Dad's Divine Duty
Introduction
When we think of the word “duty” we think of “responsibility” or “obligation;” something that is a requirement, not merely an option. That which is our duty to do is usually taken very seriously; that is if one is mature enough to realize the value and honor of fulfilling one’s duty. But therein lies the problem with many of today’s generation who make the boast of being men.
Many males of our day seem to compute all the wrong stuff with manliness. For instance, a lot of guys these days think that being a man is being able to curse like a sailor, display a rebellious and smart-alecky attitude, treat women like toys, by fathering illegitimate children, live dangerously and taking unnecessary risk, drink alcohol like there’s no tomorrow, and thumbing their noses at the police. The fact of the matter is that not every male is a real man. “You can be born a male, but it takes maturity to be a man” (Ed Wood, “God’s Plan For The Man,” pg. 1).
Just as manhood requires maturity and responsibility, so does being a daddy. Just because someone fathers a child, doesn’t automatically make them a daddy. From God’s point of view, being a daddy involves much more. Being a good and godly daddy requires being a real man according to the standard found in God’s Word.
Today I want to show you what God says makes a man a real daddy.
I. A Faithful Walk
Psalm 128:1, “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.”
A. Men Are To Set Forth A Godly Pattern In The Home
Psalm 128:1b, “…walketh in his (God’s) ways.”
Proverbs 23:26, “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”
Dad, whether you see yourself as a pacesetter or pattern in the home or not, that’s exactly what you are supposed to be. Daddy ought to be the one who sets the spiritual tone in the home. Your wife and kids ought to see in you a man who patterns his life after the ways of God. We’re not talking about perfection here, but the overall direction and determination of your life.
We see a lot of fatherless homes these days; and the effects are disastrous. Quoting from a Time Magazine article, Dr. Harold L. White notes the following:
Studies of young criminals have found that more than 70% of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. Children from broken families are nearly twice as likely as those in two-parent families to drop out of high school. Dr. Harold L. White, Fatherhood
Some of you women are going to think that I’m making this next one up, but it’s true nonetheless. According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father’s involvement with a child increases the child’s IQ, the child’s motivation to learn, and the child’s self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an “inner excitement.” Victor Parachin, “The Fine Art of Good Fathering,” Herald of Holiness, February 1995, pp. 32-33.
B. Men Are To Set Forth A Godly Picture In The Home
1 Corinthians 11:3, 7-8, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God (Gen.1: 26-27): but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.”
According to Genesis 1:26-27, man was made in God’s image. Woman was taken out of man; made from one of his ribs, according to Genesis 2: 21-22. Paul’s purpose in referring back to Genesis is to establish the principle of headship in the home.
God’s order is as follows: (1) God the Father is the Head of Christ, (2) Christ is the Head of man, and (3) Man is the head of woman. The head of any organization always bears the most weight of responsibility. The same is true in the home.
Please keep in mind that God’s principle of headship does not imply inferiority or lack of equality. Headship does not refer to superiority or subjugation, but to subordination in the home. Just as God the Father and God the Son are co-equal and co-eternal, so are man and woman of equal value. They are not the same; but they are equal.
When one compares Paul’s statements in Ephesians 5: 22-32 concerning the relationship of a man and his wife being a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church with his statements in First Corinthians, his point becomes clear. The husband and father is to be a picture of Christ in the home. The wife and mother is to be a picture of the Church, the Bride of Christ, in submission to her head.
Dad, you should never take the attitude that religion and spirituality is something to be left to the wife and kids. The fact is God holds you personally responsible for the spiritual leadership in your home. I’m not saying your wife has no responsibility in that area, but simply that you are more responsible than she is, since God has made you the head of the home.
A man once confessed: I'm not much of a gardener. Once I took a seed catalog and started out the door. “Where are you going with that?” my wife asked.“I’m going to show it to my tomatoes,” I explained. Source Unknown.
Dad, show your wife and kids a picture of Jesus in the way you live.
II. A Fruitful Walk
Psalm 128:2, “For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands; happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”
A. Be Fruitful In Your Provision
1. God’s Word Indicates It Won’t Always Be Easy
Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Dads, do you sometimes feel unappreciated? I hope it hasn’t gotten quite this bad:
A little girl once said to her mother: “Mommy, if Santa Claus brings our presents, and God gives us our daily bread, and Uncle Sam gives us Social Security, why do we keep daddy around?” Contributed by Bruce Howell, contributor to SermonCentral.com
2. God’s Word Indicates It Is Absolutely Essential
1 Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
B. Be Fruitful In Your Parenting
1. Most Of The Time This Will Involve The Art Of Reasoning
Proverbs 3:1, “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”
2. Sometimes This Will Involve The Action Of The Rod Proverbs 22:15, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
III. A Family That Worships
Psalm 128:3-6, “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. 5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.”
A. Daddy, You Make That Determination
Joshua 24:15c, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
The idea of worship is brought out by the words “feareth the Lord,” found in verse four of Psalm 128. A man who leads his home to follow and worship God will be blessed. That blessing extends not only to this man’s family, but also to the nation, according to Psalm 128: 5-6. As the family goes, so goes the nation. I agree with Bro. Ed Wood when he says, “America will never be right until our homes are right. Our homes will never be right till the daddies get right” (Ed Wood, “God’s Plan For The Man,” pg. 2).
Psalm 128:3 describes the wife and children of the man who seeks God’s blessing. His wife will be like a “fruitful vine,” while his children are like “olive plants.” These descriptions have something in common: They both need to be cared for and cultivated. Men, you need to learn that whether your dealing with your wife or your children, you won’t get very far with a dictatorial attitude. Josh McDowell has said, “Rules without relationships make rebellion” (Josh McDowell).
B. Daddy, You’ve Been Given God’s Directive
Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Dad, if you plan to cultivate your family to walk with God, it will take some time. Statistics have shown that the average father spends about seven and a half minutes a week with his teens. Is it any wonder the kids of our nation have gone to the dogs?
Men, if you provide your family with the finest things in life and yet don’t cultivate them to know and live for God, you will still be a failure. You won’t be able to take any of earth’s riches to heaven. But you can take your wife and kids to heaven. That’s true wealth. Think about it.