CityView Magazine

12 | July/August 2018 F F A I T H Man's Responsibility to God and Family BY DR. MARK A. ROWDEN F rom very beginning, before the foundation of the world, the Father planned to share His life, through His Son, and express Himself throughout the world and across all generations. When God created man and placed him on earth, man was created in innocence. God had a perfect plan and an eternal purpose to share His life with man and to bring him to perfection and spiritual maturity. It was not man's sin that determined God's purpose in sharing His life, but rather, it was in the Father's original planning before man was ever created, before he ever sinned, God determined to share His life through His Son. One of God's most valued creations is on the verge of extinction – MAN, yes "God's Man." Made in the image and likeness of his creator, man was endowed with power and given the command to be fruitful, replenish the earth, multiply and have dominion. To be "God's Man," it requires a life that executes the command that God gave in the garden, in the beginning of time. God did not give this command without the authority to accomplish the task. When you began to examine the plight of our community one thing that is prevalent is the lack of man executing his God-given authority. He has been appointed by God to lead, teach and nurture his family. (Deuteronomy 6: 5-7) When the scripture is carefully examined you will discover the environment that is described is one that places man in direct contact and control of his children. It also identifies a level of consistent and deliberate one- on-one time where he is teaching. One of the teaching principles of my ministry is educating the family unit by developing men to be effective God-fearing leaders in the home, workplace, community and in ministry. Twenty-first century religious leaders face difficult challenges whether it's in the church, mosque, synagogue, etc. of reaching men. It is more important now than ever before to educate men in spiritual matters but more importantly to "Love God." What we are taught here concerns the duty which God requires of man. It is all summed up in the opening of Deuteronomy 6:5, with this as its principle, ou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. ere is a two-fold statement here because when man teaches his children to fear God, in pursuance of his undertaking, he then teaches them to love him; the child who honors his parents no doubt loves them. Every opportunity I get to speak to a group of men or to have a one-on-one conversation with a man in a teaching or mentoring environment, I always remind them that God created man to be the Godhead of his home. I tell that them most men want to be the "boss" of their homes. Men must understand that God is not looking for bosses of the home, He is looking for Godheads. He is looking for men who follow his teachings and spirit. As a matter of discussion, most women I have talked to about the position of men in the home are more willing to submit to a man who is the Godhead of the home and who demonstrates godly attributes than one who is an egotistical maniacal maniac. I don't use the word submit to say one is dominant over the other; rather, it is in the sense that it is much more satisfying to listen to a man who at least follows the godly principles laid out in scriptures. is Godhead is not reserved only for men who

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