16 Jul The Image of Man

I find it interesting that when you enter “Men’s Health” in the online search engine your browser gets flooded with countless images of men with six packs, huge pectorals, and biceps that look like someone stuffed a couple of grapefruits in their arms (ladies, take my word for it and resist the urge to see for yourself). I’m all for looking good, and honestly, if Amazon sold muscles like that I’d buy them; I have a Prime membership so I’d get free shipping ;-p.

But is the complete health of a man summed up in how he looks? I can’t help but think of Matthew 23 where Jesus rebukes the teachers of the law and the Pharisees by comparing them to “whitewashed tombs” (verse 23). He was making a very important point about how they looked clean on the outside, but on the inside, they were full of death and everything unclean.

It’s not much different when it comes to our health. On the outside we can look amazing and full of vitality, but on the inside, still be emotionally undertrained and spiritually weak.

Yet, that didn’t show up in the Google search…but it shows up in our lives, doesn’t it? Physical strength is very useful when it comes to playing with our kids and carrying groceries, but when it comes to being a man who is emotionally and spiritually present for his family, physical strength simply isn’t enough. God has called us to much more.

You may have noticed that the title of this email is “The Image of Man,” yet it would be more appropriate to title it “The Image of The Son of Man.” When it comes to health, as much as I would love to look like Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) or Terry Crews, I’d much rather look like Jesus and bear His image in every area of my life.

As men, may we earnestly desire to meet the demands of reality when it comes to being the priest in our homes by going to God on behalf of our wives, children and other family members. Let us hunger to be prophets in our neighborhoods and places of work by bringing God’s truth to those who are in desperate need of it.

In order to do this, I pray that we live out what the scripture says in Hebrews 10:

Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24–25).

To aid us in this journey to emotional and spiritual health, I’d like to invite all of our men to join us starting next week for our Men’s Breakfasts. If you are a man with a pulse, we have a place for you. Each Wednesday morning for the next four weeks, we will connect, eat tacos, drink coffee and discuss incredibly powerful content from the book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. This time will be transformational.

Find out more information and register. We’d love for you to join us as we walk through this life together as men committed to brotherhood and community.

In Christ,

Barnabas