Rising Above Weightlessness: Embracing the Weightiness of Men's Calling

Men of Substance: Rising Above the Weightlessness

Do you ever feel like the world is filled with weightless men? Men who lack depth, purpose, and gravitas? Men who spend their time on trivial pursuits and fail to take seriously their calling as fathers, husbands, and leaders? It is a tragedy when men shun their responsibilities and neglect their God-given role to speak the hard truths that no one else wants to hear. Our society often promotes a shallow, frivolous image of masculinity, and it is time for men to rise above this and embrace the weightiness of their calling.

The Call to Noble Dominion

Man was created to exercise noble dominion, to multiply, to work, to laugh, to provide, protect, and sacrifice. These are not trivial pursuits, but essential aspects of true masculinity. Men were designed to reflect the image of God and advance His kingdom in the world. Yet, too often, men become shadows, lacking any gravity or substance. They drift through life, wrapped up in their own desires and interests, neglecting their true purpose. They become like the idols they worship, spiritually deaf, mute, and useless.

But why do men choose this path? Why do they settle for a life of shallowness and frivolity? Perhaps it is because our culture celebrates and promotes this image of masculinity. Sitcoms and movies depict men as remote-clickers, couch-sitters, and unending joke-tellers. They stand for nothing, weep for nothing, and live for nothing but the next punchline. This portrayal is insulting on screen, but tragic in real life. Men should not trade their souls for the world, but instead, embrace the weightiness of their calling.

The Tragedy of Weightless Men

Amidst the swirling tides of truth and heresy, heaven and hell, God and Satan, our world is filled with weightless men. These men fail to rise above the shallowness of sports, sex, and careers. They lack depth, purpose, and seriousness. They are as spiritually useless as the idols they worship. This is a tragedy when compared to what God made man to be. Men were created to reflect the image of God, to exercise noble dominion, and to advance His kingdom in the world. Instead, modern men drift carelessly downstream, like a leaf on the surface of their instincts.

These weightless men make easy prey for Satan. He does not need to conjure up great delusions or ancient heresies to capture them. He simply hands them chocolates, distracting them with trivial pursuits and empty pleasures. Men should not be flies caught in such a thin web. Yet, our lands are cursed with weightless men who lack any substance and fail to take themselves, the world, and their God seriously.

Thick Pews, Thin Men

Unfortunately, even in the church, we find a share of frothy masculinity. It is a strange and awful sight to see men who claim to be remade in the image of Christ, living as little more than sermon-hearers, note-takers, and small group-attenders. They lack passion, mission, and seriousness. They hide their religious habits within a saltless life. This raises important questions. Is nothing at stake? Has the devil ceased his prowling for souls? Should not the reality of an ever-filling hell and an ever-beckoning heaven shake us out of our breezy manner?

God remakes a man to make demons tremble and to shake the gates of hell. He empowers men with His Spirit and equips them with His promises and His grace. But what do the demons say when they encounter a respectably lukewarm churchman? "Jesus we know, Paul we recognize, but who are you?" Their enemies will never say, "These men have turned the world upside down." Such men never reason with anyone about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment. Their religion is too shallow to make them happy, holy, or heavy.

Three Resolves for Men of God

It is time for men to resolve to gain weight, not lose it. To gain substance, gravitas, and depth. To move from indifference to zeal, from superficiality to depth, from milk to solid food. Men must embrace the weightiness of their calling and be the heavier for it. To understand how to do this, we can look to the example of Noah.

Noah lived in an evil generation, on the verge of cascading judgment. The world was filled with violence and every intention of man's heart was only evil continually. But God showed Noah grace and told him to construct an ark for deliverance. God warned Noah that everything on the earth would die in the coming flood. Noah's world is not very different from our own. We too await coming judgment at the return of Christ.

Noah responded by believing God and becoming a herald of righteousness. He lived counterculturally, obeying God's will and speaking forth his hope, even when he was surely asked what in the world he was doing. Before his generation would drown in the waters, they first drowned out Noah's life, his warnings, and his pleadings. In his world, as in ours, the masses stood already condemned, and Noah, being a righteous man, still spoke. Will we?

Noah's message gave him weight and substance. He had something critical to say: "Enter the ark or be lost!" It would have betrayed his manhood not to declare this truth. Similarly, we have something to say: "Enter the ark who is Christ or be lost!" Billions today eat, drink, and make merry at the foot of an active volcano. Men of substance will point them constantly, audibly to our only hope.

Walk Closely with Your God

The secret to Noah's strength was his close relationship with God. He knew God, feared God, and loved God. He did all that God commanded him. Noah understood that his God was a giant hovering over the anthills of men, and he had nothing to fear. This close relationship with God gave Noah the courage and boldness to fulfill his calling.

Men today also need to walk closely with their God. We must conquer the fear of man that threatens to deflate our manhood and protect our reputation. By opening our Bibles and bending our knees, we can become lions of faith. Even common, uneducated men can blaze with boldness because we have been with Jesus. We must know God, fear God, love God, and do all that He commands us.

Care First, and Most, at Home

It is easy to become concerned with the welfare of distant peoples and neglect our own families. But it betrays a man to worry about the refugee status of others while neglecting the health and well-being of those under his immediate care. We must resist the temptation to care in theory about other people's homes while neglecting our own. Noah understood this and labored intentionally for the saving of his family. He did not outsource their welfare to others but took personal responsibility for their well-being.

Before All Becomes Dark

After the flood, Noah fell into sin, proving that he was still a flawed human being. Sin survived the flood, and mankind would need someone to cover their nakedness. The one who came to do so is Jesus Christ. We do not preach ourselves but proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We bring good news of great joy to a perishing world. We have the privilege of laboring for our families, for our neighbors, and for our Lord. We are like shooting stars across the expanse of history, and we must burn audibly for God's glory in the ears of an unbelieving world before it fades to black.

So, men of substance, rise above the weightlessness. Embrace the weightiness of your calling. Exercise noble dominion, multiply, work, laugh, provide, protect, and sacrifice. Know God, fear God, and love God. Care for your family first and most. Speak forth the truth of the gospel to a perishing world. Let us be men of substance, blazing with boldness and embracing the weightiness of our calling.