This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the occasion each year to recognize the important role that dads play. Being a father for decades and a grandfather for several years now, I have a fair bit of practical experience in this regard to reflect on and learn from. There are a lot of different opinions these days about what makes a great father or a lousy one. Most of the men I know feel inadequate for the job of raising their children to become healthy, stable and productive contributors to society. And yet every day fathers everywhere give their best to provide their families with food, shelter, safety and stability. It’s in a man’s makeup to want to do everything he can to enable his children to be successful in whatever they do with their lives. Sometimes dads can be so focused on the physical and material side of things that they neglect the relational and spiritual side that, over time, actually make the greater impressions and impact on the family. I believe it’s the balance of these focuses that facilitates good fathering. If you are a dad, let me encourage you to complement the effort that you are making working hard physically to give your family the best you can with leading them spiritually God’s way.
When I ask myself what I want for my own family I can answer quickly and simply – God’s blessing. Over the years I have made it a daily priority to ask God for his favour upon our lives in everything we do. I have done this for my son and daughter and their spouses and now for my grandkids as well. I know that this is part of the reason that we have been so blessed in so many ways. The Bible has much to say about the potential of a godly father helping to set the course of his family in a favoured way.
“Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; each generation of the upright will be blessed.” Psalm 112:1,2
“The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.” Proverbs 20:7
“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.” Psalm 37:25,26
Take a few moments to read over these scriptures and consider the potential for every father to be a catalyst for blessing upon his family.
What are the things that the father is and does that make him a channel of blessing to his family?
What would living like that look like for a dad in practical terms today?
I make sure that I pray God’s blessing into my family every day and so can you. As a father, it’s a rich legacy that you build and experience now and will continue to bless even your grandchildren and beyond.
We are going to have another amazing morning this Sunday. Along with great worship, connecting and prayer, Juno Park will be talking about freedom for fathers, sons and everyone else. You’re going to enjoy what he has to say.
Blessings.
Pastor Del