Teach Your Sons to Be...

When you raise your children, you want to teach certain behaviors; but even more so, you want to teach certain qualities. Paul gives us a model of what to teach our sons (and even our daughters) when he writes to Timothy, his son in the faith in II Timothy 2:1-5. Timothy is a pastor, so this passage serves as a model for what to teach someone you are mentoring or someone you are discipling. What does Paul teach his son Timothy?

Be Strong (v. 1) A young man must be taught to be strong, to have internal strength. Our young men should be strong in body, as well as strong in character. The spiritual strength to believe the truth, to lead, to be decisive, to be consistent and courageous comes from the grace of God. Teach your son to be strong.

Be Committed (v. 2) Timothy was to teach to others what Paul had taught to him, and those men were to teach others also. Be generational in your thinking. The level at which you train your children will likely be how they train theirs. Question: How well do you want your grandchildren and your great grandchildren to turn out? Also, teach your children to see themselves as being responsible to someday pass on truth to the next generation.

Be Determined (v. 3) To endure hardness is to remain firm under suffering, without yielding to the difficulty, like a soldier would endure hardness in battle. Determination is a mindset. Whining, complaining, self-pity, quitting—these should not be allowed. We do our children no favors if we don’t teach them how to handle difficulty. It is a spiritual battle.

Be Dedicated (v. 4) Our goal is to please the One who has called us to serve Him. Don’t be entangled with the affairs of this life; be dedicated to the cause. Teach your sons to be dedicated to the will of God. Teach them to be dedicated to their role.

Be Biblical (v. 5) Strive lawfully. Teach your sons to think biblically. Teach them how to make good decisions. They should know the Word of God; but even more importantly, they should live the Word of God.