day no. 16,086: all men are male, not all males are men

"All men may be males, but all males are not men." -- Penelope Van Voorst (7/15/21)

No, this isn’t some postmodern, woke soft serve. This is not a statement of gender fluidity. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This is a statement of gender rigidity. Masculine hardness to be more specific.

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

When Paul exhorts the Corinthians to “act like men,” he is presupposing a standard. He had in mind a definition of a man and he is calling the Corinthians to aim at that understood target. He asks, in essence, “What would a man do?” with the rhetorical admonition attached in exhorting, “Do that!”

Being a man means something. A Y chromosome does not a man maketh. It makes you male. To be a man is more than that though it can never be less. It is aspiring to be what you ought and to know that you owe everyone your best effort to become it. Duty is what you owe to those you love. 

So, be a man. Watch! Have situational awareness. 

1 Chronicles 12:32

Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.

Be prepared.

“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” -- Sun Tzu

“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” -- George Washington 

Stand firm. Be rigid. Be hard. God made men to be hardwood. Stand firm, deeply rooted, anchored, and nourished in the groundwork laid by God. Be hard for others, not hard on them.

Be strong. God made men strong. Use your strength for the glory of God and the good of your neighbor.

Proverbs 20:29

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.