For Christian men, God is our Rock. We receive our strength and identity from the Living God. We need to continue to “Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The most important thing we can do is carve out time every day to spend time under the waterfall of His grace. We need to meet with other godly men, be vulnerable and challenge and sharpen each other.
We need encouragement to succeed. That is why the writer of Hebrews says to “encourage one another daily.” Men, find other guys to encourage. Don’t be afraid to speak life into a bumbling high-schooler or that older man you sit next to in church. Dig into his life and vice versa. Pray together. Women, we also crave your supporting voice. If one gender suffers, we all do. A banner needs to be flown high with pride by our lovely female counterparts with the inscription, “Strong Men Are Indispensable.” God created them both “male and female” not to compete, but to complement one another. Both genders need to work together to advance the Kingdom of God.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a man who is tall, short, big or small–you are still a man. And whatever job you hold–banker, doctor, writer, trash collector–you were designed to do it like a man. What does this mean? First, it means that whatever we do, we do it unto the Lord. It means we do it with integrity and excellence. It means we do it sacrificially. At home, it means to take responsibility to be servant-leaders for our families and those around us.
To succeed, we must push aside the mountain of home projects, meetings, and hobbies that pull our attention from the One who gives us life. It will be scary for some men to flick-off Netflix, put the controller down, and break the boy within. We will do it anyway.
Next, GODLY men needn’t apologize for their strength. It will form jungle gyms that kids can play on. We’ll keep using it to fight for justice, build cool stuff, hold babies, fight fires, thwart attackers, and protect what is good, right, and pure. The only box we’ll put women in is the box-step needed for the Waltz. We champion our sisters and prop them up to be the bold women of God He has called them to be.
Thankfully, our most important problem of sin has been taken care of by the Man Himself, Jesus Christ. God’s own Son modeled manhood and is the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus was secure enough in His identity to bless the outcast, let an impure woman wash his feet and to reveal His divine nature to a woman who was married seven times. When a prostitute was about to be stoned to death, Jesus drew a line in the sand. Her accusers walked away. He also played with children, turned over tables, and took care of his mother. Jesus was a man’s man.
A NEW FUTURE
We’ve seen the statistics. Men are down, but we are not out. Whatever the cause of men being pushed to the fringes—it’s not a place for us to stay. Men are not optional. The world, more than ever, needs men to flourish for their marriages, families, and society to thrive. Women, we need your help. The fully alive, God-given male spirit is glorious and mighty. It can even save lives.
Now, where’s that shark?
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[1] https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_gender.jsp
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2012/02/16/the-male-female-ratio-in-college/#16fa405bfa52
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db293.htm
[4] https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
[5]https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/ce-corner.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2cfZF-uOZHrq5Q6QhzWbHll1FPdQT2JMkQPRCqUnZe6JK10NdWNXjss8E
[6] http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/gender-composition/
This article originally appeared here.
