Three weeks ago we read about the story regarding ‘the bags of gold’ or the parable of the talents.  How a business leader essentially takes a sabbatical and empowers three of his top deputies to run the business in his stead- to grow and protect his wealth until he returns.  Two of the men produce. One leads with fear and is ultimately removed from his position. 

We all have the charge of the deputies fall upon us at different points in our life.  We lose loved ones and are charged with building upon their legacy.  We are granted increased responsibility on the job where we are expected to produce results.  We marry or have children and see what we are accountable for increase tenfold.  We are given ‘bags of gold’ to grow or squander.  A blessing to treasure or watch atrophy.

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 20:8 there is a passage that reads:  

And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.

This passage is essentially saying that YOUR mindset, attitude and reaction to any situation is contagious and will cause a pandemic- of positivity or negativity- wherever you go and with whomever you interact. You are powerful.  What you do, think and say matters far more than many of us could ever imagine.

How you nurture the bags of gold you are gifted is completely in your control.  How you allow our mind to operate and how grateful you choose to be is completely up to you.  Should you choose the path of the third leader and live in fear – there is a strong likelihood that you will lose opportunity, influence and respect. If you choose the path of honor, diligence and purpose – you will see your coffers grow and overflow in abundance and love.

Today, I encourage you to choose to live courageously and grow your charge.  Love your wife intentionally. Speak to your children with passion and grace- let them know they have what it takes.  Attack life on the job and be an uncommon force of positivity and execution at the office.  Seize the day with intentionality and realize how truly victorious you already are.

Written By
Andrew Johnson 

With today’s social mores, wedding vows between a man and women are often taken as a legal
contract, social contract, a best effort, or even some sort of New Age “spiritual” contract. As
reflected in the divorce rate and social chaos left in its wake, the conviction that marriage is a
covenant between a man and woman in the presence of God is something to be promoted and
reinforced.
So, what is a covenant?  A covenant is the fundamental tool that God has designed to construct
and order His relationship with man. Covenants are established by making an oath – an oath
that creates kinship between the two who are making the covenant. Making an oath is to call
upon the power of God to bind Satan and evil. It is a mystery of drawing down the presence of
God, of engaging God for help and power, so that we can do whatever it is we are pledging to
do.
There are multiple covenants that God entered into with humanity; the Creation Covenant,
the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant are a few examples
from the Old Testament. In these covenants God pledges to fulfill exacting promises he has
made to specific people or the nation of Israel. In Jesus we find the New Covenant, that God
will forgive and forget our sins by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus. That is the essence of the
oath that God has taken and swears by Himself to fulfill.
Let’s bring the concept of swearing an oath into our New Testament understanding. Guess
what the Greek word for oath is? The Greek word for “oath” is “mysterion”—mystery—a
concept which is found throughout the New Testament—a concept used in Eph 5:31-32 that
describes the marital relationship between a man and woman as a type of the marriage
between Christ and the Church: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  32  This is a profound mystery—but I am
talking about Christ and the church.”
When a man and woman say, “I do,” they are vowing to each other before the Lord that they
will stay together until one of them dies. In the fulfillment of the marital covenant, the two
become one. The man no longer lives for himself, nor the woman for herself. A new unity, a
new diversity, a new family is established. The covenant relationship the man and woman enter
when they make their vows calls for total faithfulness. Husband and wife are to love and be
true to and cherish each other—exclusively! The man is to be true to his wife and she to him.
Both remain distinct persons, yet from the Bible’s point of view, two now share a mystery of
oneness.
The Lord Jesus clearly taught what God expected when He said: “For this reason a
man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh.  6  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no
one separate.” Matt 19:5-6.
The marriage vow is the verbal expression of a lifelong commitment made in the mind and
heart, and before our Lord. That is God’s design. The richest fulfillment of marriage is anchored in that concept.
When we say in the vow, “from this day forward,” we mean a lifetime. This
promise is not made to be broken (Eccl. 5:4). Yes, such commitment is limiting. But it also sets a
man or woman free to concentrate on the task of living out and adjusting and improving a
loving relationship through the sincere give-and-take of life. Such a covenant allows husband
and wife to give one another the gift of a vowed love—a lifetime promise—that will carry them
through physical illness and divergent interests and job pressures and problems with teenagers
and unbelievable stress in the relationship. So complex—yet so simple. “I made a promise, and
with the help of God I intend to keep it. I’m a person of my word. I’m in this for life”.

Written by:
- Dale Maudru 2021 -

​A bag of beans.  Air in a tire.  Ammo in a box.  Paint in a can.

The ingredients in these containers do not develop into anything.  Someone, or something, in a factory puts beans in a bag, and later, you get beans out of the bag. You put air in the tire and slowly over time, air leaks out.  Ammunition in a box doesn’t do anything on its own, despite what some people think.  Paint in a can….well, you get the idea.

In Matthew 25: 14-30, we’re offered The Parable of the Bags of Gold. To summarize, a man is planning to take a long journey. He gives three of his servants some bags of gold, to each a different amount.  Five, two, and one bag to be exact.  I’ll skip to the third servant who takes his one bag of gold, digs a hole in the ground, and buries it out of fear of his master.  What a safe thing to do.  Simple.  Comfortable.  Dig a hole, stuff the bag in it, and it’s safe until his master returns.  Sound familiar?

The other two servants took their bags of gold and did something with them.  We do not know exactly what, but that’s not the point. The point is they were afforded opportunity to make something more out of what they had been given. They knew their master was probably going to expect something more once he returned.

Back to the beans, air, ammo, and paint. 

These things do not develop into anything on their own. With intentionality though, they are used to make something or do something great.  With planning and action, they have a future.  A bag of beans in the hands of a chef becomes baked beans (with bacon, of course).  Air in a tire helps get you to your destination.  Ammo when in a firearm and the hands of a skilled hunter, becomes a healthy and delicious entree.  Paint in the hands of an artist becomes a masterpiece.  

In everything we do, we must be intentional.  We must take action and use the gifts and the tools God has given us to live a fulfilling life.

At True North Man, we talk a lot about purpose; defined as “the reason for which something is done”. This implies and requires action.

Someday God will ask us what we’ve done with the life He gave us…. what will your answer be?

- Paul Beam

"I have the right to do anything" you say, but not everything is beneficial. 

"I have the right to do anything" you say, but I will not be mastered by anything.

A new year is upon us. We just completed the first quarter of 2021. Many have set resolutions. Others have set goals. All the same in intent, I suppose. 

The difference, for the most part, is that setting goals should be a continuous endeavor over the year. Along with goals should be a detailed plan of execution and along with a detailed plan of execution should be action.  Once a goal is accomplished, another should have already been in the pipeline ready to go; to keep propelling us forward. 

The passage above is a great passage to consider as you set goals. Not just for the year, but in general. 

There are many things we do day to day, week to week, month to month, and year to year that aren’t necessarily bad; they just simply don’t make us better. And anything that doesn’t make us or those around us, better, must be disposed of.

A great way to make sure you're on the right track is to simply use this four-step process:

ANALYZE

Past. What have you done or been doing? Systems, habits, goals, lifestyle.

Present. What are you currently doing? Systems, habits, goals, lifestyle.

Future. What is your VISION for the future? What do you need to do moving forward? What do you want? Where do you want to be? How are you going to get there? What are your priorities?  What habits are getting in the way of you living a full life?  What kind of thoughts/mindsets are getting in your way?  What system, routine or lifestyle do you currently have that isn’t working to make you and those around you better and move you closer to accomplishing your goals?  What are your current goals?  Are they moving you forward and making you a better man?

PRIORITIZE & PLAN

What are important parts of your life?
What are five key areas of life that are most important to you?
What do you value most? 

While complete balance is not necessarily attainable, what areas of your life are most out of balance?  
Maybe your marriage is great but your health is out of control? 
Maybe business/work is the best it’s ever been, but your home life is in shambles?

Take the areas of your life that are most important to you. Organize them in order of greatest to least. 
Assess which areas need the most attention. Set goals in each area. If your most important area is an area that is thriving, maybe you need to be more aggressive in another important area...never neglecting the area that is thriving of course. 

The keyword is BALANCE. Again- I understand complete balance is for the most part not attainable. but striving for balance is crucial. 

A word I like to use is rhythm. Find the right rhythm and the dance of life becomes much smoother and more enjoyable for you and those you are leading in the dance. 

ELIMINATE

This is the simple part. I said simple, simple in concept, but not easy to execute. Either way, it’s necessary.

Now that you have examined your life, prioritized the most important (key) areas of your life, set goals for each key area, and created a plan to execute, it’s time to eliminate any habits, systems, mindsets, excuses, lifestyles, and goals that aren’t serving you well in accomplishing those goals as you strive to become a better man, improve your life, and improve the lives of those around you.

This is where the original quote comes into play. 

"I have the right to do anything," you say.
But not everything is beneficial. 
"I have the right to do anything"--but I will not be mastered by anything.
- 1 Cor 6:12

What is it that is not beneficial to your life? What is it that you must avoid being mastered by? What is it that’s holding you back from the goals you want to accomplish in the key areas of your life? 

It’s true, I can work on things in areas of my life that may not necessarily be bad... but are they optimal? 
I can work on bench pressing 400lbs. Yes, it would make me stronger and it’s part of my health, but is it optimal for all of the other things in life I care to accomplish? 

Probably not. Eliminate! 

Saying yes to something means we say no to something else. We MUST be sure to evaluate our lives and be willing to eliminate the things that are not producing maximal output if we expect to level up as a man, crush our goals, and fulfill our purpose. 

EXECUTION / ACTION 

You have analyzed your life, your priorities, your habits, systems, lifestyles, etc. You have identified the key areas in your life. You have identified which of those areas need the most attention... again, while not neglecting the other areas. You have set goals. You have determined your path. 

Now what?

You can read all the books you want. You can attend all the classes you want. You can set goals all you want. You can create plans all you want. You can make the absolute best plan for accomplishing your goals.

Here’s the thing- to accomplish those goals and get maximal output, the one thing you must remember is this - it requires ACTION. 

Now is the time to put boots to the ground and make it all happen.

It requires effort, perseverance, self-discipline, practice, and intentionality. It’s going to be a battle. The only way to win a battle is to first engage in the battle. And then never quit. Action!

The right action and then... execute! 

Written By:
Paul Beam