Part five in our series in Proverbs.

Part four in our series in Proverbs.

Part three in our series in Proverbs.

Three chapters in Proverbs have a very specific tone. While there is practical life advice and warnings in the first nine chapters of Proverbs, chapters five through seven center around one specific warning...adultery. Why in the world would the wisest man who has ever lived spend so much time talking about one pitfall out of a multitude of potential temptations? Consider Solomon's history, his father, David, his mother, Bathsheba. He's the result of his father's adulterous actions. Solomon possibly heard the whispers and stories around the city. Perhaps one or both of his very own parents sat him down and gave a clear warning about this life destroying action. To live free of this and many other temptations, we must live lives of discipline. It is this kind of discipline that Solomon encourages his son, and us to embrace. We must be disciplined. We must be humble. And we must walk with the wise.

So how do we resolve the conversation of acting like men? Sacrifice. It is the sacrificial man that makes a difference. Modeling for us what it means to truly ACT LIKE MEN, Jesus himself laid down His life. In the end, all the reading, discussion, and good intentions are wasted without action. Act implies action! Do something! Serve, sacrifice, lead. Act Like Men.

Men are made in God’s image, and been given clear instructions from Him. Despite his failings, personality defects, and selfish tendencies, the Christian man must press on and accept his God-given responsibilities. What is expected of a man? In 1 Timothy we see Paul’s instructions to his disciple Timothy. While much of this instruction is given in the context of Timothy as a Pastor, we can glean a strong challenge as to how men are expected to behave. If we had to summarize what it means for a man to accept his responsibilities down to a single instruction, it would be...serve.

Being a man involves embracing our human broken condition.

For thousands of years, there were clear expectations for how a man was expected to behave. Fair or unfair, men were held to a unifying standard across ethnicities, cultures, and time. Greatly influenced by Western culture over the last 50 years, that standard has not only been blurred, but attacked. The result is generations of men abdicating or abusing their biological and God given abilities.Men have failed to become men, and therefore have failed to raise men.

Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? That may seem simplistic, but your honest answer to that question should be guiding every area of your life. If we looked at your life’s choices, treatment of others, and reaction to difficult or undesirable circumstances, at what conclusion would we arrive concerning your relationship with Jesus? We need to repent first of our sins, and then of our excuses. When you said yes to Jesus, you said yes to being His witness.

Trusting God in the highs and lows of life.