{"id":90897,"date":"2021-06-17T21:32:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T01:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/a-godly-father\/"},"modified":"2023-10-08T00:02:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T04:02:08","slug":"a-godly-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/a-godly-father\/","title":{"rendered":"A Godly Father"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Proverbs\n17:6 \u2013 \u201cChildren’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children\nare their fathers.\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With every title we inherit comes a Biblical job\ndescription complete with God\u2019s blessing.  Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, God\ncommanded them to \u201cbe fruitful and multiply<\/strong>\u201d (Genesis 1:28<\/strong>). One God\u2019s purposes\nfor marriage was offspring who would fill the earth with God\u2019s praise and\nglory.  Here are ten characteristics of a\nGodly father:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A Godly father knows God. Many men want their\nchildren to have a relationship with God lack it themselves.  Children model what they see. If Dad does not\nconsider obedience to God important, why should they?  So, godly fatherhood begins within the heart\nof a man. He considers his own relationship with God the most important one in\nhis life and models that godliness for his children (Jude 1:20<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. A Godly father loves and honors his wife. It has\nbeen said that the best gift a father can give his children is to love their\nmother. When children grow up watching healthy, loving interactions between\ntheir parents, they naturally seek to imitate that in their own marriages. Even\nif a man is divorced or single, he can still model respectful behavior toward\nhis child\u2019s mother (Ephesians 5:25, 28<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. A Godly father accepts responsibility for his children\u2019s spiritual training. While providing financially for a family is an important responsibility for fathers (1 Timothy 5:8<\/strong>), it is not their only responsibility. While he may delegate much of the day-to-day teaching to his wife, a godly father still bears responsibility. He should pray with his children, talk about what the Bible teaches thereby encouraging Christian character and setting expectations of behavior for his children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. A Godly father is continually aware of his\ninfluence. \u201cDo what I say, not what I do\u201d has been the unfortunate attitude of\nmany fathers. Little eyes observe and learn from watching Dad\u2019s behavior,\nregardless of what he says he believes. Sons, in particular, need male role\nmodels to show them how to become men. As God leads dads (Psalm 32:8<\/strong>) so dads lead and\ninfluence their children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. A Godly father models selfless service. Much of Jesus\u2019 earthly life was given to serving others. As followers of Jesus, we are to imitate that service (Matthew 20:28<\/strong>). Godly fathers figure out ways to involve their little ones in that service. When children grow up watching Dad quietly serve the Lord without expectation of reward, they internalize those values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. A Godly father is consistent. Nothing confuses children more than inconsistency, either in discipline or example. Godly fathers are not overcome with anger, but practice forgiveness (Proverbs 10:12<\/strong>). If Dad says he is going to do something, do it. Children need to know what to expect from their fathers as well as how to live their own lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. A Godly father disciplines his children appropriately. Hebrews 12:9\u201310<\/strong> reminds us that earthly fathers discipline us for our own good and our heavenly Father does the same. Wise discipline helps children learn to control themselves and keeps them out of serious trouble (Proverbs 13:24<\/strong>; 18:19<\/strong>). Correct discipline is not abusive, vengeful, or sporadic. A child should know where the boundary lines are, and he should also know with absolute certainty what happens when he crosses those lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. A Godly father does not allow himself to be\ncontrolled by outside influences. Addictions, such as alcohol, drugs, or\npornography, often create a home environment marked by insecurity, fear, and\ndepression. Fathers who display addictive behaviors often teach their children\nto do the same. Godly fathers are controlled only by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18<\/strong>).\nChildren tend to adopt whatever gods their parents consistently worshiped;\nthus, alcohol and drug abuse is passed from generation to generation (see Exodus 20:4\u20135<\/strong>).\nHowever, children who watch their fathers run to Jesus with their problems can\nlearn to imitate that healthy behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. A Godly father is a man under authority. Due to his\nsinful nature, a man will fight to be his own boss. However, Jesus demonstrated\nthat He was a Man under the authority of His heavenly Father (John 5:19<\/strong>;\n12:49<\/strong>).\nHe readily gave credit to God for His successes and submitted Himself fully to\nthe will of God (John 8:29<\/strong>). A godly father will live as a man under God\u2019s\nauthority and that of God-given earthly institutions, such as employment,\nchurch, and government (1 Peter 2:18<\/strong>; Romans 13:1\u20132<\/strong>; Hebrews 13:17<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. A Godly father will lead. The world is in\ndesperate need of men who will lead wisely. Leadership is not domination or\ncontrol, but setting the pace for the family; on the lookout for dangers;\ntaking initiative to protect his family. He meets first with God (Psalm 32:8<\/strong>)\nso that the family has confidence that he is following the direction of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of a man\u2019s past or his own parentage, he\nhas the potential to be a godly father. \nIf he seeks the Lord with all his heart (Proverbs 3:5\u20136<\/strong>), strives to keep his\npriorities straight and lets love and humility define him, any Christian father\ncan become a man that his children are honored to call \u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men: what do your children call you?  Consistently putting God first, in the short\nand the long-term of life, impacts your children well beyond your own years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Proverbs 17:6 \u2013 \u201cChildren’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.\u201d With every title we inherit comes a Biblical job description complete with God\u2019s blessing.  Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, God commanded them to \u201cbe fruitful and multiply\u201d (Genesis 1:28). One God\u2019s purposes for marriage was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[532,526],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Godly Father - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Godly Father - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Proverbs 17:6 \u2013 \u201cChildren’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.\u201d With every title we inherit comes a Biblical job description complete with God\u2019s blessing.  Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, God commanded them to \u201cbe fruitful and multiply\u201d (Genesis 1:28). 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