Welcome to the Daily Blade . The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit , the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil . Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson , and they stand ready to equip men for the fight . Let's sharpen up .
Speaker 2All right brothers , welcome back Tuesday morning . We said yesterday , if you remember , just read in the book of Genesis about how we were designed by God . We're bigger , we're stronger , we're faster , our brains are wired , we handle the cold better , our skin is thicker . So what are we called to do with this unique strength and aggression that God's given us ? Well , in Genesis 2.15 , we read the mandate given to the man the Lord . God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and watch over it , or work it and keep it . And this is where God is letting us know hey , I want you to take this unique strength and I want you to lay it across creation , and I want you to work it and keep it . And so the nature of the work given to men is the work of cultivation . To cultivate means to create , to build , to be used by God , to help things flourish . And so , as we think about our lives as men , we're to give ourselves over to the work of cultivation . Our hearts will come alive there , our souls will soar there , and the people around us will also begin to flourish , as we do the work of cultivation .
Speaker 2Now , it's important to note that work is painfully difficult but then really really rewarding . I hope you know . This Serious work in a fallen world where sin is all around us is like childbirth in a microcosm . It doesn't come easily , not if it counts . It's challenging , it's uncomfortable and we encounter obstacles both expected and unexpected . So it's going to take pushing , often beyond our sense of ability . But I hope you already know this . In the end it's undoubtedly worth it . And so what are we meant to cultivate ?
Speaker 2Well , I want to highlight just two quick things today . Number one you have got to , brother , cultivate a sense of self . What I mean by that is we see in Mark 12 , 31 , the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself , which means you don't really have the capacity to love your neighbor if you don't have a sense of self . And then again , in Ephesians 5 , 28 and 29 , the apostle Paul makes the argument that in the same way , husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies . He who loves his wife loves himself . For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it , just as Christ does the church . So the Apostle Paul here in the book of Ephesians is pressing on this reality If you hate your wife , there's a really high chance that what you actually hate is yourself . So how do you cultivate a self ?
Speaker 2The first way I would argue , brothers , is you did not spontaneously arrive today . You are a collection of behaviors brought about by your family of origin , the events of your life , both highs and lows , and sin . So I think part of what we have to do is do the work of an archaeologist , like why do I behave the way that I behave ? Why do I work ? Why does that set me off ? Why does that bother me ? Why do I react that way ? And you've got to dig deeper to see . Like man , is this a family of origin thing ? Did I experience rejection at some point ? And now I've made some kind of unholy oath that I'm never gonna be rejected again . Do I feel not good enough ? And so am I always looking for evidence that that's true . You've gotta do that kind of story work .
Speaker 2I would also encourage you to intentionally listen and pay attention to those around you , especially your wife . Now , if your wife's a nagger , if she's always kind of henpecking and nagging that's not what I'm talking about but if she sees in you strength , if she sees in you like gifts of God's grace and she's trying to call those off . If she sees inconsistency in you and she's trying to call those off , if she sees inconsistency in you and she's trying to call you up to be the king that you were meant to be , brother , then I want you to listen to that . And then , lastly , let the truth be your guide . Like you were made in the image of God , you were fearfully and wonderfully made .
Speaker 2That's what the book says . You have been given latent strength , talent and gifts from the Holy Spirit that are meant to be brought to bear in your world . But until you cultivate your own soul , a sense of self you get and understand your identity in Christ , you will not be able to cultivate the other areas that God calls us into . And so , brothers , do the hard work , look deeply , pay attention to your soul . Your first role as a watchman on the wall is to make sure your soul is growing and coming alive in your relationship with Jesus Christ . Tomorrow we'll look at the next two points of cultivation . This is just the first one and , brothers , we will go to bed tired in this calling . Now the good news is the strength with which we'll operate is going to come to us by the power of the Holy Spirit . But brothers are going to go to bed tired . We're to be wrung out for the glory of God . So cultivate a sense of self .
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to today's episode . Thank you for listening to today's episode . Before you go , if you want to help equip other men for the fight , share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review . Stay sharp .