Quit You Like Men

How do you see yourself? Would you consider yourself one of the guys?

Complete this sentence by filling in the blank with either "guy" or "man" -

I'm the kind of _____ who likes a good home cooked meal.

Which one felt more comfortable for you? This kind of self perception affects how we view the world and the actions we take.

To think of oneself as a man presumes a few things doesn't it? It implies that one is no longer under Daddy’s umbrella of protection and provision. It implies that one has attained certain attributes and character traits.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marines - We're Looking for a Few Good Guys

This slogan dates all the way back to March 20, 1770 when Capt. William Jones, USMC advertised for "a few good men" to enlist in the Corps for naval duty. It has endured for over 200 years and has been synonymous with the U.S. Marines ever since.

Are the Marines Looking For A Few Good Guys? No, they're looking for A Few Good Men. What's the difference? Why would they want men instead of guys? What's implied in the term "men" that is lacking in the term "guys"? It’s an attitude isn’t it?

What are some of these characteristics of a man’s attitude? What are  the distinctions we can make between a "guy" and a "man"?

• Personal responsibility
• Determination
• Sense of Duty
• Sense of Sacrifice
• Giving up personal pleasures
• Delayed gratification
• Putting others needs ahead of our own
• Contributing - making decisions, planning, taking actions for the benefit of others
• Making the tough decision even in the face of stiff opposition, even when it's not popular, even when you're not popular because of it
• Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of how you feel

In the spiritual sense, the apostle Paul puts it this way -

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (1Cor 16:13) 

This phrase has always sounded funny to me. What does "quit you like men" mean? The Greek word used there is andrizomai (an-drid'-zom-ahee) and it means to act manly. That's what it means. To act manly. To act like a man. To "man up". The New King James says to “be brave”. 

What is bravery? It’s courage in the face of adversity.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (Eph 6:10-14) 

How do you spend your free time?

• laying up treasure in heaven
• cleansing our minds with the word of God
• preparing spiritually for battles we must fight every day and for the spiritual war that is coming
• caring for the needs of our families, brethren, friends, and neighbors
• preparing them for what lies ahead
• playing video games and fantasy football, and memorizing baseball stats

Culture has abandoned the importance of growing up and many of our men have abdicated their manly roles. Meanwhile our women have been forced to step into the vacuum and fill the man's role. And we wonder why they sometimes lose their femininity over time.

TV - Father Knows Best vs. Two and a Half Men, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family - every grown man or father figure is a doofus, just another child in the house trying to put one over on the Mom

Movies - Wedding Crashers - actually anything Vince Vaughn, Will Farrell, or Jack Black ever made

Magazines - Maxim which is nothing more than soft porn, Game Informer to learn the latest cheats codes for Call of Duty and Halo

In the business world, we talk about something called "opportunity cost".

Opportunity cost is the value of what you lose by choosing to do one thing instead of another. It's the value of what you would have gained had you done the other thing instead.

What is the opportunity cost of delaying the making of this way of life our own? What is the opportunity cost of not taking personal responsibility now to giving diligence to making our calling and election sure? (1Pet 1:10; Php 2:12)

What is the cost of extending our childhood and continuing to act like one of the guys and playing games versus growing up, acting like men and putting away childish things? If we’re not preparing ourselves now to be leaders in the times to come, we can’t go back and make it up later.

This way of life and learning God's way is a process. You learn by doing. If you continue to delay your personal responsibility for your calling so you can play video games instead of studying your Bible or spending time tracking your fantasy football team instead of learning the fundamental doctrines taught by the Church, what is that opportunity cost of delaying putting oil in your lamp, fortifying your spiritual armor and preparing for the times just ahead?

God too is looking for a few good men. Men who will obey Him. Men who will stand in the gap before Him. (Eze 22:30) Just like the Marines, who take regular guys and forge them into men of honor and valor through rigorous training and discipline, God chooses the foolish, the weak, and the base of this world and through the process of conversion forges them into men of truth and honor and Godly character in order to confound those in the world so that no flesh may glory. (1Cor 1:26-29)

However, this doesn't happen by itself, nor does it happen overnight. We must train and discipline ourselves on a regular basis to do our part to bring our bodies and our minds into subjection. (1Cor 9:27) We must make the personal commitment to make this way of life our own through study and prayer and fasting. Quit you like men. Gird up the loins of your mind. (1Pet 1:13) Take the personal responsibility to prepare yourself to stand in the face of the challenges that lie ahead of us.

When it all falls apart, our families, our brethren, our neighbors and others will be looking for leadership. We must solidify our faith if we are to bolster theirs. We must know and know that we know if we are to withstand the evil in that day. If we are to be strong in the Lord, and keep our heads, and do what's right in the middle of the chaos and destruction all around us, though a thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand. (Psa 91:7) We must prepare now if we are to be one of the ones still standing when the smoke clears.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (2Pet 1:10)

Quit you like men.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~