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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Eleven Things I Want To Tell (Christian) Teenage Guys

1.  Humility is not weakness. As a guy, there is so much pressure to be the biggest and the baddest among other guys and especially around girls.

You may put on a big show now, but in the end you will be exposed as a poser when you can't live up to the persona that your arrogance and pride has crafted for you.

Mature godly women aren't looking for some punk who thinks he can take on the world, but a man whose confidence and assurance in found in Jesus Christ. Why not be that man?  

2. Stop dating. If you are changing your Facebook status from "single" to "in a relationship" every other month (or less), it's probably a fair bet that you are not yet emotionally ready for a relationship.

Immature people tend to find other immature people, so unless you give yourself time to mature, you may condemn yourself to a lot of "dead end" and unedifying relationships.

3. You don't need a sixpack. Chiseled abdominals and rock hard pectorals without a godly heart are bound to attract the very kind of people that will leave you as soon as you stop going to the gym and your body gets flabby (it will happen!).

There is nothing wrong with being fit, but your outward appearance shouldn't define who you are.

What woman would rather have a worthless husband with a perfect physique than a plain man who loves his family and God?

4.Hold the dang door! If you see an older person or woman, maybe even a grown man, struggling to get a door open, HELP THEM!

In the same way, it takes only a couple of seconds to hold the door for a person coming inside after you and doing so is an easy way to express Christian servant hood in your day-to-day life. 

5. Nobody likes a thirty year old "playa'. It may seem cool to have one, two, or even three "girlfriends" on the side, but I assure that "coolness" will wear off sooner than you know it.

We have have names for "playas" over the age of 18, we call them creeps and lowlifes.

This kind of behavior is shameful and should be nipped in the bud at an early age or, better yet, avoided altogether.

6. It's OK to be serious. Far to often teenage guys can't sit and listen or reflect on big issues and topics because they're constantly goofing around.

I know you have questions about life and God, important questions, and maybe you have input as well.

However, no one can take you seriously if you won't be serious yourself.

 Joking and kidding when you should be learning not only hurts you,  but it also inhibits those people who really do want to learn from learning.  

7. The female figure is to be appreciated not ogled. Men were intended to be attracted to women, and women to men.

This is proper and honoring to God.

However, there is a fine line between simply appreciating a woman for her beauty and turning her into your mind's personal Barbie doll, to be dressed and undressed at will.

Just ask yourself if that's how you would want your daughter to be treated?

8. Your pride is deadly.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. - Proverbs 16:18

9. We are not invincible.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. - Isaiah 40:30

10. Be a good example. The young men coming after us need to know what it looks like to be a man after God's own heart and, as young men of God, we need to show them.

You never seem to know how much impact you have on a person until it's too late, so make sure when people see you, they see Christ.

11. If you want to be a man, follow Christ. Anything that is worth being, is found in God and manhood is no exception.

Some people will tell you that manhood is found in alcohol, sex, sports, or any assortment of tired clichés.

 It is the Bible that should be our guide for what it truly means to be a man and it is  Christ, the perfect man, who should be our ultimate example.

7 comments:

  1. Eric, this is really good stuff.
    We act like the world a lot without really even realizing it. I appreciate your seriousness as a teenage guy, and that you're looking to what matters eternally and is truly valuable!

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  2. Right now, I'm abusing the imaginary "Like" button. Very nice article.

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  3. Thank you both for the encouragement!

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  4. Seriously man, this was a great article. Way to go! thanks for your thoughts

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  5. Really enjoyed it, nice post! Check out a similar post I wrote: http://thoughtsfromacatholic.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/manhood/

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  6. Thanks, Britain! I totally agree with your post too, Chris! Thanks for for stopping by.

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  7. #12 Be a "Timothy" to someone while you a "Paul" to someone else.

    Nothing says "Generational Blessing" like someone that is helping you out who is older and wiser than you (in Christ) than you go and help out someone younger than you so that they don't make the same mistakes you made.

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