Tag: love

At one time, I was blessed to live in a farm community where the longtime farmers have a higher code than you see most places. In essence, their word is their bond. To shake on something is closer to the covenant meaning in which that gesture originated. Shaking hands (actually wrists) was a blood tie contract. To break it meant possible death if the one you made covenant with followed through according to law.

In this day and age, we have lost that kind of commitment level. (I don’t know if lawyers were a catalyst for that or the lowering of standards created the need for lawyers). Today we break our vows to each other and to God. In reality, we died to every right we hold dear when we gave our lives to the Lordship of Jesus. That’s what lordship means. When we don’t function in it with Him, it spills over into our relationships with others and we excel in finding ways to nullify contracts we’ve entered into when our agreements become inconvenient.

As a man, you have entered into a marriage contract with your wife in the eyes of the world, and of even greater importance in the eyes of God. A commitment made before God is no small thing, whether we believe it or not. He has called you to love your wife as Christ loved the church. It matters little if she knows how to love you back; you have committed to love her no matter what.

If you’re having marital challenges, remember first that your marriage is under contract with God. How you feel or how your wife feels matters little. You, as a husband, will be held accountable for the spiritual atmosphere in your marriage, an atmosphere where your wife should have the freedom to prosper spiritually. It’s dangerous to break that contract. Keep your word with God, and watch what He chooses to do about everything else.

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Jim Corbett

If you are a believer, it’s a given that God owns everything. He’s the sole owner of every heartbeat of all who have ever had blood pumping through their veins. The cattle on every hill are marked with His brand.

Then why is it we, as humans, have the audacity to claim anything as our own? The idea of “we’ve worked for it, so it’s ours” is a detrimental attitude if we are to serve the Lord with all our might. That right to ownership in our minds hinders us from ever coming to the full realization of the sovereignty of God. It stops us from truly glorifying Him in all we do.

As husbands and fathers, you really own nothing. Your wife and children are the Lord’s. Your friends and all the things you have called your own really belong to the Lord. You have only been given a stewardship of everything in your midst. Totally embracing that concept is quite sobering to say the least.

As a steward, you will answer to the Lord for the outcome of your existence. How did you steward everything God asked you to care for? Will the results of your life as a caretaker of people and the things that are important to Him - family, friends, time, etc. – be in accord with His wishes? He gave them to you for a season. How did you handle your responsibility?

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Jim Corbett

There is a license called a concealed carry license. It means you have the freedom to carry a weapon to protect yourself. To obtain that license, you need to attend school to learn about weapons and your responsibilities when you carry one.

As a member of the body of Christ and as a husband and father, you have been given spiritual weapons to overcome every enemy that would attempt to harm you or your family. They are weapons that allow you to war on behalf of those you steward to win seen or unseen battles that confront them. You, in essence, have a concealed carry license from God!

How are you using your spiritual weapons? Are they concealed to the point that the enemy has free reign to overcome your wife or children? Does anyone around you know you possess these weapons, because they know you and your family understand your place in God, and they witness the freedom you and your family function in?

In a world that desires to destroy any trace of Christ-like character in you and your family, you’re not helpless. You have license to destroy the enemy’s challenges and tactics. You have a concealed carry license of unbeatable spiritual weapons. Don’t flash them to show your bravado, but use them to help win the battle for the Lord!

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Jim Corbett

When a police officer senses he needs help, he makes a call to his unit to request backup. He’s calling for assistance in a situation where he understands he can’t do it alone.

As a husband and father, have you ever called upon your family and requested backup? Have you ever humbled yourself to the point of allowing them to know you need help from them? Overseeing a family is a gargantuan task if your goal is that they live in an atmosphere where Jesus is Lord. It’s an atmosphere no amount of money or talent can provide. It requires you, as the head, to continually require help from God and your family.

Your wife and children need to understand that you will never succeed if you attempt to achieve that atmosphere by yourself. They need to understand that their part is to pray for you so you can be the man God desires you to be. They need to learn that only with the help of God will you be able to honor Him and serve them properly.

Maybe it’s time for you to have a family meeting so you can humble yourself before your family and ask them to pray for you. Maybe it’s time for them to know you need them to pray that you seek God in all you do in fulfilling your offices of husband and father, and also pray that He will be your source of strength and wisdom. In asking for backup to help you seek God, your family also learns how to ask for backup. It’s a great start to open communication and a big step in family unity - not to mention that it pleases and honors God.

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Jim Corbett

“He’s a man of God.” There is no higher honor one can pay another than to call him a man of God. In a world of people seeking reputation or attempting to place their mark on society, this man stands out. Think of the heart joy you would have if your wife or children were asked to give a description of you and said those words: “My husband is a man of God!” Or, “My father is a man of God!”

Seeking the heart in which God functions is a difficult road. It means pursuing a crucified life. It means you consider everyone else before you consider your own needs, just like Jesus did. It means your wife is fully aware that she is placed in high esteem in your eyes, and you would lay down your life for her. It means your children can rest assured that every decision you make that involves them is for their best interests.

If you want to be known for something, seek to be known as a man of God. It happens when you decide you desire no reputation. It happens when God is your only purpose for living. It happens when you consider everyone else before you consider your own needs. It’s a name others may label you, but it can only be given to you by God and acquired from your knees!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett