I admire two ministers and a layman.[1] First, Johnny D. Our youth minister loved his family, and was determined to obey Jesus in all things. He also had a gift for loving people, listening to people, and showing compassion.
He was full of joy and when you were around him, you knew following Christ was exciting.
Second, Miller C. Miller was a worship leader who talked about Jesus with a contagious enthusiasm that was stunning. His musicianship was great, but when he spoke, you could not get enough.
He and I once had a lengthy conversation and I walked away convinced I had just seen Jesus.
Not literally, of course, but Miller’s heart was close to the Lord and there was no armor, no defenses—his heart was right there on the surface in every conversation, and when you felt affection from Miller it just felt like it was coming straight from the heart of God; Miller was only a conduit.
Finally, my father. In some ways, he is nothing like the two above. He was born in 1935 and was reared on a John Wayne kind of manhood. Daddy shed one tear in the 55 years I knew him—at his own father’s funeral. He was not a hugger. He was not a warm, fuzzy person, though he became more affectionate and encouraging as he aged. Instead, he was the strong, silent type. But he was kind, patient, and cheerful in all circumstances. No matter how old he was, he never lost his sense of wonder–he was delighted by nature, animals, puzzles, and all the mysteries of science. His affection for such things was absolutely childlike. He never lost his sense of PLAY. (How many kids ever climbed a tree with their grandpa?)
And He never doubted the Lord. He ALWAYS trusted.
He always had hope and saw himself not as a superhero who had to solve everything, but as a child of God with a heavenly Father who would provide. He was also the most honest person I ever met.
The ministry of Jesus attracted children. But the disciples thought the children were getting in the way of serious ministry and tried to get rid of them. Jesus told them to leave the children alone.
“Let them come to Me. Don’t stop them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” Mark 10:14.
Jesus went on to explain that we should be like children:
“Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven … Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 18:3-4.
Jesus says to humble yourself like a child. But how? I think it requires a prayer—many prayers—of surrender. The three I admire were among those who do it best. They were humble. They saw themselves not as superheroes but as children of God. They were submitted to the will of their Father.
He filled them with compassion, joy, and a childlike enthusiasm even in old age. They were not walking around like knights in suits of armor, but took off the defenses—the armor and walls the rest of us hide behind—knowing their heavenly Father was their defender. They simply endured and forgave. Though burdened with tough careers and a load of earthly stress, these men were buoyed through life by the joy of Jesus. They rested in the Father’s arms and found peace there. They knew His heart toward them was good and kind and forgiving and that helped them live lives of honesty and integrity, of never giving up, never surrendering to discouragement, but walking with Jesus every day.
These three very different men had one physical trait in common: All three had the eyes of a child.
No matter how old, sick, or burdened, they never lost the twinkle in their eyes, the spark of youthful joy and enthusiasm. Even when my father had Alzheimer’s you could still see joy and even laughter in his eyes. He never lost the heart of a child; in fact, I saw it more and more the older he became.
Perhaps the best understanding of “Biblical manhood” is that Jesus encourages us to become trusting, humble, cheerful, forgiving, and honest.
In other words, truly Biblical manhood requires the overwhelming humility that can cause even the most talented, successful, and powerful among us to see himself as a tiny, trusting child, obedient to the will of a loving Father.
Biblical manhood is resting like a child cradled in the arms of his heavenly Father.
King David–giant-killer, battlefield general, and conquering king–said it best:
“Surely I have composed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child rests in the arms of his mother. Deep down inside me, I am as content as a young child” Psalm 131:2.
Read Mark 10.
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[1] There are others I admire, but have not known as well, either because I was so young during their ministry or because we never met. I am speaking here of men I have talked to many times.
Dad's Daily Devotional 