For Fathers Only!

Matthew 7:9-11

"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

Fathers are a unique breed of people. It has been often said that you can only have one mother while anyone can be a father. This is a false and twisted idea of fatherhood.we know for instance that there is only one heavenly Father that no one can replace, not even mom as special as they are.

A real father is not necesarily the one that commited the physical act to bring a human being into this world but it’s one who functions in a paternal capacity and acknowledges the responsibility as such and serves in that capacity(according to the Heritage dictionary).We see several things here;

#1. A real father is one who functions in a paternal capacity. He is there in every stage of his children’s life to help them grow spiritually, emotionally and physically.

#2. A real father acknowledges his responsibility to his family. He doesn’t try to get away with not supporting his kids or by shifting the responsibility on someone else. But he takes pride in supporting his children until they can do it for themselves.

#3. A real Father serves his family in the same way that Jesus came to serve us (math.20:26-28), "BUT WHOEVER WISHES TO BE GREAT AMONG YOU SHALL BE YOUR SERVANT, AND WHOEVER WISHES TO BE FIRST AMONG YOU SHALL BE YOUR SLAVE; JUST AS THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY".

Men need to serve in the capacity that our heavenly Father has given to us.

1. In the capacity of king or the head of the family. We are in a sense the king of our castle, just as Christ is the head and or king of the church. Understand that every decision whether good or bad will effect everyone in the home. Fathers need to have the mind of Christ in order to make wise and Godly decisions for the family.

2. In the capacity of priest. Just as Jesus is our High Priest who sacrificed His life for us all and is always interceding for us. In the same way we are to make sacrifices for our families and never cease to intercede for them. The role of a priest is to intercede on behalf of the people and to sacrifice.

3. In the capacity of warrior.The Bible says; "THREFORE, TAKE UP THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD, THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO RESIST THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE EVERYTHING, TO STAND FIRM" (Ephe.6:13).

As the warrior that we are, most of the battles are going to be won on our knees. Eph.6:14 ff. gives us a list of the equipment that Christian fathers need in order to stand firm; Truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace,faith,salvation and the word of God.

IF YOU ARE A FATHER THERE ARE GOOD GIFTS THAT YOU CAN GIVE TO YOUR CHILDREN THAT ARE NOT NECESARILY WRAPPED IN NICE PAPER WITH NICE RIBBON IN THE MIDDLE;

F.A.T.H.E.R;

F stands for faith. If a father has faith in God and His word and in everything seeks to obey Him. His children will most likely put their confidence in God when they are older.

A stands for acceptance. Accept your children for who they are and speak positive words into their lives.

T stands for time. The best gift that fathers can give to their children is time.

H stands for help. "MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH",(Psalm 121:2). The Lord is the greatest helper that any person can have and He will help our children through us if we let Him do it. We can help by sharing God’s wisdom with them or simply by pointing them in the right direction.

E stands for encouragement. Each father needs to be the greatest cheerleader that his children will ever have. Encouraging them to set good goals for their lives and rejoicing in every achievement.

R stands for rock and reverent example. A father has to be a source of strengh to his family and a defense in times of struggle. Fathers should teach their children to have reverence for God, womenhood, life, and morality.