"I tried to be a Christian, but it just didn’t take.” This is what one my friends said. He’s what a lot of ladies refer to as a manly man, and he told me that he never wants to be viewed as being soft. I get it. And I’ve heard several different versions from guys saying pretty much the same thing. They think its fine to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, as long as you keep it to yourself and don’t show it. A lot of them think that being a believer that is radical for Christ is only for brothers that can’t cut it or can’t deal with real life. And since they are all about that macho life, the thought of tears of joy about the Savior’s love is something they can’t get with.
Macho is defined as an overly aggressive and prideful masculinity. In urban vernacular, it is sometimes labeled ‘gangsta’, ‘cool’, or ‘hard’. It’s a stereotypical posture some of us assume because we think it portrays strength, but there are profound examples of authentic masculine strength in the Bible. These are of men who were strong in character, brute, and devotion to God.
Given that they had none of the conveniences we have today, they put men of our modern era to shame. They were tough as nails, but their hearts burned for God. They learned the lesson it takes many of us a very long time to digest, that life does not afford us a pass when it comes to honoring God. It’s an extreme offensive move to jump for joy for our favorite football team but be ashamed to jump for Jesus. How does that work?!!! The goodness of our Lord should be on blast 24/7! Philippians 2:10-11(KJV) says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Admittedly, we’re not there yet. We’re not at a place in this world where every person will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but we should be, and the clock is ticking. We’re seeing in real time that we need to get our houses in order right now!
Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise and honor. To withhold it for any reason hurts us tremendously, because it demonstrates that in some ways our hearts are hard; the Word of God can’t get to it and that’s a dangerous place for anyone. God doesn’t demand us to be overly emotional, but He absolutely demands honor. This honor is built on the reality that He is the One true God, and His Word is truth. A person that is honorable deserves honor, and a person that is glorious deserves glory. God is GOD! He is honorable and glorious beyond our comprehension, and to deny Him of what He is due is to deny our own identity, for we were created from His love for the express purpose of walking in His glory.
The glory of God that is witnessed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ should be the source of our greatest celebration. After they crucified him, three days he stayed in the grave. Just as it had been foretold by the prophets of the Bible, on the third day our Lord and Savior rose from the grave with all power in his hands. Luke 24:1-7(NLT) tells us, “But very early on Sunday morning[a] the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
Jesus Christ didn’t keep the disciples and those who walked with him in the dark about what would happen. He would suffer a horrendous death, only to rise to the most triumphant glory! But even though the people heard this truth, they still had limited expectations about the overwhelming victory and blessings his sacrifice and resurrection made available. They were looking back to their notions about the success, prosperity, and grandeur of the old days. They wanted what used to be to be again. This longing for the past framed their expectations for the future. Those living during the time that Jesus Christ walked the earth, and who also followed the teachings of the prophets, wanted Israel to be restored to what it used to be. They wanted to see Israel returned to its former state of prominence, popularity, and opulence. This is what they had settled in their minds as the ultimate. The whole reason Jesus Christ spent so much time teaching people is so that their minds and hearts would be expanded to the reality of who he is, and who they are through him. It wasn’t about an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly one.
In Deuteronomy 31:6(NLT), during Old Testament times, God told the children of Israel, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Without Him, that couldn’t be strong, but through Him, they would not fail, because He was their Source, Supply, and Sufficiency. Heavenly Father is our Creator. He created men to have the roles of husbands, providers, and protectors; but we must never forget that God is the One who empowers us to be those things. As men, it is natural for us to want to take care of those we love, but we cannot be truly effective at it without the strength, love, and power that God gives us.
1Peter 5:6 reminds us that in complete humility, God’s forgiveness is given, and He lifts us up. The truth is that there’s no better place to be than at the feet of Jesus Christ. Humility requires us to understand that without him, all of us are weak, but through him, Philippians 4:13 says we can do all things. We should never let a need to be macho overshadow our responsibility and privilege to humble ourselves before God. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:3 that if we don’t change our ways and become humble like little children, we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We must allow ourselves to be vulnerable to the Lord so He can bless us. Once we experience the amazing touch of His love and grace, we’ll see very clearly that humbling ourselves before Him is the most masculine thing we can do.
Prayer
Dear Father,
Forgive me for the things I have done that were contrary to Your Will and Word. Please forgive me for not having faith and for not seeking Your divine counsel in certain areas of my life. There have been instances where I have acted impulsively and immaturely, and it has landed me in a tough spot. Then, I come to You with a trouble heart, asking why I got to that place. All along, I acted out of my own free-will choice. I made decisions and choices on my own and didn’t take responsibility for my impulsiveness. Father, please forgive me for this.
Please forgive me for those things that led me astray from Your calling. Please straighten my footsteps as I humbly submit to You, so that I can continue walking under Your covering.
Thank You for the multitude of blessings You have given me throughout my life. Not only am I thanking You for my life and blessings, but also for the generations that are going to come from me. Thank You, Father for securing their futures and allowing them to grow up in Your Word. I thank You Dear Father, for You have never let me down. You continue to hold tight to my hand, to lead me in Your Word and position me for higher heights.
Father, please aid my faith and continue to guide me by Your Spirit. Help me to reset my being so that I no longer depend on my five senses, but I’m completely sold out to Your Will by faith. Help me in my endeavors, to achieve those things that please You and fulfill me as well. Time and time again, I have witnessed that You are faithful to Your Word. You have given me victory, fought my battles, and healed me. Father, please help me to mature spiritually, as I strip off my old man nature and put on the newness that Jesus Christ made available. In the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and in the name of Your Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Macho vs Humility”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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