Man Up
"...to mature manhood..." - Ephesians 4:13
During the month I spent meditating on the book of Ephesians, this phrase stood out to me and has stuck with me. This three word phrase has so much power behind it. Biblical manhood. It's something I am passionate about. I want to be a true man of God and lead others to this by setting an example of what a man should be. About three and a half years into my walk with Christ and I think I'm finally starting to get it.
Unfortunately, the presence of true men is weak in today's society and the view of what a man is, is really distorted. It's very evident. Look around and you'll see a bunch of boys. Our culture says do what you want, do whatever makes you feel good, be tough, have sex, build up your reputation, get money, the list goes on and on. Do the very things God hates, and that's what makes you a man. The truth is twisted. "...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." (Romans 1:25).
Personally, I grew up without a real father figure, no example of what a man should be. I looked to so many other places to figure it out, whether it was the people around me or the culture. But none of these were ever good enough. Until I came to know Jesus. Through the obedience of a godly man, I saw a glimpse of what a man of God looks like, but even more than that, this man led me to Christ, the perfect God-man. Since then God has been constantly growing me to be a godly man myself. There were points where I thought I was a man, but was far from it. Now, not only do I understand more but I believe I'm starting to be more of a man, and I'm not turning back.
Last Friday I got to experience the 116 Clique's Man Up concert in LA. With biblical manhood being one of my passions, this campaign was something I was anticipating for the past couple of years and it was well worth the wait. It is a movement, calling men to be the men God calls them to be. As men, we are called to lead and have to set the example of what a godly man is by being one. I was so excited for this, but had to keep reminding myself, it's much more than a concert. If I did not worship God, if I did not experience God, if I did not grow in my affections for Him I would have missed the point. Of course, the concert was amazing and I enjoyed it, but more importantly I experienced God and left on fire, challenged to pursue Him more. These dudes are men in the faith who I look up to and I am so thankful for the example they set as godly men. Not only do they know how to put on an incredible show, they live out everything they present through their platform and make sure they lead people to the feet of Jesus. I was so blessed to be able to experience this. I am sure the Spirit was working in me through that.
God continues to shape my view of Him even further, along with my view of what a man of God is. He continues to challenge me and I'm excited about it because I desire to grow in my relationship with Him and the way I reflect Him. Jesus is the model of what a man is. God is holy and He has a standard. Jesus is the only one who ever lived according to that standard and the only one who ever will. We all fall short. We are in rebellion against God, trying to put ourselves on His throne. We do the very things God hates! He has commanded things of us in His Word. He has a standard, which reflects His character, and He holds us to it. But we fail. I want to live up to it as much as I can, but I can't. As hard as I try, as many things as I try to do, I can't. I need a Savior and praise God because He sent one! He sent Himself. Christ. Jesus lived the perfect life, yet He still died in our place. He took the wrath of God we deserved. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). He didn't have to do it, but He did. But He didn't just die. Because He was perfect, He rose from the grave, defeated sin, defeated death, defeated the devil, all for us, after living the perfect life for us so that we can have a relationship with Him and live the way He created us to live. Because He loves us! That's the Gospel! We can't do it, but Jesus can, and He did!
The correct response to what Jesus did is turning from our sin and putting our faith in Christ, who died and rose for our sins and calls us to follow Him. The life of a Christian is a life of repentance and faith. I wake up everyday confessing I can't do it because I am weak and I turn to Jesus, depending on Him alone because He can. I remember the cross. I remember the victory I have in Him. I remember the Gospel. My identity is in Christ and everything I need is in Him. "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises..." (2 Peter 1:3). Being a man is laying down your life and surrendering to Jesus, trusting in Him alone. He's the one who works in us to conform us to His image, to strive toward His standard, to live according to the calling to which He calls us. He's the one who makes us more and more like Jesus everyday as we follow Him. "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Praise God for His grace and faithfulness! I am committed to living, through faith in Jesus, a Spirit-filled life striving to be the man God calls me to be, striving to be like Jesus, because I want to make the most of the life God has given me and bring Him glory.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
During the month I spent meditating on the book of Ephesians, this phrase stood out to me and has stuck with me. This three word phrase has so much power behind it. Biblical manhood. It's something I am passionate about. I want to be a true man of God and lead others to this by setting an example of what a man should be. About three and a half years into my walk with Christ and I think I'm finally starting to get it.
Unfortunately, the presence of true men is weak in today's society and the view of what a man is, is really distorted. It's very evident. Look around and you'll see a bunch of boys. Our culture says do what you want, do whatever makes you feel good, be tough, have sex, build up your reputation, get money, the list goes on and on. Do the very things God hates, and that's what makes you a man. The truth is twisted. "...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." (Romans 1:25).
Personally, I grew up without a real father figure, no example of what a man should be. I looked to so many other places to figure it out, whether it was the people around me or the culture. But none of these were ever good enough. Until I came to know Jesus. Through the obedience of a godly man, I saw a glimpse of what a man of God looks like, but even more than that, this man led me to Christ, the perfect God-man. Since then God has been constantly growing me to be a godly man myself. There were points where I thought I was a man, but was far from it. Now, not only do I understand more but I believe I'm starting to be more of a man, and I'm not turning back.
Last Friday I got to experience the 116 Clique's Man Up concert in LA. With biblical manhood being one of my passions, this campaign was something I was anticipating for the past couple of years and it was well worth the wait. It is a movement, calling men to be the men God calls them to be. As men, we are called to lead and have to set the example of what a godly man is by being one. I was so excited for this, but had to keep reminding myself, it's much more than a concert. If I did not worship God, if I did not experience God, if I did not grow in my affections for Him I would have missed the point. Of course, the concert was amazing and I enjoyed it, but more importantly I experienced God and left on fire, challenged to pursue Him more. These dudes are men in the faith who I look up to and I am so thankful for the example they set as godly men. Not only do they know how to put on an incredible show, they live out everything they present through their platform and make sure they lead people to the feet of Jesus. I was so blessed to be able to experience this. I am sure the Spirit was working in me through that.
God continues to shape my view of Him even further, along with my view of what a man of God is. He continues to challenge me and I'm excited about it because I desire to grow in my relationship with Him and the way I reflect Him. Jesus is the model of what a man is. God is holy and He has a standard. Jesus is the only one who ever lived according to that standard and the only one who ever will. We all fall short. We are in rebellion against God, trying to put ourselves on His throne. We do the very things God hates! He has commanded things of us in His Word. He has a standard, which reflects His character, and He holds us to it. But we fail. I want to live up to it as much as I can, but I can't. As hard as I try, as many things as I try to do, I can't. I need a Savior and praise God because He sent one! He sent Himself. Christ. Jesus lived the perfect life, yet He still died in our place. He took the wrath of God we deserved. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). He didn't have to do it, but He did. But He didn't just die. Because He was perfect, He rose from the grave, defeated sin, defeated death, defeated the devil, all for us, after living the perfect life for us so that we can have a relationship with Him and live the way He created us to live. Because He loves us! That's the Gospel! We can't do it, but Jesus can, and He did!
The correct response to what Jesus did is turning from our sin and putting our faith in Christ, who died and rose for our sins and calls us to follow Him. The life of a Christian is a life of repentance and faith. I wake up everyday confessing I can't do it because I am weak and I turn to Jesus, depending on Him alone because He can. I remember the cross. I remember the victory I have in Him. I remember the Gospel. My identity is in Christ and everything I need is in Him. "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises..." (2 Peter 1:3). Being a man is laying down your life and surrendering to Jesus, trusting in Him alone. He's the one who works in us to conform us to His image, to strive toward His standard, to live according to the calling to which He calls us. He's the one who makes us more and more like Jesus everyday as we follow Him. "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Praise God for His grace and faithfulness! I am committed to living, through faith in Jesus, a Spirit-filled life striving to be the man God calls me to be, striving to be like Jesus, because I want to make the most of the life God has given me and bring Him glory.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
Comments