Becoming the Man Your Family Deserves

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14–19

Men desperately desire to be what God designed them to be: men of strength; able to spiritually lead their families and be the men our wives desire and our kids need.

But many men are not leading themselves or their family well.

Why? We’re not in love with Jesus and we aren’t convinced that He is what’s best for our lives.

We may be saved, but we’ve become complacent in our Christianity. We attempt to live life on our own terms, living our own agenda and doing what we think is best. And while we recognize the need to change, we attempt to do so under our own power by simply changing our behaviors. But there’s a simple truth that men often forget:

And if we let him, he will. But how?

By pursuing Him.

When we pursue Jesus, he changes our hearts. Ezekiel 36:26–27 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone (or “stubborn heart”) from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (or “tender heart”). And I will put my Spirit within you.”

When He changes our hearts, we get a glimpse of His incomprehensible love for us. We become filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52) who will guide our thoughts and actions as we pour His love back into those around us.

When we know this kind of love, we become the men our families deserve.

Are you pursuing Jesus in every aspect of your life? Or are you attempting to fix things on your own? 

Today’s author: Mark Henderson—Founder of The Inspired Legacy
Mark is a creative professional with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of web design and advertising. He also serves as the chief content officer at The Inspired Legacy, an online ministry dedicated to shining a light on God’s gift of parenthood. The organization aims to inspire and equip fathers to boldly lead their families, love their kids unconditionally, and leave a legacy of grown children that carry on these same traditions. Mark resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with his wife, Kimberly. Together, they have three children, two girls, and one boy.