Godly Tools For Men

Good morning! It’s great to see all of you! I'm glad you chose to be with us this morning. Well, Happy Father's Day to all the men who are here today! Just last month we celebrated Mother's Day and today it’s fitting we acknowledge the contributions all the men here make to the lives of those around them.

In class one day, a teacher asked her students to describe what Father’s Day meant to them. One young fellow quickly stood and said, “It’s just like Mother’s Day only you don’t have to spend as much on the gift!” I guess that pretty much sums things up so let’s pray and we can all head to lunch. Just kidding!

On Father’s Day, dads often receive either a new tie or some sort of tool. Tools are important to a man. There’s something both comforting and encouraging about tools. Tools can empower a man to do things he might not otherwise try to tackle. And it seems the more tools a man has, the more confidence he has in himself and his abilities. Of course, that can be both good and bad: it’s bad if he doesn’t know how to use those tools correctly, but it’s good if he understands how the tools work and why they are so important to the task at hand.

Now there are indeed some tools a man just has to have if he is ever going to get this whole “man thing” down right. So today I want to look at a few of the essential tools God has provided for us guys, how they work, and why they are so important. We’ll be going through several passages of scripture today so be sure you to take a lot of notes. Oh yea, this is for the guys – never mind.

Any time a man has a task set before him, it’s best to begin by wrapping his mind around what he’s actually been asked to do. Ladies, we can’t rush into these things. We have to get into the right frame of mind, if you will, preparing ourselves mentally and physically for the task ahead. Having a game plan is essential. To explain this further, let’s turn to 1 Timothy 3:1-4.

I’m going to be using the NIV translation, so a few of the words will be different, but the meaning and the intent of the author is exactly the same. Everybody with me. Guys, if you’re there just give out a loud grunt.

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.

Men, if we’re going to be overseers, that is the head of our households, good husbands and Godly fathers to our children, we first have to make sure our head is on square. If we want to be respected, we have to give our families reasons to respect us. And not just because we bring in a paycheck to pay the bills, but because our character is above reproach: That we are true to our wife, we are level headed, gentle, and able to manage things in a worthy manner. It’s tough sometimes, but we have to show self restraint, patience, and compassion. And all that has to be coupled with a resolve of noble leadership.

Guys, that means we have to get square with ourselves before we can have a lasting, positive impact on those we love. (Hold up tri-square) Your relationship with God is your most important relationship, because everything else is built upon it. Are you in line with the word of God? Each morning I encourage you to ask yourself if you are "square" with God.

As I was growing up, working in my father’s plumbing shop, I started off sorting fittings and sweeping the floors. I learned the names of the tools, fittings, and the purpose for each one. When I was about nine or ten years old, I began to go out with the men on the jobs. That was a real milestone in my life! I felt like I was really accomplishing something and on my way to becoming a man. I would tag along and watch them as they worked. There was a man who took me under his arm and taught me a lot about life, relationships, integrity, hard work, accountability, oh, and yes, plumbing. His name was Pete Williams. I came across this picture of Pete and me.