Congratulations. You got a job, moved out of your parents’ basement and discovered that there is a time in the morning when the clock only has three digits on it. So you may be asking yourself, now what do I do?
The tendency of so many men is to do only what is necessary or expected and no more. Doing just enough is a great way to slide through life without being noticed either for success or failure. It's easy hide out in an attempt to avoid risk or more work. It's sort of like hiding in plain sight, and guys can get stuck in neutral like this for years.
Your New Task List
- If you pick up clothes off your floor, put them in the hamper, not on your body. Women will respect a man who’s put together.
- Balance your checkbook, pay your credit card in full each month. If there isn’t money in the budget for rims, don’t get them.
- Tithe. Just because you don’t have a lot of money, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be giving anything. Check your couch cushions, there should plenty there.
- Spend time with older, godly men; learn from them.
- Clean your toilet. Make it so that a girl isn’t scared to use it. Then go clean the church’s.
- Serve. You have talents and you know what they are. Use them to the glory of God. If you don’t know what that is right now go to your campus’ clean-up day and pick up trash.
Do It for God, Not a Spouse
The point of getting our act together is not so that we can eventually get married, but we do it as an act of worship and testimony to the grace of Christ in our lives.
God glorifying actions flow out of rightly directed worship.
When we worship Jesus instead of ourselves our actions will reflect that. We have been saved through no work of our own (Eph 2:8-9) but we have been saved to good works that God prepared for us (Eph 2:10). When we rightly understand salvation not as something that we do but as something that God has done on our behalf through Christ’s work on the cross it frees us to live a life that is not shackled by self-centered comfort or fear. Instead we can boldly move forward not sinfully worrying about the impact to our life. In Galatians Paul says:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20
God has given you a life and more importantly he has given you his life. What has he called you to do with it? My guess is that he’s called you to do more than just get a job and a place of your own.
Glorify him through your actions by worshiping him in your life.
Preston McGee is a deacon at the Downtown campus and operations administrator in MH’s Media & Communications department.
Volunteer Matt N., from the Ballard campus, contributed the graphic.
For more about what to do between getting a job and getting married, check out Pastor James' sermon series, Single Serving, and this sermon, Single Like Jesus, from Pastor Mark.