What I Want for My Two Sons
by Bryan
Gibson
In the December 4th e-bulletin, I told you some
things I want for my two daughters. I also have two sons, so if you will
indulge me, I would like to share with you some things I want for them, too.
Hopefully, what I desire for them is the same as what God
desires.
I have already experienced the thrill of seeing them both
“put on Christ” in baptism (Gal. 3:27). Having “put on Christ,” I hope
they will now see the importance of walking as Christ walked (1 John 2:6),
to the extent that others can see Christ living in them (Gal. 2:20). This
won’t happen accidentally; it will take diligent prayer and deliberate effort
on their part to study and apply the teachings of Christ.
I want them to marry faithful Christians. Aside from their
decision to become a Christian, this is the most important decision they will
ever make. They need to marry faithful Christians for many of the same reasons
my daughters do. They need someone with whom they can pray, someone who will
care about the souls of their children (like Timothy’s mother, Eunice—2
Timothy 1:5; 3:14-15), someone with whom they can work together in the
I want them to demonstrate the characteristics of a good
husband and father. A good start would be the commitment expressed by Joshua:
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Each
will need to rule his house well (1 Timothy 3:4, 12), accepting
responsibility rather than shirking it; ruling, not as a dictator, but as a
servant (Matthew 20:25-28). Each will need to love his wife, in the same
manner Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25), loving not just “in
word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Each will
need to love his children, providing for all their needs, but especially their
spiritual needs. Their aim should be to “bring them up in the training and
admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), and to do this, they will need
to set a good example (Luke 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 1:5), teach them God’s word
(2 Timothy 3:14-15), and when necessary, administer corrective
discipline (Proverbs 3:11-12; 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15, 17).
Each will be charged with providing for their families (1
Timothy 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10), so they will need to
learn to work hard and be dependable in their work.
I want my sons to use whatever abilities they may
have in serving the Lord (Matt. 25:14-30; Rom. 12:3-8), to be
good “stewards” of any “gifts” they may possess (1 Pet. 4:10-11).
If they can learn to be good leaders in the home, this may very well equip them
to be leaders in the church—to possibly serve as elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1
Peter 5:1-4), or deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13; Philippians 1:1). Other
abilities may include song leading, teaching, maybe even some things not as
visible as others. I just don’t want them to “waste” the abilities they have,
when they could be used to help others, and in so doing, further the Lord’s
cause.
I want all of these things for my sons, because I want them to hear these words in the day of judgment: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). I can’t express my feelings for my children any better than the way Paul did, when he wrote to his brethren in Thessalonica: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20). I’ve tried to give my children a good life, but I can’t possibly give them the kind of life they’ll have with the Lord in eternity.