The God-Given Task To Fathers

by Bro. Charlie Heath
06/18/2023

Deuteronomy 6:2 - “That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.”

One of the greatest gifts the Lord can provide us is a godly father. I was blessed not only with a father who loved the Lord but also with two godly grandfathers.

I was the kid who was raised on “drugs” as a child. Let me clarify, I am not speaking about street drugs. I am talking about being “drug” to church anytime the doors were open, sometimes even when they were not. However, being a godly father and grandfather is much more than dragging your kid to church.

One thing that stood out about those men in my life was that their Christianity continued past the church doors. All three had and still have a real relationship with the Lord. What is unique about these three men is they all had different backgrounds and livelihoods. My mom’s dad was a pastor, my dad’s dad was a diesel mechanic, and my dad is an electrician. Even with their different occupations, one thing was shared: they served the Lord with all their heart.

Because they decided to give their lives to the Lord, they taught me how to as well. No Bible College training could ever accomplish what these three men did in my life. I could never express how thankful I am to the three men God placed in my life for teaching me how to be a Christian man and a Christian father to my children.

The Christian life is much bigger than attending a church service or two. Passing on the truth of the gospel to our children requires much more than partaking in rituals and traditions. The Christian life is lived the loudest in the home. In Deuteronomy 6:2, we see a pattern that we must follow—fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments, from the grandfather to the son, to the grandson. What is unique about this is that the Lord did not give this responsibility to the mothers of the home; He gave it directly to Moses and, therefore, to all the men of Israel. That these men, and all Christian men would take seriously the task of raising their sons and daughters to serve the Lord, and that those children would pass it along to theirs.

Maybe you did not grow up with a godly father or grandfather. Perhaps you are a “first-generation Christian.” You start the process of what Deuteronomy 6:2 lays out. You can begin right now training your children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

To those who did have this wonderful gift of a godly father/grandfather, you now have the duty of ensuring that your kids have the same. What will your children and grandchildren say when you are gone? Will they be able to say, “He loved the Lord with all of his heart, and he taught me how to love and serve the Lord as well?”

Fathers, you have a task given by the Lord... Do it well by His grace.

Recent

Archive

 2023

Categories

Tags

1 Chronicles 21 1 Chronicles 4 1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 1 1 John 1 1 John 2 1 John 3 1 Kings 11 1 Kings 17 1 Kings 19 1 Samuel 18 1 Samuel 3 1 Thessalonians 4 1 Timothy 4 2 Chronicles 18 2 Chronicles 20 2 Chronicles 2 2 Chronicles 34 2 Corinthians 12 2 Corinthians 13 2 Corinthians 4 2 Corinthians 7 2 Kings 5 2 Kings 6 2 Samuel 24 2 Timothy 1 2 Timothy 2 2 Timothy 3 2 Timothy 4 2 corinthians 5 Abel Acts 11 Acts 17 Acts 3 Arise Author Banner Battle Bearing Belief Bible Blessing Burdens Burn-out Chaos Choices Christian Christ Church Colossians 1 Colossians 3 Come Consequence Continue Courage Creation Cross Darkness David Day Decisions Deurteronomy 3 Deuteronomy 11 Deuteronomy 28 Deuteronomy 31 Deuteronomy 6 Difference Dine Divine Ecclesiastes 1 Elijah Ending Enoch Ephesians 2 Ephesians 3 Ephesians 4 Ephesians 5 Ephesians 6 Examine Exodus 3 Exodus 4 Ezekiel 11 Ezekiel 33 Ezekiel 3 Ezekiel 8 Ezra 7 Ezra 8 Fathers Father Fear Finisher Flag Free Fruit of the Spirit Fulfilled Future Galatians 1 Galatians 6 Genesis 17 Genesis 1 Genesis 25 Genesis 37 Genesis 39 Genesis 3 Genesis 40 Genesis 50 Gift Glory God's Word God's will God\'s Word God\'s will God Gospel Go Grace Guide Habakkuk 3 Habit Hard Hebrews 10 Hebrews 11 Hebrews 12 Hebrews 5 Hebrews 7 Hebrews Help Holy Spirit Impossible Infinite Isaiah 26 Isaiah 37 Isaiah 43 Isaiah 55 James 3 James 4 James 5 Jeremiah 10 Jesus Job 29 Job 3 John 12 John 13 John 15 John 19 John 20 John 21 John 3 John 4 John 6 John 7 John 8 Joseph Joshua 1 Journey Jude 21 Jude 22 Judges 6 Judges King Leadership Leads Looking Lord Luke 15 Luke 19 Luke 1 Luke 2 Luke 6 Luke 9 Man Mark 16 Mark 1 Mark 9 Matthew 11 Matthew 14 Matthew 18 Matthew 4 Matthew 6 Matthew 9 Message Mind Mother Mouth Noah Now Numbers 35 Opinions Opportunity Past Pattern Peter Philemon 1 Philippians 1 Philippians 3 Philippians 4 Possible Prayer Preach Prepare Preservation Priest Productive Prophecy Proverbs 11 Proverbs 14 Proverbs 17 Proverbs 25 Proverbs 27 Proverbs 2 Proverbs 3 Proverbs 4 Psalm 101 Psalm 105 Psalm 12 Psalm 139 Psalm 16 Psalm 32 Psalm 34 Psalm 37 Psalm 42 Psalm 48 Psalm 50 Psalm 51 Psalm 55 Psalm 5 Psalm 95 Psalm Purity Reading Refuge Rest Return Revelation 1 Romans 13 Romans 5 Romans 6 Romans 7 Ruth 1 Ruth 2 Salvation Savior Scripture Shine Sinner Solomon Song of Solomon 2 Sovereign Spiritual Spirit Story Strength Struggles Study Temptation Threat Transformation Travel Trinity Void Walk Wilderness Will Wisdom Witness Word of God Word ability able accomplished accountable action active act afflictions age all alone amazement anticipation anxiety anxious apart armory army arrested assurance attendance attendence attention attitude backslider barnabas beauty behavior believers believe belong blasphemous blessed blessings body book boy bread bretheren called calm carnal cast challenge change character cheerfully children choice circumstances cleanse clean close colossians 1 comfort coming commandments command community comparison compassion complete conduct conflict conquered consequences contentment control conversation convictions correction counsel countenance critic crucifixion crumbs daily life death decrease deliverance dependence depression desire destruction devotions devotion difficulties direction direct discipline discouragement distance doctrine doing draw nigh dwell eat edification empower encouraged encouragement enemy enough eternal everything exaltation example excitement excuses exhortation existence experience faint faithfulness faithful faith false worship family favor feast fellowship fight fire first flame focus fog follow foolishness fool forget forgiveness forgivess forgive forward freedom fret friend fulfillment fullness fulness glorify goal godly goodness grandfather growth grow guards guidance hands hardened harvest healthy heart hear heaven hide history homes home honesty hope humility hunger hungry hurting hurt hypocrisy illumination important increase ineffective infection influence insight inspiration instruction instuments intercession invitation involved inward isolation job joy judgement kindness knowledge labor labourers labour laughter leader leading learning lifestyle life light limitations liquor listen live lost love luxury lying mark meaning meat mediator meditation mercy midst milk minds ministry mission mistakes mist moment morning motivation mountain moving need nourishment obedience obedient obey offering old others overcome overseer pain parents participation passion path patience peace people personal perspective persuaded plan pleased please positivity potential power praise preaching preeminence preparation presence pressure pride priesthood priorities prisoner prison private problem prodigal profitable promise promis promotion protection provide provision proximity pure purpose pursuit rapture reach ready reality real reason rebuke receive redemption refine rejection rejoice relationship relax renewed renew repentance request resident resist responsibility restored restore righteous room ruler safe sanctified satisfaction satisfy say schedule scraps seat seek selfish self separation sermon servant serve service share shield shout sickness sincerity sin slavery soldier somebody son sorrow soul-winning soul speaking speak spirit filled spouse spritirual standard steps stewardship steward storm stress struggle submission success suffering sufficient supplication supply supreme surrendered sustinance task taste teaching team temple testimony test thankful thirst thoughts time timing tomorrow tongue treasures trials trial troubles trouble trumpet trust truth turn twinkling unaware ungodliness urgency valley value vessels victory warfare warning watchful ways way weakness wealth weary wise with us words work world worry worship yield yoke youth