Bible Verses About Marriage
Five Minutes in the Bible for Men
Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go — Joshua 1:9 NASB
Consider this fable:
Once upon a time all the mice met together in council and discussed the best means of protecting themselves against the attacks of the cat. After several suggestions had been debated, a mouse of some standing and experience got up and said, “I think I have hit upon a plan which ensures our safety in the future, provided you approve and carry it out. It is that we should fasten a bell around the neck of our enemy the cat, which will by its tinkling warn us of her approach.”
This proposal was warmly applauded, and it had already been decided to adopt it when an old mouse finally got up on his feet and said, “I agree with you all that the plan before us is an admirable one, but I ask: Who is going to bell the cat?”
Men in America have become feminized over the last 20 or more years. We have lost the masculine touch. Look at our dress, our hairstyles, our softness, our passivity. Where have all the real men gone?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all we had to do in order to be brave is to talk about it? But true courage and bravery require action. Our society today hungers to find men with courage. We look for our heroes in sports, politics, movies, business, and church, but many of them fail the test. We hunger for the character trait of courage in our men, but few are able to deliver it.
Our marriages are continually tested by the decisions we must make. Are we able to stand alone and make hard decisions? It’s hard to be in the minority as a friend, a husband, or a parent, to just say “no.” Unfortunately, the greatest pressure often comes from those we love the most!
In Joshua 24:15, the writer had a similar dilemma, but he stood tall and delivered this statement:
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (NASB).
Joshua was willing to stand up and be heard. He had the courage to bell the cat. Are you facing a similar difficulty in your life? If so, look to God to find the answer. He says He will never leave us or forsake us. That is a promise we can take to the bank.
The world has no room for cowards. We must all be ready somehow to toil, to suffer, to die. And yours is not the less noble because no drum beats before you when you go out to your daily battlefields, and no crowds shout your coming when you return from your daily victory and defeat. — Robert Louis Stevenson
Prayer: Father God, make me a man of courage. Let me have the strength to be a man after your own heart. I want to be a brave warrior for what’s good and honorable. Amen.
Insights: Courage, strength, leadership, proactivity — as a husband, how does this resonate with you? How are you doing?
Action: Put a bell on a cat today.
Copyright © Bob Barnes, published by Harvest House Publishers. Used with Permission.
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