To all parents reading this today, ask yourselves: what are you passionate about? What’s on your mind when you wake up? What do you talk about during the day? What on your mind when you go to sleep?
What are you teaching your children to find important? If you’re a Christian, does Jesus Christ even remotely factor into anything you showcase or teach to your family? It should!
Fathers should be passionate about the Lord Jesus Christ. The truth is: every man needs a role model – and many of us had imperfect ones. So, why not let your ultimate role model be the only one who was perfect in every way?
I’m convinced that a man wanting to be like Jesus is the very best thing he can do for his wife, children, community, and ultimate well-being. Proverbs 23:7 warns what often happens when we don’t have Jesus in our minds and hearts. The verse says “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.”
Stated more directly, what a man values, he often becomes.
• If he values friendship, he’ll be a good friend.
• If he values his wife and children, he’ll be a good husband and father.
• If he values money over most everything else, he might tend to be more greedy and less generous.
• If he values accolades for personal achievement more than anything else, he’d probably be a high achiever. But do you think he’d have trouble sacrificing to hold a family together? Yes!
• If he values Jesus and wants to be like Him, he’s made the best choice for himself, his family, his community, and the world.
What must one do to be like Jesus? Jesus cared for the weak and was kind and loving to those entrusted in His care. He built Godly friendships with His disciples. He addressed injustice with strength under control, and selflessly loved others to the point of sacrificially laying down His life for them.
At LECC we worship Jesus and strive to keep Him in the place of highest value in our lives. Doing so empowers us Christian fathers to value our wives, children, and others. Making worship a priority also helps balance work and hobbies in their proper perspectives so that neither outweighs the other.
Join us at 415897 Highway 9, Eufaula, for small group Bible study at 10 a.m., worship at 11 a.m., and/or Wednesday night all-age activities at 6:30 p.m. Fathers are called by God to model the gospel to their children and guide them to the Lord, so bring your little ones along.
The Bible promises rich rewards for teaching the laws of the Lord. “For as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you… so that you may enjoy long life…and it may go well with you, and you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 6:2-3). Such a promise makes it well worth being a Godly role model.
