Greetings brethren and Happy Sabbath!  Tomorrow we will do something that we haven't done in a month - see each other!  Your fervent prayers that the weather clear and one another heal were heard, and it appears we will indeed have in person Sabbath services tomorrow - yay! Please remember there are still a few that are sick/recovering to keep in your prayers.

Since we were unable to meet and many of you have yet to receive your copy of "Jesus Christ: the Real Story," we will be having our next booklet discussion in March.  If you already have the booklet and have been reading, this week you can begin reading chapter 5 "Much More Than a Man."

Man up!

You've probably heard the phrase 'man up' used in conjunction with encouraging someone to do a difficult task.  In football, if a starting player get injure, the coach will call out, "Next man up!", signifying the responsibility of the backup player to take the field.

Although the phrase use the word 'man', women sometimes use this phrase as well, or some derivative thereof, to communicate the same meaning: It's time to put away any fear or complaints and do your job, whatever it might be.

A poor definition

The problem has become, that our society has increasingly poorer definitions of what it means to be a man or a woman.  I'm not talking about equal pay, or the right to vote, or any other sexist sort of thought.  I'm talking about the basic nature of being male and female, as God designed us.

The attack on God given gender has been subtle until recently.  Traits such as compassion have been taught as weakness to men.  Young women have been taught that being able to yield to others was a character flaw.  While both men and women need to be compassionate and have the ability to yield, Satan has carefully picked out various character traits in both sexes in order to subtly destroy manhood and femininity.

Now, in the most blatant attack yet, our society not only permits, but encourages, people to reject their God given sex, and redefine their gender in whatever way they choose.  What a truly poor definition of being a man or woman!

Be a man!  Be a woman!

Facing these attacks on the God ordered creation, we must stand firm.  While both sexes need to have responsibility, gentleness, humility, yieldedness, etc., we should understand how each of these Godly traits are being attacked by society on our specific gender.  

Whether you are a man or a woman, or have sons or daughters, grandkids, etc., we need to embrace the gender God created you with.  If you have children or grandchildren, make sure you teach them to do the same.  God created you as a man or a woman - honor His creation!