With Father’s Day coming up,
devotionals this week will be all about dads.
Included are some personal accounts from some of our staff. Their thoughts are honest reflections on fatherhood
with the struggles, strengths and weaknesses of real-life dads. Enjoy.
Submitted by Jim Garner
“See what great love the Father has
lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we
are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – I
John 3:1
Although I didn’t have the opportunity to grow up around my
dad after my parents divorced, I was still blessed to have positive male
examples in my life like coaches, ministers, neighbors, Sunday School teachers,
etc. I saw how they loved and served the
Lord, cared for their families, and reached out to others. I’m very grateful
for these influences in my life that have served me well as a parent and
minister.
One thing I learned specifically about being a dad was that
you might not always be able to bring home the most expensive or “latest and
greatest” presents to your kids, but that it was more important to bring my
presence to my family. As my kids have
grown up I’m so thankful to have made most of their games, recitals, or
ministry events we could share together.
I’m glad I was home most nights to have supper together, tuck them in
bed, pray with them, and baptize them. I
would rather lavish them with “presence” than “presents”.
John said in the verse above that our Heavenly Father has
lavished us with great love – relationship, spiritual gifts, life purpose, and
ministry to family and the world. All these are surrounded and sustained by his
unconditional love that never ends. Plus, what a blessing to know no matter how
good we may have had it in our earthly home with our Dad we can be called ‘children of God’
and look forward to our Heavenly home.
Here as we remember Father’s Day may we all know the love of
God and how He has lavished it on us!
Breaking the Cycle
Many men who find themselves as fathers today have not had
positive role models in their own lives.
These improper and often abusive role models can lead to men passing on
their father’s dysfunctional actions to the next generation. Except a man determine to break the chain of
disconnected and control-based fathering, the chances are high that his
children will suffer from the same issues that plague his life.
For every father like Jim who determined to do things
differently there are many more who know nothing more than “my dad did this to
me and I am going to do it to you” parenting.
Only a dedicated effort by a concerned father to learn how to “not
exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart” (Colossians 3:21)
will transform a wounded son into a loving and effective father.
Pray for our Men’s Ministry at NSBC as our men share ways to
be the fathers God wants them to be.
(VNH)
Scripture to Claim:
"He will restore the hearts of the
fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so
that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." Malachi 4:6
