Timotheus Kim
10/11/12
"But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel."
(Philippians 2:22 ESV)
(Philippians 2:22 ESV)
"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." (Psalm 127:3)
Timotheus:
From the Greek name Τιμοθεος (Timotheos) meaning "honouring
God" or “God’s honor”, derived from τιμαω (timao) "to
honour" and θεος (theos) "God". Timotheus was a companion
of Paul on his missionary journeys and was the recipient of two of Paul's
epistles that appear in the New Testament. According to tradition, he was
martyred at Ephesus after protesting the worship of Artemis.
I thank my God for the gift of Himself. I thank God for the gift of life. I thank my God for the gifts of multiple lives. I thank God for Timotheus--my third child and my first son. I love my son.
Every child is a risk. Self-sacrifice is a given, but there are other questions that always swirl within the mind of a human father. "Will the child have learning disabilities?" "Will the child have Down's Syndrome and be mentally retarded?" "Will the child ever accept Christ as God and Savior?" Abortion is never an option and love is always a requisite. You can be certain of this: EVERYTHING in life is by faith. There are many things we just simply cannot control. But that does not mean we live sheltered lives of fear--we still must step out into the unknown with the known God of the universe.
At the end of the day, there is utmost gratitude to my God for the fact that the Almighty has graced me with a son.
My grandfather was an ordained minister. My father was also a pastor. I am therefore, a third generation minister. I will never coerce my son into the ministry. Yet, I will quietly pray that the God who called this vagabond soul into the gospel ministry would also one day call my dear son. There is no higher privilege than to be in the service of the King. In fact, the name “Timotheus” is significant because it does three things: 1. Like the Timothy of the New Testament, I hope to raise him since childhood in the Scriptures, and that he would one day become a minister of the Gospel. 2. The name incorporates my childhood which saw many long summer hours reading the entire Bible in the King James Version (the name “Timotheus” is “Timothy” in various parts of the King James Bible). 3. It honors my father who likes the name. My wife and I were quickly like-minded in that we both liked the name at its inception within our minds.
I thank my God for the gift of Himself. I thank God for the gift of life. I thank my God for the gifts of multiple lives. I thank God for Timotheus--my third child and my first son. I love my son.
Every child is a risk. Self-sacrifice is a given, but there are other questions that always swirl within the mind of a human father. "Will the child have learning disabilities?" "Will the child have Down's Syndrome and be mentally retarded?" "Will the child ever accept Christ as God and Savior?" Abortion is never an option and love is always a requisite. You can be certain of this: EVERYTHING in life is by faith. There are many things we just simply cannot control. But that does not mean we live sheltered lives of fear--we still must step out into the unknown with the known God of the universe.
At the end of the day, there is utmost gratitude to my God for the fact that the Almighty has graced me with a son.
My grandfather was an ordained minister. My father was also a pastor. I am therefore, a third generation minister. I will never coerce my son into the ministry. Yet, I will quietly pray that the God who called this vagabond soul into the gospel ministry would also one day call my dear son. There is no higher privilege than to be in the service of the King. In fact, the name “Timotheus” is significant because it does three things: 1. Like the Timothy of the New Testament, I hope to raise him since childhood in the Scriptures, and that he would one day become a minister of the Gospel. 2. The name incorporates my childhood which saw many long summer hours reading the entire Bible in the King James Version (the name “Timotheus” is “Timothy” in various parts of the King James Bible). 3. It honors my father who likes the name. My wife and I were quickly like-minded in that we both liked the name at its inception within our minds.
The Lord expects me to
raise my child in the "discipline and instruction" of the Lord (Eph
6:4). It is my sincere hope that as I do so, the Lord would save him at a
young age, keep him, and raise him to be a world-class disciple-maker...for the
glory of God and for the joy of many people.
Psalm 127:4 calls children "arrows." I take this to mean "intentional discipleship." Raise them up, train them in the Lord, and send them into the world to win souls for Christ--strike at the bulls-eye of Satan's domain. As I write, I am still in the hospital. My wife told me today (as she was holding Timo), that it is unbelievable that this boy who is "so light" will one day (by God's grace) be "so strong that he could pick me up." Indeed. Faith is being sure of the unseen.
Psalm 127:4 calls children "arrows." I take this to mean "intentional discipleship." Raise them up, train them in the Lord, and send them into the world to win souls for Christ--strike at the bulls-eye of Satan's domain. As I write, I am still in the hospital. My wife told me today (as she was holding Timo), that it is unbelievable that this boy who is "so light" will one day (by God's grace) be "so strong that he could pick me up." Indeed. Faith is being sure of the unseen.
God, thank you for Timotheus! Thank you so much! This child is an answered prayer!
No comments:
Post a Comment