20 Arm Circles forward, 20 backwards, 20 seal claps, 20 overhead claps
Cherry Pickers 20 IC
Imperial Squat Walker 20 IC
Mountain Man Poopers 20 IC
Hairy Rockets 15 IC
Slow lateral stretch 10 IC
The Thang:
Mosey to Alley
Lt. Dan to stop sign
Mosey across street, jailbreak to corner
Mike Tysons 25 OYO
The People’s chair with overhead clap 25 OYO
The American Hammer 25 IC
Mosey to grassy park
Decline Merkins 25 OYO
Balance Lunges 15 each leg
Marionettes 30 total 10 each direction
Mosey to playground
Dips 50 OYO
Pendulum Squats 10 each leg IC
Toy Soldier Set
50 crunches
15 Pretzel Sticks each side
10 Big Boys
F3 Message Mark Munoz –
With determination and faith, you will eventually rise above, succeeding despite the odds. For God gives us life; the rest is up to us to accept His challenge. God created us to serve others with passion and presence.
Through wrestling, I learned the true meaning of life. My father said “If you join, you will wrestle the first day, the last day, and every day. You will not quit.” I lasted one practice, so after getting taken down, pummeled by cross faces, and turned in half nelsons and wings, I was ready to give up. Dad found me sitting at home the next day instead of at practice. I told him: “I don’t want to wrestle anymore.” Stoically, he reminded me of the commitment I had made. Leading me by the arm, he returned me to a place I would learn to love. Wrestling fostered a mentality of excellence whereby I was on honor roll all four years and made the National Honor Society. Although I rose to the second ranked MMA fighter in the world, I never forgot that God created us to serve and to love others more than ourselves. My Reign youth wrestling club is rooted in the belief that as God reigns, we must learn how to reign over our competition.
Champions are not defined by wins, but by how many times you pick yourself up after a loss. Rise above adversity. Embrace the grind. Love what you do and do what you love.
As a society, we must learn to love with one another with love and compassion. Truly listen to and know each other’s story. Hear how they grew up and what they had to overcome. Share with them that none of us is perfect; all we can do is live the best life. Live, learn, and get better. The process of learning is a lifelong journey. If you learn how to handle adversity, how to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes, you will succeed in getting through the most difficult moments in your life, with your heart full and your mind ready to confidently take on whatever life confronts you with next
Mosey to Masonic Building
Plyo Merkins 25 OYO
Iron Mikes 10 IC
Flutter Kicks 25 IC
Easter Day Prayer
Dear God,
We come before you on this special day, celebrating the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ. We give thanks for the sacrifice that he made for us, and for the love that you have shown us through him. As we gather with friends and family, may we be reminded of the hope and joy that Easter brings.
We pray for those who are suffering or in need, that they may find comfort and peace in your love. May your blessings be upon us all as we go forth in faith, hope, and love.
Warm-a-Rama Side shuffle around circle, switch directions halfway 15 seal jacks i/c 10 screaming lunges per leg oyo 15 seal waves i/c 10 mountain man pooper i/c High knees around circle, switch to butt kickers halfway
3rd F Play The Man • Devotional
Will Power!
Mosey to field by the church
Ultimate frisbee 3 bombjacks for team with dropped disc Scored exercises were; Screaming lunges Diamond merkins Merkins Frog burpees Burpees Flutter kicks
Mosey back to the circle 25 gas pumpers i/c, slowed tempo from 15-20
Warm-a-Rama 13 seal jacks i/c 20 mountain man pooper i/c 23 Moroccan night club i/c 13 seal waves i/c 10 hip circles oyo each direction 23 Windmill i/c
The Thang Every PAX grab 1 large coupon and 2 small coupons
Tabada 20 second on, 10 second off = 1 round 10 rounds of 6 excercises Curls – palms up, hammer Flys (shoulders on large coupon) – palms up, palms in Squats – 6″, wide Bench press (shoulders on large coupon) – elbows in, palms together Holding chair chest squeeze – extended, close Abs – gas pumpers, lbcs
3rd F
2023 is about discipline Decide what you want Write that down Make a plan Work on it EVERY SINGLE DAY Your competition isn’t other people Its YOUR PROCRASTINATION It’s the knowledge you neglect Compete against that Conquer yourself Master the universe within
Warm-Up- Side straddle hops , Cherry Pickers, Moroccan Nightclubs
The Thing!
Mosey to the courthouse- Split into 2 groups. From starting point one at a time, Alligator Merkin to the staircase. Bunny Hop up each step, squats on each step coming down, then jail break back to starting point. While waiting for group member to return all other members doing 50 American Hammers, 20 Big Boys, 50 LBC’s.
Patriot Run to the School.
11’s- Start at line with 10 Merkins and 1 Burpee. Mosey to next line and do 9 Merkins and 2 Burpees. So on until reach 1 Merkin and 10 Burpees.
Patriot Run back to Courthouse
Get back into groups. Bear Crawl to steps, Merkin up each step, Run down next set and back to group. While waiting for group member to return all other members doing 50 American Hammers, 20 Big Boys, 50 LBC’s.
Mosey Back to Start Point
3rd F– Story, A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. ” She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comment. About a month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?” The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3
Our perspective of other as well as the world varies according to how clean we keep our windows.
F3 First State doesn’t have hills by comparison to some other regions, we’re on the coast of Delaware and it would be nothing short of proper to call us “flat-landers.” Nonetheless, what hills we have we try to utilize. One location was fondly dubbed “Oh Hill No!” a number of years ago; its a grassing hill that rises to the Milton, DE water tower. Another is the hill on the street adjacent to it, aptly referred to as Merlot Hill–yes, that’s the reason why–and yes, the FNG was promptly given that nickname. Anyway, today it wasn’t “Oh, hill no!” it was “Oh, hill yeah! Like YHC said, we don’t have many [real] hills, so it was simply time to embrace the suck. But…it all started with a VQ Warm-O-Rama by the one and only Deez.
WARM-O-RAMA:
Moroccan Night Club – 26 IC
Merkins – 10 OYO
Cherry Pickers – 21 IC
Merkins – 10 OYO
SSH – 20 IC
Merkins – 10 IC
Chairman Lap
Great job by a self-confessed very anxious Deez on his first time ever Warm-O-Rama
THE THANG:
PAX prepared to mosey to Merlot Hill, YHC divvied up some restrictor plates (1 40lb sandbag/2 20lb sandbags) among the normally faster PAX for making our .5 mile trek to the hill. Cool thing happened, PAX passed them around the entire journey there and back. In an act of genuine camaraderie every HIM embraced the suck.
Once at the base of the hill YHC set us up for a set of 11’s (i.e. not enough time for 21’s). Sandbags? Well, grab one whenever it becomes available either on your way up the hill or on your way down. They were vying for these things! Crazy PAX! Sandbags are for kids.
Big Boys at the bottom, 1 – Merkins at the top, 10 (Keep going until the numbers are switched 10 – 1)
For the PAX on teams participating in the @F3Alliance Merkins & Miles Challenge, the wrap up was an additional 10 Merkins to get to a total of 100 during the workout.
Midway through the set of 11’s YHC circled-up PAX for the following 3rdF:
If you’ve ever had a long year then you can probably relate to the lyrics of Toby Mac’s song titled Faithfully. Lyrics:
It’s been a long year
It almost took me down,I swear
Life was so good
I’m not sure we knew what we had
I’ll never be the same man
I’ll never feel like I felt before
It’s been a hard year
It almost took me down
Refrain But when my world broke into pieces
You were there faithfully
When I cried out to You, Jesus
You made a way for me
I may never be the same man (YHC’s commentary: Hard times change a man, for better or worse, depending upon who or what we depend…)
But I’m a man who still believes
When I cried out to You, Jesus
You were there faithfully
The song goes on to for several more verses… Refrain, Refrain, Refrain… Check out the full song here…
If you don’t know; the story behind the song is that Toby Mac and his wife lost their oldest son, Truitt, to an overdose in Oct. 2019.
I’ve never lost a child, and I won’t even pretend to know the pain of that experience. But he does say that Jesus was there faithfully. And I don’t know if anybody in this circle has experienced losing a child, but I can tell you this: Whatever the cause, we’ve all experienced, or will experience, some REALLY long/hard years.
I’ve pastored a church where for the first few years a small group of people wanted my head on a platter…non-stop! They were hard years!
I inexplicably went through 2 years of depression where I was immobilized, then tormented, daily, by plans of ending it all. (Thank you to Ruxpin for speaking about this recently…guys find it extremely difficult to broach this subject, but it has to be talked about.)
I’ve faced long years with each of my boys, wondering if they’d ever turn the corner
And I’m certain you’ve had long years too! Regardless of whatever it was that made that year (those years) long, the truth that matters most, and the one we sometimes need to look for to see is that…
(Refrain adapted) …when my world broke into pieces God was there faithfully | When I cried out to You, Jesus | You made a way for me | I may never be the same man | But I’m a man who still believes | When I cried out to You, Jesus | You were there faithfully
That’s Toby Mac’s testimony, and it’s so relatable because it’s ours too! Yet it’s not the promise of the song that captures us, but rather it is the promise of Scripture:
In Deut. 31: 6-8 Moses told Joshua 2x, “Be strong and courageous…God is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Comment: Sometimes we need to hear it from someone else.)
In 1 Chron. 28:20 David said to Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; Do not fear nor be dismayed…for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.” (Comment: Promises of God also have to be passed down from generation to generation. Others must hear it from us that “My God, the One true God, the God in whom I have come to trust, is with you.)
The promise is found also in 1 Kings 8:57 “May the Lord our God be with us…may He not leave us nor forsake us.” (Comment: Here it a blessing we’re calling down upon ourselves.)
And in Joshua 1 God spoke directly to Joshua and promises him 2x in the first nine verses: “I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” And, “For the Lord your God is with youwherever you go.” (vv.5, 9) (Comment: While we may need to hear it from others, or while we may be speaking forth this promise to someone who needs to hear it; the greatest moments are when we hear God speaking directly to us. BUT…that means we have to be listening. These promises are for those listening and longing to hear from God, to walk with God, and to trust Him and pursue Him with their whole heart. They are not for those pursuing a life without Him. …long silent pause…)
We find the same promise(s) in the NT:
In a passage referred to as the Great Commission, in Matt. 28:20 Jesus’ parting words to His followers included the same promise, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, “Go therefore [in My authority] and [as you are going] make disciples [followers of Christ] of all nations [people groups], baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you,” and here it is: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
One last place the promise is found is Hebrews 13:5 “…for He [Jesus] Himself said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”
Anytime something is repeated, it’s because we need to hear it [again!]. And I don’t know who needs to be assured of this today, or who will need to hear this promise’s echo in the future, but it is God’s promise to us; one that we can all likely attest is true, that when everything breaks into pieces, when we’re in our darkest hour, and when we’ve come to a place of pain that we’ve never felt before, or when it has just simply turned into a long year, Jesus will be there with us faithfully. For “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” HIM rely on the Lord [especially] during those times.
After PAX wrapped their remaining rounds of 11’s, we grabbed the restrictor plates and headed back to the AO. Again, in a genuine display of camaraderie PAX were vying over the sandbags. Gimme, gimme, gimme…in a very unselfish and selfless way!
COT:
Number-Rama – 19 PAX won THAT FIRST BATTLE and posted in yet another glorious Gloom
Name-O-Rama
Announcements:Turkey Day workout will be a full hour (05:15 – 06:15 hrs.), followed by Coffeeteria at Quattro’s, followed by a few hours of killing targets. (BYOG – Bring Your Own Guns & BYOB – Bring Your Own Bullets, or just show up and get a feel for shooting. Ah…I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning! …sorry, there will be no Napalm.)
PRAYERS: For Rob; for the family who lost their 21-yr-old son to a heart attack; for a couple of other requests slipping YHC’s mind as of the writing of this Backblast. Nonetheless, God knows, He remembers)
Count off, one guy does shoulder taps while the other dragon crawls to top of hill 50 yds.
Third f
Switch elevated Merkins, while other guy bear crawls 2x with a merkins
10-1, diamond Merkin, baby crunches
Sherlock Shuffle, high knees until man calls down- goes around circle once.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message 11/09/2022
We shouldn’t care too much about how strangers view us. Life is too short. Our outcome is never guaranteed, but the process is yours. The outcome you worked so hard for can be taken from you in many ways.
You can work hard and get robbed, fall in love and get cheated on, or do well without getting any recognition. When you do things for the outcome, you care about something that’s beyond your control.
It’s in the name. The outcome, as in outside of you. People’s approval is outside of you, but the process of working on yourself is internal.
Focus on proper execution and discipline demands attention and dedication. These are the elements of the process. A focus on the process makes it difficult to worry about what other people will think of the outcome.
The process is immune to other people’s opinions. It’s the private place to make mistakes, grow, and take care of the only thing that matters: what you can control.
Yes, other people can critique what you’re doing, but not what you’re thinking and your objectives. Your focus is on the process. The process is your own style of learning, development, and exploration.
Another way to look at the idea of “focusing on the process” is only doing what’s important to you. When you only focus on the things that matter to you, you naturally focus on the process anyway. This is because you’re more concerned with getting better than getting attention.
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Windmills – 15 IC
Jiminy Crickets – 10 OYO
Mosey @.5 miles to “Oh Hill No”
The Thang
The Super Sheldon Cooper on “Oh Hill No”. Inch worm with a merkin up the hill, Crawl Bear down and complete 10 Burpees, 10 Squats, 10 Merkins & 10 Big Boys. Dragon Crawl up the hill, Crawl Bear down and complete 10 Burpees, 10 Squats, 10 Merkins & 10 Big Boys. For the final round, complete a Bear Crawl up the hill, Crawl Bear down and complete 10 Burpees, 10 Squats, 10 Merkins & 10 Big Boys. F3 Message and Dragon Crawl @ 50ft. before moseying back to the CHOP.
Mosey @.5 miles back to CHOP.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
Politicians – promises. They’re almost synonyms. And, man, we’ve been through the election campaigns. And, of course, you know, we’re probably on promise overload! You get it from the time they declare their candidacy. “He broke his promise!” “He can’t keep that promise!” “If I’m elected, I promise…”
Elections raise hopes. Reality often crushes them, doesn’t it? The promises often seem to get swept away and trashed with the victory celebration confetti. Fact is, no politician keeps all their promises. Sometimes, well, because they never meant to, sometimes because of unforeseen circumstances, and often just because he/she simply doesn’t have the power to deliver what they promised.
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “So Many Promises.”
Now, it’s not just politicians. Look, we parents make a lot of promises – too many of which we either forget, neglect or just fail to keep. The promis-er may forget. The promis-ee never does. Most of us can still remember, like years later, the parents’ promises that never happened.
We make promises at work, at church, to friends. Raising expectations, and then dashing them by never following through. We lose what takes years to gain and just a day to lose – trust. We shake our heads in disgust at the politicians’ words that seem so hollow in light of their broken promises. Forgetting the “trail of tears” that we ourselves have left with the things we said but never did.
I stood before an altar years ago and made some of the biggest promises of my life. I told the woman I loved – and, more importantly, I told God – that I would love and care for her and be committed to her “’til death do us part.” She staked her life on my promise, and the Lord, in the Bible’s words, was “acting as the witness” of my “marriage covenant.” That’s what the book of Malachi says (Malachi 2:14). I found myself listening again and then again to those promises I made that day to try to be sure I was keeping them.
I learned the hard way, that in every relationship, you think before you promise. And do whatever it takes to deliver when you do promise. Now, our word for today from the Word of God, Ecclesiastes 5 beginning in verse 5 says this: “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” King David described the man God will honor as one who “keeps his oath even when it hurts” (Psalm 15:4).
After so many soaring speeches in political campaigns, I wrote these words in my personal journal: “A political season shows that humans promise what they ultimately lack the power to deliver, and hopes are dashed. But my hope is based on a Savior who, by beating death, has shown me He can do anything and everything He has promised!” Man, that’s awesome!
Well, He promised, “My God will supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19). And in a thousand amazing ways, He always has. He said, “Your strength will equal your days” (Deuteronomy 33:25), and there’s never been a day He didn’t deliver. He promised “they who honor Me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30), and He’s come through every time I’ve risked to do the right thing. He told me, “I am the Lord your God who directs you in the way you should go” (Isaiah 48:17), and He’s done it at every crossroads.
I’m sure, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that He will keep the promise on which my eternity rests, “God has given us eternal life, this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life…you who believe in the name of the Son of God…know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
I have no fear of death. I have no doubt about heaven, because I’ve put my trust in the only One who can forgive my sins – the One who died for them. I trust in the only One who can give me eternal life – the One who walked out of His grave. And He waits to do that for you. In a world of littered promises, this Jesus will deliver the life and eternity He promised if you’ll grab Him today with all your trust like a drowning person grabs a lifeguard.
Our website is there to help you do that. I hope you’ll go there today. It’s ANewStory.com. You can plant both your feet on His promises and you’ll know He’ll deliver. He has no unforeseen circumstances. He cannot lie. And nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Kudos to Beeker (Hospital name: Corbin Bean) for getting in his VQ Warm-O-Rama. Great job brother; it was awesome for YHC (Hospital name: Todd Bean) to tag-team with you and get you into the Q rotation.
Here’s how it all went down this Gloom:
WARM-O-RAMA:
Um…yeah, YHC has little recollection of everything we did, but it was well executed and sufficient for getting our heart rates up and warming up the PAX for the following
THE THANG:
Had to start with a Bearcrawl across the freshly resealed parking lot. Boom! After years of complaints by those who have soft and supple hands, it has to be said: That thing is clean. PAX just couldn’t wait to use it!
PAX grouped up in gaggles of 5–couldn’t have planned it better; there were 20 PAX and we needed 4 groups for 4 stations:
Station #1: At this station groups had to Prison Break to Willow St, and Mosey back. This was the time-setter station, as after PAX went down a back groups would move to the next station.
Station #2:Swerkins AMRAP. How about that? 5 PAX in each group and 5 swings for Swerkins.
Station #3:Curb-Stop Leg-lifts AMRAP How about that? 5 PAX in each groups and 5 curb stops for Leg Lifts
Back to station #1, Rinse & Repeat AMRAP. PAX rotated through the stations 3x, taking a 3rdF breather mid-way, after which YHC got in the old stand-by Side-Straddle-Hops, then Seal Jacks, before resuming the workout. Somewhere in there we snuck in a Chairman Lap, before closing out with a short round of Mary: 4-Count Freddies – 25 IC, courtesy of YHC, and Superman/Banana, courtesy of Quattro
The following 3rdF shared by our Q, Chappie:
In the year 1519, Hernán Cortéz arrived along the Yucatan Coast off of Veracruz, Mexico with 600 (300?) men and, upon arriving and disembarking their ships, Cortés sounded the order to “burn the ships!” Before moving inland Cortéz destroyed 10 of his 11 ships, cutting off he and his men’s only hope of retreat and leaving them with no option but to conquer.
We can use this as a metaphor today to venture into new territories, to explore the unknown, and to take what we might see as potentially hazardous risks (followers of Christ cannot help but to take faith-filled risks). Sometimes, even when there is uncertainty we must burn the ships, we must lead others to burn the ships. I.e. we need to eliminate the off-ramps in our own lives, or maybe in our workplaces, our churches, our teams, etc., so that we can make certain we’re not avoiding the challenges, and make certain there is no turning back. (That’s a great hymn btw.)
In whatever the case may be the story of burning the ships is as relevant a metaphor as ever; for in many cases if you leave the ships in the harbor, you’re not fully committing to whatever the task, or mission, or vision might be.
We workout at O-Gawd-Thirty just about every morning because it’s part of the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges we’ve accepted. Why? Because F3 workouts increase your ability to be an asset in your home, your workplace, and the communities in which you serve. We do this “fitness, fellowship, and faith” stuff so that we’re more capable physically, mentally, & spiritually to lead our families & solve problems, etc. If we live in accordance with the mantra “burn the ships” it will serve as a metaphor for eliminating the excuses we’re prone to, and the backup plans we usually have in place. “Burn the ships” says the only option is to conquer, the only option is victory, the only option is to succeed! Burn the ships and you will have no other option!
There’s another man who said that. Well, actually, He said it a little differently: In Luke 9:23 Jesus said “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” You know, right after that in vv. 57-61 Jesus actually turned 3 people away, who said they would follow Him wherever He’d go. Each had excuses and Jesus called them out on it: One realized they’d be without a place to lay their heads, another wanted to wait until his after father died, and the third wanted to spend some time at home first. The context tells us they took the off-ramp; it implies they turned back instead of following Jesus. Then in v. 62 Jesus said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Gentlemen, HIM put their hand to the plow and never look back! (Ask the farmers…)
HIM take up their cross daily and follow Jesus.
Gentlemen, HIM “burn the ships!” Excuses are not an option.
YHC is always grateful for the opportunity to lead at @f3firststate. We have more and more PAX being added to the Q list (men are stepping up), so opportunities are becoming more sparse–a good problem to have! Hey, that’s what we’re about…planting, growing, and serving.
COT:
Announcements: Shirt order down to last day, 10/19 at midnight. 2.0 Workout this Saturday at the Aegis AO.
Prayers: Semi’s 2.0 traveling back to college; Quattro’s family fighting “the big green monster”; Fireplex’s Dad; and Ruxpin’s M; etc.
18 Outstanding HIM including one FNG beat the fartsack and showed up for a GritMil beat down. We had such a good turnout we had to overcome and adapt to our situation in order to have enough coupons for everyone. Big thanks to Chief Quattro for lending out various weighted objects to fulfill the order.
Warm-Up Side-Straddle-Hops X 20 Bolt 45s Merkins X 20 Cherry Pickers x 20
The Thang Mosey to Basketball “Field”
Round 1. With 1 gallon jugs 50 Bicep Curls Sprint to opposite end of B-Ball court, 5 Burpees NUR back to start and 50 Bicep Curls Everyone does Squats until 6 is in.
Round 2. With 1 Gal Jugs 50 Overhead Shoulder Presses Walking lung to opposite end of B-ball court, 5 Burpees NUR Back to start and 50 Overhead Shoulder Presses. Everyone does Squats until 6 is in.
Round 3. With 1 gal jugs, lay flat on back for 50 tri-cep extensions (Skull Crushers) with 1 gal jugs Scissor run to other side of B-ball court, 5 Burpees. Scissor run back to Start, 50 Tri-Cep extensions with 1 gal jugs. Everyone does Squats until 6 is in.
Round 4. With 1 Gal jugs 50 Juggerbell Swings with squat. Tightrope Walk with arm out to other side of B-Ball Court, 5 Burpees NUR back to start for 50 Juggerbell Swings Everyone does Squats until 6 is in.
3rd F Being a Man who Leads
In the Bible Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 11, where he says, “The man is the head of the woman…For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man, for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. This is Paul upholding the concept of a man’s leadership in the family by appealing to the order of creation, and the fact that man was created first, then the woman as a helper to man. Later on in Ephesians Paul addresses a married man’s role as head of his own home. Paul establishes that God’s design is that the husband is “the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church”. Then the bible gives specific instructions on how husbands are to fulfill their leadership role, beginning with the important command: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loves the church”.
Let’s think about the for a second. How much does Jesus love His church. This love would be described as a sacrificial, purifying, caring, unbreakable, Christ-like love. Christ’s love for the church is a model for husbands to follow, and is a living illustration of the redemptive love of Christ. One of the greatest act of love anyone could do for another is to sacrifice their own life for them. (Acts 20:28 – Christ purchased the church with His own Blood).
Now the question to ask is, if we are to love our wives with that same kind of love, how to we compare? Well, the answer is we all fall short, and we do not even come close. But that’s okay, because Christ has set the standard, so we now know where to aim.
Some more questions we could ask ourselves is:
How are we sacrificial in our own home?
Are we so self-focused that we are not aware of the needs in our home?
Are we willing to sacrifice our time to listen to & comfort our wives and provide emotional and physical security?
Who is the spiritual leader in the home?
If you are a Christian man, then you will recognize that success in your home is far more important than success in your career.
So when we leave here today, let’s note where it all begins, with the command, “Husbands, love your wives”.
C.H. Spurgeon said,
“A husband loves his wife with a constant love, and so does Christ his church. He will not cast her away tomorrow having loved her today. He does not vary in his affection. He may change in his display of affection, but the affection itself is still the same. A husband loves his wife with an enduring love; it will never die out. He says, “Tell death us do part will I cherish thee”, but Christ will not let death part his love to his people. Nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So gents, with that said, we now know God’s standard when it comes to being a Godly husband, a leader in our home, and a father to our children. Let’s use that in our life to better serve our family.
