love ya man…
Sound strange? There was a time when it might have but I’ve heard it more lately. How about you?
This week I read these words as a part of my DAWG…”Intensely felt, openly demonstrated love between manly men of God—who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”
Sounds like a FIRETEAM!
This quote was from a Ray Ortlund, a ReWired “pastor to pastors.” He went on to name three ways, as FORGE men loving one another, we can shape our families, our churches, our neighborhoods, our workplaces. Here are those three ways.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor…Romans 12:10
HONOR
No flippant put-downs. No undercutting. Not even waiting for the next guy to make the first move and open up. But me getting out of my self-concern to lift the next man up with high honor, which is what he deserves. Doing this verbally, unashamedly, openly, gladly.
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive…Colossians 3:13
PATIENCE
Not trying to change one another, not pressuring one another. Who appointed us to that role? Our privilege is to bear with one another’s “weaknesses and oddities, which are such a trial to our patience, . . . to break through to the point where we take joy in the other man’s quirkiness. There is room in this non-crisis calm for every man to grow.
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear…Ephesians 4:29
WORDS
Nothing could be more unAmerican than us freely denying ourselves our right of free speech. But men of God filter every word according to a higher standard. Even if the words wanting to come out of my mouth are factually true, the real question is, Are my words positively helping the man listening?
Manly men of God loving one another intensely are a life-giving social environment, that our angry world will look upon with astonishment.
I’m so thankful I can read something like this and feel less of a weight or burden for how I might not be doing all these things well but actually, be fueled to more intentionally and boldly love my brothers… this is what Grace Energized does in a man’s life!
Loved by and Loving my Forge Brothers…Kelley
You can read more from Ray Ortlund by searching Ray Ortlund blogs.
