A Devotional for Fathers

Yesterday, we celebrated Father's Day, and although it comes once a year, the calling of God to fathers comes every morning. And for this morning, I wanted to share a few thoughts for the benefit of godly fathers and those who need a reminder of what God excpects. We're not talking about some sentimental occasison that's forgotten the next day, but a vocation that's rooted in the Word of God, shaped by the covenant of grace, and carried out in the daily work of leading a household toward Christ. When you look at our society, and you see the loathsome evil at work, in/through the lives of an entire generation of people who glorify sin - look for the influence, or lack thereof, of fathers. The sheer percentages of fatherless homes, divorce due to adultery, and fathers who are more concerned with being liked rahter than leading is staggering. Fatherhood, if done right, will have the constant presence of leading their families with the Word of God. Men, you have the same 24 hours each day that all men have. Of those 24 hours, how much time do you pray for your family, study God's Word, or even have general discussions about the Lord Jesus Christ and His calling on our lives? How's that time compare with your work, watching tv, playing golf, hunting, hobbies, etc.? The bible reminds us that "where your treausure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). If, in answering that question, Brethren, you realize that you've failed in this area, then rejoice that God, the Holy Spirit, has convicted your heart about it! It is, Brethren, because He loves you! And with that love, He will do as Jesus promised - "lead you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:13-14). What, I believe, the Holy Spirit has led me to share with you on fatherhood is this . . . The need of the hour is for a revival among fathers to faithfully, and in the fear and admonition of the Lord, point their wives and children to Christ, in direct oppostion to a wicked generation! We don't need a celebrity or good ole boy network of 'preachers' to hold an event for that. What we need is for fathers to answer the call of the Holy Spirit to humble themsevles, to repent of sin, and to pray. We need for fathers to open the Word of God, share it with their families, and obey Christ in the face of a rebellious generation - even among many professing churches who have clealrly abandoned Christ and His Word. As the song rightly reminds us, men, "trust and obey, there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!" That trust and obedience, in light of God's Word, requires fathers to lead their families. So men, if you're not following Jesus, how can you ask your families to follow you?

Before you answer that question, dear Brothers in Christ, I hope to help you with what I'd suggest follows the life of faithful fathers. With that, there are basically (4) key aspects of a godly father's lifecove that I'd point you to: covenant headship, instruction in godliness, standing firm in a wicked generation, and the Gospel which holds all others together . . .

(1) Covenant Headship | Spiritual Shepherd

The Word of God teaches us that our relatioship to God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, is covenantal at its core. The greatest covenant is the Covenant of Grace which was made between the Father and Son. The Lord Jesus; therefore, as the second Adam, yet without sin, held the promise of salvation for all those "chosen in Him before the foundation of the world." (Ephesians 1:4). That promised covenant, in working itself out by the sovereign grace of God throughout time from the fall to this very second, continues to be fulfilled with every sinner that's saved and brought into the family of God, known also as the kingdom of God, and represented by all who are part of "the Body of Christ," which is His church, His sheep, His redeemed people - His "family." (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). As our Great Shepherd, and we His sheep, we hear his voice and follow Him. Like Jesus, godly fathers are to give a voice to their families that leads them to the "green pastures and still waters," of God's Word while always beating off the wolves! The shepherd's staff that we hold is the Word of God which is "alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intenets of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). Our covenant with God is through Christ and a father's covenant with Christ includes leading his family - God's way. Within that covenantal frame, that larger example and witness to God's design, the human father stands as the spiritual head of his home, charged by God to love and care for his wife and to bring up his children in the knowledge and fear of the Lord (Ephesians 5:23; 6:4). This duty falls uniquely to fathers, and so, I'd testify to every father who claims the name of Christ that you, sir, are called to be the priest of your home. You, not your wife or anyone else, are responsible for the spiritual well-being of your family.

When I refer to the husband as a "priest of his home," I'm saying that he has a God-given responsibility to lead his family in "the faith once delivered unto the saints" while "exposing the unfruitful works of darkness" that are constantly competing for the attention of our loved one's hearts and minds! (Jude 1:3; Ephesians 5:11). Men, God expects you to be your wife and children's chief example in the faith.

How are you doing men? Your conduct towards your wife and children should be such that you guide them in the fear of the Lord, correcting them, in love, when they go astray, and rejoice with them in their salvation and walk with Christ, always encourging them to be "salt and light" while being ready to share the good news of the Gospel with all people (Ephesians 6:4). And yet, we know that not every home is structured this way. Death, divorce, and serious illness can leave many mothers carrying the spiritual weight alone. But wherever a father’s leadership is absent, the church, the extended family, and the broader NT covenant community are charged to come alongside widows and help. Godly elders who lead any local church are first called to stand in the gap where there is a lack of a father and husband, along with any/all godly men in that congregation, with the support of their wives and children in covenant love and mercy.

For the father who is present, the apostle Paul’s admonitions speak specifically to the governing responsibility of the home: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruit of the Spirit, and they are owed first to his wife and children. Brothers in Christ, as a father, your love is to reach far beyond a paycheck. You are your home’s primary catechist, charged with teaching the doctrines of the faith inside the walls of his home. That responsbility is not your pastors', and certainly not some so-called "youth-pastor." That responsbility is first yours. And so, the message is clear: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” and "love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her" (Ephesians 6:4; 5:25).

(2) Instruction in Godliness

My desire, as a father myself, has always been to lead my familynot in a way that says, "I'm the husband and father, just do what I say," but to live in a way that inspires them to follow. Paul said of himself, "be ye followers of me as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Men, could you give the same admonition to your family . . . based on your life? That's a sobering question because it asks, "do you live so close to God that you could, like Paul, not brag, but say, follow me the way that I follow Christ?" Is your personal life's example one that you could point to for your family to emulate? Would your life be inspiring or embarrassing to your family? Is your life godly or worldly?

Men, how would you answer the questions from your family: "what really is our family's purpose? Why are we here? What's most important when it comes our lives individually and as a family?" I'd suggest your answer should be similar to this: "To fear God, glorify Him, love Him, keep His commandments, and enjoy the fellowship with Him and His people, the family of God" (Ecclesiastes 12:13; 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 73:25-26). Or, in a word, "godliness."

A godly father, especially when it comes to his children, teaches them these truths, and he embodies them. He lives a life of faith and repentance in front of his children. As Solomon reminds us: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) (3) Stand Firm in a Wicked Generation

This wicked generation is openly hostile to Christ. Even among apostate churches, there is an open hatred for the truth of God's Word, no less evil that what we see in education, politics, the media, and the culture. Demonic ideologies press in from every side, and rather than repent, this generation actually celebrates what Scripture forbids by calling "evil good and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). Any form of biblical conviction is treated as a threat, mocked, and held in contempt by the wicked who have "exchanged the truth of God for lies" and the result is an epidemic of fatherless homes, profane feminists, and children who are woefully disrespectful to elders. (Romans 1:25) Fathers, more than ever before, must rise up to equip their children to live faithfully in the face of a generation that thinks it's free when, in reality, they are in bondage to sin and the "snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:26). Fathers must build up their families to strengthen their conscience and resolve to acknowledge, even in the face of persecution, that God alone is the Lord of their life. Fathers must stand firm by reminding their families that the Word of God is the ultimate standard of truth, not the opinions of the culture. Children must be grounded in Scripture and trained to hold their convictions, even when holding them costs something. That conviction grows stronger by the constant watering of the Word, as you would water a freshly planted oak that, over time, extends its roots deeper and becomes stronger through ordinary conversation, catechism, examples and prayer. I wrote down something I once heard the late Dr. RC Sproul say about fathers, and it's simple but strong: "The father has a crucial role of leadership in the home. God holds him responsible for the spiritual nurture and instruction of his children. This is not to say that the mother has no role in the teaching of children, but ultimately, God calls the father to be the spiritual leader in the family."

Brothers in Christ, if you're a father, then you must make your home a place where the Word of God is central, marked by family worship, real conversation about faith and life, and hard questions taken seriously rather than avoided or passed off to the pastor. Your children, if led in this way, in response to your faithfulness to God, will be in a stronger position to go out into the world as ambassadors of Christ. As Paul exhorts: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). It's not about your strength, but about trusting in God's strength. (4) The Heart of Fatherhood - The Gospel

At the center of a father’s calling is the Gospel - the Good News that the Lord Jesus' atoning work reconciles sinners to God. Fathers, every other duty hangs onon this one so, stand by faith on the Gospel by delcaring it to your family! A Gospel-led father teaches his wife and children the truth of salvation, and he extends grace to his wife and children because grace has been extended to him. The Gospel even changes how a father handles his own failures. When a father sins against his wife or his children, he humbles himself and asks forgiveness. Doing so repairs what’s broken, and it puts the Gospel on display in the home by testifying that forgiveness is real (and it is!), and grace covers all sin (and it does!). This is why the Good News is so "good!" In Jesus, never forget that"we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Before the WWJD slogan took hold, before I ever head of it or saw the braclets, my own father taught me that wherever I was at, whomever I was with, and whatever I did, God was present, seeing and hearing all things. As a rule, he suggested I always ask myself if I would do or say certain things if Jesus was present, and while that wise counsel was biblical, it was not a fail-proof method for a heart that was devoid of faith. I, like many prodigal sons, dismissed that rule in exchange for a riotous life until God, in His mercy, saved me. But . . . God used my own father's lessons, through memories, and the Holy Spirit, to bring conviction of sin to my heart and mind, which led to my own repentance and faith in Christ. Therefore, fathers listen: your words may not always be heeded, but if those words are rooted in Christ and God's Word, they are never in vain! Trust God's Word, and as the Lord reminds us through the prophet Isaiah, "so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55;11). Stand firm on this promise! The father's calling

A father's calling is a tremendous responsibilty!

Men, unlesss you decrease, that Christ may increase, you'll not be able to fufill your true calling in this life as a father. Fatherhood, if done right, if done by faith in Christ, is a self-denied life that's rooted in joyful service and covenant responsibility. As fathers grow in sanctification, daily seeking conformity to Christ through prayer, the Word, and the Holy Spirit’s work in their own lives, they can successfully lead their families in the lifelong pursuit of holiness that marks every Christian father's life. That kind of father is found nowhere else in the world than in the lives of men who have truly been born again.

Brothers in Christ, my prayer for you all is that as you aspire to this blessed calling, and as you receive it by faith with humility, that you perservere in hope, trusting in God, and that you're able to rejoice with your family as you walk together in the path of righteousness for His namesake all the days of your life - in preparation for the life to come. Amen.