Thursday, May 18, 2017

Manning Up

Be strong. Let your heart be strengthened; wait for the LORD! —Psalm 27:14

This is a pep talk David gave to himself—all the verbs are singular.

Paul quotes this text, putting a more precise spin on it: "Be a man, be made strong; Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13, 14). It's one of my favorite texts.

If you were to ask me why I'm a follower of Jesus I'd be hard-pressed to name all the reasons, but one resides right here: I follow Jesus because I want to become a man.

Clap me on the back and say, "Be a man," and I will square my shoulders and try to man up, for no one has to tell me what it means to be a man: Men are "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent," to pull up the old Boy Scout Code. They are “physically strong, mentally alert and morally straight.”

Paul adds another trait: Men are loving, which, as it turns out, is the greatest show of strength and the most important attribute of all (cf., 1 Corinthians 13).

I know what I ought to be and I want to do better, but I need help. That's where Jesus comes in. I must "wait" for Him—ask Him to make me into the man I want to be. That's my prayer, all through the day.

“Waiting,” however, implies delay. It takes time to become a man—indeed, a lifetime. I'm still trying to get there.

David Roper

5.18.17

2 comments:

Gale Davis said...

When I read, "Manning Up", I wondered if this was going be a play on words because Chelsea Manning was released from prison today. I should have known, because your words are far more important than what passes for news. I read Our Daily Bread regularly and I can usually recognize your style in the first few sentences, at which point I stop and start over because I know it is going to be valuable. Thank you for continuing to share lessons you have learned as you are "Manning Up".

Unknown said...

Thank you!You have been one of my favorite authors since the early 90's, ever since I read the Strength of a Man. I am facing a major spinal surgery, and I have been struggling with my manhood as I can't do much physically. It was so good to be reminded that being a Man, is so much more than how much work I can do!

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