The United States Marine Corp clearly states that they want “a few good men.” Honestly only the best of the best make it through their training. Please take a moment to watch this video. It is a  song written by beloved writer, Bill Gaither, stating that God needs a few good men and this was accented by highlighting a few of the men who, on 9/11, demonstrated tremendous courage in the face of possible death. This world needs good men. Better yet, we need Godly men!

The Question is…

I offer a penetrating question today: Does God want good men, or does God want GODLY men? Godly men are good, but good men are not necessarily godly. Besides, is being ‘good’ alone, good enough?

‘“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. ‘ Ezekiel 22:30

Let’s take a look at the difference between good men and godly men. See if you can tell what makes one good and the other godly.

Good Men are well liked, they do the right thing. A good man has a good view of today and is known for his actions. A good man meets Physical needs and follows the Crowd.

Godly Men are well loved, and they do things right. A godly man has a good view of eternity and is known for his heart. A godly man meets Spiritual needs and follows Christ.

So the question truly is, “What is God looking for”? Does God want  good or Godly?

As these questions filled my heart and soul and as I sensed God leading me to this subject, I was reminded of two Biblical stories.

The Story of Asa

My heart was first drawn to the story found in 2 Chronicles of Judah’s King Asa. Scriptures record that when Asa came to the throne, He did “what was ‘good & right’ in the sight of the Lord & removed all the pagan altar & the high places. Furthermore, he shattered the pillars and sawed up the poles which were worshiped.

He influenced His people of Judah to seek God for all things. When the 1m+ man army of Ethiopia made war against him, he sought God’s help first and God gave him victory against incredible odds. This put fear in the other Kings & gave peace to Asa. Yet, this isn’t the end of the story.

Some 30+ years later when the King of Israel attacked Judah, Asa went to another King, and not God, for help. While they won the victory, Asa lost the blessing of God. You and I may think that this is ‘no big deal’ because they won. But it was a big deal with God and it remains one.

God sent Hanani to Asa with a message of confrontation about His actions. The summary statement is found in 2 Chronicles 16:9,

“For the eyes of the Lord run (to and fro) throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are COMPLETELY His.”

Men, based on this reading of God’s word it does not appear that God is just looking for ‘good men’. He is searching, seeking, and in quest those men whose hearts are COMPLETELY His.

Becoming one of these men is not for the faint of heart or those with a half-hearted, lack luster loyalty, it required courage & commitment. His eye are still running to and fro looking for such men.

The Story of God’s Chosen People

The second story is found over in Ezekiel 22. For me this is a sister type of story to King Asa. This instructs men, dads, & grandpas that God expects you to lead spiritually.

The story of God’s chosen people is this: The Jewish nation which cannot get along is divided into 2 Kingdoms, Israel in the North & Judah in the South. In particular, it is well documented that Israel had one wicked King after another (just like their people).

Simply put, God warned Israel and called on them to repent of their wickedness and to turn & follow HIM only. Their response was to reject God’s call. For this reason, they paid a price. Resisting God exacts a price! Around 722 BC the Northern Kingdom, Israel, fell to the Assyrians & were taken into captivity and around 586 BC The Southern Kingdom, Judah, fell to the Babylonians and were taken into captivity.

Instead of living in the land of promise, they wound up living in the land of captivity, penalty, & cruelty. Why did this happen? Eze. 22:30

‘“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. ‘ Ezekiel 22:30

The Story of Today

Today, God is searching for men! God is searching for men who will ‘repair the wall’! What wall you say? The walls of our culture, our country, and even are churches are falling down.

God is searching for men who will not only repair the wall, but also stand in the gap before Him. There is a gap between mankind and God. You see, God is righteous and mankind, by nature, is unrighteous. And how can we stand in the gap? We do this by answering His call.

When Jesus ministered on earth, He called 12 men. Jesus looked at these men square in the eye and said: “Follow Me.” Today we talk about walking with God, but we can never walk with God until we follow after Christ. Christ stood in the gap between our wickedness & God’s righteousness, and it cost Him His life. God is calling men today to be ‘The one’ who’ll repair the wall and stand in the gap because their heart is completely devoted to HIM.

Are You Indeed a Man?

Before we start looking at what characteristics God is looking for in men who will serve Him, it might serve us well to determine if we are indeed ‘a man.’ There is a difference between a grown-up boy and a man.

This culture has lied to us about what it means to be a man just like it has lied to us about what it means to be a Father. Almost any male can contribute to the birth of a baby, but being a ‘dad’ requires a lot more. The man God is looking for is more. Robert Lewis defines a man as one who “Rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, & expects a greater reward, God’s reward.” Consider 3 characteristics of God’s man.

1. Demonstrates Compassion

This culture seems to have 2 extremes for men. One is the hard, cold, and calloused man like a “Steven Segal” character. He is one who expresses little or no emotion or remorse?

The other type of man is the one who is almost ‘effeminate’. He has discarded all of the attributes of his testosterone and taken on the qualities which are equated with women. Quite honestly, the taming of manhood is, in large measure, a culprit in the decay of Christianity.

Jesus was not an effeminate man. As a carpenter he was required to be in really good shape as he went to the woods to manufacture his own lumber. Quite likely, His young body was in excellent shape, His physical abilities were obvious, and yet, He was a man of compassion.

When He saw the multitudes, when Jesus saw the woman at the well, and when Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, He was moved with compassion. Godly men are compassionate. Paul writes that the fruit of the spirit is, ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.” At least 3 of these fruits deal with compassion.

The compassionate man sees the need(s) of others. It is not enough to see the need; he wants to ‘do’ something about it. A man’s nature is to do and to fix. Men get tired of talking about it; they want to do something about it. Godly men who stand in the gap & repair the wall are men MOVED TO ACTION BY THEIR COMPASSION. This includes salvation.

2. Deep Convictions

While I could have used the word ‘commitment’, I fear that the concept of commitment has fallen on hard times. Your convictions are unshakeable, unbreakable, & unchangeable.

Sadly, too many of us have convictions about things which don’t really matter for eternity. Who wins the World Cup or the Superbowl is not really big stuff in light of eternity! Whatever country wins the World Cup is inconsequential. Whoever becomes MVP or the #1 athlete in the world is truly temporary. Whoever won Indi 500 won’t be listed on the walls of heaven.

Godly men have deep convictions about the things of God and their relevance to the souls of men today. Honestly, Godly men are concerned about the souls of their family. Godly men are focused on the spiritual climate in their community. The reason this is so is that Godly men believe that Jesus is the only way to God, to Heaven, and to eternal life. Therefore, their conviction is that everyone who doesn’t know Jesus needs to know Jesus because eternal life is found in Jesus Christ alone!

By The Way

By the way, a Godly man will have his struggles. For me, I can identify with the Apostle Paul when he writes, “Those things I want to do, I don’t and those things I don’t want to do, I do.” He continues his testimony by saying, “I haven’t reached my goal, but guess what?  I’m not giving up, giving in, or going back! I’m pressing, leaning, reaching, and going forward toward my goal… Jesus.”

The Godly man is so deeply committed that he says, “If you want to go with me, let’s go. If not, I’ll see you later because as for me and my house we will ‘SERVE’ the Lord.” We’ll not just talk about it, we’ll do it!

3. Displays Christ

Before you can display Christ you must know Christ, you must follow Christ and then you must walk with Christ. The sad truth of today is that many people only know the church, they follow the church, and then they walk away from the church. The very reason they walk away is because the entirety of their faith is wrapped around an institution or organization. Now make no mistake, the person who knows Christ will be deeply committed to a local body because the authentic church is the bride and body of Christ. The Bible never gives any credence to a believer existing apart from the church, it doesn’t happen. However there are many men who come to church and have never been changed by the power of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells of a transformation in your life. To know Christ personally is to be a NEW PERSON,  there is no other way. You cannot hang on to your sour attitude & belong to Him. To know Him is to be renewed in your mind and have the same mind as Jesus. Consider this. The godly man KNOWS Jesus because Jesus has transformed his life.

The godly man follows Jesus.

This was the disciples call and  the call for all others. There is no other call. Jesus said, “I only do what I see the Father do” so come follow me. Following Jesus means doing what He did. He touched people, taught people, served people, and saved people. His life was given to others. So is the life of a godly man.

God is searching for men full of compassion who will laugh, love, and cry. Men who will face eternity, and because they have a relationship with Jesus Christ, they aren’t afraid to die.

God is searching or better said; “God is calling” and it is not an easy call. It is not for the good it is for the GODLY.

The Importance of Discipline