# 41 Man Up!

The Book of Genesis Day 41 Ge 3:17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Now, it’s Adam’s turn. Let’s look at the charges against him. He is charged with “heeding” the voice of his wife, and eating of what God told him not to eat. Why bring in the part about heeding the wife’s voice? Well, to “heed” is to obey, and Adam had a choice here to obey God or his wife, and he chose the latter, in so doing he abdicated his responsibility as the spiritual head of the household. It was Adam’s responsibility to draw the line on sin! Men, let’s be spiritual leaders in our households. Let’s get a good understanding of what constitutes sin, and pass that along to those under our spiritual care. We need to learn how to handle sin when it pops up in our family. Let’s teach by God’s Word and by the example of a life touched by the grace of God through Jesus! Let’s lay the Law down when we have to and be ready to apply grace and forgiveness as well. Let’s always be willing to “hear” our wives and children, but not “heed” them, when their words and actions fly in the face of God’s Word. Like it or not spiritual leadership is our responsibility. “For the husband is head of the wife,” (Eph 5:23) and “you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Eph 6:4) Martin Luther had a great handle on this God-ordained responsibility. At the head of each section of his catechism, dealing with such subjects as the Ten Commandments, the Creeds, and the Lord’s Prayer, and others, he specifically states, “As the head of the household shall teach it.” Men, stop shirking your God-given charge. Teach and lead your household with the love and grace of Christ. God has supplied the manual (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit to help……..start today! Reflect: Recount a time when you did not “heed” your father? What happened? What’s the difference between “heeding” and “hearing.” How does this portion of Scripture clarify the woman’s charge to “submit” to her husband? What can a man do to get started on the responsibilities of being the head of the household? Pray: Lord I pray that men would get a right understanding of their roles as spiritual heads of the household. Help men everywhere to know when to apply Law and when to apply grace. Amen