"A Father's Responsibility"

A Father’s Responsibility

On the lighter side of life: “Dad’s Duck Tape” from Bluefish TV

Opening Illustration: From Blue Fish TV – “Thanks Dad”

Thesis: A father has the responsibility to spend time with their children, be men of honor for their family and be their child’s best teacher.

Scripture Texts:

Deut. 6:4-8: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Colossians 3:21: “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”

I Thess. 2:11-12: “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”

Hebrews 12:7-11: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Introduction:

One Neat Dad from a Treasury of Bible Illustrations:

Did you ever notice in the TV family The Walton’s how the father was always available; or in Little House on The Prairie, how Laura’s dad was always there for the tight squeezes? Contrast these situations with the modern dad who is gone from morning to night. Things have certainly changed since the 1930s and the earlier house on the prairie days, maybe too much. Years ago, Dr. Charlie Shedd held a contest called “One Neat Dad.” He asked contestants to send in letters recommending their dad for this great honor. Here’s a list of the ten most appreciated qualities for “One Neat Dad.”

1. He takes time for me.

2. He listens to me.

3. He plays with me.

4. He invites me to go places with him.

5. He lets me help him.

6. He treats my mother well.

7. He lets me say what I think.

8. He is nice to my friends.

9. He only punishes me when I deserve it.

10. He is not afraid to admit when he is wrong.

Qualities one to five are versions of the single word, “time!” Spell it—listen, spell it—play, spell it—help me, spell it—jump in the pickup … it all comes out in the same four letters, T-I-M-E. Time was the most appreciated trait of “One Neat Dad”!

Fathers.com states the following about the necessity of father’s being dads to their children:

Studies have conclusively shown that children who receive higher levels of attention and interaction with their fathers are healthier and better adjusted than children without fathers or with dads who are uninvolved. According to a 1990 study, children with highly involved fathers are:

• More confident and less anxious when placed in unfamiliar settings,

• Better able to deal with frustration,

• Better able to adapt to changing circumstances and breaks from their routine, and

• Better able to gain a sense of independence and an identity outside the mother/child relationship.

A Harvard university study spanning twenty-six years adds several more benefits for children of involved fathers:

* They are more likely to mature into compassionate adults.

* They are more likely to have higher self-esteems and grade point averages.

* They are more sociable.

Most of us will not be greatly surprised by these statistics. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to understand that involvement is critical. Asked for a quick answer on how to improve a father’s relationship with his children, any reasonable man will almost certainly say, "Spend more time with them." The simple, instinctive reaction of a committed father is to be involved in the lives of his children. Involvement is so basic that you can’t even be an average dad, let alone a good or highly effective one, without it (From Fathers.com)