I have this black, leather vest that I wear when I ride the motorcycle. It’s weathered with rain and even a little snow. And sweat. And the remains of a few dozen bugs.
It smells like leather, a bit of gas, and some sunscreen. When I wear it, especially hanging out with a bunch of other bikers wearing their vests, I feel like a tough guy.
And they call me Revvv. Get it?
But much better than all of that, I feel like a real man when I’m putting the vest on and I catch a glimpse of this patch that says “Real Men Love Jesus.”
So, guys, “Be a man!”
Believe in Jesus like a child
You’re going to be the best dad, or father figure, or husband, or male spiritual leader, or VP, business owner, or alpha male in the room when you act not like you’re the king of the hill, but as you actually are, a child of the King.
Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15).
Don’t let maturity happen to you in a way that loses the innocent trust of a child who believes God even if it’s not logical.
Don’t let weighty responsibilities overwhelm you with the kind of worry that never touches the mind of a child who can happily play all day while COVID destroys a way of life we once knew.
Can you trust in Jesus like a child trusts in Jesus? If so, you’re going to find much richer fulfillment in life. You’re going to experience the kingdom of God like a kid going to Disneyland. Not a care in the world.
Put down your tough-as-leather self-reliance and let Jesus’ death be your life. Let Jesus’ foolish-sounding and impossible promises be your money-in-the-bank reality. Let Jesus’ high expectations be your purpose. Let Jesus’ weakness be your strength, Jesus’ words be your truth, Jesus’ cross that made him nothing be your everything.
That’s how to be a man. Trust anything Jesus says. Follow Jesus anywhere he leads you. Sing “Jesus Loves Me” about him like a child.
Love what Jesus loves
Jesus “took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them” (Mark 10:16).
One of our guys at CrossLife broke his foot, and here’s how he did it—playing soccer with his nephews and nieces. Then he traveled internationally with his broken foot and experienced complications.
Loving and blessing kids isn’t easy.
The hands of Jesus that pulled little children and babies into his lap were hands that would be nailed to a cross so that those kids, by faith, could be called children by his Father.
Guys, be a man!
Your strength is not your stubborn self-reliance but your sacrifice, like Jesus. To do that, you’ll need to be a child of God the Father, like Jesus his Son. Trust in your heavenly Father.
When things get tough, when loving and sacrificing and providing for your family demand more than you want to give, then trust that what you have to give isn’t yours alone. It is provided to you by Jesus himself, who pulls you in like he gathered the kids on his lap, and says, “You’re the man, because you’re my child.”
Children are a gift from God, to be sure. Real men—godly men—are also God’s gift to children.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for men, and especially for godly men who trust in Jesus Christ. Draw the dads of our world closer to you, Lord, filling them and equipping them to be the child-like men you call them to be. Bless children through them. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Name 3 men in your life who have been a blessing to you. Thank God for these men. Some of them may no longer be living on this earth. For others who are, pray for them by name. Then, let them know that you prayed for them today.