Becoming A Good Dad

Being a Good Dad

Psalms 127:1-4

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

One of the best and yet most terrifying experiences in my life was when I became a dad. From the moment I saw those two “pink lines” I knew I was over my head! I was not prepared to helplessly watch my wife struggle with wild food cravings, morning sickness, sore back, hips, and ankles! Even though I was not the one in pain and was supposed to be “calm” and strong I only vaguely remember the trip to the hospital! The wait was long, but once I saw our child come forth from the womb, I was very emotional. On the one hand I was overwhelmed with joy but on the other hand I was filled with anxiety for with such an incredible gift from God comes great responsibility! Would I make a good dad? Would I be able to work hard and provide our child with what was needed to “succeed” in life? Would I have the stamina to keep up with the pitter patter of little feet that would one day take me on unending events such as music lessons, sports, drama teams and the like? Would I be able to put away my selfish desires and place the needs of our child first? Then I got thinking about our child’s spiritual training. Would I be able to become a good role model and exemplify what it means to be a “living sacrifice” unto our God? Would I be able to remain calm and share God’s wisdom in the face of childish defiance? This sermon is going to propose the answer to all these questions is “YES” anyone can become a “good” dad if they are willing to build their family in God’s name!

Unless the Lord Builds the House

Dad when it comes to building a really good family remember that while you are responsible for taking care of your children without knowing and embracing God’s plan for your family then all your efforts to raise them “right” will be mere vanity! Right after the flood scene in Genesis in chapter 11 we are told that the whole world had one language, settled in the plain of Shinar and sought to make their names great by building a tower up into the heavens. In response the Lord gave them many languages and scattered them all over the earth! The first reason why they failed was because they wanted to “make their names great” by establishing something a reputation that would outlive them. Dad, while children can be a blessing in one’s old age (Psalms 127:5), your legacy through them is not permanent nor is it the primary goal in raising them. Scripture says to seek ye first the kingdom of God and that your light is to shine and point to God the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16, 6:33). The second reason why the people building the tower failed is that it was not God’s plan for their lives. Human wisdom is foolishness in God’s sight for His ways are always higher than our ways (1 Corinthians 3:19; Isaiah 55:8-9)! Dad the first step in raising your children well is to seek and embrace the Lord’s sovereign purpose and will for both yourself and your children.

Dad the second piece of advice I would like to give is to avoid the temptation to measure “fatherhood success” based on worldly acquisitions and accomplishments. Being a good Dad is not about providing our children with the most expensive house, car, clothes, and vacations; nor is it about trying to make them more rounded by enrolling them into countless sports, camps, dancing or musical classes. While there is nothing wrong with providing any of these items in moderation, it is more important that our children learn how to offer their bodies as living sacrifice unto their God (Romans 12:1-2)! Unless God is invited to build the family and “raise the poor out of the dust,” our children will not know how to surrender their “rebellious, obstinate, self-centered ways” to a God that truly loves and desires them to know Him. Instead of spending countless hours working so that we might afford “worldly stuff” that is here today and gone tomorrow (Matthew 6:19-20) we as dads need to take the time to read our Bible, pray and attend church so that our children might “see” how to honor God who has become our hearts desire and portion (Psalms 73:26)! Even though providing this kind of example will mean sacrificing many earthly possessions, living for God shows our children that every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) has infinitely more value than anything this world has to offer!

Dad the third piece of advice is to never stop showing your children how to learn more about God! While the fallen, depraved humanity cannot truly know the “Unknowable,” what we can learn and obey concerning God is significant and life changing. It is through knowledge that we learn what we can about God, and it is through faith in His son that we are saved. Moses told the Israelites to not only write the words of God in their hearts and minds but to take every opportunity to teach them to their children (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)! It is so easy today to get so consumed with building a “worldly” home filled with temporal riches and pleasures that we forget this world is not our home (Hebrews 11:13) but merely a stepping stone to an eternal paradise in God’s presence! Solomon who is said to have written Psalms 127, in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 concluded that the product of his labor and toil under the sun, a kingdom of vast wealth and power, were meaningless for without God all life is vanity! It seems that every king in the Old Testament has an “annal” written of their accomplishments and yet their accomplishment were vanity for none were persevered! Apostle Paul told the church of Colossae that their labor was not in vain if they knew and strived towards doing the will of God the Father in heaven (3:23-24). Our children will rebel against us from time to time but don’t loose heart dad for God does not determine our “fatherly” success based on how our children turn out but merely on our effort to show them how to have a genuine relationship with our God.