How to Recognize a Real ManSample

Day One – Real Manhood is Action

When the enemy has stolen from you, you must rise up and take it back, just as David and his band of men took it back. They recovered everything. Yet part of taking it back is taking time to rebuild what has been broken down, both personally and relationally, and that requires taking action.

Stephen Mansfield wrote, “Ultimately…you only know who a man is and what he believes by what he does. Not by what he sits around talking about. Not by what he says he feels. It’s only when he acts—when he does something—that we start to know what he is. Action is character. Manhood is action.”

When it comes to the subject of rebuilding, we must be sure not to overlook Nehemiah. He is critical to our understanding of biblical manhood. A man who rose up in the face of opposition and dared to take action, Nehemiah took it back by leading the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s broken-down and crumbling walls. God then used him as a mouthpiece to call the people of Israel to national repentance after disobeying God’s laws yet again. He also brought great comfort. Did you know that the name Nehemiah in the Hebrew means “Jehovah comforts”?

By taking action to instigate the rebuilding of the wall and then making sure it got done, Nehemiah brought comfort to the people. Without walls the people were vulnerable and afraid. They lived in the constant fear of being attacked. The walls brought certainty and protection, security and comfort.

In addition to overseeing the building of the wall and leading the people in national repentance, Nehemiah cared for the least among the people. He cared for the oppressed, the helpless, the enslaved, and the poor. He fed the hungry, redeemed slaves, and stood up for the weak. These are things a real man does.