Father's Day

Father of Many- Once again across many parts of the Western world, it was time to celebrate the blessing and privilege of Fathers and fatherhood. It can be a daunting task, this business of fatherhood. But as Christians, we can be confident that even with this great responsibility, GOD HELPS US.

What better example of fatherhood did God leave us in the bible than Abraham, the Father of faith in the Living God! A study of the life of Abraham leads me to 3 key instructions on fatherhood which, I believe, every father may need to remember.

They are:

1. Fatherhood is a call- Just like God called Abram1 (whose name means Father), so He is calling every male parent, legal guardian, or male mentor to this walk. You will need faith. You will need courage. You will need humility and be willing to make the sacrifices necessary. Fathers often have to initiate new directions, come up with fresh and relevant solutions to challenges that their forbears may never have faced. But with faith and determination, you can birth something new for your children's children and all your generation too. Recall that many are called, but few are chosen. Heed the call. Trust his call.
2.  Fatherhood is an honour- It is a great honour to become a Father; to have responsibility for originating, moulding, shaping, protecting, guiding and supervising the next generation. An honour is never one we assume, but something that is bestowed. No man takes the honour; God gives it. So treat it as such. Walk in it as such. Regardless of how the times, and the past may judge your efforts, you can choose today to honour this role as you have been honoured to have it. Honour it with integrity, discipline, hard work, and faith. Abraham declared to the king of Sodom, "With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich."2 And God honoured him too.
3. Fatherhood is a promise- After he had walked with God for a long time, God said to Abram, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations."3 I have made you...you will be. Many Fathers may identify with the feeling of inadequacy, as well as the pressure to perform, that comes from watching the world evolve around you. Perhaps it is diminished income, loss of confidence, relationship breakdown or increasing bills or debts. Some are driven into all sorts of endeavours to keep up, and to stay afloat. But if as believers, we recall that Fatherhood is a promise in Christ. And all the promises of God in Christ are yea and amen; then we would rest in his grace all the more. It's a promise. The work was finished. We are benefactors of that work of grace. I have made you a Father, and a Father you will be! Hallelujah! Now go out there and be the father He made you. 

Abba - I believe that every father and fatherhood is symbolic of the One True Father. We are a window through which our children, churches, communities, societies, and the world around us, should see the Heavenly Father. We are not the origin of Fatherhood; God is. Fathers are originators; they source and are expected to sustain. Well, no one does it better than the Good Father Himself- our Source and our sustainer. And He wants every earthly father and father figure to remember that. No matter how important we become, or how great our exploits; no matter how inadequate we feel or how far gone our times, God still wants us to look up to him and unto him. He wants our earnest cry to still be 'Abba, Father'!4 Even till our hairs turn grey and our eyes grow dim, He promises to carry us as his children5. And O what a blessing that is!

Happy Father's Day

Scriptural refs- 1)Gen12: 1;  2)Gen 14:22-23;  3)Gen 17:4-5;  4)Galatians 4:6;  5)Isaiah 46:4