✝️ Stop Chasing Titles - Start Living the Ones God Gave You

Good morning, my brothers! For many of us, our job titles—or lack thereof—have defined our significance and worth. But God’s already given us five that matter more and last forever. They’re not earned; they’re entrusted. This week, discover the five divine titles that redefine manhood and reveal your true calling to lead, serve, and live with eternal purpose. Let’s go!

This week: 4-minute, 58-second read

Purpose
Stop Chasing Titles - Start Living the Ones God Gave You

For many years, my job titles have provided a source of pride and security. They have been, if I am brutally honest with myself and with you, my identity. I enjoyed meeting new people, asking and being asked the proverbial question, “What do you do?”

It’s been interesting as I’ve been researching and praying about this article. I’ve come to embrace the fact that I really didn’t earn my titles at the company I was with for almost 35 years, Wendell August Forge. I had no reason whatsoever to be prideful about the positions I held, because in reality, they had been given to me.

In younger years, friends in similar circumstances and I used to joke that we were members of the “lucky sperm club.” My apologies if that crassness offends anyone, but it’s true. We walked into family businesses, following in our fathers' footsteps. We might not have been the most qualified, but we were born into the right families and thus were handed the titles of president, CEO, or chairman by our dads.

Truly, I am thankful for the opportunities my family presented to me. Family businesses can be great. But I realize now, as I am typing this article under the direction of the Holy Spirit, that my pride, the security these positions offered me, and the identity I hid behind were sinful.

I had the job titles I did because I was born into the right family. And this realization has reminded me of the verse in 1 Corinthians:

The battle is real. But so is the power of God.

My guess is that many reading this weren’t as fortunate as I was, and that you weren’t born into a family that owned a business that passed down to you.

But God has great news for you: as members of His family, as His son, you have been born again into the best family.

And in God’s family, you have been given job titles far more important than any earthly job titles. Many of them. Huge roles that have an eternal impact. Roles you alone in your sphere of influence can use for His glory and others’ good.

It doesn’t matter if your sphere of influence is millions of people like Billy Graham or a handful of people like most of us. What matters to God is that we fulfill His purpose in each role He has called us to.

A few weeks ago, we looked at one of the roles, that of Ambassador. There are others, a few of which we unpack below.

These aren’t temporary job titles and descriptions; they’re divine identities that shape how we lead, love, and live. And when a man starts to see himself through these titles, Servant, Royal Priest, Steward, Soldier, and God’s Workmanship, everything changes.

These five callings as we fulfill them wherever God has placed us help make us more the man we were created to be. And they are a picture of our true identity in Christ.

1. Servant – The Foundation of Greatness

Every man wants to lead, but few want to serve. Yet Jesus, the greatest leader who ever lived, took a towel and washed His disciples’ feet. The King of kings knelt and did the work of a servant.

In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul wrote, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” A true man doesn’t chase status; he carries towels.

Being a servant doesn’t mean weakness. It represents strength under control. It means showing up when it’s inconvenient, taking responsibility when no one else will, and loving people when they can’t repay you. The world says leadership is about authority. Jesus says it’s about humility.

Men, greatness in God’s kingdom begins when we stop asking, “Who will serve me?” and start asking, “Whom can I serve, wherever I am, with the unique talents and gifts God has given me?”

2. Royal Priest – The Call to Spiritual Leadership

Those words aren’t poetic—they’re powerful. God has declared every believer a priest and a king. You carry both authority and responsibility.

As priests, we stand between God and the world. We pray for our families, intercede for our brothers, and bring the presence of God into our workplaces, locker rooms, and living rooms. We live and share the gospel right where we are.

As royalty, we lead with integrity and courage, knowing our authority flows from submission to the King.

Too many men abdicate this role. They outsource spiritual leadership to their wives, their pastors, or the next podcast. But your home, your circle, your work: my brother, God has appointed you as the priest in those places.

When a man embraces his priesthood, his family changes. His community changes. His heart changes. A royal priest doesn’t just talk about God; he walks with Him and invites others to do the same.

3. Steward – Managing What Belongs to God

Men love to build, to create, to own. But the truth is, nothing we have is really ours.
Paul calls us “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1), and Peter adds that we are to use whatever gift we’ve received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). A steward is a manager, not a master.

Your time, your talent, your treasure, your testimony? They all belong to God. The question isn’t “What do I own?” but “How am I managing what He’s entrusted to me?”

When a man grasps this truth, his posture shifts from pride to gratitude. His paycheck becomes a tool for kingdom impact. His influence becomes an opportunity to lift others. His family becomes a sacred trust, not a personal possession.

Faithful stewardship builds freedom. It teaches us that success isn’t about accumulation; it’s about obedience and accountability. One day, every man will stand before God and hear one of two sentences: “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or, “Away from Me. I never knew you.”

Live today for that moment.

4. Soldier – The Call to Courage and Discipline

Every man feels it deep inside - the call to fight for something that matters. Scripture doesn’t ignore that impulse; it redeems it. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus,” Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:3.

The Christian life isn’t a vacation; it’s a battleground. The enemy is real. The temptations are fierce. And too many good men have fallen because they forgot they were in a war.

A soldier trains his mind and body for battle. He knows his mission. He trusts his commander. He fights shoulder to shoulder with his brothers.

Ephesians 6 reminds us to “put on the full armor of God.” That armor isn’t symbolic; it’s strategic. Truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the Word of God are our weapons.

My brothers, don’t drift through life as civilians when God has called you to be warriors. The world needs men who fight for purity, protect their families, and persevere through pain. You weren’t built to coast. You were built to contend.

5. His Workmanship – God’s Masterpiece in Motion

Just about every man I know wrestles with identity. We ask, “Am I enough?” “Do I matter?” “Can God still use me after what I’ve done?” I know I do. Yet God tells us how special each of us is:

This verse answers with a resounding yes. You matter. You are enough. You are not an accident, a failure, or a random collection of strengths and weaknesses. You are God’s workmanship - His masterpiece.

When God created you, He had specific works in mind for you, uniquely you, to walk in. You don’t need to earn significance; you live from it. That truth frees us from comparison. It anchors us when we fall short. It reminds us that the God who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.

Men, the world will tell you that you are what you achieve. God says you are what He designed you to be. And that design is good. Really good.

Five Titles—One Mission

When you put these five titles together, they form a picture of a man who is dangerous to the enemy of our souls.

• A Servant who leads with humility.

• A Royal Priest who stands in the gap.

• A Steward who manages God’s resources with faithfulness.

• A Soldier who fights with courage and discipline.

• A Masterpiece who lives with confidence in his God-given design.

This is the kind of man our world needs. Not louder men, but deeper men. Not famous men, but faithful men. Men who don’t just talk about faith but live it in the hidden places - at home, at work, and in the daily grind.

Brother, you don’t have to chase another title. You already carry many that matter most. The question is - will you live like it?

Reflection and Action

1. Which of the seven areas of God’s revealed will (holiness, surrender, worship, love, sacrifice, evangelism, faithful work) is the biggest challenge for you right now? Why?

2. What step of obedience is God prompting you to take today - something specific, not general?

3. Where are you tempted to delay or drift instead of acting on what you already know to be God’s will?

4. Who could you invite into accountability to help you walk in obedience this week?

5. How can you turn an ordinary moment - at work, at home, or in conversation - into a sacred act of living out God’s will?

-Will

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