MANLY

1 kings 2:1-12; Ps  1Chronicles 29 Lord, you are exalted over all;Mark 6:7-13

"Take courage and be a man."  These are David's final words to Solomon as David hands over the crown to his Son.

Take courage  and be a man.  What does it mean to be manly.

 David continue is exhortation with these words, "Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing is statues, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill his promise he made on by behalf, 'if your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel."


What does it mean to be a man, it means to go to church and be dedicated in living out the values of God.  Being manly is being Godly.

One who is truly masculine is one who is:strong, principled, generous, devoted to serve  and protect those under his care, decisive, God fearing, and humble, just to say a few things.

In the psalm today with get David's last prayer before he dies.  The paslm begins with David's words, "Lord, you are exalted over all."

If you turn your bible to  1 Chronicles 29 you will be able to read the entire prayer but also you will get David's last words to all before he departs by 'way of all flesh.'

These are his last words, "Bless the LORD your God."

If we live out these words the we truly discover what it means to be a true woman or man of God.  To bless the Lord with the life we live is the hallmark of godliness, our worth as men and women is found in the blessing we bring to the LORD.

As we look to the gospel we see Jesus send out the disciple with authority over unclean spirits and nothing but a walking stick and sandals, no things to weigh them down-no food, no sack, no money.

Urgency was the name of the game.  Urgency and clarity.  They were to focus on the task at hand, keeping their eyes on the ball, so to speak.  Possessions are distractions and JEsus wanted his disciples to be clear minded and clear hearted, zeroed in on the task before them:  driving out demons, bringing healing.

Signs of the kingdom then remains signs of the kingdom today.  The only thing lacking is our urgency.

Put on your sandals and grab your stick and go forth and let the kingdom reign.