Document 7 (Message to the Brotherhood)

I asked Curt, what do you want me to speak about?  He said, just use your next blog post…

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20

What are you willing to give up to truly experience everything that God has planned for your life? If God was to ask you to give up your home, would you? If God was to ask you to give your family and friends, would you? If God was to ask you to give up your fraternity, would you? Honestly, would you? Most would say, yeah of course, if I knew it was truly God asking. How do you know if it’s truly God or not? Is it an audible voice, is it a feeling, is it a text message? For me, it was all of the above.

Was it God’s voice? No, it was God speaking through a man. Was it God giving me this feeling? Yeah, and it didn’t feel good. This constant nagging feeling like, are you going to do it today, or nah? Was it a text message, there is always a text message. Any move of God can be confirmed by the word of God, which happens to be readily available in text form. Yes, I gave up family, friends, what I knew as home and… almost fraternity.

I was so torn up about it that I felt the need to consult one of my prophytes, and talk it out. I knew the decision had nothing to do with the fraternity, but everything to do with God’s will for my life. So, I prayed; and I can honestly say I prayed that God’s will be done, but please find it in your will for me to stay. I ain’t too proud to beg, God. You know I’m not. That’s my family. What do I have to do? Where do I have to go? Who do I have to talk to in order to make this thing work? People are looking up to me. I look up to people. Some are friends closer than family, but I felt like God’s mind was made up and so was mine. I was mentally preparing to let go. I was building up the courage to say goodbye. I was ready to give up Alpha.

I asked God one more time to please let me continue this walk as an Alpha man, and he said yes. I asked for confirmation. He provided multiple forms, including text message, particularly the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asked Abraham to give up Isaac and right when he was about to do it God was like, “Ok wait… you’re good… here is a ram to sacrifice instead. It’s stuck in the thicket (paraphrased, of course).” This story points to Jesus, where the ram represents Christ and Isaac represents us. The precious Lamb of God taking the place of all of us, so that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.

Rededication

That was it for me, I had confirmation that I could remain an Alpha, but there was an IF, and Sir Rudyard Kipling did not write it. There were stipulations. God didn’t tell me to do anything different, he just told me to do what I said I was going to do in the first place. Three in particular stood out:

1. He told us to be servants of all. We need to humble ourselves, and be the world’s footstool. We serve others. We shine the metaphorical and sometime very real shoes of the world. I like the motto better when I take the commas out: First of all we are servants of all who transcend all. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35. I’ll argue with the words of a lot of people, but not those of Jesus; I believe them to be law. It is not personally advantageous to look for a position of prominence among men because I know my promotion lies with God. It has worked for me. Try it. I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

2. He told us to be the light of the world. If we claim to be a light of the world, WE need to shine the right light. Not a light that adds ambiance to a dark world, but a light that interrupts it. We need to be that light that disturbs the darkness. Honestly, we have to be that guy that cuts the light on in the party while the whole dance floor is looking at us crazy. That’s our job as Alpha Men. To irritate, point out and fix the flaws of this world.

3. He told us to fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run. Not in those exact words because Kipling penned that, but I like how Kipling puts it. I also like how the Apostle Paul writes it in 1 Corinthians 1:9. Run in a way that gets a prize. Run for that everlasting crown, but we must go into strict training in order to achieve victory. Paul said he strikes blows to his body and makes it his slave so that he may be better qualified to preach to others. He is training for his prize. He is training for his reward.

Don’t look for credit from the world because that is not where your reward lies. Your reward lies in heaven. Some like to say that their reward is going to be a mansion, or a crown, or a whatever; but I believe our reward that lies in heaven is God. Why settle for the provisions when you can have the provider?

1. Servanthood and Humility
2. Be a light
3. Go hard for the cause

We all have work to do. We all were created for a purpose, and I will challenge each brother to find his purpose in God and do what God called you to do. Some things you will have to do by yourself, but not everything.

We need to support each other through the darkness, the doubt, the down times. We need to lift each other up and celebrate each other. We need to let brotherly love continue. Every day, we need to let brotherly continue.

Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13:1