God, Our Example of a Father

A commercial interrupts my YouTube marathon and I quickly skip over it at the five second mark. Ads are all over the websites I visit but I quickly skim over them. The signs are everywhere, yet they are so nonchalant I don’t really notice. If it were May no one could escape the impending holiday. But it’s June, which means Mother’s Day has passed and Father’s Day is here.

If you are reading this blog and reaching for your cell phone to check the date, don’t feel alone. Father’s Day sneaks up on you and before you know it you’re sitting at the dinner table with your dad awkwardly looking at you waiting for his present. Awkward…

It’s not hard to notice that Mother’s Day gets so much hype and Father’s Day just doesn’t. Most Mother’s Day church services praise mothers for sticking with their kids and encourage them to keep doing so. The service for Father’s Day, though, typically urges fathers to step up and stop ignoring their kids and stop slacking.

It seems logical that we should make a big deal out of Mother’s Day; after all we have a commandment to honor our parents. … But parents are plural. We have to honor both of them. So Father’s day should be just as big as Mother’s Day. God definitely believes fathers are important.

God calls Himself our Father:

Psalm 68:5(ESV) Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

Isaiah 63:16(ESV) For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name

Romans 8:15(ESV) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

The word “Abba” in Romans 8 most nearly equivocates to “daddy”. If God wants us to associate Him with our dads we know there must be something cool about the relationship of father and child.

Due to sin that relationship is broken like all other relationships. The only way anyone can experience a perfect father is from the one true Father who sent His Son down to earth to make us His children. On earth, however, we don’t always experience this sacrificial love from our fathers. But despite that, we are called to honor them, just like we do with our mothers. So let’s take a look at what the Biblical dad is. In the Bible a lot of times God explains His characters with the character of a father so we can learn something from those verses.

Fathers should:

Be Compassionate: Psalm 103:13(ESV) As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Help Us: Deuteronomy 1:29-31(ESV) Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.

Teach in a loving way: Ephesians 6:4(ESV) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Even if our fathers do not do any of those things we are called to honor and love them. This Father’s Day we shouldn’t drag our dads in a guilt trip, we should uplift them. Yes, they will never beat GOD, but through God, our fathers can be compassionate, help us, and raise us up to love God!
Just like for Mother's day I am posting a video to watch about Father's Day!

Memory Verse of the Week: Romans 8:1

As Christians we are saved from our sins through Christ and we are holy and blameless. But from that moment we get saved we don't stop sinning. And if anyone says they don't sin, they don't understand the gospel (1 John 1:8). But that doesn't mean we like sinning. Sometimes we get hit with guilt, but that's not the gospel either. The Holy Spirit doesn't guilt, He convicts. And when you're convicted you shouldn't feel condemned because...

Romans 8:1 (ESV)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It is a good thing when you get convicted for your sin. However if you start feeling guilty say this verse to yourself and remember you are no longer condemned if you have a Relationship With Jesus.

Memory Verse of the Week: Romans 8:38-39

As a child I would stay awake at night horrified of one thing. Not the spooky monsters lurking in my closet or even the thought that a scary bug could be crawling in my bed. One thing haunted my thoughts and tortured me: death. 

But not just death, but what happens after death.

The Bible, however, has assuring words for those thoughts. 

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This verse assures us that nothing, not even death can separate us from God's love. There never has to be another sleepless night. Memorizing this verse will help vanquish the insane thought that we may not be with Jesus when we die. 

Memory Verse Wednesday

Memorizing scripture is super important for Christians. We need Gods word to live as Jesus said in Matthew 4. Knowing what the Bible says can help during times of temptation and we can know what to help our friends in different situations. Because of that Ally and I decided to pick out verses each week to memorize and we think you should join along too!

This week's pick is Romans 5:6-8
 

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 

I love this verse. It reminds us of God's unconditional love. How even though we don't deserve it, God still loves us and Jesus still died for us! This verse helps remind us that salvation isn't anything we could do, it's all God because we ourselves are too weak to save ourselves!

Some helpful ways to memorize scripture:

• Read and reread the verse 
• Say it out loud 
• Write it on flash cards and carry then around or put them on your bathroom mirror 

We hope this helped and we hope you will memorize Romans 5:6-8 with us this week! 

If you have any ideas on how to memorize verse coment below!