Good Evening, Men!

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. —1 CORINTHIANS 16:13

Some years ago I found myself in an elevator with a couple of men. It was late at night, and we all looked weary. The elevator stopped, and a larger-than-life cowboy ambled in, wearing a battered hat, an old, stained sheepskin coat, and rundown logger boots. He looked us up and down and growled, “Good evening, men.” All of us straightened up and squared our shoulders. We were trying to live up to the name.
Let’s talk about living up to the name man. We try to be strong and macho, but often it’s just a façade. Underneath the bravado we harbor a host of fears, insecurities, and shortcomings. Much of our manliness is pure bluff.

Paul was man enough to admit it: “We are weak,” he said (2 Corinthians 13:4). That’s a humbling fact. Yet Paul also insisted that we are to “be courageous” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

How can we be the strong person God meant for us to be? Only by putting ourselves in God’s hands and asking Him to make us that way through His power and enablement.

D. Roper