Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
6 21 2026

Audio Version on Vacation

The Hero God Is Looking For – Part 3 of 3

We have been talking about heroes and the people who impacted our lives in ways they may never fully understand. The teacher who believed in us. The coach who challenged us. The father, grandfather, pastor, mentor, or friend who showed up at the right moment and changed the trajectory of our lives.

As I finish up thinking about heroes, I realized something. The world and God often define them very differently.

The world loves the visible hero. The celebrated hero.  We admire strength, talent, success, influence, and accomplishment and there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things. God can use every one of them.

But Scripture has a curious way of turning our values upside down.  Let’s look closely.

When God wanted to deliver Israel, He chose Gideon while he was hiding.
When He wanted a king, He passed over David’s stronger and more impressive brothers.
When He wanted someone to lead His church, He chose fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary men who had more questions than answers.

In fact, the longer I walk with Christ, the more convinced I become that God is not nearly as impressed with our abilities as we are.  (Think about that one!)   He seems far more interested in our availability.

Think about the men you truly admire. Not the famous ones. The ones who actually shaped your life.  Was it their talent that impacted you most?  Or was it their character?…Was it their success?   Or was it their faithfulness?

When I look back over my own life, the men who left the deepest fingerprints on my soul were rarely the most gifted men in the room. They were simply men who took God seriously. Men who loved their wives. Men who honored their commitments. Men who prayed when nobody was watching. Men who kept showing up long after the excitement had worn off.

They weren’t perfect men.  They were surrendered men. And maybe that’s where many of us get lost.  Most men spend years trying to become somebody.  Build the business.  Make the money.  Earn the respect.  Create the reputation.  Provide for the family.

Again, none of those things are wrong. In fact, many of them are good and honorable pursuits. But somewhere along the way, if we’re not careful, we begin measuring ourselves by the same standards as the world around us.

The world asks, “How successful are you?”   God asks, “How faithful are you?”

The world asks, “How many people know your name?”  God asks, “Do you know Mine?”

The world says prove yourself…God says follow Me.

Those are two very different roads.

I think that’s why Jesus’ words can feel so uncomfortable. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Nobody would put that on a recruiting poster.

Deny yourself.  Serve others.  Put God first.  Choose humility.  Choose obedience.
Yet somehow that path produces the strongest men I’ve ever known.

Not weak men.  Not passive men….  Strong men.
Men who can admit when they’re wrong.
Men who can ask for forgiveness.
Men who can stand for truth without becoming angry and harsh.
Men who can absorb a wound without feeling compelled to wound someone back.
Men who know how to kneel before God and therefore know how to stand before men.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that the heroes our families need most are not found on television, social media, or magazine covers.  They’re found sitting around dinner tables.

Holding a wife’s hand during difficult seasons.  Praying over grandchildren.  Leading a small group.  Showing up for church.

Opening their Bible when nobody else is looking.  Quietly obeying God year after year.
Those men rarely receive medals.  They rarely receive applause.

But they save marriages.
They rescue children from repeating mistakes.
They become anchors during storms.
They create stability in a world that seems increasingly unstable.

And one day, when all the trophies and titles and accomplishments have faded away, I suspect those are the men heaven will celebrate.

The beautiful thing is that every one of us can become that kind of man.
Not because we’re extraordinary.

But because God is.

Not because we are strong enough.   But because He is.

Not because we are the hero of the story.  But because we know the One who is.

Maybe that’s the tension every Christian man must eventually resolve. Am I trying to become a hero in the eyes of men? Or am I trying to become the man God is calling me to be?

Because those are not the same thing.

And perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave behind is not that people remember our name, but that through our lives, they saw Jesus a little more clearly.

Questions

When you think about the men who impacted your life most, what qualities made them memorable?  If you don’t ponder this and think it through…You’ve just wasted 5 minutes.

Where have you been tempted to measure your worth by the world’s standards instead of God’s?

What would change this week if your primary goal was faithfulness instead of recognition?
That seed, has a root…  not knowing what it is…and not nurturing it… is what?

“What part of this hit home for you this morning? What are you carrying today that needs prayer?  If you’d like, send me a prayer request here. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit in together.  (where two are gathered.) You are not walking alone.  Just hit reply…
I read every response.”
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Casting Crowns     Who Am I