Real Men

Real men take charge of the home, their wives, their children, their church.  Right?  I mean, dominion means control, domination, power, decision-making-power, correct?

Refusing a real man is not an option, after all, God put him in charge, period. Right, guys?

I read Ephesians 5 this morning and I missed the above "manly" characteristics, but they remain very pervasive within the church today.  "Real" men do not equal Biblical men.  Biblical men stop being manly, and start being Godly.

I read Genesis 2 as well, just to make sure I was not confused, and when a man is to leave and cleave, his primary focus shifts from his family to his wife.  Former commitments to his family are now very much set behind him, and this "one flesh" is shown to be the supreme human relationship this side of glory.

On the other end of the spectrum, we see all around us men refusing to lead, refusing to be spiritual, and flat out refusing to grow up.  And I've seen a lot of it lately, and it causes me to do a personal checkup, and rant a bit. 

Somewhere there lies the proper balance.  And selfishness, pride, laziness, and puffed-up arrogance all stand in the way of healthy relationships.  Domineering doesn't do it.  Neither does passivity.

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church."  Simply put, be selfless.  Try to take a day, just one day to start, where you lay aside your own interests, your own desires, your own priorities, and be a Biblical husband for your wife.  Love her.  Show her you would lay your life down for her.  Christ did just that for the church.  And speaking of the church, Biblical men do not lead the church, they lead IN the church, and they check their pride at the door, they lay aside their "self" and come to give, to serve, and to lead the "one flesh" of marriage as God designed.

One flesh.  Wow!  That means the way we treat our wives is the way we would treat ourselves.  Think about what we say "no" to our wives about.  Would we say "No" to ourselves?  Really, let's be honest, are we willing to give up something at the same time we tell our wives to do likewise?  Does being the man mean we get to do what we want, when we want?  Biblical men do not lead the family, they lead IN the family.  By example.

Think back to Christ.  He tells us in Scripture to lay aside the old self, to put on the new, if I can paraphrase, "stop being so foolishly selfish!"  And remember, He was willing to lay everything aside, simply out of complete selflessness for us, so we might decide to give our lives to Him.  What a perfect example. 

Christ tells us to put aside our own interests; He certainly did.  That is exactly how He loved the church.  Then, He tells us to love our wives as He loved the church.  So, how are we doing, guys?  Do we still need to show the world and our wives how much in control we are, or are we just about ready to show the world and our wives how much Christ is in control of it all? It might seem like a tough choice, and I suppose it is, for the "real" man. 

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Holding Fast to the Name of our Creator