Just For Men – Chris Blumstein – The Church at Cahaba Bend

 Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; ³A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

Men have now tried “The Grecian Formula” to “turn back the clock” on the aging process for two generations.  From the top of the head to the bottom of the feet, men have tried everything; elixirs to make hair grow back or dyes to cover the gray, creams to make your skin “come alive” and make age spots disappear, food supplements to grow testosterone and replace amino acids, pills to reduce your prostate and increase stamina to enhance sexual performance.  We drink fruit and vegetable smoothies that are laced with concoctions to enhance our physical stamina and extend our lives, to say nothing of stopping cancer and heart disease.  We have also made annual migrations to local gyms to “get back into shape” after the Thanksgiving and Christmas gluttony.  Unfortunately, most of us are not willing to endure the pain of the process to lose weight and get back into shape.  We want the “easy way out” to weight control and exercise.   As of 2020, the personal health industry for men is valued at 7.46 billion dollars. By 2023, it will have grown to 11.46 billion dollars. 

The aging process is something that God set after the earth was populated long ago.  God has assigned each of us a defined time to live our lives.  Apart from His intervention, our days are numbered.  For some time, 70 has been set as a general “time of life” for men.  Seventy has a sacred meaning in the Bible that is made up of the factors of two perfect numbers, seven (representing perfection) and ten (representing completeness and God's law). As such, it symbolizes perfect spiritual order carried out with all power.

I have been more aware of the “clock” after I turned 70.  I want to see my Grandchildren graduate College, get married, and be introduced to my Great Grandchildren.  I have also been keenly aware and grateful for His intervention, as I was headed for certain death six years ago.  As referenced in our January post, He Will Make You Lie Down and Make You Be Still, we had to humble ourselves and ask for prayer.  A constant dialogue with God is essential to long life together with a network of dedicated mentors and partners that will pray for you.

The words mentors and partners are like Kryptonite to most men.  Asking for help does not compute.  Most of the time, our face will hit the concrete before we consider asking for help. Unfortunately, we ask for help after we have created the big mess.  I cannot count the number of times I have talked to someone “asking my advice” that rejects every bit of counsel before I complete a sentence!  This type of “John Wayne” stonewalling prevents God from moving in our lives, because “He resists the proud”.  If we would consider that we do, in fact, need help, then prayer becomes more natural.   Prayer is simply a conversation with God that can become a daily occurrence.  Prayer is a life sustaining habit that can become like breathing.  As we mature in our faith, we can become the prayer because we constantly dialogue with Father God. 

Philippians 4:6 KJV Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.