Be a Man

                                                                       “Be a Man”

Recently I was with a group of friends and one of the young men in the group told an account of eating extreme spicy food. The story went something like this: He was at a restaurant with a friend and ordered chicken. His friend got some ghost pepper extract (which, by the way, is one of the hottest foods humans can eat). He dipped a piece of chicken into the pepper, and, handing to my friend, said, “Be a man.” He ate it and reaped the agonizing consequences.

Isn't there a better way to prove you're a man? So called manly proofs these days include drinking alcohol, doing drugs, smoking, being foolish while driving, or joining a gang. Why not prove you are a man by helping an elderly lady cross the street, opening the door for a busy mom, helping a needy neighbor, or standing up for what's right? Instead of forcing a beer down your throat in front of your friends just so they know you're a “man”, let them know you'd rather save your mind and be wise in your alcohol consumption.

You may be the only one standing up for godliness, and you'll probably be made fun of or even lose friends, but this is the real way to “be a man”, and you will reap the joys of heavenly rewards. Second Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

So eat the hot sauce of persecution and “be a man.”