“When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
I Corinthians 13:11
A Crisis
There is a masculinity crisis in the modern world. And what I mean by that is not the beer bonging, grab happy, chest bumping examples of manhood that the world has been conditioned to accept. What I am talking about is men. Real men. Biblical men. And we need them now more than ever.
That said, we should also understand that sinful masculinity is equally toxic. This message is about Biblical, godly, creation-ordered, manhood.
Are You Surprised?
After decades of attacks from those who intend to emasculate men, many find themselves with no clue what Biblical masculinity looks like. Are you surprised? Most men did not have fathers, grandfathers, pastors, mentors, or godly masculine men in their life, as they were growing up, so they have little to no vision of what that even looks like. The result is the next generation of young men who will be just as confused when it is their turn to be at the helm.
What Can We Do?
Consider this...
“When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” I Corinthians 13:11
When my son Aaron was young, and wanted to be “grown up” faster than his brain could go, I gave him this counsel. You’ll know when you’re grown up when you can do the things you OUGHT to do instead of the things you WANT to do.
Men as Infants?
As I was working on this post I read a sermon on this topic of mature manhood. The pastor compared many men to infants.
“There are far too many men who live this way [like babies], and apparently did not jump through the necessary hurdles of maturation, only to graduate into manhood with a male body, but a fetal mind. This kind of man acts like their needs are the only ones that matter. They prioritize themselves, their emotions, their wants, their priorities, over everyone else. And they act just as spoiled as the soiled screaming toddler at their feet. The only advantage they seem to have in their manhood, is that they get to have sex with their wives, who struggles more than you realize, with how childish you and I can be.”
Selflessness is the Goal
As Christ followers and MD5 men, we can know how well we’ve matured as a man by how selfless we are. Infants are selfish. Real men are selfless. Let’s be honest with ourselves and figure out where we are on that continuum. If we need help, all we need to do is ask our wives.
Larry Martin
MD5 Facilitator
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