“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8, ESV)
The Apostle Paul had one all-consuming passion: to know Jesus Christ more. This one passion fueled everything in his life. He was willing to sacrifice his time, energy, and body. He was willing to go wherever he needed to go and do whatever needed to be done. He was willing to trade everything–recognition, applause for his accomplishments, favor among his colleagues–all for the sake of Jesus.
If you were to boil it down, what is the one thing that is driving your life right now? What is the purpose that defines your life?
If an alien from another planet was to investigate your life closely to try to determine what you care about, why you get up in the morning, and what you might even die for, what would it be?
Although there are one thousand and one things we should care about and are important, what if God wants your life to be driven by one thing? And, yes, there are a million and one habits you and I could work on, but if you could name one discipline in life right now that God wants you to practice, what would it be? I think it’s important to focus on that one thing, because otherwise it could be crowded by the host of distractions that are going to come your way today, tomorrow, and every day after that.
But imagine for a moment where your life might take you in the next five or ten years if you put into practice this one thing on a daily basis. Whatever it is–ask God to empower you by His Spirit to commit to this discipline. And when you do that, you’re living by faith because you’re trusting that God will bring the results if you don’t neglect this daily habit. What is that habit?
Sit with that question for a bit. Let it marinate. Imagine what your life might look like if you lived with single-minded devotion for Jesus Christ above all else. What would you need to sacrifice? What would you have to let go of? What would you have to do? Ask God to show you what one thing is critical and might just transform the trajectory of your life, making you into a more loving, joy-filled, purpose-oriented person. Whatever it is, you’re not going to find it in your past. God is holding out to you something in your future.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT)
Father, You bring light and life to all who commit their lives to follow You. I pray that both the person reading this and I would be fueled by one great passion: to glorify Jesus Christ all our days. Would you work in our hearts and empower us to live this journey of faith with eyes on Your Son, Jesus. It’s in His Name I pray. Amen.
Are you interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and what He’s done for you? I’d love to hear from you!
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16, NLT)
Every man has a hunger for purpose. I’ve heard one man put it this way: “All men long to be men of consequence.” There is something deep within the soul of a man that longs to make a powerful impact on this world. This drive to make a difference is good, right, and God-given. However, there is a subtle and dangerous tendency for this desire to become misguided and destructive when it’s not properly channeled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
Men Long to Make a Lasting Impact
Paul reminds his young protégé Timothy—whom he calls “man of God”—to satisfy this purpose hunger in the will of God. Rather than simply telling Timoty to passively avoid sin, he charges Timothy with action-oriented commands like “Pursue righteousness,” “Fight the good fight of the faith,” and “Takehold of eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:11-12). In other words, if this desire to make a difference is corrupted by selfishness and a bloated ego, it will backfire and cause more harm than good. But if this hunger for significance is directed by God’s power and purposes for a man laid out in Scripture, he can make a powerful impact not only in this life but in the life to come.
Many Hollywood films speak to this hunger in a man’s soul. In the movie Gladiator, the great general Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, rallies his troops for battle with these words:
“Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium [Heaven], and you’re already dead! Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity.”
When I first saw Gladiator, I found that line compelling: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
Many passages in Scripture speak to this same desire to make a lasting impact.
“Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV)
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
“To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.” (Romans 2:7, CSB)
Men AreCreated as the Image and Glory of God
Many men today have been counted unworthy by our worldly and godless culture not for anything they have done but simply for being men. They are told that their desire to be strong and masculine is “problematic” and “toxic.” Rather than seeing the goodness of strong and courageous men, our world tends to blame them for so many ills of society. Granted, many men have displayed toxic behavior. They have lived according to their lusts for power and pleasure. And whenever men pursue power and pleasure as ends in themselves, this results in devastating consequences for others, particularly the women they should have been cherishing and protecting. Men who have used their strength either to assault or take advantage of women should rightly be charged and prosecuted.
However, in an effort to expose and dismantle this toxic version of masculinity, many have attempted to stigmatize masculinity altogether. To take just one example, when movie director James Cameron discussed his previous films with The Hollywood Reporter, he admitted he now thought testosterone was downright dangerous because it made men wild and untamed risk-takers. Discussing his previous films, including the Terminator series, Cameron said:
“A lot of things I did earlier, I wouldn’t do—career-wise and just risks that you take as a wild, testosterone-poisoned young man. I always think of [testosterone] as a toxin that you have to slowly work out of your system.”[1]
From the biblical perspective, such a quest to emasculate manhood and reengineer men into some kind of androgynous being is both foolish and harmful. God created men as men. He created mankind as “male and female” on purpose from the beginning, not as an evolutionary afterthought (Genesis 1:27).
He calls men to “act like men” (1 Corinthians 16:13). In doing so, God was not calling men to be self-centered pigs who are enslaved to their lusts. This seems to be how many influential voices in the culture view masculinity. But if God viewed masculinity as inherently toxic, He wouldn’t have charged men to act like men or called men “the image and glory of God” (1 Corinthians 11:7).
Men Need to Be Redeemed by Jesus Christ
The real problem is that our mainstream culture does not have a doctrine of original sin. Masculinity is labeled inherently “toxic” because of the sinful proclivities of men. But the Bible teaches us to view the world through the lens of the story of creation-fall-redemption-restoration. A man’s masculine nature is part of God’s good design at creation.[2] Men became sinners through the fall, and that is why we see men using their strength for evil.[3] But Jesus Christ, the God-man, came to redeem sinners, among whom are men and women.[4] Today, Jesus calls men to embrace their God-given nature as He restores them in His likeness.[5] Redeemed men must boldly stand for Christ in a lost and dying world that has forgotten the great value of men.
If you don’t understand that the problem is what sin has done to men, then you will identify the problem as men themselves, a foolish and ultimately demonic conclusion.
Having been told that their desire to be aggressive, courageous, and heroic is either stupid or troublesome, many young men resort to living out their dreams in the virtual world of video games while snacking on Cheetos in their mom’s basement. Men, if that’s been your reality, my goal isn’t to shame you but to assure you that God calls you to something far greater.
Men Are Called to Be Strong and Courageous
God wants men to live with intentionality and purpose. He wants us to have a God-centered perspective on life, seeing things in the big picture.
There are real evils in this world, and men are called to be at the frontline to stop evil with courage and conviction. When a man has bowed the knee to Jesus and is filled with the Spirit of power, he can rule over his own ungodly desires and stand for truth in a culture that has been massively deceived.
If you are a man, know this: Your desire to make a difference—to be a man of consequence—is good and right. Jesus values you. And as the ultimate Man, Jesus models for you perfectly what true masculinity looks like when we submit ourselves to God the Father and are filled with the Holy Spirit.
The church of Jesus Christ is to be a place where men are welcomed, called to be fully alive, and not shamed for who God made them to be. The world may try to shame masculine men as “toxic,” encourage men to be weak and passive, and may even call testosterone a “toxin,” but God says to men:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NIV)
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
Lamp and Light 