A Definition of Manhood – Principle 1

From the Book ‘The Resolution for Men’ by Stephen and Alex Kendrick and Randy Alcorn – from Chapter 4, Be a Man of Responsibility.

A Man Accepts His Masculinity

Masculinity is generally understood as having the characteristics of maleness. But the key ingredient is strength. From childhood, God has put a longing inside us to be strong. The natural competitiveness and aggressiveness in men is often a testing and demonstration of their strength. But like Jesus, every man also needs to be developing moral, mental, social and spiritual strength. That’s because all of our key roles in life will require greater strength in order to carry them out.

If men do not develop a sense of their own fortitude, they will never attempt hard things, lead their families, fight for their country or confront evil. Instead they will become irresponsible, passive cowards who are easily swayed and give up when the pressure is on.

Despite this it is a father’s job to call his sons into manhood. He should challenge them to embrace their masculinity, be like Jesus, and become mentally, physically, spiritually and socially strong. To walk, talk, and act like a strong man. King David charged his son Solomon, “Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man” (1 Kings 2:2).

So if you are an adult male, twenty years of age or older, then God considers you a man! (See Exodus 30:14, Leviticus 27:3, Numbers 1:3 and Numbers 14:29) But if you are going to obey Him and be faithful to Him until the end, you must act like a man, embrace your masculinity and hear His command to “Be strong” (Joshua 1:9).

Then as a man, when times get rough, you must not quit. When everything seems against you, you cannot run away. When you fall or fail – as all of us do – you must own your mistakes, get back on your feet and not shirk your responsibilities. When the enemy is attacking, you must keep up your resistance – “and having done everything, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13). You must keep doing the right thing and fighting for what is true and noble. You must obey God’s Word that says to all of us, “Act like men, be strong!” (1Corinthians 16:13). This is our responsibility as men. This is required of us to be faithful.

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Not every male has been raised as a man. Due to divorce, absent fathers, uninvolved fathers many have not had the instruction or the model of manhood to follow. That is no excuse for not becoming the type of man that God calls us to be. Read about the model that Jesus was.

There are Christian men who are willing to mentor you if you will make an effort to get to know them. There are many books, beginning with the Bible, this book, and others, DVDs and CDs that can help you.

If you didn’t pick this up when you read this the first time the direction is for you to act, to begin the process of change. Will it be easy? Probably not. But it is worth it.

Ask God daily to help you become the man He wants you to be.