Dress like a man.

Now, stick with me, because this isn't God telling Job how great his manhood is. Actually, this is God telling Job how great his manhood isn't. God is putting Job in his place. Pastor Paul Tripp says that when God tells Job to dress like a man, he's demanding that he put his best "person pants" on, because He is going to ask him a couple of questions.

See, God is drawing a line of distinction between creature and Creator. In the next verse God says, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined the measurements? You surely know." 

Does your fitness or general health as a dependent, created being help produce awe, wonder and worship inside you? Or does it produce a desire for you to be worshipped; for others to be in awe of your story and in wonder of your achievements? If so, then we have a lot in common. But God was doing for Job what we need to happen for us. Here's the picture God was painting: I'm God, you're not. Get dressed. Lift some weights. Get pumped. Feel the fullness of your manhood! Ready? Good. Because in all your "human" ability, you can't answer Me.

Awe, wonder, worship. That's what all this health stuff is about; to enable us to look up while being face down. The fitness industry - and even the "faith & fitness" industry - wants you to think it's about you; how you're enough. But in truth guys, it's when we realize that God is God, and we're not, that we actually get it; that our greatest achievements in life (especially our perception of physical strength) are a distraction if we allow them to be, especially when we buy the lie that we deserve anything. The line of distinction between the created (us) and the Creator (God) will never be crossed.

- Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: God never commanded me to put on size. You would have thought He did considering the decades I spent trying to. But no, He commanded me to put on things like gentleness, kindness and humility. But I will never put those things on if I don't have a clear understanding of my place before God. (Is this reaching anyone?)

I grin, because my dad used to encourage me to have confidence by saying, "They put their pants on one leg a time, same as you." Well, the next time you get dressed, let it remind you of where our confidence should be; where our awe and wonder should be directed. And as big and tough and "put together" we feel we are when we get both legs in, let it remind us that even at our best, we don't have any answers.