The call to men – Adam where are you? - Part 1 We are living in interesting times; it is a time of great technological advancements. Modern technology has brought new ways of communicating, fast transportation and many comforts to our lives. The advancement in medical technology has brought about treatments to many diseases and maladies that have plagued society for a long time. However, in the midst of all these advancements there is one institution that is in crisis. It so happen to be the one of the oldest institution on earth. It is the institution of marriage. We are told that as much as half of all marriages will end up in divorce. Of those marriages remain the majority of them are unhappy marriages. A very small percentage of marriages even within the church can be considered to be happy. In Genesis 3, we find that the first family (Adam & Eve) was in crisis, they had sinned against God. They had disobeyed God. (There are parallels between their crisis and our crisis today. In both cases it has to do with not following God’s instructions.) But God in His mercy came down to the Garden of Eden to look for them. Instead of calling for both of them God called on to Adam saying: “Adam where are you?” Adam was the man, the head of the home, therefore accountable for both of them. The question was more than about physical location, but it was more about where he was in relation to what God had instructed him. The crisis that we find in the African family can, to the large extent, can be attributed to the absence of Adam, the black man, the leader of the home. The challenge that an African family is facing today can be place at the feet of the “black man.” Black man where are you? Families have no direction because there is no head, no leadership. When we look at churches and homes the question that was asked to Adam remain relevant and that it is: “Where are the men?” Majority of those in the church are women. And the number of single parent (mostly female) led household is growing at an alarming rate. The question asked to Adam is relevant now more than ever before. Where are the men in leading and guiding their family? Men and women are equal before God, and it is therefore important that they be treated the same in the workplace. They must be given same or equal opportunities, responsibilities and remunerations. However, when it comes to the family we need to realise that they are different roles for men and women. Man is the head, the chairperson of the family. In any organisation, it might an organisation of men, in spite of the fact that they are all equal, one of them will be chosen to be the leader. In Ephesians 5:23, the Bible says “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church...” God, who created both men and the marriage, has appointed man to be the head, to be the accounting officer for the home. He does not need to campaign for it, or to be voted into the position, God has ordained it so. However, according to the same verse his leadership is modelled on Christ’s leadership of the church. This is a servant leadership. Therefore, man must serve (be a servant for) his family. The man leads his family, not by shouting, threatening or abusing them, but by serving them. He must take the initiative to forgive, love and restore his family. He must be prepared to die for his family. Whenever a man stands up and reminds his family that he is the head, it means he has lost the plot. The (physical) head does not remind the body that it is the head. It just does what the head is supposed to do (seeing, hearing, deciding and giving direction), and then the body will know there is the head. Where is the man in providing for his family? Another important responsibility that God has given to man is that of providing for his family. In 1Timothy 5:8 the Bible says: "But if any man does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” As much as the wife can also go out to work, man must be aware that she is only assisting him in his primary responsibility. God expects a man to provide, not a mansion, but basic necessities of life, a place the family can call home. When a man goes out of his way to seek to provide for his family he is showing and proving how much he loves them. However, it is important that men know that God is the ultimate provider for the family. God just uses men as channels to bless their families. God can still provide for the family without men.Therefore, men should not abuse the position of being the provider. What God gives them; they must share with the family because God can in time decide to replace them. However, when men have done their best to provide and yet they end up coming second to their wives, they must still know that they are heads of the families. They are heads, not because of what they bring, but they are heads because God said so. They might be broke, unemployed and unemployable, if they fear the Lord they will still have respect of their families. To be continued…
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 10:01:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015