God Bless Godly Fathers
Sunday, June 21st will be celebrated as Fathers’ Day in the U.S. Hopefully we will reflect upon and honor our earthly fathers not only on this holiday, but every day. Thankfully some in our society are still able to see the value of those fathers who truly fulfill their God-given responsibilities. Our nation is rapidly degenerating into wickedness, and much of this is due to the abdication of the paternal role in the home. As we commemorate this Fathers’ Day, we have much for which to be grateful concerning our earthly fathers.
Thank your dad for teaching you the value of hard work and sacrifice. We live in a time when more and more are trying to get by with less and less. Fewer seem to consider it their obligation to put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. More and more are developing an attitude that the world and the workplace owe them, rather than seeing an opportunity to provide a living for themselves and/or their family. Thank God for fathers who are still teaching their children to value hard work and sacrifice. Count yourself fortunate to have an earthly father who worked hard to provide for you, and who often sacrificed much in order to procure the greater good for the family. Those who neglect this God-given responsibility fall under condemnation: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Tim.5:8).
Thank your dad for raising you in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. Many fathers have left the spiritual raising of their children for the mothers. Too many times I have seen mothers left to get the children up, fed, dressed and off to Bible class and worship without the assistance of the father. Thank God for those fathers who take seriously the charge to raise their children according to the ways of the Lord (Eph.6:4). If you had a father who saw to it that you were at Bible classes and worship regularly, thank him for doing what God expects of him. If you had a father who made you miss ballgames and recreational activities to go to gospel meetings and vacation Bible schools, thank him for teaching you the value of spiritual verities over temporal, fleeting pleasures. May God bless our world with more fathers like Abraham, of whom God could say, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment” (Gen.18:19).
Thank your dad for modeling God the Father in your home. Many times throughout Scripture, we are reminded of the fact that God is our Heavenly Father. It is no coincidence, then, that God placed the obligation of spiritual leadership in the home upon the father. Thanks be to God for earthly fathers who were consistent in their corrective and instructive discipline (Heb.12). Thank God for fathers who were not hypocritical before us; who, even when making mistakes, humbled themselves and asked for forgiveness. Thank God for fathers who loved us unconditionally, and who saw to it that our needs were met, and some of our wants as well. If you have a father who is a faithful Christian, thank him for giving you a glimpse of the Heavenly Father. Thank your dad for teaching you how to love the church. As you were able to see how your father loved and cared for your mother, you were able to come to a greater understanding of how Christ loves the church, and how we in turn love Christ (Eph.5:22ff). Not only did your father show you how you should love your future mate, but he was also laying the foundation for your love for Christ as you became part of his precious bride, the church.
Thank God for Dad!
-Patrick Morrison
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