08 July, 2024
Remnant Young Men's Group
2.5 mile Trail Run. Temperature: 91 deg
"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be Strong." (Isaiah 35:3-4)
Men should be Providers, Protectors, and Servant Leaders. It's both an obligation and a duty. Most of the problems we face in society today are a result of men failing to do all three.
While we have little to no control over much of what happens in our lives, there are things we can control: physical, mental, spiritual conditioning; how we treat others; what we value and spend our time and energy on; to act with integrity and courage; to put others first; to act with humility; to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves, etc.
"In this battle of life, let the unwounded warriors bear their injured comrades to the rear and cover them from the storm of war."
(C.H. Spurgeon)
"Lift up the hands which hang down." (Hebrews 12:12)
Find strength in the community of other like-minded men. Support one another, encourage one another, hold each other accountable.
"There's not many good guys left, that's all. We have to watch out for the bad guys. We have to just... keep carrying the fire."
(Cormac McCarthy, The Road)
We, the remaining few, the Remnant, must keep carrying the fire.
Incepto ne desistam!
20 May 2024 Remnant Young Men's Group
Team Event: Move weight (sandbags, plates, kettlebells, etc.) over varied terrain, 2+miles, as a team.
Early Birthday celebration with a solid group of Christian men. Thanks to my awesome wife, Crystal PK, for all her support to this ministry.
Devotional: "What Do You Want?"
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each describe the account of Jesus giving a blind man his sight. Matthew mentions two men, Mark identifies one as Bartimaeus, and Luke mentions one man but doesn't identify him by name. There are slight variations of this event among the three synoptic gospels, but in each account, Jesus asks the same question: "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" In other words, the Lord asks the blind man "What is it you want from me?"
Why would Jesus ask this question? He asked the lame man at the pool of Bethesda "Wilt thou be made whole?" in John 5. The man had suffered his affliction for 38 years. Jesus never asked a question he didn't already know the answer to. He knows more about each of us than we know about ourselves. He doesn't just see our outward appearance; He sees what's in our hearts. I believe He asked the blind man and the lame man what they wanted from Him because He sought their commitment and obedience to God's will, and He wanted them to know exactly what it was they were seeking from Him - to fix their spiritual condition.
The multitudes who were witness to these events saw Jesus perform miracles. They witnessed a physical healing of the bodies of these men. More importantly, Jesus was healing them spiritually. He tells the lame man to "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." (John 5:8,14) He told Bartimaeus "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." He immediately received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. (Mark 10:52)
When Jesus called Bartimaeus to Him, Bartimaeus casted away his garment, rose, and went to Jesus. If we truly want to be made whole, we need to cast away the garment of our self-sufficiency, pride, and any sin that is weighing us down, and commit to following Jesus in the way.
"What gives us victory in the Christian life has nothing to do with our discipline or will power. What gives us victory in the Christian life is yielding to the spirit of God." (Jim Schettler, Victory)
Incepto ne desistam!
