Things Authentic Men Must Have

As I was talking with my sister this week she mentioned a talk she had with her former boss, who was an adventure racer. During this talk he asked her about her hobbies, she answered, and then he said, "You can tell a lot about a person by what they are passionate about." There's a lot of truth in that statement. I began to ponder what passions I had over the course of my life. My earliest passion was baseball, then bike riding, then skateboarding, then girls, then the Marine Corps, then journalism, then world travel, then girls, then survival, then girls, then the Army, then college, then my wife, then Jesus, then non-Christians, then missions, then contentment, then Jesus again.

I realized that my passions had dictated the direction of my life. I'm thankful for where I'm at today, having a great wife, my dream job, guys that exemplify friendship and a real, practical and personal relationship with God. I wouldn't have gotten here if I had kept on with those trivial pursuits. My life would've been much different and much less meaningful. It's not too late to make a change in your passions.

What passions drive you? What road will these pursuits lead you down? Not only do these passions propel you down the road of life, they also set the expectations that others will have for you.

I began to ask myself, "What traits must authentic, world-changing men have?" The first is passion. I say authentic men must have a passion for living. I'm talking real passion, not just lust, greed, or some burning selfish desire. They must have a passion for living a meaningful life.

What really sets your heart on fire? Is it something damaging or harmful? Is it something that will enrich your life and the lives around you?

I read about a man with real passion. King David, one of the most famous, successful kings in Middle Eastern history, was a man after God's own heart. He worshipped His maker, His Savior, His protector and His anchor. He was zealous to please God. Yeah, he slipped up with a hottie named Bathsheba (the wife of another man who was off to war), but he came back to his passion, knowing, serving and worshipping God.

We can learn from this leader's example by coming back to God and giving up those old, destructive patterns, admitting our need for Him. David did, and he lived a meaningful, significant, world-changing life. Read the song David wrote in Psalms 51, linked here. David was really sorry because he knew this grieved the one was most passionate about, God.

Get passionate today. Get passionate about finding out if God exists and knowing Him in a real way, not some TV evangelist way. Get passionate about surrendering that "thing" to God. Get passionate about His Word. Get passionate today.