Young men have always been in need of strong guidance and direction, but that has never been more crucial that it is today. Listen as Jo talks with pastor and author Robert Lewis about the importance of a godly father in the life of a son.
The most important thing for a father is to “give your son the masculine identity.” The second most important thing is to summarize, for your son, the masculine identity. What does it mean to be a man in biblical terms? Robert gives the definition and unpacks three points. “Masculinity is around a vision of accepting responsibility and believing that God is going to reward those.” There are three things God puts in the heart of every man, and we can
equip our sons to walk in the biblical truth in these areas.
A will to obey
Every man needs a will and direction higher than himself; God wired men to know and follow Him, and only by walking in that relationship can a man know his true purpose.
Work to do
God put Adam in the garden of Eden and had him work the land and cultivate it; this was the origin of pure, sinless work, and a man is charged with following this mandate even in a world where work is difficult and at times fruitless.
A woman to love
God said it was not good for Adam to be alone; He created Eve from the side of Adam and gave them a mandate to be fruitful, to partner in ministry, to cultivate the world around them, and to love and help each other.
Robert suggests certain rites-of-passage for our sons as they journey into manhood. When Robert did this for his son, Robert recruited five men who knew his son well for a special dinner and devotion. “You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you want.” Above all, be sure to include three things. “I love you, I’m proud of you, and here’s what you’re good at.” Robert points to Jesus and His heavenly Father to show the importance of this triad. Men can mirror the heavenly affirmation from God the Father to Jesus the Son by including these three points of encouragement.
Robert’s book is Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood.
Highlight – Modern-day knights
Image: Flickr
