Theme of the Week: Climbing the Mountain of Manhood
Bible Verse: And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
Scripture Reading: Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:4-6
The descent of manhood begins with what we call “leading courageously”. After three decades of full-time ministry, one of the biggest problems I encountered wasn’t the punch stains left in carpets, angry members, or the stupid things teens do (like taking Viagra on a mission trip to Mexico just to see what it would do). My biggest problems came from disengaged “Christian” dads who deferred spiritual leadership to their wives or the local church.
We celebrate on the summit, but we’d better force ourselves to concentrate on the most treacherous part of our trek, which is yet to come.
“What are you talking about?” you may be wondering. “The hard part is the climb, right?” Yes, but the more treacherous part is when you’re coming down the mountain. It’s actually where injuries occur most often.
At the summit we can be deceived into thinking that the rest of the journey is simply a lighthearted downhill saunter before we return to our drinks on ice, waiting for us in the truck.
The descent is when we’re most tempted to lean back, relax, and lose focus. Not as physically taxing, but it’s the most dangerous part of the trek. We’d better focus all our concentration and alertness on the dangers.
For proof let’s look at the planet’s highest summit and the one that kills the most men—Mount Everest.
Reaching the summit of manhood means nothing if we relax and fail on the way down. According to science20.com, “Counterintuitively, most deaths (on Mt. Everest) occur on the descent, in the so-called Death Zone just above 8000 meters (about 26,000 feet).”
Why? One reason is because climbers lose their focus after they’ve achieved their summit goals and get careless on the descent. Should-be leaders see their should-be followers flounder disastrously when they set the wrong kind of example.
They often bask in the glory of their past instead of leading in the present. But men lead courageously throughout their lives. They lead their families and other followers so that those they love can reach new heights.
Some content taken from Strong Men Dangerous Times: Five Essentials Every Man Must Possess to Change His World by Jim Ramos. Copyright © 2021. Used by permission of Five Stones Press and Jim Ramos. All rights reserved.
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