Happy Mother’s Day to my wife and all of my sisters in Christ! Memories of mom on Mother’s Day are hard to avoid for those of us who have had them depart this life. My own mother, Bettie Kelley, left my siblings and me for glory ten years ago on the 14th of this month--a time post living through the current global Coronavirus pandemic has not caused me to forget. How glad I am she as an unwed nineteen-year-old surrendered to the Lord to have me; my father to step up and marry her! Whether Christian women realize it or not, they aspire to be great in the image of Jesus Christ to the extent they humbly submit to God’s assigned roles, responsibilities and order for them as females.
The Lord Jesus Christ was foretold by the angel, Gabriel, to His mother, Mary, that among other things, ‘“He will be great,’” (Luke 1:32, NKJV). Webster’s Dictionary defines great as an adjective in part to mean “Superior; outstanding, eminent; renowned.” Encarta Dictionary adds “important” and “powerful.” Defining great as a noun Encarta states, “Somebody whose fame or influence has proved to be long-lasting.” Beyond debate Jesus Christ fulfills all of these definitions of great whether one follows Him in a personal relationship or not as any history book documenting events of the past 2,000 years must affirm! Indeed, He is the greatest Man ever and forever!
In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,1 previous posts2 and still being edited The Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study I endeavor as the Lord leads to restore the biblical worldview of womanhood for Christians and churches that have lost their way in the feminist rebellion underway near the end of this present mortal age (Psalm 2:1-3). The Lord Jesus has led me to call women that in His image passionately seek to please God and do His will great! For just as man is no freak accident of the cosmos, neither is woman; purposely, tenderly built by God from a rib He “had taken from man” and brought to him in the first marriage (Genesis 2:21-25, NKJV).
God created the woman to be the man’s lifelong wife, not just another human being he could choose to engage with or not! As the man’s wife, God expressly made the woman to be his companion and helper and said so (Genesis 2:18). The man’s intimate companion and helper, along with governing support the woman was to help him bring forth more of their kind in accord with God’s will (Genesis 1:27-28). Her role assignment in this by God’s purposeful design of her body was to receive her husband’s seed in their intimacy, conceive, carry in her womb, birth, nourish and nurture their offspring as a mother which is embodied in the descriptive name he gave her (Genesis 3:20).
Humbly submitting to God’s will for her in the image of Jesus Christ calls forth the Christian woman’s designation by Him as great as it did Christ when He submitted as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” (Revelation 13:8, NKJV).3 For if it took complete humility and self-emptying denial to submit to God and do His will as Christ did in a sinless body (Matthew 26:36-44; Philippians 2:5-8), what about the godly woman with a sin nature and choice that does so (Luke 1:38)? The power of this reality is clearly seen when contrasted with the rebellious outcry of feminists in these latter days that so resent their divine assignment, they even murder their children in the womb!
How thoroughly deceived they are by the powers of darkness since a mother’s womb is a place of life; the only begotten Son of God even hearing from His Father who also mentions His name while He was in His mother’s womb (Isaiah 49:1; Matthew 1:18-25)! And though a wide swath of professing Christianity has gone blasphemously too far exalting Mary by making her equal to her Son, she is first in line among all godly women that are great in His image. She expressed understanding of this prophetically in her Holy Spirit inspired praise to God for what He had done in selecting her to be the mother of Christ (Luke 1:46-50). She was already going to be a wife and mother, but because of her humble submission to God long before and when He called, she became great in His sight!
Selfish and ungodly mothers that would murder your unborn on the altar of convenience: how do you know that the child conceived in you is unworthy of life and one that will not be used mightily of God (Psalm 22:9-10)? Indeed, every son and daughter with joy remembers for life their mother who in love bore them; mom, that taught and succored them (John 19:26-27). The destiny of all males after Christ and in Him if they are willing is to be strong--thank You, Lord, for saving me from death before birth; females, great because God eternally remembers and rewards your humble submission to Him in this life (1 Timothy 2:15)! Therefore, let every professed Christian woman aspire to be great in the sight God by humbly seeking to please Him and do His will in all submission.
1 Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also
purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
2 See for examples, my April 22, 2018 post, The Value Of Women To God and Weak Women Made Great posted May 13,, 2018 both under the category, God’s Creatures.
3 Read more about Christ’s display of submission in the February 12, 2017 post, Jesus, Son Of Man, Pt. 3, under the category, The Cause.
On this day marking the sanctity of human life beginning in the womb and eve of the nation’s holiday remembering slain Civil Rights leader and martyr for Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am challenged afresh about doing God’s will. Dr. King made it clear this was his life aim in what would be his final sermon before being assassinated. He said, “I just want to do God’s will.”1 This conviction does not originate with Dr. King, of course, but is pleasantly consistent with my own heart and multitudes of persons that have through time enjoyed relationship with the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ, who preeminently expressed and carried it out (John 6:38, 17:4).
Pleasing God and doing His will is the heart of the Lord Jesus and what makes Him the Strong Man of God (John 8:29)! From eternity it was known what the will of God would entail for the Lord: a cross (John 3:13-16, 12:27, 32-33). In His perfect Humanity He, even He struggled with this part of God’s will for Him and prevailed through Self-denial (Matthew 26:36-46). The Lord unambiguously charged all that would be His followers to line up behind Him in self-denial to live on purpose to please God and do His will too (Mark 8:31-38).2 This has been the heart of aspiring strong men and great women of God in His image to the point of martyrdom beginning with Stephen (Acts 7:51-60)!3
What is God’s will for Christians since despite the corrupt laxity of Christianity as manmade religion, doing His will remains a biblical requirement (Matthew 7:21)? Continuously Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:15-18), faithful followers of Christ understand God’s priority will for them after salvation is to cultivate relationship with Him through a growing faith and love even through much tribulation (Romans 5:1-5; Ephesians 3:14-21). His will linked to this is our character development and spiritual growth (2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 2:1-4, 5:12-14, 12:3-11; 2 Peter 1:1-11). We are to also fulfill our assigned familial roles while loving and serving fellow saints (Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 4:7-11).
Finally too, we are to be engaged in the mission Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). In light of the two-part post, Revelation’s Seven Churches In Time, beginning January 5, 2020 under the category, Bible Prophecy, we know with certainty God’s will is for us to continue faithfully doing all of the foregoing. These together are the “works” of Christ we are to diligently keep to whatever end He has permitted for us (Revelation 2:26, NKJV). By His grace and in His strength, I daily press to do God’s will to include my assignment through this Ministry to restore men in the Kingdom cause of the Gospel, revival and the strong man of God among the willing.
Indeed, it is absolutely imperative that men be restored at this late hour because individually they are equipped to walk in the four distinctive characteristics of Christ as aspiring strong men of God in His image. In accepting the roles God has assigned, being willing to obey His will and Word to the death, relying on and trusting in Him for vindication they stand in the evil day. Very importantly too, in their roles as husbands and fathers they appropriately lead their families to stand as persecution and God’s judgments in the earth intensify and going to corporate brick and mortar churches are increasingly not an option.4 Resisting the Lord through me in this cause and work is evidence of your need for repentance, salvation or revival! Otherwise, stand with me in it!5
1 The statement was made in the I’ve Been To The Mountain Top portion of his sermon on April 3, 1968 at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple Church Of God In Christ,
Memphis, TN, while in town to support the city’s striking sanitation workers.
2 Read my two-part 2019 post that begins August 18, Lined Up Behind Jesus, under the category, Instruction.
3 I write and instruct about aspiring strong men and great women of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. Get a print copy or digital download of
the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also get a print copy in the
Strong Man Store.
4 Read the July 30-Sept 3, 2017 six-part series Restoring Men In The Two Minute Drill, under the category, Bible Prophecy to get a sense of the urgent need to restore
men now!
5 Contribute to my salary support in the work at https://fundrazr.com/salarycampaign1. Give either to my support or the ongoing work of the Ministry or both at
https://thestrongmanofGod.org/Give.
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