"To get his good-night kiss he stood beside my chair one night,
And raised an eager face to me, a face with love alight.
As I gathered in my arms the son God gave to me,
I thanked the lad for being good, & hoped he’d always be.
His little arms crept around my neck, & then I heard him say,
Four simple words I shan’t forget, four words that made me pray.
They turned a mirror on my soul, on secrets no one knew.
They startled me. I hear them yet. He said, ‘I’ll be like you.’"

Fatherhood has changed a lot over the years. I heard about a father being asked who was in charge at his home. He answered, "Well, my wife bosses the children. My children boss the dog & cat, & I can say anything I want to the geraniums."

Matthew 10:24-39

 

          Mothers are wonderful people.  I believe that everyone should have a mother!  However, if we do not have an effective father in our lives – or a “dad” if you please – we will always have problems with our self image!  God designed us to have two parents.

 

We understand that God, our Heavenly Father is the ultimate father.  He is always available and we can always confide in Him.  However, many people, including Christians, do not always understand that.  Fortunately, God has a backup plan where the earthly father fails.

 

            That plan is godly men – whether they are a relative, such as an older brother, an uncle, or any other relative. It can also be a school teacher, pastor, or Sunday school teacher.

 

Basically we live in a “disposable society” today. New cars come with built in obsolescence. Furniture and clothes go out of style quickly. Children’s toys only last a short time.  But people can never be “disposable.” Every one of us has a role to play in this society.  Unfortunately we have lost sight of this in many areas of our society.

Recently I met a man that said, “When you are dead, you are dead – just like a cow.” I mentioned that last week and someone in this church laughed and said, “He doesn’t know much about cows, does he?”

 

            God sees each person so valuable that Jesus died for their sin. God wants to spend eternity with you, no matter what terrible things you may have done! Thank God for that!

 

Many people squander their lives on things and money, and then when they get older they spend their money trying to regain their health – or trying to build a relationship with their family members.  Some time ago I worked with a man that was abusive to his wife and children.  As he lay on his death bed, we contacted his family so they could be with him and he would not have to die without his family.  They ignored our plea – “Oh,” they said, “We will be there Saturday… that’s soon enough.”  Fortunately, they made it – but it was their attitude that hurt. He had abused them so much that they really did not care!

 

Jesus asked, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

 

How important are “things?” Revelation 21:1 states, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” What happens to the first heaven and the first earth? They will be destroyed by fire! But the Christian – the child of God – will live forever and ever!

 

Now, of the world, we know that it will not last. According to Him who made the world (and surely He ought to know) "... the day will come ... in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."   (2 Peter 3:10)

 

We didn’t know the value of a soul. But God knew it, and out of sheer grace He paid the price. What price? Silver and gold? The whole world? "No," says Peter, "... ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ.…" (1 Peter 18, 19)

 

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  It demands that we care for our souls just as earnestly as we do our bodies.

 

Therefore, in parenting our children – whether they are in their early childhood or in their 60’s – we should be always mindful of their spiritual needs!

 

Dads, although we generally stick our wives with this responsibility, in reality God will hold each of us responsible! We are to be the spiritual head of the house!

 

First, let your children know you love them!

 

In Ramsey County, Minnesota, ninth- and tenth-graders were interviewed recently about their dads. They were asked this question, “what comes to mind when you think of the word ‘dad’?” Answers came immediately from both ends of the spectrum. One end of the spectrum said, “I think of the word ‘jerk’.” Others thought of the words angry, mad, and absent.

On the other hand, some of the young people said, “I think of wholeness, kindness, security, safety.” Dad is an immensely powerful word.

n      Roger Thompson, “Becoming a Man,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 140.