Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2: 0:26

All right brothers, welcome back Tuesday morning. We said yesterday, if you remember, just read in the book of Genesis about how we were designed by God. We're bigger, we're stronger, we're faster, our brains are wired, we handle the cold better, our skin is thicker. So what are we called to do with this unique strength and aggression that God's given us? Well, in Genesis 2.15, we read the mandate given to the man the Lord. God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and watch over it, or work it and keep it. And this is where God is letting us know hey, I want you to take this unique strength and I want you to lay it across creation, and I want you to work it and keep it. And so the nature of the work given to men is the work of cultivation. To cultivate means to create, to build, to be used by God, to help things flourish. And so, as we think about our lives as men, we're to give ourselves over to the work of cultivation. Our hearts will come alive there, our souls will soar there, and the people around us will also begin to flourish, as we do the work of cultivation.

Speaker 2: 1:37

Now, it's important to note that work is painfully difficult but then really really rewarding. I hope you know. This Serious work in a fallen world where sin is all around us is like childbirth in a microcosm. It doesn't come easily, not if it counts. It's challenging, it's uncomfortable and we encounter obstacles both expected and unexpected. So it's going to take pushing, often beyond our sense of ability. But I hope you already know this. In the end it's undoubtedly worth it. And so what are we meant to cultivate?

Speaker 2: 2:14

Well, I want to highlight just two quick things today. Number one you have got to, brother, cultivate a sense of self. What I mean by that is we see in Mark 12, 31, the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself, which means you don't really have the capacity to love your neighbor if you don't have a sense of self. And then again, in Ephesians 5, 28 and 29, the apostle Paul makes the argument that in the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does the church. So the Apostle Paul here in the book of Ephesians is pressing on this reality If you hate your wife, there's a really high chance that what you actually hate is yourself. So how do you cultivate a self?

Speaker 2: 3:13

The first way I would argue, brothers, is you did not spontaneously arrive today. You are a collection of behaviors brought about by your family of origin, the events of your life, both highs and lows, and sin. So I think part of what we have to do is do the work of an archaeologist, like why do I behave the way that I behave? Why do I work? Why does that set me off? Why does that bother me? Why do I react that way? And you've got to dig deeper to see. Like man, is this a family of origin thing? Did I experience rejection at some point? And now I've made some kind of unholy oath that I'm never gonna be rejected again. Do I feel not good enough? And so am I always looking for evidence that that's true. You've gotta do that kind of story work.

Speaker 2: 4:02

I would also encourage you to intentionally listen and pay attention to those around you, especially your wife. Now, if your wife's a nagger, if she's always kind of henpecking and nagging that's not what I'm talking about but if she sees in you strength, if she sees in you like gifts of God's grace and she's trying to call those off. If she sees inconsistency in you and she's trying to call those off, if she sees inconsistency in you and she's trying to call you up to be the king that you were meant to be, brother, then I want you to listen to that. And then, lastly, let the truth be your guide. Like you were made in the image of God, you were fearfully and wonderfully made.

Speaker 2: 4:40

That's what the book says. You have been given latent strength, talent and gifts from the Holy Spirit that are meant to be brought to bear in your world. But until you cultivate your own soul, a sense of self you get and understand your identity in Christ, you will not be able to cultivate the other areas that God calls us into. And so, brothers, do the hard work, look deeply, pay attention to your soul. Your first role as a watchman on the wall is to make sure your soul is growing and coming alive in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Tomorrow we'll look at the next two points of cultivation. This is just the first one and, brothers, we will go to bed tired in this calling. Now the good news is the strength with which we'll operate is going to come to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. But brothers are going to go to bed tired. We're to be wrung out for the glory of God. So cultivate a sense of self.

Speaker 1: 5:45

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review. Stay sharp.