Be The Brick

You Don’t Place the Brick. You Are the Brick.

Christian Devotional for Men | You Are Not the Foreman

Some of you are frustrated because God won’t let you be the foreman. But brother, He called you to be a brick.

What if the reason your family isn’t growing spiritually is because you’re still fighting the Builder for control?

Men, if you’re ready to stop making excuses and start leading your family in strength, this message is for you. Jesus isn’t looking for passive men who want a platform. He’s looking for bricks—men willing to be laid down, placed where He wants, and used in ways they may never understand. This is about Biblical manhood. This is about shepherding your home with boldness, faith, and surrender.

God’s Word for Today

1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV), “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Don’t throw your pearls before pigs.

Jesus said it, and for years I’ve wrestled with what that means in real life. For me, it comes down to this: don’t waste time on people who reject God’s truth with a hardened heart. That doesn’t mean we give up easily. It means we try to teach, we explain, we pray, and we seek to understand. But if there’s no movement, no hunger, and no flicker of hope—maybe it’s time to move on.

Not everyone is ready for what you’re carrying. Not everyone wants it. That doesn’t mean the truth you offer is worthless—it means your time and energy are too valuable to pour into ground that refuses to grow anything.

And yet, even with that said, I’ve been convicted. Because before I can measure someone else’s readiness, I need to look at my own. Not just in how I teach or lead, but in how I carry myself. Pride has a way of creeping in. And lately, pride has been my biggest enemy.

Over the past few months, I’ve faced a challenge with a few individuals. At first, I thought they were the problem. But the more I sat with the Word, the more God revealed it wasn’t them I needed to deal with. It was the plank in my own eye. It was me.

I needed to stop trying to be the foreman. I wanted control. I wanted clarity. I wanted the power to decide who should be in leadership and why. But Romans 13:1-2 makes it clear: God is the one who places people in authority. Whether I understand it or not, whether I like it or not, it’s His will I need to submit to. And that brings me here.

I’m not the builder. I’m not the supervisor. I’m not even the mortar. I’m the brick.

Jesus is the foundation. He paid the price. And my job as a man of God isn’t to stack the wall my way but to let myself be placed on His foundation. Oswald Chambers said it best: “No one has any right to demand where he will be put to work.” That hit me like a hammer. My role isn’t to dictate where I belong. It’s to surrender to the placement.

That’s what being a brick means. You don’t move on your own. You don’t argue with the mason. You don’t demand the spotlight. You just lay your life down, and you trust the Builder to place you right where you need to be.

That means being steady. That means being reliable. That means being a man of God your family can lean on, your church can count on, and your community can look to for strength and truth.

But let me take it one step further: don’t just be a brick. Be a willing brick.

Be the kind of brick the Lord smiles at as He sets it in place. Not because you earned it, but because you surrendered to it. A brick that doesn’t fight the placement but trusts the plan. A brick laid in obedience, not ambition.

And this goes for every part of your life. Your marriage. Your fatherhood. Your leadership. Stop fighting the position God has placed you in. Stop measuring your worth by visibility, affirmation, or applause. Lay yourself down. Let Him use you.

My revelation today was this: my pride is the plank. The I, the me, the my—those are the daggers that pierce the heart of a man and keep him from laying himself fully on the foundation of Jesus. And if I don’t deal with that, I’ll never be the man my family needs me to be.

Your wife doesn’t need a perfect husband. She needs a brick. Your children don’t need a buddy or a tyrant. They need a steady brick. Your church doesn’t need your opinion. It needs your obedience.

So stop complaining about your role. Stop questioning your place. Be the brick.

Let Jesus use you. Let Him place you. Let Him build something eternal through you.

Today’s “Shepherding in Action” Value is Obedience

True leadership starts when a man surrenders his plans and trusts God to place him where he’s most needed in the Kingdom.

Reflect / Apply / Share

1. Reflect – Where have you been resisting the placement God has chosen for you? What part of your pride is getting in the way?
2. Apply – What’s one way you can show up as a willing brick in your home this week—steady, surrendered, and strong?
3. Share – Who in your circle needs to be reminded that God uses faithful bricks, not flashy ones? How can you share this message with them?

Bible References (NIV)

1 Corinthians 3:11 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Romans 13:1-2 – “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

Personal Prayer

God, I lay down my pride. Place me where You want me, and give me the strength to stay there. I want to be used for Your Kingdom, not my comfort.

These weekday reflections flow from my time in God’s Word. I invite you to join me and other Men of the Shepherd in building Christ-centered homes—leading, discipling, and serving like Jesus.
If these reflections encourage you, please like, share, and pass them on so more men can grow in their calling.
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