A Man After God’s Own Heart
By Tom Stolle
The “A Man After God’s Own Heart” Men’s Conference is happening on May 17 at Riva Trace Baptist Church. I’m excited to be with hundreds of other men who want to walk more closely with Jesus. The upcoming conference causes me to ponder some of what Jesus modeled for us as a man and how it impacts me. The following are just a few things that stand out to me:
Jesus cared about people who were hurting, and He did something about it.
Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news about God’s kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness. News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy, and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all. Matthew 4:23-24 (CEV)
Jesus provided for the needs of others.
Jesus called his disciples together and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don’t have anything to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. They might faint on their way home.” His disciples said, “This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?” Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, “Seven small loaves of bread and a few little fish.” After Jesus had told the people to sit down, he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks. He then broke them and handed them to his disciples, who passed them around to the crowds. Everyone ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets. There were 4,000 men who ate, not counting the women and children. Matthew 15:32-38 (CEV)
Jesus said marriage between a man and a woman is a union God has ordained.
Jesus answered, “Don’t you know in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? That’s why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple God has joined together.” Matthew 19:4-6 (CEV)
Jesus had time for children and wanted nothing to prevent them from coming to Him.
Some people brought their children to Jesus so he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him.
When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them. Mark 10:13-16 (CEV)
Jesus prayed a whole lot.
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Luke 6:12-16 (ESV)
Jesus gave His life for us.
After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now finished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I’m thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30 (CSB)
Jesus was the perfect Son of God as He walked this earth. If Jesus was the perfect Son of God, it’s logical to conclude that Jesus was the perfect man as He walked this earth. Jesus was the full example of what a man should be.
I know I want to grow closer to Jesus. I often say “I’m glad I’m not the man I was five years ago, and if I am alive five years from now, I pray I won’t be the man that I am today.” I want to keep growing in my faith. I want to draw closer to Jesus. I want to be more like Jesus. I want to continue to grow to be a better man.
I want to have a desire and a disciplined commitment to pray more. I want to care more deeply about the struggles of others, doing what I can to help and comfort others in my life. I want to love my wife even more deeply. I want to stand strong for Jesus, no matter what comes. Life is a journey, and I am growing. I am thankful to God as He is patient with me and gracious to me, even though I don’t deserve it.
On May 17, I will have the opportunity to worship and fellowship with many men who desire these same things and much more. That’s why I’m excited to be attending the “A Man After God’s Own Heart” Men’s Conference. The conference will have incredible preaching that will inspire you, breakout sessions that will equip you, and fellowship that will encourage you.
Ladies, encourage the men in your lives to attend. Pray that God gives the men you love what God wants them to have.
Men, we are not alone. We are in this together. God doesn’t want us to live defeated lives. God wants us to live victorious lives. We already have the victory in Jesus. Let’s trust Him and live like it!
I hope to see you at the conference!
Register now for ‘A Man After God’s Own Heart’ conference!
Tom Stolle serves as Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware.