– Feature Guest Post by Jose Florencio –
At some point or another, every man questions his personal virility. “Am I, a real man?” “Am I man enough?” Most of us have our own opinion about what it means to be a real man. Strong? Courageous? A great leader? Characteristics like these come to mind when we think of the ideal man. Personally, when I think of the epitome of someone who conquered manhood I think of Jesus, the quintessence of strength, courage, love and leadership.
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I have found that the best way to attain success in whatsoever is to find someone who is living the attributes you are trying to achieve and then emulate them. Knowing that Jesus is considered the epitome of manhood, in life we should all strive to be like HIM. The truth is to possess a fraction of the characteristics of Jesus would be to achieve our greatest triumph.
With that in mind, in our pursuit of excellence, here are ten traits from the perfect man that we should all try to emulate and master:
1. The perfect man seeks to be compassionate. When He saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthews 9:36)
Jesus never avoided helping people. In fact, he always looked upon them and offered compassion. For some, it was physical healing while for others spiritual fostering was needed. In any case, Jesus always took the time to actually notice the hurting individual– and His compassion drove Him to help them.
To be a perfect man we need to open our eyes at the opportunities to show compassion. In a self-involved world, all it takes is us slowing down and recognizing the underlining pain in others.
2. A perfect man seeks to be a servant. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
Jesus was the ultimate servant. Despite having the authority to rein over everything, He displayed the exact opposite by lowering himself and serving others. Humility at its highest, after washing His disciples feet, He said, “An example I have given you, that you should do likewise.” (John 13:15)
A perfect man understands that success comes as a derivative of serving others. Success and happiness are unintended side effects of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrendering to serve others.
3. A perfect man is loving. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
Jesus’ love was evident through his compassion and serving deeds. His greatest manifestation of love however, was His self-sacrifice while on the cross bearing our sins as His so that we may live. Jesus instructed that the way we love in fact is an indicator that we are His disciples (John 13:35).
Jesus instructs us on how to be perfect men, and therefore how to love our spouse (Ephesians 5:28-33), and how to love our neighbor (Mark 12:31). These three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13) A perfect man is a loving man. [Tweet That]
4. A perfect man seeks to be forgiving. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:35)
Among all His miracles, I find this act of forgiveness to be the most amazing. Even in the midst of all His pain, in a situation where any other man would be thinking an eye for an eye. Jesus had the ability to forgive those causing Him pain in the very act of His anguish.
To be a perfect man we have to forgive, if we are unable to forgive then we do not love. If we do not love then we are not His disciples.
5. A perfect man has integrity. Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew16:23)
Integrity to call it as it is — Jesus was bold and undivided, cohesive in his truthfulness.
Being boldly honest is difficult to do especially towards those closest to us. Yet in Jesus, we see straight truthfulness towards every person He dealt with: His disciples, the religious leaders, those who came in brief contact with Him.
A perfect man’s integrity is above reproach; we need to have no fear in telling the truth. Be a man of integrity; let your yes be yes and your no be no. (Matthew 5:37)
6. A perfect man expresses gentleness. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” (Matthew 19:14)
There were times when Jesus used stern words, but He knew when gentleness was appropriate.
Children seemed to love coming to him, and He made sure the Disciples knew not to hinder them when they did so. His tenderhearted and kindness was evident when speaking to His Disciples, mother, or other ladies. But, when He was giving someone a rebuke or making a point in a tutoring, He knew when turning up the heat was necessary and only did so strategically.
7. A perfect man is committed. He went a little further and said, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus had no lack of commitment whatsoever. Wherever He was, or whomever He was with, He was fully in the moment and committed to His goals. Even to the point of physical torture, He knew it was the only way to pay for everyone’s sins (His ultimate goal), so He stayed committed even when his mission deemed unbearable.
A perfect man has deep convictions to his commitments, like Jesus we have to have laser focus on our goals so we can stay on track and finished strong.
8. A perfect man is patient. Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. (Proverbs 14:29)
Throughout the gospels, Jesus clearly gets portrayed as a very patient man. He was surrounded by Disciples who constantly doubted Him, Pharisees who continually attacked Him, and large crowds who wouldn’t leave Him alone. Despite it all, He kept His composure and responded appropriately to every individual.
A perfect man is patient like a farmer who waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)
9. A perfect man has self-control. This High Priest of ours understands weaknesses, for he faced ALL of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus was human, he was tempted in every way just like you and I. He spent time being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness, who offered Him food, power, and many other things. Jesus controlled His desires and submitted them all to the will of the Father. Yes, He had desires for food and other things, but He had a greater desire to obey the Lord and accomplish what He set out to do.
A perfect man is self-controlled and has the discipline to take every thought captive and make it obedient to stay on track and finish strong. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
10. A perfect man strives for perfection in Christ. Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
A perfect man strives to emulate Jesus. A man may never attain perfection, but with the continual chase he might obtain excellence.
Albert Einstein was qouted saying, “A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.” A perfect man understands that his aim is to emulate Jesus, understanding his characteristics and habitually following them is the shortest path to perfection.
The world doesn’t need more role models; it needs more of Jesus — the ultimate role model. [Tweet That]
What other characteristic of the “Perfect Man” should we try to emulate? Share on social media or in the comments below.
I am Jose Florencio, Husband, Father, Veteran, and imperfect Disciple – Founder of Conquering Manhood. A personal development website and social community, inspiring men to Command their Legacy, take Action, and Conquer ALL! Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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