every area of our lives and our church. As I look across our homes, our church, and our singles ministry, I see women stepping up and leading time after time. I have more women in our singles ministry leadership than I do men. A year ago, at another church, I took three times as many women as men on a mission trip. Why is this? It’s not because men are not able; rather, I believe it is because men are not encouraging one another to be God’s man.

You are called to be God’s man. A well-known Christian writer penned this great quote: “God never excuses disobedience because his instructions were too vague or too complex.” God’s call is clear. I can’t do it alone, and you can’t do it alone. Let’s join together as men and be exactly what God has called us to be. We can do this together!

Questions:

Do you desire to be God’s man?
Do you desire to answer the call that God has placed on your life to “go” and to lead?
What do you believe our church and single’s ministry would look like if men answered the call to be God’s man?

Prayer: Can I pray today? God, in the name of Jesus, we bow before you – myself as I write this and my brother in Christ as he reads it. God, will you cleanse us from the sin in our lives? Will you make us new before your sight today? God, please give us the strength that we all need to stand for you. Give us the strength that we all need to go, teach, baptize, lead, and guide those in our lives. God, I know that you have called men to be your men. Please bring us all together to hold one another accountable and encourage one another. God, we realize that in order to take our church and the single’s ministry to the place that you desire them to be, we have to step out and step up. In the name of Jesus we pray, AMEN!

1.2.81.1.2 Impact

(1) Acts 13:36 (ESV)
^36aFor David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers

(2) When I was first thinking about impact, I thought we could only have impact in our own generation. But that’s not correct, is it? In Acts, Paul writes that David “served” the purpose of God in “his own generation.” You see, we can only serve in our own generation, but the impact of that service can last for generation after generation after generation.

It has always been my desire to have an impact in my generation. I believe that God has specifically called me to have an impact in single’s ministry across the globe. I believe that God started the church with singles and that God desires to draw singles together to accomplish something never seen before in generations past nor present. I believe that God impacts our lives as he engages with us on a daily basis. We, in turn, are to impact those around us.

Do you want to be a person of impact? If you do, you can do something about it now. Though your impact can last long after you are gone, you can’t do anything after you are dead. If we desire to impact generations to come, we have to serve God right now. Whether we like to admit it or not, not serving the Lord also leaves a lasting impact – just not a good one.

Questions:

Is anything in your life holding you back from serving God?
Do you want to be a person of impact?
If nothing was holding you back, what area would you most want to impact?

Prayer: Ask God to give you the energy and knowledge to work through any issues that are holding you back from serving him today. Ask God to show you ways you can leave a lasting, positive impact.

1.2.91.1.3 Resources

(1) Luke 12:41-48 (NASB)
⁴¹Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”
⁴²And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
⁴³“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
⁴⁴“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
⁴⁵“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
⁴⁶the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
⁴⁷“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
⁴⁸but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

(2) I wanted to include this whole passage today because I believe it fits with today’s topic of resources. God has given us all resources to be used for his glory. You have all of those things – career, relationships, talents, money, and time – which we talked about in week one. God’s desire is that you surrender all of those things to him. When we surrender our resources to God, we serve him and really don’t have to even think about being found faithful. God’s not asking for perfection, just faithfulness.

God has given “much” to all of us. We all may not have the same amount of money in the bank, live in the same size house, or have the same car, but we do have “much.” The problem is that sometimes we are so focused on what we don’t have that we overlook all we do have. Don’t allow Satan to rob you of the joy from all of God’s blessings.

In the parable from Luke 12, Christ is the master and we are the steward. Jesus Christ is going to return and we will come face to face with him one day. Will he find me, Clayton, faithful? Will he find you faithful? Just as God found Adam after he sinned and tried to run and hide, God will find us. He will hold us accountable for what we did or didn’t do with all he has given us. You have been given resources to be used today, right now, for God’s Kingdom.

Questions:

Are you being faithful to God with all of your resources?
Putting money aside, what other resources has God given you that you could use more?

Prayer: Ask God to use all that you are and all that you have for his glory. Ask God to show you specific ways he can use your resources in your small group, your church, and the world.

1.2.101.1.4 Investment

(1) Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

(2) Joshua 24:15 (ESV)
¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

(3) From time to time, I log into my retirement account via the Internet. I am able to see how much my retirement account has grown or shrunk. I have a wife and three girls, and I am responsible to take care of them as long as I live. I am attempting to invest my money properly so I am able to provide for them in the future.

Do you ever ask yourself this question: “What am I investing for the future?” Now I am not talking about financial investing, although that could be an area, but rather, how are you investing your life? I have the option of spreading my retirement funds among many different types of growth accounts. I have the option of international, small cap, and other accounts. Some accounts have less risk, but subsequently, the return is less. Other accounts are very risky, but with the risk come the reward and the larger return.

Life is a little bit the same way. We are all shaped uniquely. Some of us are called to invest our lives in areas that are less risky than others. Some will jump into a plane and head across the pond on a moment’s notice to hike two days to help build a water well for an unreached people group in a third-world country. Still others invest their lives by building relationships with friends at work in order to invite them to weekend services. The point is not how you are investing your life. The point is that you are investing your life. The return on your investment is God’s responsibility.

1.2.111.1.5 Stage

(1) 1 Corinthians 7:6-7 (ESV)
⁶Now as a concession, not a command, I say this.
⁷I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

(2) 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 (ESV)
³²I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.
³³But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,
³⁴and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or be trothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.

(3) It is very appropriate that “stage” is the final topic of our time together. I pray that these past several days of devotion and Bible study have proven to be fruitful for your life. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the most important stage of your life. As a single man, you have opportunities you may never have again to accomplish tasks for God’s Kingdom. It is no accident that you have gone through this devotional study and are at this place in your life today.

Many single men and single women talk to me about marriage. Our world places such an emphasis on marriage that it tends to become the focus. Marriage is created by God and is absolutely wonderful when it is done God’s way and to his glory, but it should never be your focus. God has a plan for your life and God may have a godly woman that he is shaping for you even as you read this. If you are called to be married, then let your focus be God and he will bring that person into your life. Be patient and allow God to work. Tommy Nelson is a well-known speaker and the author of the “Song of Solomon” study. Tommy says: “Run just as hard and as fast as you can toward God. As you are running, look to your left and to your right and see who is running just as hard and as fast as yourself.” That may be who God has fashioned to run life’s race with you. The problem comes into play when Christian men and women grow weary of waiting on the Lord and slow the race down to settle for someone running in the pack. God wants more for you than that, so please don’t settle; it’s just not worth it.

Paul identifies in 1 Corinthians 7 that to be single is to be in a wonderful place in life. You have the ability to focus all of your energy on God’s work. When you are married, your focus is divided as you have the added responsibility of providing for and protecting your wife and children. You are able to do more for God during this time than any other. The point really isn’t whether or not you are called to be single; instead, while you are single, serve God, love others, and be God’s man.

Questions:

How have you grown during the past five weeks?
What has become clearer to you about your life and walk with God?
What do you believe your next steps should be in your devotional material?

Prayer: Thank God for allowing you this opportunity to serve him. Be honest with God about your desire to become married. Be honest about potential frustration that you may have had with previous relationships. Ask God to use you during this time of your life like never before.

Week Five Small Group Discussion Guide

Connect

Use this as check-in time. What were you thinking about on your way to meet together? Follow up with your group and update them on what you discussed in your last check-in time.

Grow (Discuss the following Scriptures, quotes, and questions from your readings.)

What study options have you found, or what study have you decided to do?

As Christians, we have a call from God to answer. As Christian men, we have an even greater call from God to answer. God created us and placed within us a unique identity to provide for, protect, and lead women and children. Too often, I see women having to step up and lead in ways that push them outside of God’s design. Now I am not talking about roles here, but rather identity. Anatomy is not the only thing that separates men from women; we each have a unique identity that was created by the very hand of God.
Do you desire to be God’s man?
You see, we can only serve in our own generation but the impact of that service can last for generation after generation after generation.
Do you want to be a person of impact? If you do, you can do something about it now. Though your impact can last long after you are gone, you can’t do anything after you are dead. If we desire to impact generations to come, we have to serve God right now. Whether we like to admit it or not, not serving the Lord also leaves a lasting impact – just not a good one.
If there was nothing holding you back, what area would you most want to impact?
Are you being faithful to God with all of your resources?
Putting money aside, what other resources has God given you that you could use more?
Do you ever ask yourself this question: “What am I investing for the future?” Now I am not talking about financial investing, although that could be an area, but rather, how are you investing your life? I have the option of spreading my retirement funds among many different types of growth accounts. I have the option of international, small cap, and other accounts. Some accounts have less risk, but subsequently, the return is less. Other accounts are very risky, but with the risk come the reward and the larger return.
Many single men and single women talk to me about marriage. Our world places such an emphasis on marriage that it tends to become the focus. Marriage is created by God and is absolutely wonderful when it is done God’s way and to his glory, but it should never be your focus. God has a plan for your life and God may have a godly woman that he is shaping for you even as you read this. If you are called to be married, then let your focus be God and he will bring that person into your life. Be patient and allow God to work. Tommy Nelson is a well-known speaker and the author of the “Song of Solomon” study. Tommy says: “Run just as hard and as fast as you can toward God. As you are running, look to your left and to your right and see who is running just as hard and as fast as yourself.” That may be who God has fashioned to run life’s race with you. The problem comes into play when Christian men and women grow weary of waiting on the Lord and slow the race down to settle for someone running in the pack. God wants more for you than that, so please don’t settle; it’s just not worth it.
How have you grown during the past five weeks?

Serve

Use this time to go around the group and share what your needs are with one another. Take every opportunity to meet the needs within your group as they arise. What was the result of items shared last week?

Share

What personal, local, or global opportunities are available to your group that you are going to do? What is your three-month, six-month, and 12-month plan?

Worship

Go back and look at all of the requests and the way God answered them. Praise God for working during the past five weeks.

Forgiveness and healing

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