Archive for June, 2012
FATHER’S DAY FOCUS PART 3 – HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
Sunday, June 17th, 2012
HOW TO BE A GODLY FATHER
Over the past couple of days, we looked at some really prominent men in the Bible, whose children turned out less than desirable and completely ungodly. There were others we could have examined from Gideon to Samuel etc…but the listen is obvious for us, in these last days. The lesson, thus is, heed the Words of the Lord and the Lessons of the Lord or learn the Hard Way!
While there is no “HOW TO…” manual for fathers in the Bible, there are God’s Statutes, Commands and Decrees which are ALL supposed to OBEY.
We do that, it will go well with us.
We do that, and we can impart and pass on the blessings of that knowledge and teaching to the next generation.
We do that, and even though many of us (including me) did not have fathers growing up (mine died when I was 11), we can be the best we know how, with God’s Help to our own children.
So briefly, here is what I know God says to us fathers in His Word:
Proverbs 22:6 (written by Solomon!!) says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. Now Solomon did return to the Lord in Ecclesiastes with a life of regret, but he had already left the House of David in tatters by worshipping sin, sex and Satan.The actual translation of this Proverb, in part, is not “in the way he should go”…but “the way he is bent”….or nurtures him, according to Godly principles, in the unique way God created the child. This implies spending time with our children…because this is what the word “nurture” implies!
Our job as men and fathers is to mirror our heavenly Father God – Abba! Our Father Who is in Heaven expects no less. We are going to mess up badly. But the good news is – God does not mess up! He is perfect and there for us if we just call on Him.
GOD’S TRAINING MANUAL FOR DADS:
FATHER’S DAY FOCUS – PART 2
Saturday, June 16th, 2012HOW NOT TO BE A FATHER
King Henry IV, having seized the throne of England, from the equally pathetic Richard II and had him murdered, was having trouble sleeping and wondered, according to William Shakespeare, why other men (who had done worse!!!) could sleep while he – Henry IV- could not. Shakespeare then quoted this famous line “Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown (Henry IV, 1597).2 The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith.