Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Pastors’ Column – 08/15/11



There is a shortage of godly men today, men that will take a stand and do what is right.

Some men have given up. They feel they have messed up so badly that no one will love them. Others feel they have missed the mark or been a terrible example of a godly man.

But, God is a God of second chances. Look at the story of the prophet Jonah in the Bible. God called him to go left, and he went right. Instead of going to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, he boarded a ship going in the opposite direction. God changed Jonah’s attitude in the belly of a fish. God gave Jonah a second chance.

God is calling you, too, to be courageous. Remember these three things:

• God still loves you. No matter how we have blown it, no matter how we have messed up, God loves us with a great undying love. “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:38 NLT)

• Not only does He still love you, but God still claims you. “You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV)

Before you were born, God chose you to be His. Through His son, Jesus Christ, He put his finger on you and said “this one is mine.”

• Not only does He love you and claim you, but this is the best part of it all: God still guides you.

Have you ever been lost? What is amazing is that you can still get lost even with a GPS. When I get lost, I feel hopeless and helpless. The last thing I want to do is get out of the car and ask for directions.

Yet, your loving heavenly Father still gives you guidance. The Bible says, “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3 NIV)

There is a movie coming to theatres Sept. 30 called “Courageous.” The film tracks four men who have one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson, and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, “good enough” seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they’re quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That’s courageous.

I have not seen the movie yet, but the message I hear in this movie is a message we need today. We need Godly men to take a stand. It is not easy. It is hard work. It is far more easy to slack off and let someone else carry the load.

Will you pray that men of God will take a stand and get back into the game?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.