Meditations on Masculinity (Part 1)

Lately I've been searching for what it means to be a man according to Scripture, according to what God says not what the culture is pointing at. So in my search I'm picking through the great wisdom literature of the bible to find advice from the sage to the student who's very much in need of it.

I started off in I Timothy to find many intresting point Paul makes to his son Timothy. Timothy in case you didn't know is a gentile who was saved by his mother and grandmother and rew up under Paul's teaching at Ephesus. Paul and Timothy became like a father and son. They traveled together, they preached and taught together, and prayed in prison together. Paul at the time of this letter was nearing the end of his life and was giving Timothy some of his last thoughts, commands, and teachigns on Jesus.

The passage I found was so enlightning that I thought I might share it.

"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." - I Timothy 6:12-13 (ESV)

Instead of going on and on about the verse I want to focus on the last part. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called."

This speaks to me so profoundly that it's hard for me to go into the complexities of it. To me it's like a diamond which I look at from diffrent angles and lights and I see something completley amazing every time I turn it. These facets all are astounding. Each is profound and very practical.

1. As men we must fight the good fight.

What does that mean? Truthfully I know what it means deep down but I don't know how to expand on it. Did you ever see the 300? I think those guys fought the good fight, don't you? That's how as men we're supposed to defend on lives from sin, that's how we should defend our wives, girlfriends, sisters, children, and brothers from sin, and it's how we should defend everything that we've worked so hard to build.

In Nehimiah, they not only had a trowel to build the great wall around Jerusalem but they carried a sword, a spear, and other weapons in their other hand to kill anyone that attempted to deystroy what's been built. This offers more lessons. We never use our strength to opress, attack, or deystroy the innocent. Strength is used to fight evil not fuel it.

2. We must as men take hold of the eternal life we have in Christ.

I don't know what that means but it sounds frankly preety badass in a Christian way.

I don't have much more to say but I will continue tis through my studies.

BOOKS
I Timothy
II Timothy
Titus
Ecclesiastes
Proverbs
Song of Songs
Job
James