“Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.” (Philippians 4:14, ESV)
Today’s devotion is more directed to our men reading this than the women. The reason is that women tend to have more true friendships than men do. I see this in church. On any given Sunday, there are typically more women in church than there are men. This is true in most any church in America. The women come, and they interact with one another. They talk about life and all the other things that women talk about.
But for many of these women, their husbands are sitting at home, alone. Many of these men are not interested in the potentially awkward social interactions of a Sunday morning. They isolate themselves from others.
Beyond the church setting, there are many men in America who do not have any friends. They tend to be loners. They may interact with people all day long at work, but at the end of the day they come home and have no one to talk with about the important things in life. If their marriage is struggling or they have problems at work, they will internalize it all.
There is a difference between the way men and women typically interact. When you observe women interacting, they will typically do so face-to-face. But when men interact, they will do so shoulder-to-shoulder. Men will bond through sharing a common purpose and moving together in the same direction for greater things. It is not connection that men seek as much as it is belonging to something bigger than themselves.
You think about the bond of men who went to war together. They are a band of brothers. Think about men on the athletic field of competition. These men are striving together for a common purpose that creates an alliance. These are the men in life that we, as men, are drawn towards.
As men, we are looking to go somewhere, fix something, or fight someone. We want to be part of and share in doing something great. This is a big reason we often see more women in church than men. In church, we talk about love and connection with God in our worship. We sing songs about how much we love Jesus. That is good, but as men, we want to do something. We want to make something happen.
Don’t miss out on the warrior Jesus, who was a kingdom of darkness conqueror, and who invites us to join him on the adventure. The invitation is to join with him for a wild ride, living a purpose that is bigger than anyone of us. The life of faith is not about sitting in a pew but living as more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. It is fighting for all that is good and right. Let’s live the adventure together.
Reflection
- Why do you think there are more women in church than men?
- What are the differences between the way men bond and women bond?
- How can you join Jesus in an adventure of a lifetime and partner with others to live a purpose bigger than yourself for God’s kingdom?
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