What a wonderful, challenging, frustrating, invigorating, demanding and out-right rewarding thing is fatherhood.
I was blessed with a loving and caring father. Not a perfect man by any means but a man who loved me and wanted the best for me. I have also been blessed with a wonderful, godly man who is my husband and father to my children. He, too, isn’t perfect but he is committed to me, his children and his grandchildren.
Men, fathers, have an tremendous responsibility. They are to be living examples of God’s love for us. Our heavenly Father loves unconditionally, protects, leads and instructs us in the ways of right living. Our earthly fathers are instructed to do the same.
The great thing, men, is that you have never been directed to do this on your own. God has given you His word and the Holy Spirit to help in your areas of weakness. Let’s look at a few of the verses given to you as fathers.
The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon as instruction in wisdom for his children. He constantly taught them to pursue wisdom and have reverence for the Lord.
“The reward for not having pride and having the fear of the Lord is riches, honor and life. 5 Thorns and traps are in the way of the sinful. He who watches himself will stay far from them. 6 Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it.” Proverbs 22:4-7 NLV
These verses correctly state that living a life committed to the Lord brings reward. It also gives a directive to avoid traps and pitfalls. Teaching/training a child implies dedication to getting the job done. It doesn’t happen with just one instruction. No, children need repetition, discipline and boundaries as they are growing and learning.
However, all of the above should be done with a loving and compassionate heart.
“Fathers, don’t make your children angry, but raise them with the kind of teaching and training you learn from the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 ERV
““Remember these commands I give you. Keep them in your hearts. Write them down and tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads as a way to remember my laws. 19 Teach these laws to your children. Talk about these things when you sit in your houses, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 Write these commands on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. 21 Then both you and your children will live a long time in the land that the Lord promised to give to your ancestors. You will live there as long as the skies are above the earth.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21 ERV
Our children learn as much from our example as they do from our words. Maybe more. A good father is someone who lives what they teach.
Joshua was a man like that. He had been Moses assistant and when Moses died it became his job to lead the Israelites into their promised land. This is a charge he gave the nation of Israel. He made it personal when he said “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. He wasn’t just telling his family to follow God but he was determined to follow the Lord himself.
“Then Joshua said to the people, “Now you have heard the Lord’s words. So you must respect the Lord and sincerely serve him. Throw away the false gods that your ancestors worshiped. That was something that happened a long time ago on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Now you must serve only the Lord.
15 “But maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “We will never stop following the Lord. We will never serve other gods!” Joshua 24:14-16 ERV
The Apostle Paul gave the same type of fatherly advice to the Christians in Ephesus. Since God is our heavenly Father, as His children, we should follow His example.
“You are God’s dear children, so try to be like him. 2 Live a life of love. Love others just as Christ loved us. He gave himself for us—a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 ERV
Ladies, I know this has been directed at fathers but we need to be praying for our fathers and husbands. They have been given an assignment by God and we need to be supporting them in what they’ve been called to do.
“Thank you Lord for godly men. Thank you for husbands and fathers who have a heart’s desire to see their children become adults who are honest, God loving, leaders in their own homes and communities. Give these men strength, wisdom, compassion and tenderness to lead as You lead. And for those who haven’t had fathers like this I thank you that You have never failed us. “