Wednesday, June 19, 2013

21 Qualities Every Family Needs to See in a Dad

I preached the following as a Father's Day Message this past Sunday.  I modified some notes from Danny Akin and added to it!


1.         One who is saved and seeking a daily walk with God (Gen. 5:24; 6:9).

             It creates in the family a hunger for God.

2.         One who prays for and with his children (1 Cor. 11:3; Col. 3:18-21; James 4:1-3, 5:16).

It teaches children respect for authority; it teaches sons how to be godly leaders as husbands and daughters godly followers as wives.  It will teach the family to trust in and depend on God to meet their needs.

Don’t ever be afraid of what your children pray.  Just teach them that God does not always answer the way we want, but He does answer.  If you really want to keep your kids on your team, you must teach them to pray.  I want to stress the importance of praying with your children, starting when they are young, but if they are older, start today.  It is never too late to start.  – Charles Stanley, How to Keep Your Kids on Your Team

3.         One who teaches his children to have their own quiet time.

If you have set the example and have had times of family prayer together and your children have grown accustomed to God’s answering prayer, it will be natural for them to set aside some time alone to talk to God and to read His Word.  – Charles Stanley

4.         One who honors the Bible as God’s Word in attitude and action.(Ps. 119, James 1:22-25).

It will build respect for God’s Word, and it will also build respect in the children for a dad who reads, studies, and obeys God’s Word.  It will encourage family members, especially the children, to form their own biblical commitments and live by them.

5.         One who leads in participating with other believers and the church  (He. 10:24-25).

6.         One who loves unconditionally (1 Cor. 13). It builds acceptance and a sense of self-worth.

7.         One who loves mother and shows it (Eph. 5: 25-33).It builds security in the life of the family.

8.         One who disciplines in love (Eph. 6:4, Heb. 12:5-13).

It builds a sound relationship with the children for future responsibilities and relationships. Correction belongs ultimately to the father rather than the mother!

9.         One who is the cheerleader and encourager for the family, and controls his tongue (Jm

             3:1-12; Col. 3:21).  It builds a deep sense of belonging, worth, and trust.

10 .      One who leads the way in a servant spirit (Matt. 20:26-28; Jm. 2:14-17). It builds a family

             attitude of humility and willingness to serve others just like dad.

11.       One who confesses his failures and is willing to say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong” (James

             5:16).  It creates openness and respect by the children towards dad.

12.       One who has a forgiving spirit (Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:13).

             It creates the security of genuine love and needed assurance for your children.

13.       One who expresses gratitude and appreciation to God and others (Col. 3:15).

             It builds an attitude of gratitude in the family, and fosters joy and thankfulness.

14.       One who listens attentively and shows affection – verbally and physically (James 1:19-

             21). The family gains a sense of personal value and importance.

15.       One who keeps his word (Num. 30:2, Prov. 6:16-19).

             It builds faithfulness, truthfulness, and responsibility in the children.

16.       One who cares about the spiritual needs of others (1 Thess. 2:8; Col. 2:1-3).

             It will teach the family to care about investing God’s Word into the souls of people.

17.       One who works hard and provides for his family (1 Tim. 5:8).

             It models for them the value of responsibility.

18.       One who is spirit-filled and seeking to be like Jesus (Rom. 8:28-30, Gal. 5:22-23, Eph.

5:18). It will give the family a visible example of a godly, Christ-like individual. For that example to be the husband/father would be most pleasing to our Lord and Savior.

19.       One who seeks to develop both his wife and his children into their full potential (Pr.

             22:6).  It will help those arrows to fly and make your family productive and fruit-bearing.

A woman’s relationship with her father,  more than any other relationship, is going to affect her relationships with all other males in her life.  – Kevin Leman

20.       One who plans fun activities for his family and plays with them (Eccl. 3:1-12).

             It bonds the family in spirit and memories for years to come.

21.       One who teaches his family what it means to be a man (Prov. 1:8; 3:11-12).

Hang-loose fatherhood, no matter how loving, it not an acceptable answer for today’s young men.  They need something more to keep them from losing their way.  Sons are looking for the substance of life.  They are looking for the best things.  In the absence of these anchors, sons drift.  But when loving dads add these into the manhood mix, their sons flourish.  They become noble men, gentle men, men of valor, principled men, knights.             – Robert Lewis

 
Definition of manhood


·         A real man rejects passivity.
·         A real man accepts responsibility.
·         A real man leads courageously.
·         A real man expects the greater reward.

-          Robert Lewis in Raising a Modern-Day Knight

All over this country little children are reaching for fathers who aren’t there. I want to evangelize as many people as possible, but my number one job is to evangelize my children. If America is going to survive, it will be because husbands and fathers begin to put their families at the highest level of priorities and reserve something of their time, effort, and energy for leadership within their own homes.    - Dr. James Dobson

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