SPEAKER_01
0:20 Hey guys, my name is Gretchen Martin. 0:22 I'm a woman, a wife, a mother, and a cheerleader for all men who are subduing and cultivating a relationship with Jesus. 0:31 I am excited to be here and a little bit nervous to be the first woman featured on the Daily Blade. 0:36 But as a five percenter and the wife of co-host Joby Martin, I am deeply honored and so grateful to be here. 0:44 And my prayer is that our time together honors God first and foremost. 0:48 I also want you to know that I genuinely love and support you. 0:52 I am proud of you, and I pray for you to keep fighting the good fight. 0:56 In a world that tells men to shut up and sit down, I pray that you stay in the arena, you stand firm against the lies of this world and the enemy, and you act like men. 1:07 This week I'm going to talk about five things your wife or future wife needs from you as a leader of your home. 1:14 Because if you are a man, a husband, a dad, or desire to be either of those, you are called by God to be a leader. 1:22 Genesis 126 says, Let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth. 1:35 You were created to lead, whether you have been or you haven't. 1:40 My hope is that you walk away from this week's devotionals, understanding why it is so important to lead well. 1:47 I pray our time together is encouraging and challenging. 1:51 And if you are offended by anything I say, I'm okay with that. 1:55 Just know it comes from a place of love and urgency. 1:59 I have a soon-to-be 21-year-old son, and I know what this world is throwing at him. 2:04 There is no time for fluff or sugarcoating, so let's dive in. 2:09 The first thing I believe your wife or future wife needs from you as a leader, she needs your relationship with Jesus to matter most. 2:18 It is more important than anything else your world has to offer, even more important than your wife and your kids. 2:26 I know that sounds harsh, but you cannot serve two masters. 2:31 Either Jesus Christ is your master, or your earthly things and your earthly relationships are your master. 2:38 Matthew 6.33 says, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 2:46 God doesn't take leftovers. 2:48 All those things that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 6.33 that will be added to you are the things God will graciously and deliberately give you when you seek him first. 2:59 That includes your wife, your kids, your job, your success, your health, your friends. 3:05 Not that it will always be perfect, but if you go seeking things, including your relationships outside of God's will, those things might not be what God had planned for you. 3:15 And maybe right now you're thinking, huh, no wonder this relationship or this job has been so jacked up and difficult. 3:22 Now, if you found your wife, had kids, and pursued worldly things before your relationship with Jesus began, then praise God that you're now seeking him first. 3:32 We know that God doesn't erase or get rid of our past, and we don't want him to. 3:37 These things, whether good or bad, shape us, they grow us, they give us experiences to learn from, and hopefully to help others learn from us one day. 3:46 And he can redeem and restore all things. 3:49 Romans 8 28 says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 3:58 Paul doesn't say all things are good. 4:01 He says for those who love and are pursuing God first, he can make all those things good. 4:07 Maybe even the things that were once meant for evil or selfish ambition, God can redeem them and make all those things work for good, his good and his purpose. 4:18 Now, pursuing God and following after him doesn't always mean sunshine and roses. 4:24 The sinful world we live in has proven there will be hardships. 4:28 You will fail, you will get sick, you will lose a friend or loved one, you will disappoint someone, someone will disappoint you, you'll be betrayed or you will betray someone. 4:39 You may succumb to an addiction or a mental illness or a terminal illness. 4:44 But the good news is that for those who are in Christ Jesus, your story does not end here. 4:49 God is making all things new. 4:51 Revelation 21, 4 and 5 says, He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. 4:58 Neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. 5:01 Behold, I am making all things new. 5:04 Maybe things just suck for you right now, and you are pursuing God. 5:10 You are putting him first, you are doing all the things. 5:13 Keep doing those things. 5:15 God never promised this life would be easy, but he has promised us he will never leave or forsake us. 5:23 And make sure you are doing everything. 5:26 I'm not doubting you, but 99% of the time when we think we are doing all the right things and we are still wondering why our lives are so miserable, there's usually a blind spot. 5:36 Either a dark thing we think we can control or hide from God, or something dark from our past that we haven't brought to light. 5:44 So ask yourself, is there a thing keeping me from truly surrendering to God and seeking Him with my entire life? 5:52 Is my relationship with Jesus the most important thing in my life, or is this one thing I'm trying to keep control of actually the most important thing in my life? 6:02 Even when I'm trying to tell myself, I've got this, it's not a big deal, I can handle it. 6:07 In order to make your relationship with God the thing that matters most, you must give him your everything. 6:13 And everything means everything. 6:16 Tomorrow I'll talk about being present. 6:19 Women need godly men to lead, and leadership takes presence. 6:23 But before you can be the leader your wife and kids need you to be, your own house must be in order. 6:29 You cannot lead without putting God first in your life. 6:32 And you can't lead where you have not been led. 6:35 You cannot shepherd your family if you are not being shepherded. 6:39 Be diligent. 6:40 Surround yourself with other godly men pursuing the same things you are pursuing. 6:45 Go to church and read your Bible, get involved, join a disciple group, show up, ask questions. 6:52 Leading your wife and family well begins with your willingness to be led. 6:56 Vulnerability shows strength. 6:59 Now go, do the things God has called you to do, and just as the disciples followed closely after Jesus, may you too be covered in the dust of your rabbi. 7:10 Amen.