The Best Example

We live in a culture that sometimes discounts the struggles of men. If we are being honest the pressure of being the men we were created to be can sometimes feel like a massive burden. Now before I get too far into this I want to state that if you are expecting me to coddle you and hold your hand think again. 

Yes the pressure to be a Godly man is high but it should be. The price for not being a Godly man is high. Now I am not that being an imperfect man will cost you your salvation, I don’t believe that. What I do believe though is that Christian men who don’t live up to the standard set for them stunt the growth of the church and leave her open to attacks from the enemy because those who are designed to lead are sitting on the sidelines being apathetic and lazy. 

The argument from many may be that they didn’t have an example of a Godly man to follow. I told myself this lie many times as a younger man. However, that simply is a lie that I believe was created by the enemy to keep us from doing what we need to do. The truth is we do have an example to look to. Jesus himself is a man. While he never married or had biological children we can still look to how he lived and what he taught to know how we as men should live our lives. 

Sure you probably aren’t going to live up to Jesus' example perfectly but that doesn’t make his example any less valuable. In fact aiming ot be like the perfect example makes it easier for you to hit the target. Aiming at a less perfect example means you are going to be further off target when you don’t live up to that example. 

So what are some things we can learn from Jesus' example of being a man? 

First, Jesus wasn’t a passive observer. He was an active participant in the world around him. From a young age Jesus is not just sitting back and letting things happen. He has the ability to lead and teach and we see this even as young as 12 when he is in the temple teaching those around him. Now I am not saying our 12 year olds need to be teaching but I am saying that as men we shouldn’t be sitting idly on the sidelines we need to be involved. 

Second, Jesus stood up for what was right. Jesus called out those who were doing wrong no matter who they were. He called out the religious and political leaders of his day. He called out his friends. We can have trouble doing either of these because we are worried about what will happen to us socially if we start standing up to those around us who are doing wrong or speaking out against people our friends support. However, standing up for what is right only when it serves us is unjust and hurtful to our witness as a Christian. 

One last thing for today, Jesus provided for those around him. There are the obvious stories of Jesus providing bread and fish for the 4,000 and 5,000 but there are other times when he provides for those closer to him. For example when it was time for him and Peter to pay the temple tax Jesus causes a fish to have the money in it for himself and Peter to pay the tax. He also as can be clearly seen in the gospels provides healing and hope in places where none exists. A man who refuses to provide for those in his care may be many things but one thing he is not is a man. If those around you are lacking what they need because you refuse to do what you need to do you are failing. Now I know there are times where a man needs to rely on those around him but if you are healthy and can provide but don’t you are failing. 

There are other things we learn from Jesus about being a man. As we move forward we are going to discuss these three things and more. However, I didn’t want to write a novel to start off with.