A father and his children walking through a field

 

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Fathers

17 June 2018
‘We treated each of you as a father treats his own children.’

Today is Father’s Day. A day we can use as an opportunity to thank our fathers for what they do, and have done, for us. Being a father, or just a parent in general, can be a pretty tough job, and they can have a huge impact on us. Throughout the Bible, there’s advice for fathers, showing them the role they should play in our lives. They’re encouraged to guide us, protect us and discipline us when we go wrong. And we’re encouraged to respect them. The word ‘dads’ provides a handy acronym for their role: Direction. Availability. Discipline. Spirituality. Not all of us will have fathers who fulfil these things. Maybe you haven’t had a positive experience with your father, maybe he isn’t around, or maybe you don’t know him at all. But whatever your personal experience of your father is, we all share the fact that we have a perfect Father in God. And God can provide other role models and mentors for us who demonstrate direction, availability, discipline and spirituality too. We can even be that role model for others. In 1 Thessalonians, it says: ‘You know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We encouraged you, we urged you, and we insisted that you live good lives for God, who calls you to his glorious kingdom.’ Even if we’re not fathers, we can still provide fathering qualities to others, and they can to us. We can help people take the right path, be there for them, show them where they’re going away from God’s best, and encourage them in their faith. So today, let’s thank our fathers and mentors, and also to ask God to help us encourage others too.

 

What Now?

Encourage someone in their faith today, whether that’s your father, a mentor or a friend. Point them to their Heavenly Father and His love for them.

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