Lion and the lamb

Last Sunday, we started on the 1st part of our ESS, titled Marshmallow Man.
Pastor Jeff started off by sharing about how different people have different ideas of what defines a “TRUE MAN”.
Is he the muscular, alpha male type like Stallone, Bruce Lee? or is he the SNAG metro sexual type (Zac Effron, Becks). Definition of true man evolves over the years and changes regularly with society’s expectations and demands as well as media portrayal…
So what is the bible’s take on the definition of True Man??
Firstly, a true man is TENDER.
In particularly, tender to express emotions.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41 and in John 11:35 Jesus wept over Lazarus his good friend.
Contrary to many Asian cultures, it is really ok for man to exhibit our emotions appropriately
A true man is also tender towards other people.
Especially the seemingly weaker group. (Children, elderly and women) as illustrated in John 8:9-11 and mark 10:13-16.
A true man is not a robot neither is he a block of wood. A true man is someone in touch with his emotions and he is not afraid to express it appropriately.
Secondly, a real man is also TOUGH.
Tough when it comes to what is right.
Although he is soft in heart, he is strong in character and mind as displayed by Jesus in John 2:13-16.
Something that pastor shared which is key to this point is “When we do not stand for anything, we will fall for everything.” That is so true…it is indeed frustrating to see man without any kind of convictions and principles and who goes wherever the wind blows. They flow towards whichever direction that bring them the most advantage even though they are clearly walking in the wrong path.
A real man is also tough in the face of difficulties.
They take personal responsibility to stay strong in marriage, family and work even when the going gets tough. They never give up but become more determine to overcome that situation they are in.
In conclusion, it is not easy to be a real man because we tend to veer towards the extremes. However, if we take the life of Jesus as a guide we will get pretty close to being the ultimate real man… After all, He is not known as The Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God for nothing…