The Time for Real Men to Stand Up Is Now by Samuel H Johnson

The Time for More Real Men to Stand Up is Now

I remember when I was a boy, all the men of my community had the authority to correct and discipline any youth when it was necessary. Today it is a different situation. We are living at the stage in the history of mankind where too many young men have no regard for the adults around them and believe that they can and should do whatever feels good. If you travel, you can see and hear the foul language and rude, lawless, and lewd behavior of some youth in the presence of their elders. Even more tragic is that some of this behavior is from young girls! How did this happen? What is going on?

The first typical response is to blame the youth. This is incorrect. We have to first look at the adults, especially the men in our society. Young people see some preachers preach one thing and practice the opposite. They see rich men commit crimes and do not get punished. They hear politicians make promises and never keep them. They see “celebrities” break the law and get a slap on the wrist by our justice system. I did not say all, but it is too much – enough is enough. Children see parents do wrong and tell the child "do what I say and not what I do"; Young people see businessmen use sex and violence to exploit women and youth in movies, television, videos and the internet and call it "just doing business" Young people hear talk show hosts tell people to do whatever feels good and that there is no absolute truth nor right or wrong.

In other words, "Do whatever feels good to you". Sounds familiar?

Indeed, we are in moral decline in our society. Simple behaviors like politeness, like kindness, good manners, common courtesy are in short supply. Some people think foolishly that a display of kindness is a display of a weak person. Children and young people tease their classmates and colleagues who display good manners. If you think kindness, goodness, courtesy, and good manners are for weak people, you are sadly mistaken. You are actually exhibiting is a clear example of a lack of proper human development.

 What many people do not realize is that it takes more strength of character to be mannerly. Any weakling can be rude, obnoxious, and vulgar. It takes more strength to be gentle than to be tasteless.

You see gentleness reflects strength under control. People who use curse words in almost every sentence show a lack of vocabulary words and are almost incapable of wholesome verbal expression. There should be no pride in verbal expressions of foul language; it is actually an example of limited speaking ability. It is an indication that we need to learn and mature as adults. It is indeed necessary for us, the adults, to set the example of moral maturity. We must stop making excuses for rudeness and obnoxious behavior. It all begins with the adults, first in the home, to set proper examples for the younger generation.

More than 2,000 years ago the Bible predicted that these things will happen.

2 Timothy 3: 1-5 says: "You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that"

Surprised? So, you thought that the Bible was an irrelevant book? In the last 30 years, young people have seen this type of behavior from adults more and more. Our youth are the product of the examples set by the adults.

One of the reasons for this moral decline is fatherlessness. Yes fatherlessness. Fatherlessness does not necessarily mean that the father is not in the home. A father could be in the home but not lead their children in honesty, truth, and integrity. Men must operate in their role of father to their children. The role of father cannot be performed by a woman. Fatherhood is a male assignment and motherhood is a female assignment. There are things only a man can impart to a child or youth and there are things only a mother can impart to a child or youth. Some may not agree with this, but we need to understand the difference between identity and function.

For example, the Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit. Although they are equal, they have different functions. People will just have to agree to disagree with me on this. The lack of a father’s guidance leads to frustration in the child and young person. This impacts on the rounded personality of the child. But despite the moral decline we see in our society there is hope. I want to briefly address the role of men in fostering this hope.

First there is an attack on men who are manly, men who speak boldly to issues that confront our society. We see this negative portrayal of manly men in movies, TV shows where the manliness of men have been deemphasized for the more “sensitive, emotional” male image. I am not saying that men are not sensitive nor emotional, indeed we are but why the attack the manly character? Young girls need examples of strong moral fathers, to compare to potential husbands because two-parent families are still foundational in the life of a child. Again, some may disagree but let us agree to disagree on this too. 

But, there is hope if more men would begin to stand up for truth, holiness, and righteousness instead of worrying about what "society" thinks or what is popular. Popularity is temporary, but holiness is eternal. Popularity is short lived, but righteousness is eternal. Popularity is temporary, but truth is eternal. Popularity is temporary, but kindness, goodness and gentleness are eternal and lasting. It is time for more men to stop seeking power, position, and titles and seek high moral character in leading their children and families. 

This answer is Jesus Christ who is the source of holiness, righteousness, and integrity. I believe, more men need to get to know God through Jesus Christ to mirror these characteristics. The acceptance and knowledge of Christ is necessary to the full development of real men. Real men are kind, and gentle, and bold, and loving, and courteous. Real men are power under control. Real men follow the pattern of Christ by displaying the strength of Christ, the purity of Christ and the love of Christ. Young people would follow such men of integrity, courage, and wisdom.

A few years ago a dear friend of mine gave me a birthday card which said:

• This world needs more real men and fewer pretenders
• More courage, fewer excuses
• More wisdom, less egotism
• More stepping up to the plate and less beating around the bush
• More leaders, fewer players
• More muscle, less beef
• What this world needs is more men of character.

I could not have stated it better myself. Every woman would want such a man for a father, brother, or husband. So, men, let us take up the challenge and fulfill that call.

Preparing a Solid Foundation for your Child by Samuel H Johnson

Preparing a Solid Foundation for your Child. 

You and I know that our future and the future of our society and country is dependent of the type of foundation we give our children and our young people.

I want us to examine how are we preparing our youth for the next generation. What type of foundation are we giving the next generation? I believe that children are a gift and a blessing from God. They are our inheritance and we are to prepare this gift to continue to build our nation and the world into a better place. In addition, as Christians, we are required to provide the foundation that our children can use to conform to the character of Jesus Christ, a character of loving your neighbor as yourself, a character of kindness, goodness, faith and self control. A character of doing right because it’s right.

I believe that there is a universal question in the heart of every human being on earth. This question may scare some people, may bother some people and inspire some people. That question is Why was I born? Some people may not admit this truth while others spend their entire life and never discover their true purpose in life. This is a question about the purpose of your life.

One of the first thing every parent and adult must appreciate and understand is that every child is born to fulfill a purpose. I strongly believe that God places a purpose in the heart of every person born into this world.

In the Book of Jeremiah 1:5 , "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." That scripture is saying that God knew the prophet Jeremiah before his father met his mother, before he was born. To me, that is incredible. And since God never changes He knows every child before they were born. Now God’s purpose for Jeremiah was to be a prophet and God is a god of purpose. God does nothing by chance or randomly. And since God does not show preferential treatment nor partiality, he also has a purpose for you and me before we were born. When God created the earth, the heavens, the universe and human beings, He did it all with purpose. When God created man and woman the Bible says in Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

God did not just make Adam and Eve, He gave them instructions. Again purpose. This is God’s pattern, everything He does is with a plan in mind. Here’s my first principle, God places a purpose in every human being. So, all of us have responsibility to discover our purpose. And parents and adults have responsibility to help children discover their purpose.

The greatest example of purpose was Jesus. He came to the earth to die for the sin of all people of every nation, every ethnic group, to save every person from hell and the grave. He conquered death when he rose from the tomb after three days and is at the right hand of God interceding for us. Jesus fulfilled his earthly purpose. Jesus fulfilled His purpose to destroy sin. So every person was born with a sin nature and need Jesus to be restored from sin.

Parents, teachers and our elders are to help the child identify and discover their purpose. We adults are caretakers for the purpose God has placed in every child. It is vital for every parent, every adult and every teacher to recognize that they are caretakers and guides for children under their care and under their influence. Why? Because every child contains a God ordained purpose. When I say every child I mean every child. It does not matter if the child is poor or rich, comes from the “perfect family” or not. The color of the child’s skin or their social background does not matter to God.

It does not matter if the child is disabled or not, we are to treat every child with love and compassion. Why? Because every child contains a God given purpose. When you abuse a child, you are tampering with God’s purpose. 

When you hurt a child, you are tampering with purpose. When you discriminate or or cast racial prejudice against a child, you are tampering with God’s purpose. Some of us need to repent if we had hurt or hindered any child from their purpose.

This means that no child is an accident. It does not matter is they were born out of wedlock, the color of their skin, their social or economic status or even if they survive an abortion. Every child is valuable and precious to God and all of us must recognize and accept this fact. Every child is valuable and precious to our families, our communities and our nation. That is every child!

Generally, if we ask any adult what they want for their child’s future, the answers fall into three categories; Parents want their child to:

1. Get a good education,
2. A good job and
3. To be a good person.

The parents may not use those exact words, but the concepts are there. We can further define them as a mind issue, a material issue and a moral issue. Remember these three categories - Mind, Material and Moral.

So, we must help to develop these three areas in the life of a child to give them a proper foundation.

Let’s look at the first category, a good education. A Good education is related to the development of the mind. Education helps to develop the mind of a child, it determines how they think and their worldview. Education is indeed vital to development.

The second category, a good job is related to the material things that a job can provide including money, land, entertainment car, or a home. One of the mistakes parents often make is to only emphasize a job without also encouraging them to start and own a business. I believe this is a shortcoming on how we help a child set their foundation for life. We must encourage starting a business as essential and maybe even more important than finding a job. Why? Simply because a business creates wealth better than a job. A business also helps to develop self-discipline. A business can also provide jobs for others.

The third category - a good person, is related to the moral character a child develops. In my opinion, the moral character of the child is the most important of the three categories. Your morality is what can make or break everything else in your life. You may have all the educational qualifications possible, all the wealth and riches you can acquire – but without a good, moral value system, all your achievements can crumble. The moral character is the most essential part of every child and every adult. All the time in the news we see many men and women of great achievement, high social, political and financial standing crumble because of character flaws. It is your moral compass that is the foundation of your integrity, honesty and character.

For example, the rise of the “Me Too” movement is a direct response to the moral failings of prominent people in our society, especially in the entertainment world. It is really sad to see how moral failings can destroy a person’s reputation, business and family.

I was making the point about the three categories that address the future of the child – Mind Issue, Material Issue and Moral issues. These three issues have their pattern in the Bible.

For me the Bible gives the blueprint for these three categories - Mind, Material and Moral. In Genesis 2:7 it says “God made man out of the dust of the ground breathing into him the breath of life and man became a living soul”. The material relates to the dust of the ground, Spirit of God relates to the moral character and the mind relates to the soul.

According to the Bible man is a tripartite being - we have a body, a soul, and a spirit. You see the soul contains the mind which is the center of our will (that’s our decision maker), emotions, memory, imagination and intellect. Education and morality impacts these characteristics. The job or material things provide what the body wants - comfort and satisfaction. But it’s the spirit that provides the morality of the human being - to know and do the right thing every time.

So, preparing a child for the fulfillment of their purpose, we must pay attention to these thee areas, but I contend that most important area is the moral or spiritual side. Some people may argue that it’s your education that gives you your values and morals. I beg to differ. Education is basically the consuming and application of information. But how you apply the information and the value system with that application is rooted in your moral foundation. We have had many educated people who are evil and commit many atrocities. It’s your spiritual outlook that determines your character and values.

The foundation for our children is dependent on who teaches them, what they are taught and the amount of time they spend in learning and development. This is very critical for Christian children because the moral values we should teach may run contrary to the values they will learn in society.

Let me say this – Neither the school (whether public or private), nor the church, nor the media (in all its formats) nor the society in general – none of them are responsible for the moral foundation a child. That responsibility belongs to the parents. The Bible says that we should train up a child in the way he/she should go. That direction is biblical morality. Uncles and aunts and grandparents have their role to play. The school and the church have their role to play and there is nothing wrong with seeking help. But the ultimate responsibility for the moral development is the parents and that is the way it’s prescribed by God.

This is a great challenge for parents. Now parents, you can have a partner with the church and together, we can provide the mental and moral foundation that is necessary for our children. Let us look at how this occurs in real life. From age 3 to 18 children spend an overwhelming amount of time being taught in public and private schools to develop their mind and moral compass compared to the time spend at home or church. Here are the numbers

A child spends on average 20 to 30 hours weekly at school.

Parents spend 5 to 8 hours weekly hours at home the evening to impart their values.

I have not considered the time for homework, extracurricular activities, sports, television and social media time. In addition, the church may have the child for 2 hours weekly to impart some moral and spiritual values. The comparison is revealing and challenging - 20 to 30 hours of teaching from the society vs 5 to 8 hours for parents and church.

Let me repeat that point. 20 to 30 hours of teaching from the society vs 5 to 8 hours for parents and church

It means that parents must be wise and strategic in how they lay the foundation for the life of the child. Parents, even if you are not a Christian, your are responsible to impart moral values to your child. Some of the lawlessness we see displayed by our young people is a confirmation of a lack of moral values. Notice that I said some of the lawlessness.

A moral character is essential for the future of the church, our institutions, our society. A moral character is essential for how the children will fulfill their true purpose and destiny. The child will eventually influence the place where they are stationed as adults – whether they are in business, government, church, educational institutions, media, or even Hollywood.

Finally! Children are a gift from God with an ordained purpose. We are to help the child identify and develop that purpose, A good education, a good job or business and good moral and spiritual values are essential to fulfill that purpose. However, I contend that without a good moral, spiritual foundation, a child cannot fulfill their true purpose. Everything will crumble without high moral standards. Next time I will speak directly to Christian parents about one key the child needs to fulfill purpose.

You can also view this message here; Preparing a Solid Foundation and Purpose for Your Child - YouTube

Share this information with others, your family and friends. Your comments are welcome. And remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but wisdom is the principal thing. Until next time, see you right here. Peace