Bring Them Up: The Father's Role in the Family

Dads, and you know, I want to understand that honoring is more than a gift, or even an expression of appreciation.

! It's great to be appreciated, but the respect for the responsibilities of dad is also needed.

You know, it goes both ways in that to understand the roles and the things and needs of fatherhood,

because fatherhood is a role that's both, I think we can all agree for all the dads, it's very challenging sometimes,

but it's also very rewarding.

You know, and the one thing, it doesn't take long to learn in life that things that have great challenge often come with great reward.

You know, the accomplishment that we have there, and when we see those things taking place as our children grow and they mature in life,

and you see them become even parents, you know, now as a grandparent, I look at some of those things differently, you know.

You look and see that what you have invested in as a father, because fatherhood is not an investment in the present,

it's an investment in the future.

It's an investment in those things to come, both in this life and the next.

The things we invest in as a father are important.

But, you know, the role of fathers in society has definitely changed over time.

You know, the expectation society does, they prioritize things sometimes, trying to get us to get things out of balance,

and not balancing life correctly, and sometimes with work and family, or between protecting and providing,

or even sometimes, you know, honestly, sometimes dads feel inadequate to accomplish the responsibilities.

You know, sometimes you don't want to consider that, but oftentimes dads don't feel like,

hey, I know what I need, I don't know how to handle this right now.

I don't know what, how am I going to accomplish those things at this moment.

And we can feel inadequate, or charting a path through those expectations that you have between work and family and church,

and all these things that we're responsible for.

You know, it's quite a job to navigate all those things and those relationships that we have.

And oftentimes, I think these can lead to a dad being frustrated, or we find even lead to anger or impatience very easily.

You know, you can become frustrated.

But fatherhood, I want you to understand, is not without some help and guidance to accomplish it.

You know, God never gives us a task that he doesn't give us instruction on how to walk through it.

You know, that's the great thing about God.

God doesn't just give us a lofty goal.

He says, this is the objective, and now here's the tools to implement to make that happen.

To put those things, but to use those tools is sometimes difficult.

Because like anything, if you're building anything, balance of what tools to use at the right time is important.

Because, you know, you can't use a saw to drive a nail.

I mean, that's the reality of sometimes we feel frustrated,

and sometimes we try to use the wrong tool to accomplish the task.

And today we're going to look at fatherhood here a little bit,

because God does give us information on leading your family,

and you're raising your children.

It requires wisdom and perseverance.

And we're going to see here this morning, if you found Ephesians chapter 6,

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

we'll read the first four verses if you want to stand together and honor a reading of the Word of God this morning.

As we find here, because this passage really lays out a balance here

when it comes to fatherhood and our families.

Because notice in verse 1 here, it says,

Heavenly Father, as we come before you today, Lord, we just thank you for our dads,

and Lord, for each dad here today.

Lord, those that one day hope to be dads.

Lord, it's just a role that doesn't begin at the moment that you become a dad,

but Lord, it lays the groundwork even before in our life.

The things we learn from our own fathers,

and things that we learn from your Word, Lord, as we gather through.

Lord, as we honor dads today, Lord,

we just pray for each one for the challenges that life brings,

and trying to balance these things.

Even as we look at some things today, Lord,

but Lord, we also just ask you to encourage dads today.

Lord, we need to be encouraged, Lord,

that you didn't give us a task that's impossible,

but you gave us a task that may be challenging and difficult.

But Lord, it's a task that can be accomplished through the guidance of your Word.

And Lord, as we seek you and rely upon you for direction in those things.

And Lord, we just give you all the praise in Jesus' name.

Amen.

May be seated.

You know, as we look here this morning,

because Ephesians does give us some guidance for children and parents,

you know, the term used here for father,

it has an implication of moms attached to it.

And I think that's a natural inclination in Scripture,

that dad and mom stand together.

But as we read earlier last week in Ephesians 5,

dads have a unique responsibility of headship and leadership within the family.

And so when it talks about fathers,

fathers, you need to oversight these things.

But this is also, this morning, some of the things we talk about

are something for moms to pay attention to also and to deal with.

Because as a parent, we can all get caught up in these things.

We can provoke our children

and make it difficult for them to do their part in honoring their parents.

To do those things.

But these instructions to fathers

divulge their unique role in shaping their children's spiritual and mental maturity.

You know, I want you to understand,

our role today as dads is not just to raise up kids and get them out of the house.

Now, that might be an objective, but that's not the goal.

You know, as a dad, I think every dad says,

I want to see my kids grow up and mature and be able to step out on their own.

That's a sign of maturity to be able to do that.

But the goal is not just to leave, just not for them to leave the house.

The goal is to equip them and train them for what they need when they are out on their own.

To be able to navigate the challenges of life.

And today we're going to take a few moments here this morning

to even look at these things of encouragements to dad

in their biblical responsibilities.

Not only to know, but to fulfill what I really think is a very high calling in their lives.

Because being a dad is important.

You know, it doesn't take much looking at statistics

to see the importance of dad's role in the life of children.

The impact is great.

It's lifelong impacts in the life of a child

with the picture they have of their father.

And we're going to see and look at this a little bit this morning.

But look here in verse 4 in our text here.

It says,

And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.

Provoke them not to wrath.

You know, the challenge of being a parent,

the constant expectations, the responsibilities.

I mean, as a dad, you're supposed to care and provide for your children.

You know, and sometimes the way kids act and all the things going on in life,

you can get frustrated.

I mean, life can be frustrating because you're trying to do what you know to do,

but it's not working out the way you thought it would.

You know, it can be frustrating.

And kids, kids can be frustrating.

You know, and it's not just when they're young.

You know, I often tell parents, you know,

they get, when they have little ones running around,

it can be a lot of energy and a lot of consumption of physical energy.

But, you know, as kids get older and you start training them up,

sometimes you can get frustrated with just the reactions

and their responses as they grow.

You know, these are things that are naturally occurring.

It's just, it's not just a one-time thing.

Okay, I do this one thing, and they're going to turn out right.

I want you to understand what we're talking about here is a long-term investment.

It takes time.

It takes energy.

It takes consistency.

It takes energy in our lives because sometimes I want you to understand,

even if you're doing what's right,

your kids are not going to be happy with it.

Matter of fact, I'll put it this way.

If your kids are always happy with your decisions as a parent,

you're probably doing something wrong as a parent.

If they're always happy with everything,

there's probably something wrong because you're probably indulging them.

And it's not our job to indulge our children.

It's our job to train them and correct them and instruct them.

To prepare them.

To equip them.

You know, sometimes you're not always happy with those that are trying to accomplish those goals

because it pushes into your life in a way that challenges your children.

You ought to be, your children ought to feel challenged from some things in life.

But I want you to understand here that what he's talking about here,

not provoking your children to wrath, we're not talking about a one-time event.

Because like I said, parents are, your kids are sometimes not going to be happy with you.

Because wrath is not just upset with a one-time thing.

Wrath that it's speaking about here is anger mingled with contempt.

That's a whole different thing.

That's a long-term effect with many inputs impacting it.

It has to do with a philosophy and a practice that a parent uses.

And to grab a hold of that because, you know,

the dynamics of this, sometimes this happens when we're being too harsh or even inconsistent.

You know, it's easy for parents sometimes to be constantly nitpicking every fault

to the point the child becomes frustrated and resentful.

Because it's like, what can I do right?

You know, that's what it's talking about here.

We have to be careful what we're speaking of to understand how we need to address these things.

Because as we understand that they can become resentful and wrathful, the Bible tells us,

God tells us that that's not the way for your children to mature.

You know, we find a lot of children that harbor a lot of things from their childhood.

Now, I want you to understand one thing, especially for parents.

I'll give you a clue.

You're not going to do everything right.

Okay?

But, you know, God even makes provision for that.

It's called confession and forgiveness.

God gives us tools to deal with those things if they're used in the right way.

But you know what part of the problem is?

We leave those tools on the wayside because pride and other things get in the way.

To be able to grab a hold of what we need to do in our life.

And oftentimes we'll see things come to this point or even be driven to this point from one thing

because we try to fix everything at one time instead of keeping perspective in the moment.

You know?

If there's an issue of disobedience or defiance or disregard,

one of the things I'd encourage you is to take a moment to consider

what's the one key thing I need to address?

Because sometimes you can't fix it all at one time.

But if you address the big issue,

you'll find oftentimes the smaller issues take care of themselves.

But that takes some intention on the part of the parent, doesn't it?

It takes some intention on our part as the mature one.

You know, let me say this.

Parents, don't be surprised when your kids act immature.

That's the reason you're supposed to equip them to mature.

That's the reason the Bible says when you're a child,

you do childish things.

But when you grow up, you ought to put those things away.

How do they put them away?

They mature.

They understand what's taking place.

And we find here, you know,

I'd encourage you if you're dealing with those things,

look for what is the key lesson that needs dealt with.

What's the most important thing at that moment

and deal with the one thing.

And that way it's not overwhelming to you

and it's not overwhelming to your children.

Try to deal with those things in perspective

because secondly,

first is perspective,

second is timing.

You know, I think sometimes as parents,

we get in trouble because we don't understand

when is the right time to deal with something.

The right time is important.

If you ask,

this is the,

you need to ask yourself,

is this the time we need to address this issue

or do I need to pause?

Do I need to step back for a moment?

That might be five minutes.

It might be a day.

Depending on the situation and the circumstance

because you say,

preacher, why should I just dive in?

Because some things,

yes, you need to dive in and deal with immediately.

There's some things,

if there's immediate danger,

you better get after it right now.

It's the same reason

if there's a hot pot on the stove,

you don't let your kids say,

oh, let them grab ahold of it.

They'll figure it out.

We'll talk about it tomorrow.

That's foolishness because why?

There's an immediate danger

that needs dealt with.

An immediate dynamic that needs to be addressed

and sometimes those things are,

but sometimes it's important to know when to step back

because you say,

preacher, why do you need to step back?

You know, sometimes as parents,

we let our emotions and our feelings get in the way.

One of the fastest ways to cause your children

to provoke them to wrath

is to discipline by emotion.

You expect them to control their emotions

when you can't control yours.

Do you realize that's a training moment?

You're displaying those things

and understanding, you know,

because sometimes through emotions

or like sometimes parents will discipline

or get upset or angry at their children

because they feel embarrassed

or frustrated.

And they take things out of a proper perspective.

You know, I want you to understand

if you're not gonna provoke your children to wrath,

you have to have understanding

of not only yourself, but what God teaches.

Because sometimes it's important to give things time

and to deal with them.

That's where understanding the circumstance

or the situation,

because provoking your children

can also come through things like partiality

or favoritism.

Favoritism within a family,

I'll say is probably one of the biggest reasons

children get angry.

Favoritism causes great disruption

within a household.

You know, look over to Genesis 37 for a moment.

Because here's a,

the book of Genesis is filled with family dynamics.

You know, that's one thing about the book of Genesis.

You have all sorts of reality

of family dynamics happening.

And here in Genesis 37,

we'll find here that it's Jacob here

dealing with his children.

And if you know anything about Jacob,

he had two wives, Rachel and Leah,

and the two wives were at each other.

And then here dad steps in

and shows favoritism and partiality.

And you know what?

The Bible reveals exactly what happened

and how those things came together

in that context.

Because as we look here at Genesis 37,

I want you to see something very important

here this morning.

Look at verse three.

And it says,

Now Israel loved Joseph

more than all his children.

Because he was the son of his old age

and he made him a coat of many colors.

Now we don't have time to get into all the context here,

but I want you to point out

what was,

what did Joseph do,

or what did Jacob do?

He let all the other children know

that, hey,

you're second place

to Joseph.

You hold second seat.

You're less important.

It's one of those things

that Joseph can do no wrong.

But you know,

these other bum children I have,

and I'll just say something there.

If you have bum children,

you know who to blame?

You can go home and look in the mirror.

But notice what happened here

with his family.

Look at verse four.

And when his brethren saw

that their father loved him more

than all his brethren,

they did what?

They hated him

and could not speak peaceably unto him.

I think that's a good example

of a parent provoking their children to wrath.

Because think about,

what did the brothers do?

They wanted to kill him

and they sold him into slavery.

Told his dad that he died.

Animal devoured him.

And partiality provoked anger,

didn't it?

This partiality was also,

let me just tell you,

it was spurred by their moms,

Leah and Rachel.

There was envy and strife between them.

And then when Joseph,

there's already tension in the family

and Joseph just puts the final nail in it

by his choice.

The son that he loved above others.

You know, think about what it tells us

also in Colossians 3.

Colossians 3 in verse 21 says,

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger,

lest they be discouraged.

You know, discouragement is the precursor to wrath.

We need to be careful with this, dads.

We need to be deliberate to foster a respectful

and loving relationship with your children.

You know, be careful about actions

that will provoke them to anger

because of a chosen offense.

You know, sometimes we choose the offense.

Joseph was singled out by his father.

His father chose to do it.

We got to be careful

and not be driven by how we feel

and think about what's the impact.

That's teaching our children also

to control their emotion.

Now, I'm not saying to be cold.

That's a whole different discussion

because you can be warm and under control

because, you know,

you can get the other side of the thing.

You can be so loving that you hurt your children.

I'll use that term loving in a worldly concept

because it's like, oh, I love them,

so they need to be able to do this.

You know, they can't do what,

they need to be able to do

what the other kids need to do

because, you know, if Joey's doing that,

Sam should be able to do this.

And you have, parents, you need to be careful

because that's a problem also.

As we're going to look here

in the next section here

of the command that he gives,

you know, we have to consider our actions

as a father.

Are they building up or tearing down?

But here in Ephesians 6,

we find that it's not just a don't do something.

Now, the one thing I find in Scripture

is God will tell you don't do something

and then he also tells you to do something

as a replacement for that.

You know what?

God never wants us to be empty.

He says, hey, replace this,

take this out and put this in.

You think about through the Scripture

in our life as a believer,

he tells us to put off things and put on things.

He tells us that if you get rid of this,

you need to put this in.

Because you know what the problem is?

There's not room for both.

Something has to go to put something else in.

In life, you don't get storage containers

to put things in.

Buy more, put it in storage.

God says it's all you have.

Something has to go to put something else.

And so we're going to see here this morning,

notice here in our passage here

back in Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

You know, I don't want you to be discouraged anymore.

I want you to be encouraged

in what God has

because notice what he says

at the end of verse 6.

He says,

but bring them up

in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

You know, dads,

we have a responsibility

to nurture our kids,

a responsibility to bring them up

in the Lord.

This is a framework that God gives us.

The framework is provided to us

in the Word of God.

We're to lead spiritually.

We're to prepare our kids for life.

You know, Jesus is even an example of this also.

You know, consider Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 2 and verse 52.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

The Bible says this,

and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature

and in favor with God and man.

What's it say?

He matured as a complete person.

Our objective as a parent

ought to see our kids grow up

to be complete people,

to love the Lord,

to understand who God is,

what God has done for them.

You know, in our example,

especially dads,

the priorities we place

will directly impact

the outcome of your children.

I want to let you know

whether you're at the grandpa stage

or the first time dad stage

or hoping to one day to be dad,

I'll give you a clue.

Those hoping to be dad

have a great advantage right now

because you know what?

You can look and understand

and you can prepare yourself

to be what you ought to be.

The problem with being grandpa,

sometimes you look back

and say,

I wish I would have.

And there's things you can't undo.

But I want you to understand,

I didn't tell you that to discourage you,

I'm telling you that

to give you understanding.

That's the reason

those other elements need to come in.

Because sometimes as a parent,

you need to ask for forgiveness.

That's part of training your kids too.

You know what's an important thing?

To have your kids understand that,

hey, how do you deal

when something's been wronged

or somebody's been wronged?

To model that is important.

That mental and physical relationship

both with God and with others

is important.

So what does it mean to nurture?

Nurtures provide that which feeds

or cultivates growth.

It involves what they consume.

You know,

we need to be careful

about what our kids consume.

Physically,

you know,

if we let your kids

eat too many sweets,

what happens?

It has a health impact.

But you know,

oftentimes where kids learn

to do that is from parents.

Now,

I'm preaching to myself,

I love sweets, man.

Ice cream is the greatest thing

ever invented.

If I had a choice

between ice cream and coffee,

I think ice cream might win.

But if it was coffee-flavored ice cream,

then it's just a double win.

But you know what?

You have to learn

that those things need,

there's certain things in life

need moderation.

And teaching your kids

that is important.

And as parents,

we're accountable

for what your kids ingest,

both from food,

but also from entertainment,

and also especially

their belief system.

Because part of our responsibility

of parents

is to equip our children

in understanding

who God is.

Because how are they

going to do their part?

Look back at verse 1

there in chapter 6.

It says,

Children,

what?

Obey your parents

in the Lord

for this is right.

Let me ask you a question.

How are the kids

supposed to know that?

And it's different

from memorizing the verse.

How are they supposed

to know what it means?

Then I'll ask you

the other part.

How do they know

how to do it?

Because we all know

you can know something

and not do something.

We need to be careful

of what we're teaching

our children.

This involves

both their physical well-being

and spiritual well-being.

How do they learn

by training?

And training involves

correction and guidance

and the responsibility

here is for fathers

along with the moms.

I want you to understand

this passage

isn't an exclusive

dad thing

because if dad

is the head of the home

and mom is subject

unto dad

in a biblical sense,

we're going to talk

about that coming up

because the Bible

talks about that relationship

and that's very important.

You know,

one of the problems

that you find in families

when mom says one thing

and dad says another.

You want to divide

and show partiality

in your family?

There you go,

right there.

As parents,

you better be on

the same team

for your sake

and your children's sake

because if you're not

on the same team,

you know,

it's amazing

how many people

separate after their

kids leave home.

You know why?

They became on

two different teams

instead of being

on the same team.

I'll give you a little clue

for married people.

I want you to understand

your kids are going

to leave home

and you're going

to have to live

with your spouse

by yourself again.

That ought to be

something you look

forward to

and not something

that you don't.

But oftentimes,

people look at one another

and they look,

who are you?

Because they weren't

on the same team.

To understand

the importance

of this

and make sure dads

of what mom

is doing

and sometimes

you need to get together

and get those things

ironed out.

But I want you

to understand

it's not a responsibility

just for mom

or for taking kids

just to Sunday school

to say,

hey, that's going

to take care

of everything.

No, dads,

it's your role.

It's your responsibility.

You know,

think about,

look at Abraham

who guided his family

in worship

and obedience

to God.

I want you to understand

when you look

at Abraham's life,

he wasn't perfect

in any way.

But as Abraham matured,

we see some things

that God says about him

that tells us

that Abraham

matured himself up

and passed some

mature things

on to his children.

Look over in

Genesis chapter 18.

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 18

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

and verse 19

tells us this,

and God says,

for I know him

that he will command

his children

and his household

after him

and they will keep

the way of the Lord

to do justice

and judgment

that the Lord

may bring upon Abraham

that which he has

spoken of him.

You know,

we need to incorporate

the things of the Lord

and the things of life

into our children.

You know,

consider what the Bible

tells us in

Deuteronomy chapter 6.

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

Deuteronomy chapter 6

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

and says this,

and these words

which I command thee

this day

shall be in thine heart.

Now,

that's an important direction

because you can't

give something

you don't possess.

We don't get to operate

like the government.

We don't get to just

get an endless check.

You can only give

to others

what you possess.

What is there?

And thou shalt teach them

diligently unto who?

Thy children.

Now,

notice how you

diligently teach.

Notice what it says.

And shalt talk of them

when thou sittest

in thine house

and when thou walkest

by the way

when they liest down

and when they risest up.

When does that happen?

When your kids

see you living life,

how do you respond

to others?

How do you walk

through difficult situations?

How do you make

right choices?

What choices

don't you make?

What choices

do you make?

How do you prioritize?

If two things are,

if there's nothing wrong

with two things,

what makes one

more important

than the other?

You teach your children.

You know,

one of the problems

I think we often have

as dads

and parents in general

is sometimes

our own pride

gets in the way

of us training

our children

because we're too proud

to say,

no, I need to make

this decision

and not that one.

Verse 8 tells us here,

thou shalt bind them

for a sign upon thine hand

and they shall be

as frontlets

between thine eyes.

You know,

something that ought

to be seen,

something that's shown.

You know,

there's an old saying

that says more things

are caught than taught.

Your kids pick up

mannerisms

and all sorts

of different things

from you.

You know,

they pick up a picture

of who God is

from their parents.

You know,

the reality is

sometimes they come

with a smile

on their face

on Sunday morning

and roast the preacher

on the way home.

You know what

that tells your kids?

It's presenting

a picture of them

of what are the things

of God,

what's the priority,

how to honor somebody,

how to do those things.

I'm not saying

you never have a problem

with the preacher

but you need to,

it's never them timing

and perspective things again.

It needs to be dealt

with the right way

instead of tearing down things.

But look also here

back in our text

in verse 4.

It says not only nurture

but admonition.

Admonishing.

Because nurturing

or training

involves more than

correction

and instruction

but also love

and patience

and understanding.

You know,

a father's role

cannot be overstated.

You know,

we need to teach them

by the choices

and the things

and the priorities.

How do we respond?

How do we show them

what maturity looks like?

A father's display

of love

and patience

towards his children

has a direct impact

in their confidence,

in their stability.

It has a direct impact

upon their life.

That practical daily skill

of understanding

how to walk through life

and it gives confidence

and stability

to the kids

when it's founded

on the word of God.

It provides them

with a picture also

of a heavenly father

that cares for them.

You know,

it's amazing

how many people

get a tainted view

of God

because they have

a tainted view

of fatherhood.

They think God

is just like their father.

Well,

I've got some good news

for you.

God's a lot better

than your dad.

God's a lot better

than the best dad

because even the best dad

is going to make

some mistakes,

do some things

they ought not to do,

but God never has

and never will.

He's the perfect father.

You think about

the picture

of the prodigal son

there in Luke 15.

It talks about

the father saw him

had compassion

and ran

and fell on his neck

and kissed his son

and we realize here

that the picture

is that of a heavenly father

who cares about you

that seeks reconciliation.

You know,

how one pictures their dad

influences their picture

of God.

You know,

if they see God

and their dad

as one that provokes

them to anger,

they'll see God's

instruction comparably.

They'll look at

the things of God

and say,

if my dad's like that

and God commands

all these things

then God must be

mean and cruel

and all the things

that people get a picture

that are counter

to who God really is.

You know,

the role that you have

as dad is essential.

You know,

I want to encourage you

because you know what?

The best thing is

is every day

is a new day

with the Lord.

I'm not saying

that one change

in your life

as a dad's going to

change everything

in your family,

but I guarantee

it's one step

getting in the right direction.

Because often

when we have problems,

I want you to understand

you didn't get there

overnight and you're not

going to solve a problem

overnight.

You know,

it's amazing how many

people think,

well,

this is 15 years

in the making,

I want it solved tomorrow.

No,

sometimes it might take

30 years to iron out

15 years of problem,

but you need to make

the investment

to say this is the direction,

this is what we're going

to do from here on.

I know where we were,

but I know where I want

to go

and make a difference,

a distinction

in our life.

You know,

I want you to consider

where you need improvement

even this week

as a dad.

You know,

where can you improve?

What things does God tell you

you need to change

a little bit

or deal with?

Don't be discouraged

in your role as dad.

I want to encourage you

to step up

and to follow

God's principles

that you might

bring them up

in the nourishment

and admonishment

of the Lord.

To bring them up

in the right things

because the greatest

legacy a father

can have

is a faith in Christ

and a love

for his family.

To understand

those things,

it starts with your

own relationship

with the Lord.

You know,

this morning,

I want to encourage you

to consider

where are you

with God?

It starts

with you

and God first.

You know,

have you trusted him

as your savior

because you cannot

lead your family

in faith

if you don't

first possess it.

If you're not willing

to obey it.

If you're not willing

to do it.

It's important

because God

set the stage

of what,

how he cares

for those

that are his.

When you consider

that he gave

his only begotten son

to save you.

He didn't do it

to provoke you

to anger

or to condemn you.

He did it

that you might

believe upon him.

You know,

consider a very famous

verse,

John 3, 16

and verse 7

he says,

for God so loved

the world

that he did what?

He gave his only

begotten son

that whosoever

believeth in him

should not perish

but have everlasting life.

For God sent

not his son

into the world

to do what?

Condemn the world

but that the world

through him

might be saved.

What God did

was to provoke us

unto love

and to good works.

To provoke us

unto him

that we might

know him

and understand

that he gives us

the guidance

we need

to be the dad

that we ought to be.

I want to encourage you

this week

to consider

those things.

Consider yourself

as a dad

whether you have

children yet or not.

You know what?

Your preparation

for being a father

starts

from your own father

raising you up

and preparing you

and the choices

you make

are important.

I wanted you

to consider this morning

what things

does Lord

speak to you

about today

in the decisions

and the things

and maybe you're here today

and not sure

about where you stand

with God

I encourage you

today would be the day

that you would get

started on the right footing

the best footing

the only footing

that gets you

to be the dad

that you ought

to be

and that's to know

Christ as your savior.

As heads are bowed

and eyes are closed

this morning

what about you today?

You know I know

we had a message

towards dad

but really it applies

to all of us

in our relationship

to God.

Maybe the Lord

spoke to you

about some things

or situations

or dynamics

in your life

and maybe you say

Lord

I need to do

some things different.

Maybe you need

to take some time

to seek God

and to look at God's word

get some counsel

okay how do I

walk through

these things?

How can I start

and change the direction?

Or how can I do

better continuing

in the direction

towards serving

the Lord?

Heavenly fathers

we come before you

this morning

Lord we just

thank you

and praise you.

Lord we're thankful

that even though

you tell us

things to be careful of

Lord you also

encourage us

to tell us

hey

you're giving us

those things

that we need

to do

and to accomplish

what you would

have for us

to do

as dads

here today.

And Lord

we just love you

and thank you

Lord praise

we have an opportunity

to respond

to your word

today

that your spirit

might stir

each heart

each life

to look at

ourselves

to say

where am I

with you

and Lord

where do I need

to be different

according to your word

and Lord

we ask these things

in Jesus name

as the piano plays

what about you?