ODJ: my three sons
October 10, 2011
Take courage and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all His ways . . . so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go (vv.2-3).
READ: 1 Kings 2:1-4
Okay, I admit the title of this devo is misleading. I don’t have sons. I am the proud father of three lovely girls! And by the grace of God, I strive to be the kind of parent God wants me to be.
Now since I have raised only daughters, I’ve been told that my parenting expertise is restricted to raising girls. The insinuation is that I might be less “successful” if I had sons to parent. It makes me wonder how different it would be if I had boys instead. I wonder what manly counsel I would give to my three sons.
David was father to many more sons than daughters (1 Chronicles 3:1-9). Severely ill and knowing that his death was imminent, David gave this final advice to his son Solomon: “Take courage and be a man” (1 Kings 2:2). Typical of all fathers, David wanted his son to be courageous and successful (v.3).
Life can be tough and traumatic, hard and full of heartache, fear-inducing and frightening, discouraging and disappointing and devastating. For Solomon to be courageous and victorious over life’s trials and tragedies, he had to remain strong in God (1 Chronicles 22:13, 28:20; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:10). To become successful, Solomon had to “observe the requirements of the Lord . . . and follow all His ways” (1 Kings 2:3). David’s words were intended to teach his son how to be a godly man. For the successful person is a godly person who knows and obeys God’s Word (Deuteronomy 5:32, 10:12; Joshua 1:7-8; 1 Chronicles 22:11-13).
Whether I’m raising sons or daughters shouldn’t matter. For I need to give to all my children the same timeless recipe for success: “Be strong in the Lord. Be a godly person. Know and obey God’s Word.” That’s true success! —K.T. Sim
What final word of advice would you give to your children? Why is it important that we model what we teach?
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