The Way of All the Earth

5/17/2016

1 Kings 2.2-4 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’” – King David

One of these days soon, I hope to have a conversation similar to this with my sons. I know it isn’t about kingdoms, thrones, and dynasties; it is about being strong, acting like men, and observing the Lord’s requirements: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6.8) No rocket science here.

To be successful in life one must include the Lord because, after all, He has included us. If God is who God is, then we must include Him in all we do. And we will find success in all we do. Success is knowing the Lord, walking with Him as a man, and observing His desires. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Most men I know want success, but they want it apart from God. And really, it isn’t a rebellious ‘apart from God’; they just don’t even think of including Him as their Senior Partner. They’re clueless of the Lord’s requirements for success.

Nobody ever sat me down and said, Son, I am about to die and here is what I think you should do: Be strong, act like a man, and give yourself to the Lord. But just because they didn’t doesn’t mean it isn’t applicable in life. I don’t think we should wait until we’re about to die to have conversations like this. I think the conversations should start way earlier: like when our boys are boys. I think the relationship building needs to be early onset, not just a token encouragement as death shows up.

I went to a funeral about a month ago and someone said: “He” (the young man who’d died) would have been surprised by the turnout and the outpouring of love and encouragement. The sad truth: we were too late, and perhaps, had the love and encouragement been poured out earlier, we wouldn’t have been there that day for that reason. Fathers, (including me) learn to have conversations early on with your sons and success. It’s much more important than we think. And maybe funerals ought to happen long before someone dies… like when they’re born.

Father in Heaven, I know what I need to do and I look forward to the conversations I know I need to have. I ask that You bless my efforts and bless my children – in Jesus’ Name.