Walking With Christ

In this day and age being a man is often villainized. Given the characterization of what it means to be a man, I can’t say I blame anyone who does this. Still, it leaves the question: what should it really look like to be a man according to the bible?

God’s word (the bible) is not the complete guide to how to live life even though it does cover every attack of the enemy, how to defeat them, as well as a fairly comprehensive set of examples on how life should be done. These examples can be used in nearly every situation. The bible doesn’t give case specific advice on how to manage different situations but it does give a lot of principles that can easily be used to help inform every decision we face.

So, to answer the question above, we can turn to the bible and look for examples of men in the bible who are praised and the things they are praised for. Admittedly, most of these apply to humanity in general, but we have to be aware that the bible does draw a distinct difference between men and women. The writers of the bible are typically very careful to keep men and women equal but different with specific roles to play and expected duties. There are also many examples of what happens when someone refuses to or is scared to fulfill their role. In the case of weak men, often a woman would step up and perfectly fill the role (Judges? Anyone?).

In the book or Ruth, we find Boaz who showcases respect, generosity, and kindness through his treatment of Ruth. It highlights his role as provider and protector and helps to emphasize the importance of integrity and kindness.

Joseph, Husband of Mary and earthly father to Jesus, is protective over Mary even before they are actually married. Then he displays pure obedience to the will of God through his willingness to marry Mary despite the social stigma and potential shame with her being found to be pregnant before marriage. His dedication to the family he was given and the will of God is evidenced throughout the exile because he never let got of his role of provider and protector.

Moses is a wonderful example of the fallibility of man and what God can do with someone willing to humble themselves. He grew up as a royal until he learned of his heritage. When he tried to forge ahead with the future plan of God before he was himself ready, we see how badly he messed up. He killed a man then fled into the desert. He spent the next forty years as a nobody herding sheep for somebody else and quietly raising a family. When God sees that he is ready, Moses is meek. His strength from before is now mostly under control and given to God. He had to learn patience and humility. He had to learn to rely on God for guidance because he, like us, could not do it on his own. He also learned to act with compassion while acting as an intercessor when the people, truly still children in many senses of the word, of Israel faltered. Moses stood in the gap between the people and God and he begged for mercy and grace.

Perhaps a better example of fallibility than Moses is David. David learned to be a warrior with a poetic soul. He became a leader at a fairly young age even though he was not put in a position to lead until the time was right. He learned to be a protector, a provider, and a spiritual leader long before he wore the title of king. Yet, as king, he still had to demonstrate accountability, humility, and ultimately repentance through his relationship with Bathsheba and the consequences of that. He was called a man after God’s own heart despite being an incredibly flawed human being. He was great at many things. Being a parent was not one of them. Yet, even in this, he admitted his faults and took ownership of his mistakes.

Daniel is the raw exemplification of integrity and faithfulness. He faced persecution and threats nearly his entire life and yet he remained faithful to God. He was literally thrown into the lion’s den as a punishment for praying to our God. His faith let him stand firm in the will of God for his life, and God proved that He was not done with Daniel yet by shutting the mouths of the starving lions. His unwavering commitment to having a relationship with God through a truly active prayer life that is even noted as being habitual reflects a life centered on the will of God.

Last and certainly not least is Jesus. The messiah. The very one that we call ourselves after as Christians. He is the one we all want to be like. He is known as both the lion of the tribe of Judah and the lamb. He served his bride, the church, to the point of death. He washed the feet of the very person directly responsible for His near future torture and death. He wept openly for Lazarus because He had compassion and truly understood the pain of loss that Mary and Martha were feeling. He laughed easily. He loved completely. His love was unconditional. He showed pure grace balanced with absolute truth. Truth without grace is mean. Grace without truth is meaningless. Jesus gave the perfect balance of both by perfectly pointing out the truth with grace. Jesus deeply cared for the weak, forgotten, and marginalized. He treated women, children, the sick, outcasts, and people of other races with respect, compassion, and dignity. He taught that leaders should serve rather than being served. His life and love for His bride is a true showcase of how men should love and respect their wives with unrestrained humility, mercy, and grace.

Knowing that the entirety of the bible is actually a love letter from God to us through the lens of Jesus, I’ll say that we could discuss the examples of how to from Jesus for the rest of our lives, so I’ll stop there. I, for one, look forward to continuing to study the many examples of growing in Christ. Yes, most of the characteristics listed above should apply to all people as a general rule. It is the absence of or momentary lapse of these characteristics that causes so much pain in the world. When our perspective on life gets so skewed that we no longer behave in ways pleasing to God then it’s easy to get off the right path.

So, to close, I would encourage every guy reading this to look closely in the mirror and seek these characteristics. Then find places or events in our lives where we failed to exemplify these and apologize to the ones we failed. Live a life pleasing to God by following some of the many examples we’ve been given. Be respectful, generous, kind, protective, humble, dedicated, compassionate, with integrity, mercy and grace. Most importantly, love. Love how God loves. Love who God loves. Love where God loves. Serve those you love.