A little boy, frightened by a thunderous lightning storm, called out one night, “Daddy, come. I’m scared.” “Son,” the father said, “God loves you, and He’ll take care of you.” “I know God loves me,” the boy replied, “but right now, I want somebody who has skin on.”
The father’s role is to be and demonstrate God with skin on.
Once, a little girl followed her father as he carefully stepped through their newly planted garden. She stepped precisely where he stepped while saying, “Daddy, if you don’t get mud on your feet, I won’t get any mud on mine!”
No matter where we go in Biblical history, the role of a godly father has proven to be essential. All the way back to Adam, his lack of leadership leads to sin and death, even in the case of his sons. David’s sin leads to incest, murder, and the death of Absalom (2 Samual 13, 18). The list continues with God writing, “He will restore the hearts of fathers to their children and hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:6; Numbers 32:14)
Fathers are essential to the development of children. They provide discipline (Hebrew 12:10), training (Ephesians 6:4), and direction (Genesis 18:18), and are also the primary providers for their families (Genesis 2:15; 3:14; Luke 11:11-13), to list a few. When they fear God, their homes are blessed (Psalm 112; 128), and when they lead their homes in wisdom, they establish it forever (Proverbs 24:3-5). Their reverence for God also leads to legacy; “Indeed, may you see your children’s children,” and it determines whether a city is peaceful or not (Psalm 128:6; Proverbs 3:2). They can keep the mud off the shoes and give God skin.
So let this Father’s Day serve to remind us men of our need to be the men God has called us to be. If ever there was a time in history that our children needed godly fathers, THE TIME IS NOW!!
HAPPY HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!