The Original Sin Of ManI recently re-read the story of Adam & Eve something jumped off the page that changed my entire perspective. We often focus on (and blame) Eve for the fall of mankind. But this time I saw something different. I saw the original sin of man: Passivity. Let me explain: (my working definition of passivity: neglecting God-given responsibility)
It's neglecting God-given responsibility. Man's Assignment + Fall In the garden, God gives Adam clear responsibility:
Then we come to the showdown between the devil and Eve where Eve takes the forbidden fruit. As I was reading, this jumped off the page: “She also gave some to her husband, WHO WAS WITH HER, and he ate it.” Adam was present in the entire exchange. And he just let it happen. He did nothing. He was in the background, sitting on the sidelines… silent. When God confronts them, he does not go to Eve. He goes to Adam. Why? Because Adam was given the responsibility to rule, reign, and take care - and he failed. The Consequence of Passivity As a result, God curses Adam and essentially says: ‘You are relegated to a life of working and dying’. And isn’t that what we see in men today? Men who are simply existing. No conviction, purpose, or vision. It all started when Adam neglected his divine assignment, chose passivity, and lost union with God. But there’s good news! Jesus restored us back to union with God. Men, understand that the #1 assignment from the enemy on your life is to keep you in passivity. Resist! Live an intentional life and plunder the devil. (we'll hit on this next week). Speak soon. VM If you were forwarded this newsletter and want in: Join Here. The Gentlemen's AgreementBy reading this newsletter, you are committing to live as a Vital Man. And as with every mission, the message must travel. Here's the deal: if you received a nugget from this newsletter, simply hit "forward" and share it with someone who comes to mind. We will keep sharing the message & you keep spreading. If you want to hear about a certain topic, hit "reply" and let us know. |
The biggest problem with how we understand manhood is this: We focus on the image of a man instead of the substance. Image is the cowboy, CEO, body-builder, athlete, soldier, etc. It's understandable. These are images we can quickly and easily identify with (or not). Image is what a man does.Substance is who a man is. Image is shallow work.Substance is deep inner work (foreign territory for most men). Let’s unpack this through one of the most famous heroic stories in all of literature: David...
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Last week we spoke about the original sin of man: passivity. If you missed it, read it here. The antidote to passivity is intentionality. 3 Step Framework for Becoming an Intentional Man. 1) Identify Your Areas of Responsibility We all have them. Question is: how are they doing under your care? Work, marriage, health, creative work, spiritual life, relationships, etc. List them out and figure out where you need to turn up the intentionality. 2) Write The Vision Intention = first vision, then...