1 Kings 2:2-4 NIV “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 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 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.’”
David’s final words to Solomon hit like a hammer: “Be strong. Act like a man. Walk in obedience to God.” These are not just words for kings—they are words for every Christian man, every husband, every father who longs to see his children and grandchildren stand with him in the Kingdom of God.
To be a man is not to chase success, money, or approval. To be a man is to obey God. To walk in His commands. To lead our homes with courage, conviction, and consistency.
David’s own legacy warns us. Though he prayed Solomon would follow God, his life revealed gaps. He modeled moments of passion for the Lord, but also moments of weakness and compromise. Solomon started strong, but ended bowing to false gods. The kingdom fractured, and the faith legacy collapsed.
I’ve seen the same story repeat in our time. Families where parents were “good people”—church-going, hardworking, moral—but weak in teaching and modeling God’s Word. The children grew up with religion, not relationship. The grandchildren are nearly all lost, broken, and far from God.
Men, hear this: faith is not inherited by osmosis. You cannot simply hope your children will catch it. You must drive God’s Word deep into their hearts. Not just by avoiding what God condemns, but by actively doing what He commands. Too many men define faith by what they don’t do, rather than by what they pursue in obedience. That’s failure.
The first commandment is not “do not disobey”—it is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” That kind of love must be modeled, spoken, lived, and demanded in the home. Saturate your children with Scripture. Engage them in the work of God. Call them to surrender to Christ. And do not be content until you see evidence they are owning this faith for themselves before they leave your house.
If you want your children and grandchildren to live forever with you in God’s Kingdom, you must act like a man today. Equip them. Teach them. Model absolute obedience to Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, can you face death with peace, knowing your legacy will outlast you, and your family will rise with you in eternal life.
Men—be strong. Act like a man. Obey God. Leave a legacy that lasts.
