What Kind of man are you?
After the fall God called out in the garden “Adam where are you”? God knew where he was but I believe God was calling out in love to stop hiding from Him, an all-knowing and all-present God. It seems comical that Adam thought he could hide from God – but we do it every day. Our mistakes can easily become our identity if we let them. Shame makes us small-minded and passive. God has created us for more than that – we are made to overcome.
Different kinds of men
By design, we are made to lead as a hunter, builder, warrior, or servant to others. In today’s culture, the man is laughed at, mocked, and a subtle plan to marginalize his excellence. God’s plan is much higher, we are designed to be initiators of the Kingdom to protect, provide, and lead our homes.
What defines you? Your job, success, or your material possessions? There can be an endless list of “things” that build us or steal from us. What defines a man is the content of our soul, we are a product of our investment, not our environment. What kind of man are you? What drives you?
This is an abbreviated list.
- Industrial Man – Hard worker, innovative, and productive. He is material driven.
- Modern Man – Image driven. Macho. Sophisticated. Trendsetter. He is people-driven.
- Missing Man – Dismisses responsibility and an absent husband. and father. He is self-love driven.
- Lost Man – Living for himself with no eternal purpose. He is pleasure-driven.
- Family Man – Above all his center is his family. He is legacy driven,
- Spiritual Man – A follower of Jesus. Builds his life on and around a d eternal purpose. He is purpose-driven
We may drift in and out of these different areas in our lives. My prayer is to operate as a spiritual man that is not independent but interdependent on the Lord seeing my need for Jesus daily.
Fallible Design
We love a hero. We dream about “saving the day” from a young age – we can adopt a ‘hero’ mentality. What can happen is we can strive to save others and meet the need yet lose ourselves in the process. We are not made to be 100%, 100% of the time. Often when we falter, we learn the most. We learn who our true friends are. We learn the power of Grace and Mercy. And we learn where our trust is based.
Let’s be honest; it is hard for us to ask for help because we may think it diminishes our image as a strong, capable man. Letting people help build honesty, transparency, and vulnerability. These character builders develop a spiritual man. In weakness, Christ’s strength is made perfect in 2 Corinthians 12:9. God is developing us every day – each and every moment.
Temptation
Every day we must put on the Armour of God and stand in the power of His might. We are no match for the devil. Every day and all day we have a supernatural battle that is designed to take out the spiritual man. Challenge and pressure are a good environment to keep us on our knees and waiting on Jesus. The battle is won already – abide in His victory in Jude 1:24. Our weakness is the platform and opportunity for victory.
No matter what you’re facing today, you’re not alone. God is looking for the man that will “stir up himself and take hold of Him” in Isaiah 64:7. Remember what Grace says about you and that you are Deeply Seen, Fully Known, and Completely Loved and NOTHING can change that. When our identity is Jesus’ agape love we are bold in 1 John 4:17.
Jesus loves real men, and they love others. We have nothing to prove – only to worship and walk in His Glory as a steward of His manifold grace.
Jason is a graduate from Maryland Bible College and Seminary, and presently he leads the Pastoral Care Team of Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. Since age 16, Jason has been involved with mission work among the former Soviet-Bloc countries in Eastern Europe, as well as in Asia, and in the United States. While living in Ukraine, he helped church plant three new churches that continue to thrive today under trained nationals. He has also written five books and has his own podcast (tinyurl.com/IRpodcast)
