Every adult male is not a man. God several times declared He was on a man-hunt- “And I sought for a man, . . .”Ez.22:30), “Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, . . . if ye can find a man” (Jer.5:1). (Cf.2 Chron.16:9, Is.66:1, 2).
The problem wasn’t a shortage of adult males but a shortage of real men. There was a shortage of those whom it could be said they had a mature personality or a mature religious sentiment.
An adult male if he has not matured to possess the characteristics of manliness is merely a child in the adult age group.
Becoming an adult male is a natural process and requires nothing more than staying healthy physically. It’s physical anthropology and when the chronological age is reached in which society recognizes his adulthood he’s given certain rights, and responsibilities. But he may have these bestowed upon him and grow old in the process and remain a child.
There have been adult males in leadership roles that were “babes” or “children” (Is.3:4). It’s possible to have a room full of adult males without having one man there.
The first step toward becoming a real man is being saved by the marvelous grace of God. The Christian then has a new life in Christ and a new nature that will develop him into a man exemplifying the likeness of Christ. And Christ is our example of manliness.
Manliness is reached as the bodily desires are put below the spiritual desire. Our lives are dwarfed and remain infantile unless we come to realize there’s more to life than those immediate biological impulses.
The way to manliness is in ceasing to be ruled by the flesh and instead being ruled by the Spirit. Gordon Allport distinguishes the fleshly desires as subjective and organic in character and shared with all animal life. These “viscerogenic desires” correspond with the “tissue needs” or appetites of the body. These desires and appetites come before anything else in the life of most individuals. The “psychogenic desires” which are needs of the inner spiritual man such as wisdom, understanding, knowledge, in our search for truth, and are objective, are ignored. Because they are ignored the inner man isn’t nourished and never grows up.
Most males never actually grow up because they hang on to their childishness or fleshly ways all the way to the grave. Paul said,”When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11). The speech, understanding and thought process of a real man will be in correlation with a biblical world view. There are many institutions founded for the purpose of turning young males into real men, but the only institution that’s been equipped by God to make real men is the church,- “And he gave some, apostles; . . . for the perfecting of the saints, . . . unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph.4:11-13).
The shortage of real men today is due to the church’s failure to carry out this God-given responsibility. We should pray with the Psalmist, “Help Lord, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men” (Ps. 12:1).
Daddy’s Strength
Daddy’s not a real big man,
In stature he’s not that tall;
But in his spirit, where it counts,
He makes other men look small.
♢
For many years since he got saved,
The way of righteousness he trod;
Ever faithful to the Savior,
Though doing right made him look odd.
♢
Tradition, Daddy just never had,
Religious or otherwise;
His conscience lorded over him,
Leading him to the highest prize.
♢
Trials and hardships were oft’ his lot,
And seemed more than he could bear;
“But living for Christ is like that,” he said,
“And through them, His glory we share”.
♢
So patiently he carried his cross,
He silently bore it all alone;
Yet, secretly, it looked to me
As though Someone helped him along.
♢
He was a hard working man;
Yet he knew how to laugh and love,
And the standards he strictly adhered to,
Came straight from Heaven above.
♢
“Looks are not as important,” he said,
“As character refined like gold.”
And thus, he stood down Vanity’s Fair,
This guardian of our body and soul.
♢
Daddy’s faith stood him strong
When the dollar showed up weak,
On the promise that God would provide,
And the righteous he’d always keep.
♢
From strength to strength and grace to grace,
Daddy faithfully traveled the way
That he thought God had ordained for him,
And would win him a crown someday.
♢
I wondered at my daddy’s strength;
How, regardless of the foe,
He came out more than conqueror
Over that which would work him woe.
♢
Just like Delilah so long ago,
I sought for the secret of Dad’s might;
How against such power and odds,
He would hold to what was right.
♢
I found him in the pre-dawn hours
Where he got alone to pray;
Asking the Lord for grace and light
That would lead him in His way.
♢
There he fed upon God’s Word,
Nourishing his soul with Truth;
That, as his outward man grew old,
His spirit would retain its youth.
♢
And there as he met with Jesus,
I found what I sought for at length:
That a simple childlike trust in God
Was the source of Daddy’s strength.
♢
So Happy Father’s Day, dear Dad,
I pray for you God’s very best.
I’m so glad you followed Jesus.
As a result I too am greatly blessed.
James H. Cagle
