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OK, before you think I am a heretic, let me explain.
We often hear that “It’s all about Jesus.” A favourite song of mine from many years ago was, in fact, “It’s All About Jesus”. Yes, salvation is found only in Jesus. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is God. Jesus is the only way to the Father. But that’s just it – He came to reconcile mankind to the Father.
Mankind’s sin had alienated us from the Father. Jesus came to make a way for the sons and daughters of God to be in right relationship with their Heavenly Father. He came to reveal the Father’s heart. “If you have seen me you have seen the father.” “I and the Father are one.” “When you pray, pray like this, ‘Our Father who is in heaven…’”
My point is this: Jesus came to connect us with our Father and demonstrate the heart of the Father to His children. Jesus was about the Father and the Father’s business.
Here’s how it applies to men in a profound way. Most men suffer from a performance-based mentality. In other words, we have grown up believing that our value and worth depends on how well we perform. This is a value system that was instilled very early on in our lives. Get good grades – you’re valuable. Excel in sports – you’re valuable. Succeed in work – you’re valuable. Make lots of money – you’re valuable. Achieve, accomplish, acquire and you are significant and valuable.
Sadly, with this belief we are never validated. We are never at rest. We are always trying to prove ourselves. How much is enough? Just a little more… Or, we have resigned ourselves to never being able to prove our value, worth, significance or manliness. Regardless, whether we are trying to prove our significance, or have resigned ourselves to never being significance, we will always carry a question mark over our lives instead of an exclamation mark.
The only thing that can settle the issue of our value, worth, significance and validation as a man is the revelation that we are beloved sons of our Heavenly Father. Scripture is very clear that we are beloved sons of God, and that is the source of our value and worth. Even Jesus needed to hear His Father validate Him. At His baptism and His transfiguration His Father said the same things, “This is my son whom I love and in whom I am well pleased.”
Basically, He was saying, “I love you and am so proud of you.”
This is what every man needs to hear from his Heavenly Father. This is the only thing that settles the issue of our value, worth and significance – it’s the Father Heart of God. It’s knowing that God delights in you as His beloved son. He rejoices over you with singing.
It’s imperative that you seek and discover God’s heart for you as a beloved son. To know that you have nothing to prove. You are loved and delighted in by God. You have been adopted as a son – born again – into the family of God by a Father who thinks you are awesome. Your Father longs for a deep intimate relationship with you as His son, a relationship so intimate that you call Him Daddy.
When you truly experience the Father Heart of God, and the deep heart revelation that you are a son He loves, your question mark gets turned into an exclamation mark. You settle the issue of your significance and you don’t have anything to prove. Now, your accomplishments are an act of worship out of love, instead of an attempt to prove your significance.
Discovering the Father Heart of God is a journey, it’s doesn’t happen through a quick prayer or instantaneously. It takes time. It’s a relational journey that begins with you asking God to reveal His Father heart for you and then watching, listening and experiencing what He begins to do. He can speak to you through myriad ways. Keep your heart open and listen.
Jesus came to make a way for you to be in relationship with God as His beloved son, and the revelation of that will change everything.
Jeremiah 3:19
“I myself said, ‘How gladly would I treat you as sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.’”
II Corinthians 6:18
“I will be a Father to you and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Galatians 4:4-7
“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”