Essential Elements: Forging Godly MenSample

Unsatisfying Pursuits

Many of us also get tripped up on pursuing meritocracy: letting our abilities, accomplishments, and achievements become the benchmarks for manhood. While merit can be a form of encouragement, something all men need, it can develop in a man a devious way of thinking and a selfish, insidious drive that forms his identity.

Men who are fixated on the pursuit of meritocracy operate under the belief that their

worth hinges on what they do. They pour countless resources into striving for the next accolade, often making significant sacrifices along the way. Even more concerning is their tendency to compromise their moral and spiritual values in pursuit of their goals. Trapped in the cycle of meritocracy, they lose sight of the one and only Provider, God.

Christian men can fall prey to a religious version of meritocracy, a phenomenon so widespread in the church that it has its own name: “works-based righteousness.” It’s the notion that you can earn favor from God, securing eternal rewards through your own efforts.

But this mindset ignores a fundamental truth: all men are sinners deserving only God’s wrath. The only merit that holds weight and value is that of Jesus and his righteousness, “and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Let’s revisit the Parable of the Prodigal Son. You’ll see this version of meritocracy embodied in the older brother in Luke 15:25-30. The older son believed that righteous merit and moral virtue made him an acceptable son. But the Father was not deterred, because he was not just any father—he was the Father of all.

The older son’s beliefs had been so corrupted by his pursuit of meritocracy that he could not make sense of his father’s generosity in giving out rewards where merit had not been earned. So he stood outside the celebration, feeling bitter, angry, and confused.

Amassing titles, accomplishments, and moral virtues does not define true manhood.

This journey inevitably leads to a dead end—a realization that the pursuit of external validation can never fulfill the longing within.

Reflect on how the pursuit of titles, accomplishments, and moral virtue can lead a man away from godly manhood. How have you seen this in your life or in the lives of others?