Equipping the Warrior - Leadership Devotional for MenSýnishorn

Model of Manhood

As a young man growing up, I found myself regularly searching for who I was supposed to be…especially as a man. Consciously or subconsciously, I was watching my father, grandfather, the men in my life, and the friends around me, taking note of things I thought were traits of being a man…a good man.

My grandfather was a handy kind of guy. He would work on cars and build things with his hands. He was my idol. When he did something or said something, I paid attention and made mental notes. He was a man’s man.  

My dad was a leader. He was a pastor who led churches for as long as I was alive. He also worked full time at a factory – and did so as a manager for many years. He set a great example as a man who led others with wisdom and grace. I wanted to be a leader like him. He was thoughtful, careful, challenged people to go further and become more than they ever thought possible. My manhood needed to include this type of leadership.

I could go on and on about all of the manhood examples that I grew up around. But the truth is I was just making it up as I went along. My grandfather and father were great men, but they weren’t perfect. And the things they did didn’t make their manhood what it was. No one sat me down and said “Tim, this is what it means and looks like to be a man.”

I would guess the same is true for you. And that’s a dangerous thing for us. If we aren’t clear on what it means to be a man, we can easily find ourselves looking to wrong examples of manhood – the media, pornography, peers trying to figure it out themselves, and people we work with. For me, the turning point came when I explored the Scriptures and found verses like we see in 1 Timothy 6:11-12.

Time and time again, we see God defining not only manhood, but also what it means to be a good man. As we continue to try and figure it out, I would encourage us to set our sights on goals like righteousness, godliness, faith, love, gentleness, and perseverance – fighting for our faith and holding on to Christ, our eternal hope and life. Stop looking to the world for our ideas of manhood and look to the One who clearly directed us in this noble pursuit.

Who are you looking to right now as a model for manhood? 

What is one action step you can take today to become more like the goal for manhood we see in 1 Timothy 6:11-12?

Writer: Tim Parsons