God chose Abraham to become a blessing to others by living a righteous and just life before his children, “For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:19)
The first responsibility of a Godly father is to obey the Lord by living for the Lord in front of his children.
This is hard work. It does not happen automatically or by human design. Being a Godly dad requires godliness and a healthy commitment to serving Him with all your heart. The Psalmist had it right, “Blessed is the man who dies not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scorners! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law does he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)
Godly dads not only read their Bibles; they dwell on the word of God. They feast upon its teaching. They are nourished by its truth. You cannot be a stranger to God’s word and a Godly dad at the same time.
There are:
- There are 80 million fathers in America
- Of that number 1.5 million are single fathers
- The average number of gifts a father receives on Father’s Day is 2.5
- On Father’s Day, 80 million pounds of beef are consumed, and 100 million cards are mailed
- The largest number of collect phone calls are made on Father’s Day of any other day in the year
Of all the things that fathers are supposed to do and all the expectations they assume, the things I remember most about mine was him sitting beside me at church when I was a kid. From those days I remember that his favorite hymn was the “Old Rugged Cross.” I remember him holding the Bible in his lap and tilting it toward me so I could follow along. I remember him standing outside the church between Sunday School and worship laughing and talking with his friends. I remember him building a kneeling bench for the prayer room at church. I remember the Bible he kept next to his chair that he read every day after he finished reading the newspaper. I remember his tithe envelope he put in the offering plate. I remember him poking me and trying to get me tickled during the Sunday sermon. My dad was a cut-up. I remember that I never saw my dad do anything for which I would be ashamed. I remember that my dad was honest and hardworking. He came home every night. I remember when dad said something, it was worth listening to hear.
I loved my dad. He was the best man I ever knew, and I miss him today.