Doing or Being
“This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6
During the past several years, I have witnessed men commit to becoming God’s man. I’ve found that it’s not about asking guys to do more; it’s about asking them to be more. It’s not about asking them to pursue a plan or respond to a cool idea or even to a dare. It’s about convincing guys, deep down, that being God’s man is worth the risk. Why is that?
Doing more puts a man in control. Being more puts God in control. Doing more is a safe style for men. Being more is risky. Doing more implies there’s an end to it. Being more is a process — fluid and unpredictable. Doing more lets a man pick the changes he needs to make. Being more allows God to reveal the changes a man needs to make. Doing more requires trying harder. Being more relies on training humbly. Being more reaches the private self — the man God wants to reach.
So here’s the bottom line. Working with men the last fifteen years has been… challenging men to love more, say more, pray more, read the Bible more, allow God to discipline them more, love their wives more, and serve their kids more. Men have wanted all those things, but the majority of them are failing over the long haul. God has asked men to do what their heart and character cannot deliver. Author Dallas Willard got it right: “What’s needed is a renovation of the heart before a renovation of lifestyle.”
Father, you have given me the answer in the scripture above.