The One Thing No Man Wants to Hear

Tell a man to climb Mt. Everest and he’ll ask, “When can I start?” Order him to build a bridge from Hawaii to the mainland and he’ll respond, “How many lanes do you want?” But tell that same man to ask for help and he will walk away offended.

Challenges often bring out the best in men. It’s a chance to show their competence, ability, hard work and all the other traits men admire. But when it comes to admitting the need for someone else to lend a hand, men give the impression they would rather die than be helped.

The great irony is that the same man who will be the first to help others will refuse to allow people to return the favor, even when it is obvious his need is real. Is it that same independent pride which keeps so many men from ever getting close to God?

The opening chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans are offensive to anyone. He makes a very strong case that no one, no man or woman, is able to approach God on his/her own terms. The only way to God is through the door of destitution – by admitting, “Lord, I need you to make me into what I can’t be by myself.”

There is a saying, “The truth hurts.” From God’s point of view it would be more accurate to say, “The truth heals.” This Saturday evening (6:00 pm) and Sunday morning (10:00 am) we have the opportunity to study one of the tremendous chapters of the Bible (Romans 3). For the last two weeks as we’ve studied the opening chapters of Romans we have been forced to look at our lives honestly. It has been at times uncomfortable, at times depressing. But it all leads to just one thing – healing. And that healing is available to us all!

When Humility Is a Necessity

“These boots are made for walking,
And that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots
are gonna walk all over you.”

Often humility is defined as letting another person take advantage of us. But in our culture of aggressive, assertive individualism, we want to let others know that just isn’t going to happen. That’s why we like songs like Nancy Sinatra’s hit “These Boots Were Made for Walking”. This song is a personal anthem declaring to anyone who will hear, “Don’t mess with me.”

It is interesting that the Webster’s Dictionary has a very different definition of “humble”.

“having or showing a consciousness of one’s defects or shortcomings…”

What’s important to note about that definition is it says nothing about other people taking advantage of the individual, instead, it emphasizes that the humble person sees him or herself the way they really are and doesn’t try to cover up the truth, even if the truth is not personally flattering. An example of a humble person then would be someone who, after making a mistake, can openly say, “Yes, I made a mistake. I blew it.” Now that doesn’t seem negative at first glance, does it? It is becoming harder and harder, however, for people to be humble in the dictionary sense. We seemed to be obsessed with the idea that it is a sign of weakness to admit that we are not only capable of making mistakes, but that some of those errors are very serious.

People might be able to get away with the “I’m never wrong” image with some other human beings, but such an attitude is absolutely disastrous with God. In fact, the only way a person can begin to get close to God is by having a consciousness of one’s defects or shortcomings.

The message of Jesus Christ’s coming into this world to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves is the most liberating and life changing story ever heard. But that story only makes sense if read through the eyes of humility. Join us this Saturday evening (6:00 pm) or Sunday morning (10:00 am) to experience how one preacher of the past described the journey to God. He said, “The way up always begins on our knees.”