God's Design for MenSample

God-centered Men

Once, I got lost in a foreign country because I was trusting the map on my phone to lead me where I needed to go. This is generally a solid strategy, but it fell apart when my phone lost its connection to the network and everything stopped working. I was completely disoriented and didn’t have a clue what to do next. It was stressful to say the least!

I wandered around blindly for a while until finally, my phone reconnected. Everything came back to life, the map refreshed, and all the stress disappeared.

In our sin, men wander through this fallen world, lost and disconnected from God. But because of what Christ has done for us in His life, death, and resurrection, we are invited back to reconnection with God, both here on earth and for life evermore.

In today’s passage, we are reminded that Christ has brought “many sons” (that’s us!) back to God’s glory, and that we are welcomed back into God’s family and called Jesus’ “brothers.” As we reconnect with the God who saves us, we are strengthened, equipped, and empowered with everything we need to live faithfully as God’s sons (2 Peter 1:3).

We thrive the most to the extent that we remain deeply rooted and connected to Jesus, just as fruit thrives through remaining connected to the vine (John 15:1-8). All the nourishment and power we need comes from Him, and the more we connect with Him, the more fruitful our lives will be.

Jesus, the perfect Man, regularly withdrew from the crowds to commune with His heavenly Father, finding His strength there (Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed to invest so much time in connecting with the Father, how much more do the rest of us men need to prioritize this?

Men are at their best when they walk in unity with the living God. By seeking Him via the Word and the Holy Spirit, we can know God’s will, presence, and power that makes us our strongest in Him.

God’s design for men is that we would connect in deep and abiding communion with Himself, knowing Him more and more, and finding everything that we need in Him.

Prayer: Father, thank You for calling me back to Yourself and inviting me into communion with You! May I go deeper in Your Word, Your Spirit, and the way of Christ, as You transform me into a man who looks increasingly and evermore like Your Son. Amen.

Reflection: What does your “connection time” with God look like these days? What would it take to go even deeper?