Godly Fathers

Ephesians 6:4 – “And, ye fathers, … bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Charles Francis Adams, the 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: "Went fishing with my son today--a day wasted." His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: "Went fishing with my father--the most wonderful day of my life!" The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son, but his son saw it as an investment of time. Each of us can look to the past and remember the lessons learned from our dads, the wondrous memories of good times, and those times that were precious to us, even when they didn’t realize it.

I recently heard a message by Robbie Smith, a missionary to Brazil, about lessons he had learned from his father, Buddy Smith, a long-time pastor. He spoke of how thinking about his father led his mind to memories, both good and bad, of days gone by with his dad. Of course, his dad was a preacher and lived a godly life and led his family to live godly lives. His fondest memories were those of great Spirit-filled services that his father had preached and how God had moved mightily. He then proceeded to tell us of some things that he had learned from his father.

First, he said his father taught him to respect the house of God. David said in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” We respect the house of God by faithful church attendance. It’s God’s house where we are taught the precepts of God’s Word. It’s God’s house where we worship God. It’s God’s house where we lift our praises to Him. It’s God’s house where we fellowship with brethren of like precious faith. We respect the house of God by proper behavior. We need to teach our children to reverence the sanctuary – not run around like wild Indians. We need to dress with appropriate reverence to the eternal God – like we are in the holy presence of God not at an amusement park. A proper respect for God’s house is crucial to proper development in the Christian life.

Secondly, he said his father taught him to respect the man of God. 1 Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders that rule be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” God has given the man of God charge over our souls – “For they watch for your souls, as they that must give account (He 13:17).” Think about that next time you decide to have the man of God in derision. You complain about him – you talk about him – you disrespect him – you teach your children to do the same. How can he preach the whole counsel of God to you and yours if you constantly disrespect him? God has given the man of God the awesome responsibility of delivering the message of God. “He is the minister of God to thee for good (Ro 13:4).”

Finally, he said his father taught him to respect the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 tells us, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” God’s Word is precious to us – we need to hide it in our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” – and what better way to keep our heart than to fill it with the Word of God. God’s Word helps us to cleanse our way (Ps 119:9) – by heeding it (v. 10) – by hearting it (v. 11) – by hiding it (v. 12). The Scriptures are filled with admonitions to reverence His Word: Philippians 2:16, “Holding forth the word of life.” – Psalm 119:16, “I will delight myself in thy statutes.” – Psalm 119:73, “That I may learn thy commandments.” – Psalm 119:101, “That I might keep thy word.” – Psalm 119:114, “I hope in thy word.” – Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” – John 15:3, “Now ye are clean through the word.”

Quote – “Our very survival as a nation will depend on the presence or absence of masculine leadership in the home." – Dr. James Dobson

Rules for Marriage

Proverbs 5:18 – “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”

During his courtship with a young woman named Julia Dent, Ulysses S. Grant once took her out for a buggy ride. Coming to a flooded creek spanned by a flimsy bridge, Grant assured Julia that it was safe to cross. "Don't be frightened," he said. "I'll look after you." "Well," replied Julia, "I shall cling to you whatever happens." True to her word, she clung tightly to Grant's arm as they drove safely across. Grant drove on in thoughtful silence for a few minutes, then cleared his throat and said, "Julia, you said back there that you would cling to me whatever happened. Would you like to cling to me for the rest of our lives?" She would, and they were married in August 1848.

“I shall cling to you whatever happens.” – Oh, what a promise – what a delight – what a wondrous thing. Such should be the promise of every husband and wife to one another. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tells us, “Live joyfully with thy wife whom thou lovest.” This is one of many passages in the Bible that deal with the marriage relationship. It is easy to understand why the Bible deals so much with marriage, as this is how God pictures His relationship with Israel and how Christ pictures His relationship with the church. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” The Song of Solomon is a beautiful picture of the marriage relationship – representative of the beautiful relationship that we have with Him.

I heard once of a couple who married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to keep their marriage intact and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a slip in a "Fault" box. The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: "leaving the jelly top off the jar," "wet towels on the shower floor," "dirty socks not in hamper," on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was, "I love you!"

Now, experts tell us an average of 13,500 people get married every day in our country. And these marriages range from eternal bliss to virtual warfare. Those who live in bliss have learned that for a marriage to work, both parties must give up self and all its selfishness and learn to become one. Dr. Jimmy Robbins always said, “I got married to love, not to fight.” One Sunday he gave us 10 rules for a happy marriage. I’ll close today with those rules, most attributed to Ann Landers:

1 – Never both be angry at the same time.
2 – Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.
3 – If one of you has to win an argument, let it be your mate.
4 – If you must criticize do it lovingly.
5 – Never bring up mistakes of the past.
6 – Neglect the whole world rather than each other.
7 – Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled.
8 – At least once every day try to say one kind or complimentary thing to your life’s partner.
9 – When you have done something wrong, be ready to admit it and ask for forgiveness.
10 – It takes two to make a quarrel, and the one in the most wrong is the one who does the most talking.

Quote – “Marriage teaches you loyalty, forbearance, self-restraint and a lot of other qualities you wouldn't need if you'd stayed single.” - Unknown