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greatest among you become as the youngest
. . . leader as one who serves—Luke 22:26
We men devote so much of our mental attention and hard work to our own greatness. We plan for advancement; strategize next moves; put our heads down and grind. Deep in our inner machinery there’s something that drives us on toward securing greatness . . . of some kind or another . . . for ourselves. Maybe it’s on a small scale. Maybe on a large scale. Maybe in our work, maybe in our communities, maybe even in our faith. The drive is just there.
The twelve Apostles—men, human men—had this drive. In the upper room, a dispute “arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest” (Luke 22:24). But Jesus stopped them and taught them (and us) that this drive must be refocused. “But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). That’s our blueprint. His life is the blueprint for our lives. We must follow it and no other. We must reject all blueprints drawn by our pride, or envy, or
selfishness.
Refocusing this drive, away from lifting ourselves and toward lifting those around us, is one of the most important things we can do, as men. It moves us into true masculinity—where we lend our strength to others, who need it, rather than use it solely for our own gain. We must trust that this is a better way to live . . . better for God, better for us, and better for those we are to love and serve.
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Okay, so what do we do?
Look around
you—today, this week—for people you can serve. Keep it simple. Whom will you come into contact with, naturally? Whom do you have influence over, in the normal course of your days? Whom might you have overlooked? Ask yourself, what do they need and how can I help?
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|| Men Like Us Like Things Like These ||
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Prayer works. Full stop. But it’s sometimes really difficult to do on a regular basis—we’re busy, grumpy, ashamed. My Pray Like A Man: 14-Day Prayer Challenge for Men is designed to break through those barriers. So, if you pray less than you’d like, this slim volume will be really helpful to you. Become a mighty man of prayer!
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Brett McCracken (senior editor, The Gospel Coalition) is a super fan of filmmaker Terrence Malick: “It would not be a stretch to say The Tree of Life is to cinema what Handel’s
Messiah is to music or La Sagrada Familia is to architecture. It’s a Christian masterpiece.” Here are all of Brett’s articles about Malick. Pick a movie or two to watch!
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“I try to make sure there’s consistency in what I sense God is telling me to do. I try not to go on one moment of prayer because that could be my own deception. And then I’ll say to
other people I trust … ‘Hey, I feel like God is leading me in this direction. Do you sense the same thing?’” Come over to Rapt for more wisdom from Esau McCaulley.
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