Courageous 2

I have just found so many things that have inspired in me in this movie (click here to see a trailer).
It’s like watching parts of my life and wondering how I’ll do, how I will make out the journey of parenthood. As I said yesterday, I’ve made so many mistakes and I can’t take them back. Some days I wonder if the changes I want to make will ever actually happen , ever actually take effect. I know that I, no we, have improved…greatly. But it seems like such a long journey. And the fact is, it is a long journey, a long, hard journey. No one said life would be easy, the bible tells us...
1 Peter 4:12-13
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Acts 14:22
"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God."
The book of Job is filled with an account of how life is not easy for a Christian. Through it all we can learn that we must keep going, keep trying, be persistent an d persevere and ours will be the Kingdom of Heaven. And so I won’t give up and I promise I will get better!
Courageous has inspired me to do this… to take parenting seriously and to take it on courageously. Adam Mitchell, the main character , knew this and he sat down his group of male friends and told them…
“I don't feel like I've started well, but I want to finish well. What I want for you is that you seek the Lord. That you trust Him, even if it means you’re standing alone."
And with that (and a few other things…I mean it is a movie, it’s gotta have a plot!!!) Adam presented them with a piece of paper simply titled
The Resolution
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God. I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will. I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15

I think this is just the most amazing code to live by and watching these men discuss it, prepare to take this oath together, dress in their finest, bring their families to witness it and read this resolution out loud to a preacher, to their families, to each other and most importantly, to God was so very moving. But more than that, it was so very inspiring. The most inspiring thing is that it is totally biblically based…God really told men to live this way. The men in Courageous printed this up and put it in a frame and placed it on the wall of their homes as a reminder of the code they needed to live by, of the promise they made to live by that code.
It’s a lot to live up I think. And from what I’ve learned, once you commit to something like this, once you make a commitment to Christ, life doesn’t necessarily get easier. Often it gets harder. Because if God wants you to be a part of His family, to walk the path He intended for you, you can well imagine that another powerful force will want to undo that, will want you to follow the ways of the world, the ways that aren’t of Christ. The devil wants us just as much as God does….he just has manipulative ways of trying to get us there.
But I am committed, I am trying, I am dedicated and I know it won’t be easy. But I will do this and I won’t be easily swayed….
Because...
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15

Stay tuned for the The Resolution for women.... hopefully March Break doesn't interupt my posting schedule too much!!!