Awesome Ways To Be A Great Dad!

Awesome Ways to Be a Great Dad!

Various Scriptures

June 20, 2004

Introduction

Popular comedian/entertainer Bill Cosby wrote, "Now that my father is a grandfather he just can’t wait to give money to my kids. But when I was a kid and I asked him for 50 cents, he would tell me the story of his life. How he got up at 5 a.m. when he was 7-years-old and walked 23 miles to milk 90 cows. And the farmer for whom he worked had no bucket, so he had to squirt the milk into his little hand and then walk 8 miles to the nearest can. All for 5 cents. The result was...I never got my 50 cents.

"But now he tells my children every time he comes into the house, ’Well, let’s see how much money old Granddad has for his wonderful grandkids.’ And the minute they take money out of his hands I call them over to me and I snatch it away from them. BECAUSE THAT IS MY MONEY."

(Steve Shepherd – SermonCentral.com)

You know, I love being a father. It’s a great privilege and joy – most of the time. I love knowing that my children love me. I love coming home and having them glad I’m home.

I like doing things with them and for them when I can.

There are a lot of benefits to being a dad. But we have to remember that being a dad is also a great responsibility. It’s huge – immeasurable. But God has also told us that He will help us be the kind of Dad we need to be, if we will follow and listen to Him.

We’re going to have some fun this morning. I have a number of humorous illustrations that I think will help us get a grasp on being a better dad. But first I want to share…

Top 10 Things You’ll Never Hear Dad Say

10. Well, how ’bout that? I’m lost! Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.

9. You know Pumpkin, now that you’re thirteen, you’ll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won’t that be fun?

8. I noticed that all your friends have a certain hostile attitude. I like that.

7. Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car. GO CRAZY!!

6. What do you mean you wanna play football? Figure skating’s not good enough for you, son?

5. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend. You might want to consider throwing a party.

4. Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies--ya know--that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.

3. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your belly-aching, and let’s go to the mall.

2. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

1. What do I want for my birthday? Aahh, don’t worry about that. It’s no big deal. (Okay, they might say it. But they don’t mean it)

(Pastor Tim’s Clean Jokes)

Well, let’s take a look at eight ways to be a great day.

1. Imitate the character of the Father whenever possible.

It’s true that many, if not most, children form their idea of God the Father based in part on what they see in their own father.

So you can see how extremely important it is that you strive to present an accurate picture of who God is.

Teaching your kiddos about God is not enough. They need to see it in you. I want to list just three areas that we need to really exhibit the character of the father. And if you can get better in these areas, you will go a long way to being a great dad:

- Forgiveness

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

When our kids blow it, they need to know that forgiveness is available and right now.

When it comes to my attention that one of my children has broken a rule (or a piece of furniture, etc.), they need to know that while they will be punished, they will also be forgiven.

They need to hear it, by the way. You can’t just assume they know it. You need to be able to say, “I forgive you.”

That doesn’t mean you’re not upset, and that everything is okay. It just means that you are choosing to move on, and to not bring it up again. It’s in the past – let’s move on.

A second aspect of God’s character we should exhibit is…