The Ledger That God Sees

How do you act when you think no one’s paying attention? 

Every man has small rooms where he thinks compromising doesn't count: the number rounded in his favor, the deal shaded just slightly, the abundance that somehow made his fist tighter instead of more open. 

Christian Calatayud opens a new week in Proverbs 11, and asks two questions most men would rather not sit with, and challenges you to become the kind of man whose honesty and generosity doesn't change when decisions are on the line. 

Verses of the Day: Proverbs 11

Your Daily Man-Up Challenge: 

Look honestly at your own life. Are you trying to tip the scales on a deal, a negotiation, a number?  Aim to deal honestly and give generously this week.

NEW TO THE MEN’S MORNING DEVOTIONAL? 

Welcome!

The Men's Morning Devotional is a podcast to help you man up in every way - in your faith, your family and your work - by spending a few minutes getting into the Word before you face the world. 

Every weekday, you'll get a challenge and encouragement from Scripture that speaks to the pressures you carry as a husband, a father, and a leader. You’ll get truth you can take straight into your day. And you’ll know you’re not standing alone, because men everywhere are waking up to fight the same battle.

Your hosts are Steve Alessi, pastor of Metro Life Church of Miami, FL, along with his sons and other leaders of our Goodfellas men's ministry.

Join us every weekday to man up! 

MORE PODCASTS YOU'LL ENJOY

Find more podcasts about faith and family from Metro Life Studios, including:

My Morning Devotional

The Family Business with The Alessis

The Mary and Martha Show 

You can listen to all of these shows on our Metro Life Studios app here! 

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the men's morning devotional. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Good morning and welcome back to the men's morning devotional. My name is Christian. And just a quick breakdown of Proverbs. If this is your first time listening or you've been listening, it's good to keep this in mind that Proverbs is what's best for us. You see, Proverbs was written by a father handing his son something different. He was handing him knowledge that starts with God. And you see, that's why this book measures the quote unquote good life in moral terms, not material ones. Solomon isn't writing about how to get ahead. So this week isn't just five random chapters, it's one father's voice. Working through the same handful of proving grounds a man's character actually gets tested on. So let's dive into Proverbs chapter eleven, the ledger that God sees. Integrity isn't what you do when someone's watching, it's what your scales read when no one is. Proverbs eleven one says, A false balance is an abomination to Yahweh, but accurate weights are his delight. At the end of the chapter, chapter eleven, twenty-four through twenty-five, we read, There is one who scatters and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself. Verse 1128 says, He who trusts in his riches will fail, but the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. And lastly, verse 1130 says, The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life. He who is wise wins souls. We see that Proverbs 11 keeps circling back on the same man from two different angles. How he deals, chapter 11, verse 1, and how he gives, verses 24 and 25. Both are a reading on what he actually trusts. A man who thumbs the scale in small ways, and a man who closes his fist on what he's been given are the same man just caught in two different rooms. You see, Proverbs 11 24 in one sentence is built on this. And if you scatter it, you increase. So as men today, we need to look at our own life and know: are we thumbing the scales when it comes to a deal, a negotiation, a number that you round in your favor? And as our man up challenge, has there been an abundance that has been given to us that has made our fist tighter instead of produced an opened hand? You see, a righteous man's fruit doesn't just feed him, it plants life in someone else. And men, that's our target for this week. To be men that are generous, not only in the way we deal in our business, but also in the abundance that we receive. Let's be generous this week. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we pray that your words that echo for eternity, that they might be able to sit in our soul this morning, that they might be able to sit in our soul and produce a harvest inside of us, Father. That we might be generous. We might be men that look at our businesses, we look at the different scales in our life, and make sure we are not tipping them, but Lord, we are being honest in your eyes. Bless us today, Lord. Give us the daily bread that we need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word. Now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.