What it means to be a man

Be a man!

How often in society do we hear this charge to the young men. 

Even in the Old Testament, fathers gave their sons this charge. 

On David’s deathbed, he told Solomon who was to succeed him as king, “Act like a man.”  (1 Kings 2:2)

But what does it mean to act like a man? 

For a lot of people today, it means many things. 

But in speaking to Solomon, David meant, “Be strong.”

“When the world comes against you, stand strong.  Don’t wilt under the pressure.”

Being a man means something more than just being strong, however. 

David went on to tell Solomon,

Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses.

Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.  (3)

A lot of young men think that to be man, they need to do their own thing.  To be completely independent. 

But to David, being a man meant following hard after God.  To listen to and follow the voice of God.  And ultimately to submit yourself to the lordship of the one who is Lord of all. 

That is what being a man is all about.

How about you?  Young men (and for that matter older men), are you being a man? 

Are you submitting yourself to God, and seeking to do his will? 

Or are you seeking to do your own?

For you younger single women, what kind of man are you seeking?  Do you understand the kind of man that God wants you to marry? 

Remember that a true man, more than anything else, puts himself under the lordship of Jesus Christ.  What kind of man are you seeking?  What kind of man are you with now?

Let us all be men and women who follow hard after God.