(ThyBlackMan.com) There has been much discussion concerning the value of men in American society. As personified in cinema, books and theater, men are valued according to cosmopolitan standards. Strength, height, and talent are attributed to the so-called sought-after man. He is expected to provide, to protect and otherwise fulfill the expectations handed to him by secular culture.
Unfortunately, most of the opinions held by women in American society revolves around how they have been treated by a man and whether they have had fruitful and prosperous encounters with males who shaped them.
But what does the Bible say about the value of a man? In I Corinthians 16:13, the Apostle Paul commands, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men!” The plurality of Scripture fill this out and paints a man marked by godliness.
The word ‘godly’ is a noun and is defined as ‘devoutly religious’ or ‘pious. What it really means is to be a likeness of God in the way that we conduct ourselves. The man of Psalms one is a godly man.
Psalm one is an introduction to the man, Jesus Christ. He is announced in Scripture long before his advent into humanity. As such, Christ becomes the embodiment of what a man looks like, walks like, and talks like. He is the perfect man.
Our world would be better today if we had more godly men in it. Of that there can be no doubt!
There are three attributes of a godly man I would like to magnify in this article today. A godly man has integrity; a godly man worships and a godly man makes a positive difference in and for his community.
First, a godly man has integrity. Integrity is the stuff of real men. To have integrity is to be honest and to have good moral principles. It means that people should be able to depend on you and that your word means something. It means your word is your law and your law is your word. Psalms 12:22 says, The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy. One thing I hear constantly in conversation and read across social media is the desire on the part of women for an honest man. This is a noble quality. Unfortunately, most people give in to the proclivity to preserve their survival through deceit.
Second, a godly man worships and praises God and studies God’s word. We know this is true because Psalms 1:2 says, “his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.” Because he studies God’s word and worships and praises God, a godly man has a good relationship with God and his children and family honor his relationship with God. This, to me, is the most endearing attribute of how a real man leads and how others – his wife, his children – will follow. He can lead because he follows Christ. Worship is only one dimension of his consecrated life, but it is the most important! He worships God because he lives for God.
Lastly, a godly man makes a difference in the world by helping people have a stronger walk with God. In other words, a godly man wants other people to have a good relationship with God. Psalms 1:3 says, “they are like trees planted by streams of water”. This means they stand like strong pillars of the community and that people come to them for godly advice. This is where a godly man becomes a pillar of his community. His influence waxes throughout street where he lives and the civic hall where he demands that justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. This man stands for something and as a result he does not fall for just anything.
In the context of our culture and how our views of the sexes is shaped, we may have very unrealistic expectations of roles between men and women. We need a guiding principle for what it really means to live up to standards which God has set for the genders. That principle is the Bible. It is time we look to God’s word to find out what a real man is and does.
A godly man has integrity, worships God and studies God’s word and makes a positive difference in the world. In truth, we need more men to rise to this godly benchmark and become the bearers of what is good and right for our people.
Today, we need more godly men!
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This brother is the Believer’s Coach and is a licensed pastor, speaker and certified holistic lifestyle coach. Pastor Croomes is author of Watch Your Life: The Believer’s Guide to Thinking, Speaking and Acting Confidently in a Belief-Challenged World and Surge into the New: Stand Up Reach God’s Excellence, a book aimed at helping Christian believers strengthen their faith walk in Christ, written in the middle of a pandemic.
One may contact him at; WEC@ThyBlackMan.com and online; https://www.pastorwericcroomes.com.
