When you look at the man in the mirror, what do you see? When I look first thing in the morning, I see a guy who desperately needs a cup of coffee. A shower and shave wouldn’t hurt either.

The mirror on the wall isn’t the only one a man must consider. There are mirrors everywhere a man looks. A man’s image is reflected by nearly everything he does, everything he has, and every person he knows. His image is even reflected by the things he can’t do, the things he doesn’t have, and even people he doesn’t know. Whether we care to admit it or not, we are constantly measuring ourselves to see how we stack up. Am I getting it right? Am I successful? Am I winning the game of life?

Or not. Some men say they don’t care about such things, or they act like they don’t. If that’s you, a quote attributed to Socrates might be in order: The unexamined life is not worth living.

The mirrors exist to help a man examine himself, not so he can be depressed or impressed, but so that he can make corrections and be a better man. Today’s article is a mirror intended to help you consider the kind of man you are.

There are three types of men:

First are the men who give life. They are courageous men who choose good over evil, right over wrong, and sacrifice over pleasure. These life-giving men are a force of grace, making our world better by adding light – and lightening our load. They add value to our lives and inspire us upward on the road to life.

Second, are the men who take life. They are coarse men who choose evil over good, wrong over right, and the fleeting pleasures of sin over the disciplines of honor. These life-taking men are a force of gravity, making our world dark and heavy. They take value from our lives as they travel downward on the road to death.

Third are the men who frustrate life. They are conflicted men, sometimes giving life and sometimes taking it. We want to trust them, but we can’t. They don’t even trust themselves. They are unreliable and inconsistent. Jesus called them lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. See Revelation 3:14–18.

If you consider the men in your life, you can place them into one of these categories. You know who they are because you see the way they live. The key question is this: What kind of man are you? Into which category would you place yourself? What is the mirror telling you? Be honest. Lying to yourself is foolish. Doing so will only lead you downward on the road to death.

If you’re married, in which category would your wife place you? What about your kids? If you’re not married, where would your fiancé place you? What about your girlfriend or the girl you were with last night? What about your boss? Your employees? Your parents? Your neighbors? Your pastor? Your golfing and fishing buddies? Your internet provider? Your tax advisor?

Whatever category you’re in, know this: God has more and better for you! That’s how it is with our gracious and unlimited God—there is always more.

If you are a life-giving man, God’s grace calls you to new heights. Your potential is far more significant than you realize. You think you have reached the top, but if you look ahead, you will see higher and more majestic peaks yet to come. Celebrating what God has done in your life is OK, but your life isn’t back there. It’s up ahead, so keep climbing the road to life. It won’t be easy. God will test and challenge you because he knows you can climb even higher. The best is yet to come!

If you are a life-taking man, then God has redeeming grace for you. He is awakening and convicting you because he loves you and has a purpose for you. He will forgive and transform you if you respond with humble confession and submission. If you let grace work, God will redeem your failed life. He will purchase it from the kingdom of darkness. God will use the very things that would have destroyed you to build you into the man he knows you can be. Paul the Apostle, when he was known as Saul of Tarsus, was a life-taking man. His testimony gives hope to us all:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus, might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15–17

Finally, if you are a conflicted and frustrated man, God has grace for you too. It is the painful grace of correction and discipline. You won’t like it any more than you liked two-a-day football practices in August. Those practices either culled the lukewarm players out of the herd or inspired them to get all in. Those who stayed were transformed into athletes. If you follow Jesus, it won’t be easy, but if you decide to get all in, he will transform you into a life-giving man. Jesus said to the lukewarm:

Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:19–20.

What will you choose? What kind of man will you be? Don’t get hung up in the past. Guilt and regret will only lead you down the road to death. Instead, look forward and upward. That’s where hope is found. Jesus is calling you to come and follow him. He was, is, and always will be the greatest of all life-giving men. He blazed the trail. It’s time to follow. The choice is yours to make. Mine too. I pray we make the right choice today.