Learned me a word the other day, from a sister o’ mine. “Virtuous” — according to her Ethics class, virtue is “fulfilling the purpose for which you were made”. In other words, do whatcha should. Let’s say you are a hammer. <note to self: M.C. HAMMER JOKE> If you are good at pounding stuff, then you are a VIRTUOUS hammer. If you are good at putting out fires, you’re a weird hammer and maybe useful sometimes, but not necessarily virtuous.
Drawing together my widely disparate thoughts with a desperate segue, it behooves us to learn what is a brother supposed to be anyhow? Otherwise you could end up working really really hard to get awesome at something you aren’t even supposed to be doing! Because I was thinking about steadfastness today, I am going to mention it as a great…virtue…that a Virtuous gentleman should possess.
So, Bibley goodness! 1 Timothy 6:11 — “But as for you, O man of God, flee [a buncha bad stuff]. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” See? There it is! That’s in the ESV, which I am told is the Extra Spiritual Version. The NASB uses “perseverance”, which is another great word that I’m bad at.
Yeh, I am bad at being steadfast, bad at persevering. Not forever, I hope! I’m pursuing those virtues, as commanded in the verse above. Aside from it being a personal proving ground, why did I pick steadfastness? Because I have seen that it surprises and delights and blesses our sisters in a special way. Sure, righteousness and godliness and faith and love and gentleness are just as important…they just aren’t as surprising. Girls are happy to see a godly guy — but they are sometimes astounded to see a guy who is consistently godly for years and does not waver!
If you would like to be more manly in a worthwhile sense, start by being *unwavering* in ways that matter. Hold steadfastly to eternal life, to the good news about Jesus, to the public display of your faith. More specifically to our point, be an unswervingly good brother. Reliability, reliability, counts for much. Do you want to be a good comforter? Half of today’s comfort comes from knowing that the same comfort can be found tomorrow. Reflect the nature of Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and tomorrow. Do not let your love cast a shifting shadow — let it be something Reliable. Keep your word. Do what you say you will do. Be loving today and more loving tomorrow. Don’t wander away, don’t give up, don’t get bored, don’t stop praying or listening or caring for your sisters. Let her know that she is simply stuck with you — like family. =)
Soooo, questions! Do you struggle with steadfastness, finishing what you start? Do people find it easy to trust you, even after they’ve known you a while? How is God helping you to be faithful and reliable in all manner of things? How can you help others? How do you suppose women are blessed by brothers that can be counted on?
Sisters, if you have any stories of good examples, those are welcome here. ^_^
Look every1body! Two blog posts in one month. That’s steadfast, rite rite?
But as for you,(V) O man of God,(W) flee these things.(X) Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12(Y) Fight the good fight of the faith.(Z) Take hold of the eternal life(AA) to which you were called and about which you made(AB) the good confession in the presence of many witnesseBut as for you,(V) O man of God,(W) flee these things.(X) Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12(Y) Fight the good fight of the faith.(Z) Take hold of the eternal life(AA) to which you were called and about which you made(AB) the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.s.
Additionally — here is a secret technique for becoming more steadfast.
Tilt your head back, look beyond the ceiling or the sky and say, “LORD please help me keep being good n’stuff.”
FURTHERMORE I realized it is December!!! Thus invalidating my claims to semi-monthly posting perseverance. Dang.
lol, virtuous hammers are great things…but what if we had non-virtuous hammers that put out fires and non-virtuous buckets of water that pounded in nails and things? that would be strange and funny and nominally useful but wrong…
i guess in the same sense, what are your thoughts on all of the women who have given up on their brothers (sad…) and taken up their brothers duties for them? …i think that then it’s hard for their brothers to be virtuous gentlemen and hard for them to be virtuous ladies but maybe not impossible? idk, what are your thoughts?