The Men We Need by Brant HansenSample

All Things New

One thing I’m continuing to learn about being a man is that God loves me when I don’t live up to my own vision for who I need to be.

Sometimes the Christian story can be confusing. I can find myself wondering all over again, Why would God do what he did for us on the cross?

And then I remember Luke 3, the genealogy of Jesus. Take a minute to read Luke 3:23-38—you know, the list we often skip. Now read that final verse again: “…the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:28).

All the things I’ve asked you to consider this week I believe are vital for us and those around us. But if you are also like Adam in that you’ve failed (and you have, and so have I), please take note of this: If there’s an epitaph for Adam, and for you and me, it remains “a son of God.”

God still claims us. God still wants us.

Think about that. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We see ourselves in terms of our accomplishments, our successes, our failures, and the roles we are currently filling.

We see ourselves in terms of what we look like or how people react to us. We can’t even see the real, stripped-down, raw us.

But God does. He knows it all. And he’s not walking away.

Imagine that. No one else can see us like that. No one else can love us like that.

That’s a strong place to be.

Knowing that, we can journey from here. Be a blessing to the women and children around you—and other guys, while you’re at it. Add value to their lives. Give them a glimpse of a man who knows who he is and whose he is. A guy like that isn’t afraid. He laughs a lot. He knows how it ends, and he knows that despite our mistakes, God is planning to make all things new. And just as God described the beginning, the end will be very, very good for those who want him.

Why does the inclusion and description of Adam in Jesus’ genealogy tell us about how God views us even when we fail? With this in mind, how would you describe your vision for who you want to become as a man?