A Worthy Father
Posted: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
by John Waddey
firstcenturychristian
One of man's greatest privileges is that of being a father. However, with privileges comes responsibility. Most any man can be a father, but to be a worthy father a man must meet his responsibilities to the very best of his ability.
To be worthy, a man must accept the responsibility of any child he conceives. It is common to see young men who want the pleasure of sex but not the duties of fatherhood. When their female companion conceives a child, they pressure her to have an abortion. Such is a cowardly abandonment of duty. It is a sin against God, the woman and the child. "Do not sin against the child (Gen. 42:22). God hates hands that shed innocent blood (Prov. 6:17). If Cain was held responsible as his brother's keeper, surely a man is not guiltless who urges the death of his unborn child (Gen. 4:9-11). Sex outside of marriage is wrong on many counts. One of them being it allows a child to be conceived under circumstances that rob it of the love and protection of a happy home.
A worthy father is always a good example before his children. He recognizes the fact that a child learns most from what he sees and observes in his parents in their daily life. "Be thou an example" (I Tim. 4:12) in a obligation of parents as well as preachers. Moses instructed ancient Israel. "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations ask thy father and he will show thee; thine elders and they will tell thee (Deut. 32:7). The old adage, "I would rather see a sermon than hear one" expresses the point I make. A smoking father will not greatly impress his son when charging him not to use tobacco. A lazy father can never not command diligence into a child. Often I hear the remorseful cry of parents who cannot understand why their children went bad. They relate how they told them the right things, sent them to church and such. Usually the flaw was that they failed to demonstrate the importance of such in their own lives. Your child is saying, "Show me thy faith." Like James you should be able to say, "I by my works show thee my faith" (2:18).
No father is worthy who fails to discipline his child in a proper fashion. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him (Prov. 22:15). Withhold not correction from the child, for if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod and shall deliver his soul from Sheol" (Prov. 23:15). Certainly we must interpret this as the corrective rod of chastening and not of violence and brutality. Discipline is part of your child's basic education. "The rod and reproof give wisdom; but a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother" and father (Prov. 29:15). The father who neglects the discipline of his child does not truly love him. "He that spareth the rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Prov. 13:24). When the fathers of our flesh chasteneth us we give them reverence (Heb. 12:9). Fathers, do not deny your child the discipline he needs. You cannot leave this duty to mama, the school or church. If you fail you may well see the law have to discipline your child.
A good father will teach his child the dignity and importance of honest labor. We cheat our kids and hurt them when we fail to train them to be diligent workers. The Hebrews had a proverb, "He that does not teach his son a trade trains him to be a thief." God has ordained that man earn his bread in the sweat of his face (Gen. 3:17-19). Paul charges, "If any will not work, neither let him eat (II Thess. 3:10). It is a sad spectacle to see thousands of young adults in our society who are totally unprepared and unwilling to make their own way in life. A recent news report said that some 2 million American males are unemployed by choice. Our welfare state will fund such worthless leeches. We should never begrudge assisting those in hard circumstances beyond their control, but the lazy, irresponsible man should not be supported. This training must begin at home when children are small. Train them by letting them help their parents. Even though it may be quicker to do it yourself, the experience is invaluable. Make work fun, make it rewarding. Do not allow them to shirk duty and escape their work. You will be proud of them in years ahead.
A worthy father will be a Christian. No man reaches his full potential in life apart from God. While a sinner may be a fair father, he can never show his child the most important lesson of all until he follows Christ. "Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7). Your child needs to see that in you. Like Paul, you must say to your child, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ (I Cor. 11:1). Listen to this divine observation" "A righteous man that walketh in his integrity, blessed are his children after him" (Prov. 20:7). It is safe to say that one of America's greatest needs is a strong, Christian father in every family who will gladly accept his sacred duty to train up his child in the way he should go (Prov. 22:6).
What greater privilege is there than to join hands with the divine Creator of Life in bringing an immortal soul into the world and then to be entrusted with the responsibility of preparing that soul for an eternal existence with God. May every male who read these lines accept that privilege and responsibility to be a worthy father whose children will rise up and call him blessed!
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