This is a letter I found online that will be for us this morning a theme about Father’s day.
When my dad died in my ninth year, I, too, was raised by my mother, giving rise to the same question, "What do fathers do?" As far as I could observe, they brought around the car when it rained so everyone else could stay dry.
They always took the family pictures, which is why they were never in them. They carved turkeys on Thanksgiving, kept the car gassed up, weren't afraid to go into the basement, mowed the lawn, and tightened the clothesline to keep it from sagging.
It wasn't until my husband and I had children that I was able to observe firsthand what a father contributed to a child's life. What did he do to deserve his children's respect? He rarely fed them, did anything about their sagging diapers, wiped their noses or fannies, played ball, or bonded with them under the hoods of their cars.
What did he do?
He threw them higher than his head until they were weak from laughter. He cast the deciding vote on the puppy debate. He listened more than he talked. He let them make mistakes. He allowed them to fall from their first two-wheeler without having a heart attack. He read a newspaper while they were trying to parallel park a car for the first time in preparation for their driving test.
If I had to tell someone's son what a father really does that is important, it would be that he shows up for the job in good times and bad times. He's a man who is constantly being observed by his children. They learn from him how to handle adversity, anger, disappointment and success.
He won't laugh at their dreams no matter how impossible they might seem. He will dig out at 1 a.m. when one of his children runs out of gas. He will make unpopular decisions and stand by them. When he is wrong and makes a mistake, he will admit it. He sets the tone for how family members treat one another, members of the opposite sex and people who are different than they are. By example, he can instill a desire to give something back to the community when its needs are greater than theirs.
But mostly, a good father involves himself in his kids' lives. The more responsibility he has for a child, the harder it is to walk out of his life.
A father has the potential to be a powerful force in the life of a child. Grab it! Maybe you'll get a greeting card for your efforts. Maybe not. But it's steady work. [1]
I have been married now for almost 9 years. I have been in ministry for 15
years now. Over my life I have grown in the things of God because of people
living out this passage. The outline this morning is a mission statement for
all believers. It is a must for real men of God to seek to live out as an
example of what men are to be for their wife, children, relatives, friends,
co-workers, community, etc…The outline jumps out from the text to grab our
attention men. See God made us and he know how he wired our brains. Therefore,
he made this passage easy to follow when Paul wrote it. If I could get all
instructions like this I believe I would make far less mistakes. I would not
say dumb things that get me in trouble. As we seek the God this morning
celebrating Him as our heavenly Father may we learn what it means to be a
father. For those this morning that may be single this is what it means to be a
man. Ladies this is what you need to look for in a man. I ask that you apply
those conditions to this message this morning. 
In scripture we often
come across strong language or warnings that require our attention. The world
in which we live is a dangerous place and we need to be alert not only for
ourselves but for our family. I shared a few weeks ago that I am having my
first child. We are having a son. Like many of you, I too am scared to death
about how I will be as a father and a protector to my child. I look to the
scriptures for advice and guidance now more than every on how to be a real
father to my child. It is a passage like 1 Peter 5:8 that speaks to me and all
father’s to be alert, not just for our own spiritual well being, but for family,
friends, community, etc…. How can we be alert? How can we be on our guard
against the devil prowling around looking to devour us and our love ones? Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
We are to be men of prayer. Pray for our wife, children, co workers, leaders, etc… This is the first step in being alert. The second is like it we must live in a relationship with the Lord as an example to lead our families towards the great protector.
Psalm 25:21
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.
Men this morning are you living in a relationship with the Lord? Are you praying, seeking, and leading your family in the things of God? I say this because I already know that there will be a time when I will not be there to guide my wife and my family and they need to know how to live with integrity and holiness to have hope in the Lord to protect them from the devour that lurks in the world seeking to destroy our way of life.
Those men here this morning that are not married you need to get this right for this is how you do not repeat marriage again and again. You need to have a relationship with the Lord. You need to know how to pray and how to teach your family to pray. Single ladies you need to find a man that loves the Lord and seeks His kingdom first. For this kind of man, will protect you, he will be alert for those things that will destroy true love. You are looking for a man of integrity and uprightness for that will protect Him from the snares of this world.
Many fathers are the one
who make the tough decisions for our family. It is from these tough decisions
that we ourselves grow. But we do not make these decisions alone. We may
remember our fathers and grandfathers before us or our mothers who raised us
absent of a real man. Either way we need to learn how to make decisions based
on the needs of our family. I am not talking about just the financial needs,
career opportunities, investments, etc.. I am talking about how will you stand
firm in the faith? Will you be a leader for your family by taking them to
church? Will you teach them to hold to the scriptures as just a book of good
moral conduct or will you teach them that this book is God’s inerrant
infallible words of instructions on how to live in relationship with Him. See
it is one thing to make a decision it is another to live out that decision.
Which way do you guide your family? Single men you need to learn to be confident in your faith. It is not just for Sunday. It is to be lived out as a badge of courage that you are a man of Godly character.
Single ladies, Let me ask you this morning are you looking for a man that does not know who he is as a person, is not confident in himself as a man? Does that sound attractive to you? We have a lot of boys in the world that call themselves men because they think that to be a man is to sleep around. But I will tell you this morning that no real lady desires a man who cannot stand firm to being committed to her.
If you are going to stand firm you must do so by standing firm to the things God has taught you. The character things your father and grandfathers taught you. Last you must stand firm to your commitments you have made to those around you. This is what makes a man.
Show I want to ask the ladies here this morning how should real men act?
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
To be strong you must understand that it is the experiences in your life that help to make you a father. You will not become strong by not getting out into the world a learning from your mistakes and successes. The passage tells us that He will perfect, confirm, and strengthen and establish you. So what do we have to do to receive this? Be strong in our faith? Be strong as a spiritual leader in our family. Be strong as a husband. Be strong when we discipline our children. Be strong when the world attacks your faith. For when you do you will be perfect, confirmed, strengthen and establish as a father to you children and husband to your wife.
I close with this thought. A father is a real man of faith when he learns to place all of his needs aside and be there for his family. Be there to guide his family, Be there to teach, correct, instill, encourage, provide, protect, pray over, spiritual lead, and to worship the real heavenly father. For this is a father and I am thankful that God is calling me and giving me the chance to be one.
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