THE JOY
OF BEING A CHRISTIAN FATHER
What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Author Unknown
There are only few moments in life that will bring you as much joy as a newborn son or daughter. Knowing that child is part of you and will become an important part of your life brings a whole host of emotions to the surface. The way that a new child makes you feel is hard to put into words, but those of us who have had the privilege to become parents for the first time, know exactly what I am talking about. That day changes us from simply being a wife and a husband to being a mother and father. Our lives will never be the same once we have children because children make our lives better and they will cause to grow with the many challenges that come from rearing a child.
From a young son’s perspective, his dad is the strongest man alive, and he wants to be just like him. He loves to copy all his moves and say the same things he does whether they are good or bad. From a dad’s perspective, it makes him feel good to know how his son feels about him and looks up to him. It also makes him feel a great sense of responsibility, since he knows that he is setting the example for his son and what his son will do in the future.
One night a
father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is.
Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son
wants me to be. Fathers Day Quote by:
Unknown
Every Christian father should find joy in knowing that he has the power to influence his son to grow up loving God and treating others in respectable manner. By our example, we can show our sons how a man should treat his wife, and how to be a good Christian father.
From a young daughter’s perspective, her dad is a great source of strength and protection. Her dad is the first man that she will fall in love with. She loves being around her dad, and thinks he one the greatest people she knows. From a dad’s perspective, it makes him feel good knowing that his daughter looks up to him and loves him so much.
As Christian fathers we must realizes the responsibility of setting a good example for our daughter. She will learn how she should be treated by other men based on how we treat her and her mother. Many times our daughters will seek out the characteristics we have when they look for a husband. If we want them to find a man that will treat them with respect and love them as themselves, then we need to make sure we are setting that example. Again, it should bring us joy knowing that we can influence our daughters and how they will live their life by our example.
While children can bring much joy to fathers who are not Christians, there is much more joy in being a Christian father. Yes, both can enjoy life’s touching moments such as when your child says dada for the first time or when they take their first steps. Yes, we can all enjoy the milestones that all children go through that make us proud, but there are some unique things that will only bring joy to a Christian father.
A Christian father loves God and knows exactly what his responsibility is when it comes to raising his child. He does not have guess or learn from a worldly source because God’s Word teaches him what to do.
Ephesians 6:4 And you,
fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the
training and admonition of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:5
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength. 6
" And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them
diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Our duty as Christian fathers is
teach our children about God and His ways. We are to be a walking epistle that
not only talks about God, but shows by our example of what a follower of God is
all about. Our goal is to teach our children so they can teach their children
the same message. There is no greater joy in knowing that we can lead our children
to Christ, which in turn can cause future generations to be lead to Christ. We
can see the same principle taught in the Old Testament when it comes to passing
on the Word of God from generation to generation (Ps. 78:4-7).
Psalm 78:4 We will
not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the
praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in
Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to
their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The
children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them
to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And
not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;
The nonChristian father cannot give their children
this hope or find joy in God because they do not believe. As Christian father’s
we can be filled with joy knowing that we can teach our children the words of
life and cause them to have hope in God and eternal life in heaven. Every
father wants the best for their children. Well, it does not get any better than
knowing God and the promises He offers through His Word.
King David had many sons, but he chose Solomon to
be the next king, and he made sure to encourage him to be a follower of God’s
Word.
1 Kings 2:1 Now
the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son,
saying: 2 "I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore,
and prove yourself a man. 3 "And keep the charge of the LORD
your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His
judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you
may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
In turn, Solomon taught this same message to his
children:
Proverbs 4:1 Hear, my
children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know
understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my
law. 3 When I was my father's son, Tender and the only one in the
sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: "Let
your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.
We should never grow weary or lose the feeling of
joy from sharing the love of God and His wisdom with our children.
Christian fathers can also find great joy in the power of prayer. It is comforting to be able to pray to God about our children and other things knowing that God is listening and will answer our prayers. There is only so much we can do on our own, but having God in corner who works in our lives providently not only comforts us, but brings peace to our lives (Ps. 55:22).
Psalm 55:22 Cast
your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the
righteous to be moved.
The nonChristian father cannot
and will not find the joy of prayer because they do not believe in God. Their
joy is limited and they have no one lean on except for themselves or other
people. It is sad to see fathers who miss out on the joy of knowing God and
being a Christian. Unfortunately, there are many fathers who will never
experience the joy of being a Christian father, but for those of us who do, let
us never forget that joy or forget to share that joy with our children.
When our children listen to our
instructions and grow up being productive members of society and faithful
members of the Lord’s church it will cause to feel that we have accomplished
something great for the Lord (Prov. 23:24).
Proverbs 23:24 The
father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child
will delight in him.
It should make us rejoice in our
heart knowing that our faithful children will get to experience the joy of
Christianity and the hope of an eternal home in heaven. While heaven will
become a reality for those who have been trained in the way of Lord and have
faithfully followed the righteous path, the non-Christian will never experience
the joy of the Lord or get to see the beautiful city of
Matthew 7:13 "
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the
gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who
find it.
There are many examples in the
New Testament that shows the difference between seeking God and man for a
solution to a problem. For example, Jairus had a daughter that we deathly ill.
Like any loving father, he was willing to do anything to restore her health. I
have no doubt that Jairus had done everything in his power available to man to
find a cure for his only daughter, but nothing was helping.
When Jarius heard that Jesus had arrived, he went to Him because he had heard what
Jesus could do (Lk. 8:41).
Luke 8:41 And
behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And
he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house,
Jesus decided to go to Jarius’
house. On the way a lady was healed by touching the border of Jesus’ garment.
Then we read:
Luke 8:49 While
He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house,
saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher." 50 But when Jesus heard it, He
answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be
made well." 51 When He
came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and
John, and the father and mother of the girl.
52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do
not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."
53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He put them all outside,
took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise." 55 Then her spirit returned, and
she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to
eat. 56 And her parents were
astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
All hope was lost for Jarius’
daughter. No amount of money or man could bring her back to life, but Jesus
could because He is the Son of God. Only God has power to give us life over death.
While miracles like these were limited to the first century, God still makes
possible for us to defeat the grave and to live forever in heaven. He did this
through His Son. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection proves that death
cannot conquer us and that sin cannot keep us separated from God (1 Cor.
15:51-57).
1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold,
I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed
-- 52 in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the
dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has
put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in
victory." 55 "O
Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your
victory?" 56 The sting
of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Knowing that we can share this hope with our children and teach them that we are not alone in this world should bring us much joy. It should also cause to rejoice when we think about being reunited with our faithful children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren etc. in heaven. What a joy it will be to share that information with our children. As Paul said:
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I
do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen
asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in
Jesus. 15 For this we say to
you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
While our time with our children
on this earth is short, if we train them in the way of the Lord and they choose
to follow it, we will get to spend eternity with them in heaven and be in the
presence of God. This is unique to Christians because nonChristians will not
experience this joy. Yes, they will live for eternity, but it will not be in
heaven. As Paul writes:
2 Thessalonians 1:9 These
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power, 10
when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired
among all those who believe
In conclusion, we have learned
that becoming a father can bring joy to the Christian and nonChristian. We also
discovered that there are many things that only a Christian father can find joy
in because God provides many more ways in which we can find joy. The joy He
offers is eternal. As Christian fathers, let us never forget about the joy that
comes from being a Christian and all the benefits we can teach our children
about. We have been given a wonderful responsibility and privilege to raise our
children in the way of the Lord. If we every find ourselves growing weary of
being a good a example of living the righteous way, we need remind ourselves of
the eternal rewards of heaven and how we want to be there with our children for
eternity. Thinking on these things should help us to see the reason we should
find joy in being a Christian father.
Before I close out the lesson, I
want share with you a person’s idea of what a child thinks about his dad as
progresses through his years:
4 years: My Daddy can do anything!
7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot.
8 years: My father does not know quite everything.
12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either.
14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date!
25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but not much.
30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it.
35 years: Before we decide, we will get Dad's idea first.
50 years: What would Dad have thought about that?
60 years: My Dad knew literally everything!
65 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.