What kind of man are you going to be?

What Kind of Man Are You Going to Be?

Two Kinds of Men – Man of the World, Man of God.

As we grow up, society tells us that we have to be a certain way, have defining attributes, or do certain things to be a man. The world tells us we need to be physically strong, athletic, rich, cool, and good with girls and that real men don’t cry or need anyone to help them. No guy wants to be called girly or weak and pride becomes the center of our desire to identify ourselves as a man. Our pursuit of masculinity becomes about us rather than God.  The world constantly tells us that to be valued as a man, we must meet this set of worldly standards, which oppose God’s desire for us to be men of God and fall short of the standards to which the Lord holds us as his sons. We fall so easily into a desire to be a man of the world and forget all about what God has done in our lives and how he created us to be men of faith and set apart.

A man of God is called to a higher standard. God desires for us to place our concern above pride and above the concerns of the world. HE CALLS US TO BE CONCERNED WITH THE SPIRIT, RATHER THAN THE FLESH (Romans 8:4-6). A man of God recognizes that the world does not line up with what God desires for us and directs us to sin. He understands that as a Christian man, he is SET APART (Romans 1:1). A man of God acts upon what he knows is right and that he is an anomaly in the world.

Christ as the Example of a Man of God.

As we seek to become men of God, we can turn to the example of Christ to show us how to live a life that is set apart. Christ’s example challenges what society has determined to be manly. Society looks down on men who show love and compassion openly, glorifies pride and worldly success, and demands assimilation into this attitude toward masculinity. Christ opposes the perceptions of manliness in three ways:

1.     Openly displaying his love and compassion for Lazarus.

In a world that demands men to be void of emotion and to hold back their feelings, Christ provides an example that opposes this attitude in the love that has for Lazarus. Upon hearing about Lazurus’ death, JESUS WEPT, a thing by today’s standards if often seen as weakness (John 11:35). To feel love and to display emotion make a guy less of a man, but a man of God is called to love those around him. Christ’s weeping demonstrates the love that he had for Lazarus. To lose someone you love hurts and to express that pain is often looked down upon, but we are called to “BE IMITATORS OF GOD… AND LIVE IN LOVE, AS CHRIST LOVED US” (Ephesians 5:2). We as men of God are called to love those around us. To show love and compassion for the people around us, is to share the love of God and to follow the example that Christ has set.

2.     Washing the feet of his disciples.

We, as men of God, also look to Christ as the ultimate example of a servant. In a world that calls for men to be the best, the top dog, the alpha male, and to have worldly success, a man’s value is measured by what he can do for himself. But as we look upon the image of Christ WASHING THE FEET OF HIS DISCIPLES, we see an image of a man who is humble and selfless (John 13). A man of God lives a life a service and places himself in a position of humility, which contrasts the way world views a man. FOR THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY (Mark 10:45). A man of God, like Christ, is a loving example of servanthood in the world, humble and selfless.

This comes into play particularly in our interactions with women. As men of God, if we are not seeking to serve the women around us, then we are failing to live a life that lines up with who we are in Christ. Women should be cherished, loved, and served as Christ does these things for us.

3.     Remaining true to his purpose, while on the cross.

Because a man of God is held to a higher standard, he must be conscious of his purpose in life and being strong enough to stick to what he believes. Our example of this comes from Christ as he hung upon the cross. As the crowd mocked him and told him to save himself, he knew and understood the purpose that was designated to him by the Lord and let this purpose guide his actions (Mark 15:29-32). We must understand our purpose as men of God, to love and serve, and have resolve to remain true to this as we live our lives, even in the face of temptation. A man of God has the strength to do what is right even when the right thing is hard to do. God directs us to DO JUSTICE AND TO LOVE GOODNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD (Micah 6:8).

Two Kinds of Men – We Can Only Choose One.

As we move forward in our faith and look to the Lord for guidance in becoming a man of God. We become aware that we can’t be both a man of the world and a man of God. A man who seeks the world cannot be fully seeking the Lord. NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS (Matthew 6:24). Because of this, we must choose the life we live. You, as a man, have to make the decision of what kind of man you are going to be. You can choose to seek the world or to follow the Lord, which may be difficult at times, but is well worth it. WHAT PROFIT WOULD THERE BE FOR ONE TO GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND FORFEIT HIS LIFE? (Matthew 16:26). The Lord is our profit and our joy. Let us follow him as men of God.

So what kind of man are you going to be? Because you can’t be both.

Scripture References:

Romans 1:1 – “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God.”

Romans 8:4-6  – “…so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.”

John 11:35 - “Jesus wept.”

Ephesians 5:2 - “So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.”

John 13 – Washing the feet of the disciples.

Mark 10:45 – “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 15: 29-32 – “Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, “He saved other; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.”

Micah 6:8 – “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you. Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.”

Matthew 16:26 – “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”