men – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

A perfect man

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. (James 3:2, ESV)

The above words really struck me this morning, because while the word above translated “man” can refer to both men and women (and in this context probably does), it most often refers specifically to men.

And being a man, it particularly struck home with me. I don’t think many men think of their tongues as the thing keeping them from being “perfect.”

I certainly don’t.

But James says here that it is the one thing that often prevents us from being the men we ought to be.

It certainly prevents us from the husbands we ought to be. It prevents us from being the fathers we ought to be. For those who are single, it prevents us from being the boyfriend we ought to be.

How much damage do we do to our wives, our sons and daughters, and to our girlfriends by the things that come out of our mouths?

Men, I don’t know about you, but I want to be like my Lord. I want my words to heal, not burn. I want my words to be marked by the gentleness that comes from wisdom.

Lord Jesus, let me be the perfect man, controlling my tongue. Lord Jesus, let me be like you.

A challenge for men

I am fully aware that this part of the passage seems to be addressing more of a problem with the Corinthian women than with the men, but being a man, it’s these words that strike me the most.

But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

He then says,

Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head. (4)

Now whatever the significance is of Paul requiring the Corinthian men to pray with their heads covered, and regardless of whether or not those words concerning head coverings apply to this day, two things are certain.

1. Christ is our head.

2. As Christ is our head, we are to honor him with our lives.

Men, do you recognize these two facts in our your lives? Not just as a theoretical concept, but in your day to day life?

Christ is our head. Our leader. Our king. We are answerable to him.

More, with every word, with every deed, we are to honor him.

But how often, do we act as if we are only answerable to ourselves.

How often, through our words, do we dishonor him? How often through the way we treat our wives, our girlfriends, our coworkers, our neighbors, our in-laws, do we bring dishonor to our head?

And when we do, does it even cross our mind our need to repent?

It would be well worth our time at the beginning of every day to repeat Paul’s words to ourselves.

But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man. (3)