Have you seen my Daddy?
Illus. By Guy Glass
A guy drives into a ditch, but luckily, a farmer is there to help. He hitches his horse, Buddy, up to the car and yells, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy doesn’t move.
"Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy doesn’t budge.
"Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing.
Then the farmer says, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse drags the car out of the ditch.
Curious, the motorist asks the farmer why he kept calling his horse by the wrong name. "Buddy’s blind," said the farmer. "And if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try."
I can remember my dad, pulling me out of a few ditches in my life. Some of them were literal ditches, and some of them had different names.
I can remember, my dad would call and the first thing he would say would be, "Dad here" at the time I would think of course you're there, and I'm here. But over the years, I came to realize that, when he said those words...it gave me comfort, knowing I could call anytime and he would come running to help me, no matter what the need was!
I could sense his presence was there, even though physically he wasn't.
So many fathers nowadays, aren't that way.
Proverbs 22:6 NKJ
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
MSG. Point your kids in the right direction,
when they're old they won't be lost.
While this holds true for both parents, its especially true for fathers.
In the culture and times we live in, fathers don't and haven't played the role they once played in the family. And as we look around at society and the way things are going in the world, you can certainly see the results that have been reaped!
Maybe it's just me, but does it seam as though kids are a lot more rebellious these days, than we were, when we were kids?
Fathers are suppose to be the spiritual leaders of the home, that should be the fathers number one priority, and yet a large percentage fail to understand how important the benefit of a Christian heritage is.
What about putting food on the table and a roof over their head? When you become the spiritual leader of your household, everything else will fall into place! All of God's blessings will be unlocked, for everyone's benefit, to be learned about, experienced and enjoyed!
The devil has been hard at work attacking fathers all across the globe, for thousands of years,
Because he knows the word, he knows the significance of the word
and the significance of something that God instructs us to do.
Ill. Researchers from Switzerland examined whether parents’ religious habits were transmitted to their offspring.
They studied different variables, but one critical factor towered above the rest:
the practices of the father determine whether children grow up attending church or not.
And the results were somewhat shocking: the habits of the mother had almost no influence over their kids’ future devotion.
Consider these findings:
....When Mom goes to church regularly but Dad goes infrequently,
just 3 percent of their kids go on to become regular churchgoers.
....When Mom is regular but Dad never attends, just 2 percent become regular attendees.
Now, let’s flip the scenario, what if Dad is faithful?
When both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 33 percent of kids grow up to attend regularly.
When Dad is regular but Mom only goes once in a while, the figure jumps to 38 percent.
Here’s the real bombshell: when Dad is faithful but Mom never attends,
44 percent of the kids end up as regular church attendees!
Bottom line: in spiritual matters, kids take their cues from Dad.
If daddy doesn’t go to church, chances are very slim that his children will become regular worshippers.
If the kids see religion as "Mom’s thing" they are more likely to become disenchanted.
But if Dad leads by example, children are twenty-two times more likely to become lifelong churchgoers
Are there exceptions, everyone knows there are always exceptions to every rule.
I stand here today as an exception, one of the 2 Percent group. I also credit a praying mother, who stood on and received the promise of her household, from God! It didn't happen in her lifetime, but never the less happened, and God kept His Word!
It's no wonder why churches all over the globe are closing their doors, and are dropping in attendance.
Dads aren't going, so why should the children. Fathers are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of their households. If we're ever going to see revival in our church's, it's going to have to first start in our homes!
God has a plan for each one of our lives and He constantly gives us, every opportunity to walk in the plans that He has for us!
Some of us realize His plans He has for us, earlier than others, the main thing is once you realize Gods plan for your life, embrace and walk in God's plan!
Do I consider myself fortunate? Yes I do, I have been and continue to be Blessed by God's plan for my life, everyday!
No earthly father is perfect, there is only one perfect father, God our heavenly father.
The scripture tells of the importance of raising up children in the Lord, its all part of Gods great plan for each of our own lives.
Sports, education, music, and all the other extra curricular activities a child learns growing up, are important...but all fail in comparison, to the importance of teaching your children, a Godly heritage!
If there’s anything that’s not stressed enough, by fathers and mothers as well,
is the importance of forming a life long relationship with Jesus and developing, a Love and understanding for the things of God!
Deut. 6:5-9 MSG.
5. Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
6-9. Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.
God has instructed us to teach our children, about forming and having a relationship with Him...from the moment we wake each day, till we lay our head on the pillow at night.
Raising a child in the ways of the Lord, is a 24/7 proposition! And God expects it to be taken seriously!
This ties right in with our text, doesn’t it?
Proverbs 22:6 NKJ
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Jerm. 29:11 NIV
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
How in the world, is any child ever going to know, or learn about the plans God has for them, unless their taught about them...to seek God their entire life, as to what Gods plans to prosper and to keep them safe are!
Society is never going to teach them, society is never going to tell them anything, about their God given destiny,
Or their spiritual inheritance their entitled to, which is the Love and the peace of God in their lives. That comes and is realized best, from the instruction and influence of the father!
Luke 15:11-14 NKJ
11. Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.
12. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
13. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
14. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
There is nothing worse than to be in want,
no matter where or what stage of life your in.
I don’t know of anyone who cannot relate to this story, who hasn’t tried their wings at some point in their life and failed.
Was this part of the plans his father had for him? Is failure, ever a desire a parent has for their children!
Not hardly, No one would want this for their child!
Did this boy have a good father, yes he did, the father in this story represents God.
TBS. “But when he came to himself, he said” I arise and go to my fathers house!
Now I want you to think about this right here. If he had never been instructed as a child in the ways of the Lord, would've he even had this moment, or thought?
That's why the statistics I shared about fathers teaching and taking their children to church to learn about Jesus is so important! The prodigal son had his epiphany, because he had a Godly heritage to draw from!
Because he had been raised up, in the things of the Lord....
*he had a suddenly moment, right then and there!
*he said wait a minute, I remember something I learned long ago
*he remembered something, his father had taught him when he was young, it was all coming back to him
Vs. 18. I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19. and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
He was saying father please forgive me,
he didn’t think he was still worthy enough,
To be part of the plans his father had for him,
Thats what the accuser always wants you to think, but he found out differently because he had formed a relationship he could draw from, even though he hadn't acknowledged the relationship for a while, his relationship and Godly upbringing was still there. And their was someone still waiting, ready and able to respond on the other end of that relationship.
That's why helping and ensuring children establish their own relationship with Jesus is the most important thing a dad will ever do!
By doing so, that teaching, establishes their child's destiny, before the child ever arrives at the times, they will need their relationship with Jesus...to make the right decisions, that will produce the consequences they'll have to live with forever!
Isaiah 42:16 MSG
But I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way,
who can’t see where they’re going.
I’ll be a personal guide to them,
directing them through unknown country.
I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take,
make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.
These are the things I’ll be doing for them—
sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.”
TBS. His Father saw him a long ways off and when He did, He ran to him put a ring on his finger and let him know, that He had not forgotten about the plans that he had had for him,
Thats how God is, He never forgets about the plans that He has for His children.
We may forget, but God never forgets! Praise God!
And even though he didn’t deserve it, He still wanted to give his son the very best He had! And that’s how God is with everyone who comes and asks for forgiveness.
No matter what we have done, God still wants to give us His very best and He has always been that way with us.
John 3:16-17 HCSB
16. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
I believe every father wants to give their children the best that they can give to them.
Its often been said, there is no instruction manual for raising kids.
While there may not be one from A to Z, there is one called the bible that covers everything, from A to Eternity!
Maybe you feel as though you have fallen short of being the father you should have been. Truth is we have all fallen short, but it's not too late to turn things around and to do things differently, to still make a difference.
If we're not able to influence our own children's life, we can help out and influence, some other Childs life. Making a difference where we can, realizing it takes all of us working together for the kingdom, to make the impact, God has given us the opportunity and provision to accomplish!
And in the process, God will send someone to help our families and bring them to God, because He has given His Word that He will!
Amen? Let’s pray
