March 2

THE MEASURE OF A MAN

Father, thank You for bringing me to this place and this time today. I ask You to speak to me right now, and to let Your Word breathe life into my heart. Please use these next few moments to bring me to more of a fullness of You and to learn more of Your Glory and how to leave the footprints of Jesus everywhere I go today. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!

Read Matthew 5:33-37

I really enjoy country music. I always have. Maybe I had no choice in the matter, since I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma. A common theme through a lot of country music is being a man. Some recent songs include Measure Of A Man, That’s A Man, I’m Still A Guy, Her Man, Man Of Me, Man To Man, Man Of Conviction, and I’m Just A Man to name a few. These songs and others like them all extol a certain type of man, a guy that is tough and rugged, someone that can take care of himself and live off the land if necessary, a man that can admit when he is wrong if he ever is, and man that is a man of his word. This last trait is why my mind went here after reading this passage. We all know someone like this, that is just a man of his word and that everyone trusts and believes. Maybe it is your grandfather or dad, or a former coach or teacher, or perhaps it is someone famous like John Wayne or Jack Bauer.

Being people of our word, like these men, is what Jesus is getting at in this passage. He is calling us to be people that can let our yeses and our no’s speak for them self. So what is it about these individuals that allow them to be men of their word? I think it starts with a life of integrity. They live a life that can be believed and trusted. They live a life that is honest and virtuous. They are the type of man that would return a $100 bill if they saw if fall out of someone’s pocket. They can let their words speak for themselves because of the life they lead.

This is what Jesus is calling us to be. Men and women like this; men and woman that live a life of integrity. I encourage you to live like this today, but realize that the source of our life of integrity is Him. We cannot accomplish this of our own power. We will always fail. We have to be totally yielded to Him to get there.

Today I encourage you to live a life of integrity. Do not do it to impress others, rather do it because that is what God desires. Walk in His truth today.

Leave His footprints as you walk today