The 12 Priorities Every Man Should Live, Teach, and Expect

Posted on Apr 18, 2024 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Men's Christian Living
Posted by : Mark Henry

The Man Code

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. —1 Corinthians 16:13 (NASB1995)

I was desperate. I had never walked this path. She looked at me with those brown eyes and long brown hair; I knew I had one shot at getting this right. Leaning across the table from my daughter, I said, “Missy, it’s time we talk about your future husband and the kind of wife you are going to need to be to honor God and love your husband. We need to talk about how you will raise your children.”

The Failure of Codeless Living

At this moment, I realized I had been too vague with my daughter and my sons about the traits of a good man. I was failing them by not having a clear and repeatable axiom or code of what God expected of a man, what the church should expect of a man, and what society should expect of a man. I needed two things: a leadership example and clarity.

The Example of Leadership and a Clear Code

It was May 12, 1962, and the Cadet Mess Hall at West Point’s United States Military Academy was filled with hundreds of cadets in dress uniforms watching General MacArthur take the podium.

“Duty. Honor. Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be and what you will be. They are your rallying points. To build courage. When courage seems to fail. To regain faith. When there seems to be little cause for faith. To create hope. When hope becomes forlorn...”

While this speech is a masterpiece of American rhetoric, it was more than that. It became the motto of West Point and by practice the U.S. Army. This axiom, Duty, Honor, Country, has guided the Officer Corps for more than 60 years and is the code by which America judges officers. MacArthur led, and he led with clarity.

The Man Code Was Born

Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NASB1995), “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” It’s a powerful axiom—“act like men.” Since that time, one question haunts me, how do real men act? The code needs to be Biblical, transformational and transferable.

The Man Code: Live It, Teach It, Expect It

Men don’t live one-dimensionally. The Man Code is holistic—it involves the whole man. After spending years reflecting,12 priorities standout. Real Men:

Pursue biblical success
Possess focused ambition
Assume responsibility
Exhibit godly character
Demonstrate consideration
Protect others
Work with diligence
Respect authority
Honor their wives
Train their children
Do not abandon their families
Love the gospel and the Church

Every man needs a code to live by, but equally important, every woman, man and society needs a code by which to measure men. The Man Code—Live It, Teach It, Expect It.