According to the ESV Study Bible, the command in 1 Corinthians is rooted in Old Testament passages that admonish men “to act with courage and strength in obedience to the Lord and with confidence in his power (see Deut. 31:6–7, 23; Josh. 1:6–7, 9; 10:25; 1 Chron. 28:20; Ps. 27:14).”

I suspect that most men, myself included, often find that harder to do than we’d like to admit.  I have wanted to be a real man my whole life, but there are times, even now, when I feel like I’m just a little boy trying to learn how to become a man.  I have, more than once, prayed the very prayer Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 3:  “I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in… Give your servant therefore an understanding mind…”  Solomon was a deeply flawed man, but God was pleased with this particular request (1 Kings 3:10) and with the humility that lay behind it.

Below are a just a few brief (and poorly developed) thoughts about what it might mean to “act like men”.  Consider them a conversation starter.  I chose these particular qualities because I think they’re generic enough to apply to all men and young men, whether married or single.  For the record, I don’t have any of these down pat and know I have a lot of room improvement on some points.

1. I think it means becoming good at both giving and receiving correction.  When disagreement or conflict arises, most of us are naturally inclined either to shrink away from it, or to react too sharply to it.  The Art of Manliness is not a Christian website, but it contains a lot of good (and sometimes funny) articles about masculinity.  For instance, there’s a lot of good practical advice in this article on giving and taking criticism like a man.  From a biblical standpoint, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about giving and receiving correction.
2. I think it means being an initiator — at home, in the church, and on the job.  That’s how godly men are portrayed throughout Scripture.  They take the initiative to lead, serve, resolve problems, reconcile differences, and provide for the needs of others, rather than passively waiting around for someone else to do so.
3. I think it means being submissive to authority (Rom. 13:1; Heb. 13:17).  This quality complements the previous one.  Men should aim not only to lead well but also to follow well, to exercise authority and submit to authority, all simultaneously.

The original hymn is about 100 years old.  Phil Keaggy wrote and recorded his own version of it for his 1981 album Town to Town, which is now out of print.  (I wore out my cassette tape copy of it a long time ago.)  Here’s one of those YouTube videos-that-aren’t-really-videos featuring Keaggy’s rendition:

———

Rise up, O men of God

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!

The message is simple, really.  Men need to do what men are commanded to do — act like men.  More on that in my next post…

With that said, here is a text conversation I had with my daughter Sydney yesterday:

ME: Davy Jones died
SYD: I know i saw it
ME: He was only 66
SYD: How
ME: Article I say didn’t say

(…after I sent that I realized the first “say” should have been “saw”, so I sent a follow-up text intended to correct my mistake)

ME: Saw
SYD: He died from a saw?

(…I cannot even explain how hard I laughed at that point)

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 56,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 21 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Tom Hudzina, a Campus Crusade staff member at West Chester University

All you had to do to enter the giveaway was leave a comment… any comment.  I enjoyed reading every single comment, and want to express my genuine appreciation for everyone who took the time to leave one.  I would also like to thank Trevin Wax for mentioning the giveaway on his blog.

Tom was one of a small number of entrants who chose to inject a little humor into his comment.  The title of this post is based on his comment, which he posted in the form of a quote:

“I need more Piper (cowbell)!!”

I’ve confessed my general cultural ignorance before, so it may not surprise you that I had no idea what his comment meant; however, Google made it easy enough to find out.

Congratulations, Tom.  May the Lord richly bless your ministry to the students at West Chester University.

In [Mark 13] verse 33, Christ declares, “Be on guard, keep awake.”  And in verse 35, “Therefore, stay awake.”  And finally our text closes with, “And what I say to you I say to all:  Stay awake.”  Jesus message to his four disciples that day was to be alert and watch for his coming.  His message is the same for us today.

The last word in our text is the Greek word gragoreo.  This word when translated may mean to be watchful, be on the alert, be wide awake, or to be alive.

The early Christians reminded themselves of this message of Christ to be alert for his coming by naming their sons after this word gragoreo.  This word is where we get our name Gregory.

In verse 33, Christ declares, “Be on guard, keep awake.” And in verse 35, “Therefore, stay awake.” And finally our text closes with, “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Jesus message to his four disciples that day was to be alert and watch for his coming. His message is the same for us today.

The last word in our text is the Greek word gragoreo. This word when translated may mean to be watchful, be on the alert, be wide awake, or to be alive.

The early Christians reminded themselves of this message of Christ to be alert for his coming by naming their sons after this word gragoreo. This word is where we get our name Gregory.

You see we are all to be Gregory(s). We are all to be alert, wide awake, and watchful for Christ coming. We, in a sense, are called to be Gregory.

Advent is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ.  We look back and celebrate the first coming of Christ, and long for his second coming.

I don’t think I always take the commands to be alert and watchful seriously enough.  Jesus reinforced those commands with a strong warning in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).  If you haven’t read it lately, take a minute and click the link.  It really is a sobering admonition.

I want to live up to the family name.  I want to be a true Gregory.  Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20)