Only one tough Man

When I was in the world, my identity as a man was tied to several things: my job, my Karate, my girlfriends, my motorcycle, my club, and most of all—how tough I was and my reputation for that toughness. After I was saved, I struggled to find myself. I had a new identity in Christ but I didn`t understand that at first. I would refer back to the “old man” and the stories of who I was in almost all of my conversations. I thought I was sharing my testimony; however, that was not the case. I soon learned that I wasn`t really sharing my testimony—as I thought—but that I was sharing my old reputation with my new friends.

As I grew in Christ, I began to see that that reputation died on the cross when I kneeled before my King. Yes, It`s okay to delve back into the past to share my testimony with someone—this is an important tool for ministry. That said, I need to make sure what my motives are when I refer back to my past: am I sharing my testimony, or am I sharing my old reputation?

The final nail in the cross for me, in terms of my old reputation, came quite by accident from a man I didn`t know. I was in a group setting with some Christian brothers and we were baring our souls to one another, and to Jesus. There were several men, including myself, that told the stories of their past and their reputations, their anger, their toughness, etc. This one brother spoke up and gave us all a nugget of gold. He said, “There was only one TOUGH man…it was Jesus…he was nailed to a cross for those who didn`t love him—now that`s tough!” Man, I was floored by the simple and powerful wisdom of that statement. I believe it was a word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit for the men in that room, that night.

The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17).  I thank God for the Godly men in my life today that truly are “Mighty Men of God.” They sharpen me and teach me and I am grateful. Yes, there was a day when I was a tough man—I`m ashamed of that “old man” today. I thank God that the one true tough man—Jesus—died for me. Jesus was and is one tough man!