I hope today finds you doing well. Summer is nearing an end. The weather will soon cool off, the grass will no longer need to be mowed, and the leaves on the trees will change color and fall to the ground. I’m looking forward to the cooler weather so there’s no more mowing, we can open the windows, and there will be a few more campfires! I hope you too are looking forward to something as well!
Last Saturday morning a small group of men met on the corner of our church property. Armed with some power tools, a few hand tools, and doughnuts, these men worked together for a few hours to clean out some overgrowth of trees and bushes. I was amazed at how quick the overgrowth was cleaned out and fresh and new the area looked after just a few hours of work. One of the men put it best when he reminded us that “many hands make light work”. To put it simply, a few men gathered with a single purpose. They worked as a team clean up something that had been neglected. A few minor scrapes and cuts occurred along the way but in the end, the focus of the work revealed something clean and beautiful that had been there the entire time. Saturday showed me what men can do for each other.
Imagine for a moment that you and I are like those trees at Central Church. We are rooted near a place of community and worship. One might assume that since we are “at church” that we are fully taken care of in our walk with God. But that is not always the case. The trees that were cleaned up on Saturday were off to the side and not always seen. They were planted with a purpose but then left on their own with little pruning. Overtime weeds grew up under the trees and those outside the church noticed the overgrowth. That is when a small group of men stepped in to help clean out the weeds.
Men, you and I were planted ON PURPOSE in the kingdom of God. Our roles may be different in His Kingdom, but we need one another to continue to flourish for His good. If we do not surround ourselves with other men of faith, we too will experience overgrowth. Weeds and other things will slowly creep into our lives and choke off our fruit bearing branches. Non-believers will no longer see a man planted for God. They will see a man cluttered with overgrowth destroying his purpose. I’m calling on you today to find a few other men to help trim away the weeds in your life. Meet with these men for a short time once every week or two consistently. Work together to grow as men of God. This routine maintenance will allow you to grow and flourish in your walk with God and it will help you avoid the intrusive weeds that can choke out even the most noble of men.
The picture I’ve attached is what was pulled out of the trees after just a few hours of work. This large pile of overgrowth will be disposed of properly, but it could have been avoided with just a little weekly maintenance. Please find a few men and start pulling out the weeds in your life today so that someday you too won’t find an overwhelming amount of intrusive growth in your life. We can do this together as men of Christ and I need your help to make sure that NO MAN IS LEFT BEHIND!
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