Manhood – A Bit of Redneck Righteousness

Redneck Righteousness – A challenge to manhood

It has been said that a Redneck is a guy, who grew up country. A rough and ready kind of guy, that is a man of action, taking care of business. Strong.

I originally wrote this on veterans day, a time to honor freedom, and the men who give it to us…

Most of you who know me, know that I have worked construction many years, and co-owned a millwork company in the rough and tumble of Oklahoma for seven years.

Here I think of some of the oilmen, ranchers, construction workers, military, police, and firemen I have met over the years, that would embrace these seven claims to manhood.

Men who love God, their families and this country.

Seven Claims of Manhood

1. A Man keeps his word – Word given, word kept

Ps 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

Heard a preacher preach this verse one day, made me chuckle: Psalm 50:9 (RSVCE) |
9 I will accept no bull from your house

Our words should count! We do not need to be cute and full of show and no go. Say what you mean, and mean what you say, and you will be respected.

Read Job 29, the whole chapter and see what a man of God, respected in the community and by God looks like:

I pick it up here in verse:
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth

Be that man!

2. Finishes what He starts:

Re 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Re 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

If you bit off more than you can chew: chew! Get yourself some help if you need to, but finish what you start. The world is full of dreamers, schemers, and wanna be’s. Be a man of conviction, if you start something, finish it.

3. Keeps a good name –

Many of you know, my father served 32 years as a naval officer. I grew up on military bases all over the place, but have learned that no matter where in the world you are, you need to keep a good name….

Pr 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Ec 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

Why is the day of our death better than the day of our birth? Because if we have served God, when we die, we enter into our eternal reward, the rest of the Lord we have worked our whole life for.

Don’t get all proud and haughty over this one. What I want to say here is stay faithful to God, and stay in the fight. When you do, you will end up with a good name, God Himself will make sure of it. You don’t need to blow your own horn:

John 12:26
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

All these people running around promoting themselves, get outta the rat race. You are not a rat, you are running a different kind of race.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

God is not deaf nor blind. If you seek Him first, and put Him and His Word first place in your every decision, your promotion will come, and nothing and no one can stop it. Keep learning, growing, developing, and He will open doors for you that no man can shut.

Psalm 75: 5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another

Servanthood, honesty and hard work will promote you, God has set these things in the earth for our eternal development, embrace the process. Read, learn, and grow…Push your limits, find a way around your limitations…

4. Attends Church –

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Need some more reasons? Read this: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/why-go-to-church/

Find yourself a good, life-giving, Bible believing church, where you can raise your family in truth. Shop if you need to. You do not need to attend the one you grew up in, if it is poison, and an inbred brood of snakes. Go somewhere with vision, where you can worship, serve, love people, and walk with Jesus.

Never let your church become your God, Jesus alone reserves that place…

5. Protects and Provides for His Family, Home, Community, and nation

1Ti 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Go to work!

Proverbs 14:23
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

The old saying: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ has some truth in it. Intending to do something, and doing it are different animals. Get busy with what you know to do, and plan your work, and work your plan.

If you have been around the block a couple of times, we have all seen the latest greatest ‘get rich quick’ scheme, and truth be told, some of them actually work, IF YOU WORK THEM! There is no free lunch in life. Whatever you put your hand to, you gotta work at, and not half heartedly, go for it!

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

We only have one life to live, and living in light of eternity, with passion, purpose, enthusiasm, determined to write your eternal testimony on the fabric of HISstory is honorable.

We are all going to die one day, but not today: so let’s bust a move and get something done, make something happen.

Live in such a way, that the great cloud of witnesses in heaven is leaning over the balcony, cheering you on, and each day,
you are putting a smile on Jesus face. I’m not wimpering through death’s door, with a whine of ‘Phew! I made it’, nope, when I hit heaven, it will be with a shout, yelling: ‘Jesus! That was a rush! Now where is David, Paul, and those mighty men I’ve been reading about?’

I’m going out with a shout!

6. Helps folks in tragedy or with the poor

Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

De 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Acts 20:35

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive

Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Pr 29:7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

Pr 29:13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.

Romans 15:1

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Was complaining to a buddy one day, about the homeless guys at the intersection panhandling, that would not work. This wise friend of mine said quietly: ‘I know we can’t give them money, or they will only drink it, so I keep a box of fruit, bottled water, granola bars and stuff in my console, so that when a guy asks me for something, I can at least give them something to eat.’

Made me think back on all the times I’ve been dealt a brutal turn in life, and been knocked down. Gotta help folks…

Wisdom, love, we are all gonna meet God one day, and if we need mercy, we need to give it…

Pr 29:14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.

Help your neighbor, your co-worker. If a guy goes to jail, visit him, and pray with him. If someone loses a loved one, love them, help them get their affairs in order, transition. People leave a big hole when they go, I know, buried eight of my family at one point, felt like a walking zombie for those years, like I’d been sucker punched. Great people walked with me those years and saw me through, now it’s my turn to be one of those great people…Someone ends up in the hospital, go see them. See someone without food or clothes, help them or point them towards help, love children and be a good example to them.

Be strong, stay fit, so that you can help the weak:

There might be someone needing help moving, or a vehicle needing pushed off the road somewhere. The Bible says to glorify God in your body, and to remain strong in the Lord. Be strong!

7. Submits to Righteous authority and Rebukes and prays for unrighteous authority.

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Heb 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

1Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

A man of God works hard, and fights to keep his word, strong in the love of God. When he sees someone playing games pretending to know something he doesn’t he is not afraid to speak up and be heard, silencing foolish men.

Jesus is a man under authority, and so are we. We honor just laws and uphold the honor of God and this nation. We are also not afraid to rebuke unjust, corrupt laws, as Deitrich Bonhoeffer said: ‘Silence in the presence of evil, is evil.’

You want respect and authority, you must learn to first submit to righteous authority. Jesus did it, so can you.

1 John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Mt 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

If you think that you are like a wild stallion, that no one will ever put a rope on you, sign up for the military and learn honor.

You will respect authority, if you want to be respected.

We are to pray for authority, asking God to give them wisdom and help.
1 Tim 2:1 ¶ I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Notice this verse: We pray, so that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives, godly and honest.
I get angry when I see television constantly blasting leaders, politicians, or anything honorable. We may hate what a leader is doing, and cannot respect him. Respect the position, not the man! Pray for the office of the President, even if you do not like our current president.

You can stand against abortion, same-sex marriage, lying, bribery and corruption in government, and Islam, and still honor the offices of people in authority. We may hate certain decisions they make, but we can still pray for them, and honor God’s authority in this nation.

This is the verse we have used in our men’s group at church:
1 Peter 2:17
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

This is a very simple look at manhood. I have written a number of articles on manhood:

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/the-four-stages-of-manhood-the-age-of-the-patriarch/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/four-stages-of-manhood-fatherhood/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/four-stages-of-manhood-manhood-part-two/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/the-four-stages-of-biblical-manhood-part-one-boyhood/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/manhood-a-bit-of-redneck-righteousness/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/no-bull/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/the-warrior-heart-of-god/
I think I still need to write one on the importance of a man keeping his word, or watching over it to fulfill it. Sure, stuff comes up, and we cannot always do what we planned, but we can always pick up the phone, and communicate what we are doing, letting people know why we are doing what we are doing: respect…

Let’s pray:
‘Father, make us men of honor, responsibility, respectable, strong, and courageous. Give us wisdom how to treat all people, and to treat all honorably. Make us men of prayer and action, quick to seek you for direction, quick to correct our mistakes, quick to forgive, love, and make wrongs right. Raise us up as pillars in our families, communities, and this nation, in your name we pray Lord Jesus. Amen’

Governed Inside

Governed Inside.

Governed Inside? Or by the sword?

Governed Inside!

Which government will you choose?

Internal Government – Where a person receives Jesus, becomes born-again, and allows the word and Spirit of God to develop these fruits inside of character.

Gal 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Robert Winthrop, US Speaker of the House in 1849, stated:
“All societies of men must be governed in some way or another. The less they have of stringent state government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them, or a power without them, either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or the bayonet.”

Freedom is not free. Ask anyone who has ever served in the military and seen combat. Tyrants, bullies, and evil regimes must be stopped. Our hope and prayer is always the gospel, and the love and power of God to stop them. Yet, when people refuse the rule of the love of God, and to restrain themselves willingly, then wars result, and blood flows. It is either the blood of Jesus that provides mercy and life, or the blood of battle that flows in judgment and death. How much external restrain required in a society, directly depends upon how much we allow Jesus, and His freedom life to reign.

In 1832, in his History of the United States, Noah Webster wrote:
‘Almost all civil liberty now enjoyed in the world owes its origin to the principals of the Christian religion….’

Here’s why:
Phil 1: 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Notice that when Christians pray, there is a supply of the Holy Spirit made available.

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

So, when a society is actively serving Jesus, and praying, then Holy Spirit becomes active in our personal lives, families, communities, and nations. No prayer – no Holy Spirit – no liberty. It’s that simple.

Holy Spirit will always lead us into the Word of God, and empower us to be able to do it.

Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Choose life today. Choose to learn the Word of God, and the voice of the Holy Spirit. Choose love, forgiveness, humility, reconciliation, and the passionate life that exists in the gospel today.

Surely, this war-torn, sin-sick world has seen enough hate, violence, and atrocities!

Will you choose life, and peace, or the sword?

He who lives by the sword, will surely die by it…

It’s your choice.

Let’s Pray:
‘Father, Your love is so much greater than the hate, violence, and brutality of war. Today, I choose You. Fill me with your strength and power, to live, love, and exercise self-control and forgiveness towards others. I need you Jesus! Holy Spirit, come into my life, and fill me afresh and anew with your presence, comfort, wisdom, power, and direction, today. I believe I receive it, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, AMEN!’