Greenpastures313’s Weblog

Scripture tells who God is. It is a revelation of God and his Son Jesus Christ. Of all the analogies used to convey God’s image to us, Father seems to be most prominent. Father: this is what God does, this is who God is.

Scripture assigns much importance to the role of fathers and mothers. It is interesting to note the proper names found in the Bible in which “father” is found in their translation. For example, Barabbas means “son of a father,” Antipas means “like the father,” Cleopas means “of a renowned father,” and Sopater means “savior of his father.”

The Bible speaks of God as the father of the stars and heavenly luminaries because he is their creator. He is the father of all rational beings, angels and men. God is the father of Christians. he is the father of Jesus Christ. That one word, “father,” is broad enough in scope to include every facet of God’s personality. He is provider, protector, defender, savior, encourager, instructor, corrector, model, shaper.

Since God is Father, and the essence of God’s identity is contained in his fatherhood, it follows that being Godlike is successfully attained, at least in part, through being a good father, having the same godly characteristics and attitudes as fathers that God the Father possesses. What are some of those characteristics?

A good father is compassionate. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” (Psalm 103.13). Compassion stems from remembering what life was like for you when you were growing up. Compassion begets tolerance, patience, long-suffering, mercy. Compassion is feeling what your children feel, hurting when they hurt (and more so), and responding to those feelings and hurts with tenderness and understanding.

A good father has his priorities in the right order. The prophet says that when “Elijah,” the forerunner of Christ, would come he would “turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers.” (Malachi 4.5,6). Fathers sometimes turn their heart toward things that are less important than their families. Good fathers focus on their family’s spiritual and physical wellness.

A good father encourages and exhorts. The apostle Paul wrote, “As you know, we dealt with each of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2.11,12). Urging, encouraging, and pleading . . . that you live a life worthy of God. We need to urge our families, not browbeat, pressure, manipulate, but definitely urge them to live for Jesus. Some things that every good father will do to encourage his children are:
Talk to your children a lot.
Say “I love you” several times a day.
Do things your children want to do.
Give and receive hugs frequently.
Ask your children about their day.
Tell your children how good they are.
Never let a promise be broken that you could have kept.
Say “good morning” every day and do so with enthusiasm.
Sing your children’s favorite songs to them often.
Applaud your children for doing something well.
Say please and thank you.
Pray with your children and so teach your children to pray.
Laugh with your children, not at them.
Tell them that Jesus loves them.
Sit in the floor with your children and put something together or build something.
Hold them.
Let them help you, even though it means the task at hand may take twice as long
to complete.
Ask God to help you be a good daddy.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have had a good father. If that is the case for you, that doesn’t mean that you cannot be a good father. Let God be your role model, your greatest example of who a father is and what a father does.