Saturday, June 2, 2012

A GODLY FATHER

Be on guard.
Stand firm in the faith.
Be courageous. Be strong.
And do everything with love. 
Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT
~~~~~~

What does it take to be a Godly father? It certainly takes more than doing what comes naturally. The majority of fathers in the world are not worthy of emulation. Even in Christian circles, fathers have their failings. Though there are many “good fathers” after whom men can pattern their lives, none are perfect. There is only one father who is perfect – our Heavenly Father.    


Most of the world sees God as a distant, angry and, hard ruler. This false concept has been promoted by early artists, legalistic religious leaders, and the lifestyles of insecure angry fathers. But nothing could be farther from the truth.


In his first epistle John tells us that: God is love. Love is at the heart of God’s nature. All His attributes - holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy, faithfulness, etc. are all motivated by, and flow through His perfect love. The gospel of John quotes Jesus as saying: Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So when we look at Jesus as he is revealed in the gospels, we see the love of God in human form.


It goes without saying, to be a Godly father a man has to have a personal relationship with Christ, and be familiar with the scriptures so he will be able to live a Christ like life. A Godly father goes beyond just telling his children to live a Godly life. He strives to demonstrate how that life is lived.


My earthly father, like every other human father, wasn’t flawless. (As I write this, I am so aware of how I as a father haven’t measured up in the past and still come short today, but this must be our lifelong goal – to live a life patterned after our perfect Heavenly Father).


The love of our Heavenly Father is unconditional. Whether we bring Him joy or break His heart – His love for us is the same.  Even when He disciplines us it’s motivated by perfect love. Help us Father, to Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.  so we will be a more Godly example to our children. 

Turn up your sound and listen  to:  THE LOVE OF GOD by the Gaither Vocal Band.

If you would be interested in my life's story - click on THE STORY OF MY LIFE under Pages on the column to the right.

1 comment:

Mark Bowman said...

Thanks Iver for reminding me that God, my Father, has unconditional love as the basis for our relationship. In my role as an earthly father, if I can keep that as the foundation of my relationship with my children, then my faults, flaws, and failures can be openly confessed. A very wise friend has this principle for dealing with adult children, keep your arms wide open, your eyes half open, and your mouth shut.