I saw this floating around the other day and for once, I decided to call one of these out. There are thousands of these floating around. Many are pure scripture, and many are rendered with great graphic excellence. But many are just sentiments, and the kind of sentiment that can completely sabotage the good Christian life. Really. Yes, really. I meant that. Honestly.
But in my opinion the one pictured below is a prize example of woolly thinking passing itself off as knowing Christian instruction.
I note the ‘sugareve’. Dear God. A very sugary eve once listened very carefully to everything that Satan had to say, then took the decision of believing it, then took the decision of talking Adam into eating the forbidden fruit. But lets not sully the waters, shall we?
First, there is the absurdity of setting up the idea of a "Christian guy" versus a "Man of God." But lets be fair and suppose that the intention is to distinguish between a man who is paying mere lip-service to being a Christian, and a man who is living an entire life deeply committed to God, and submits himself to being ruled in Word and Spirit by The Word Of God. Maybe the attempt is to distinguish between a ‘backslider’ versus a ‘man who is right with God’. We’re clear about that, and I don’t want to trick you, dear reader into seeing shadows where there are none. But, lets be academically responsible (just a bit) and check the words out.
"Christian" was at first used as an abuse, in the region of Antioch, to derisively refer to ‘those who followed the one called The Christ’. Our faith’s first martyrs, many who stoutly proclaimed their faith and gave up their lives for what they believed in, considered it a badge of honor. ‘Christ’ was not Jesus’ name. It most certainly is one of his titles, and I have no quarrel if you want to call it His most important title. Jesus’ name, depending on your historical source, was, actually, roughly, Yshua bar Husef bin Nazri or ‘Jesus, son of Joseph, of Nazareth.’ ‘Christ’, or Christos, is a designation, a title. Christian is every inch a term of respect as it deserves to be.
To classify lukewarm, borderline, backsliding believers as ‘Christian’ and fervent, Spirit-filled believers as ‘Man of God’ as opposed to ‘Christian’ is a travesty.
But ‘Man of God’ is a serious set of words and not to be tossed around lightly. Whether you, dear reader, are someone who thinks of yourself as a Man of God, or you are a lady (gune or kuria), even one reading of that phrase on an utterly secular platform like Wikipedia should divest you quickly of whatever feelings of self-wonderfulness and superiority that you are currently floating in. Now shoo and check it out on Wikipedia. I’ll wait. Here’s the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_God
Note that David, called a Man of God by nothing less than the Word Of God, was guilty of the entire appalling Bathsheba episode and the horrendous betrayal and assassination of her husband, who was one of his chosen 300. This is getting confusing? A David chosen to be Israel’s king, who was chilling out at the palace while his troops were in battle, indulging his basest lusts in an adulterous affair with an already married woman, then stooped to conniving to have her husband, one of his elite warriors, killed in battle, is a Man of God? Well, the Bible seems to say so. Doesn’t it?
But lets go with the cute post and not pick it apart for the sake of picking it apart. I acknowledge that the qualities of a Man of God the post lists are quite commendable and to be desired. What dismays me is that they are being portrayed in opposition to the qualities a mere ‘Christian guy’ is supposed to have, which are:
"might say he loves you"
"might text you Bible verses or have a tattoo of them"
"might go to church"
"might "accidentally compromise your virtue"
"might be super attractive"
"might take you out".
All this ‘might’ing is supposed to mean what? A ‘Christian guy’ who says he loves you, texts you Bible verses, goes to church, is superattractive and takes you out is just a … er … ‘Christian guy’? Oh he er … might … accidentally compromise your virtue. Yeow. Your entire virtue can be compromised in an ‘accident’ where you have no awareness whatsoever of what is happening and absolutely no participation in the moment? Really?
But lets look at our poster’s profile of the ‘man of God’. He
will love God more than you.
live out those verses and have them written on his heart.
will see that his highest calling is to give God glory.
will protect your virtue above everything else.
will have a beautiful heart regardless of his looks.
will hold you up before God in his prayers.
The poster simply wants us to accept that a ‘Christian guy’ wont do these things because …. er …. because … er …. he is just a "Christian guy".
In 30 years of being a Christian, I’ve known moments of sheer grace where God lifted me up because ‘underneath are His everlasting arms’. I’ve also watched many powerful Christians fall … and rise again. I’ve also watched many powerful Christians fall …. and stay there. I’ve watched good Christian men and women invite catastrophe into their marriages in moments of weakness. I’ve watched some build a whole new marriage rooted ONLY in God. I’ve also honestly admired Christian marriages that have effortlessly maintained a fabulous Christian testimony of Christian marital excellence over decades. But in all that time, I grew to marvel at Christian women. As the apostle Paul said, "The woman is the glory of the man. 1 Corinthians 11:7.
My Pastor said: A spirit filled woman can take her man places he would never hope to reach by himself.
The poster should at least have quoted one just one scripture to enlighten the reader on the Word of God’s excellent portrait of a woman? Just one scripture would have been enough. Just one. Oh, come how, how difficult is it to remember "Proverbs 31".
"And long to be the kind of woman of God who will attract a man like that", the post concludes. Don’t long, baby, begin now. There are many Christian guys out there to whom YOU could be THE helpmeet who allys with him to make him a Kingdom Man. If you must long, the Bible is clear: long for His return.
Some one asked my Pastor once how to go about finding the Right Man. My Pastor’s answer: "Be the right woman."
