The Makeup Of A Caring Father Series

THE MAKEUP OF A CARING FATHER

Job 1:1-5

My brothers and my sisters as we celebrate Father’s Day 2007, I cannot prevent myself from thinking of my Dad, and how much I really miss him. Although I spent much time with him as a child and teenager, and received his fatherly nurturing and the threats of not making it to my next birthday because of things I’ve done, I truly miss him. But what I really miss is what my Dad could’ve said to me about being an adult and raising a family. What I have though, are the things. I saw him do. How he was there when I needed him, the hugs, he gave to encourage me, the hard work that he did to provide for us and the joy he had when his blended family acted as one. He even taught his boys to uncover their heads when entering a building, and I remember him saying yes sir and no sir and yes Mam and no Mam to those that were not only his elders but to those who were even his peers, he did that because he wanted to show his children especially his boys that if he respected adults we should to. And even today I do these things. But I miss physically sitting down and talking to my Dad about the problems of adulthood and he never got the chance to hear me preach. But there are reasons to give thanks. I thank God for men like my Grandfather and my Uncle Bishop William F. Hart, Jr. who stood as surrogate fathers, filling the void that was in my life.

As I was searching for a biblical father to preach about and there were so many too chose from. Only one came to mind because of his love for his family and that was Job.

This lesson starts with a look at the character of Job. It describes him as perfect, upright, God fearing and one that resisted evil. Now we should note that the word perfect should not be over misleading. It did not mean absolute or faultless perfection, but it meant that Job had integrity, sincerity and consistency in relating with God. In other words he feared God so much that he did not want to do anything that disturbed his relationship with God. Job is a prime example in what fatherhood should be, not only in providing for the family, but providing leadership for the family in walking with the Lord.

So on this Father’s Day let’s look at Job and see what made him such a caring father.

First of all . . .

1. HE WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE TO BEFORE HIS CHILDREN (v.1)

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and [shunned] evil.”

As we look at this first point, we see Job as the example his children should follow. In our society today we find many examples in families, some good and some bad. But the thing is that you can learn from then both. From the good you can learn to lead the family the proper way and from the bad you can learn how not to lead the family. But Job in verse one is showing us the proper way to stand before and lead our families. Look at his character. He was perfect and upright. As I said earlier this does not mean that he did not make mistakes or was faultless, but it does imply to us that he was a man of integrity especially when it came to walking with the Lord. Now although we have many men that are great providers. They bring home the necessities to sustain a family and work hard hour in doing so and that is good. But there is another part that the Lord will hold us accountable for, and that is the responsibility to walk before Him in the integrity of a God fearing man and to lead the family from our house to the house of the Lord and not to just send them. You see there are many families that have a great provider there but he put up a bad example on the spiritual side, and when the children see their father not attending church then they will ask, “Why do I have to go?” but this was not the case with Job’s family. What they saw in their father was not only a provider, but they saw a man that served the Lord with integrity, a good man that dealt with those he dealt with honestly, and a man that feared the Lord and avoided evil.

Secondly . . .

2. HE WAS A GOOD PROVIDER AND STEWARD OF WHAT HE HAD (v.3)