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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called...Everlasting Father.
Isaiah 9:6
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Through the prophets, God revealed much about the Son He that would be born from a virgin and be named Immanuel which means God with us.
This coming Son would be a King, the King of all kings.
This coming Son would be a Light that would bring people out of darkness.
This coming Son would carry authority to rule over all creation for the government would be on His shoulders.
This coming Son would be a wonderful Counselor, someone that any person could go to for perfect guidance and direction.
And all this would be possible because this coming Son would be one with His Father (John 10:30), the One who sent Him to bring salvation to all mankind. Jesus was Almighty God in the flesh who walked the earth among the people He longed to save from their sinful, fallen nature.
It’s this truth, that Jesus was one with God the Father, which serves as a lead in to today’s message, the third in this four part series from Isaiah 9:6 as the prophet labels Jesus with four names that define His identity. As a reminder, here’s what Isaiah proclaimed, words from God Himself:
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
When I think about the characteristics of proper fatherhood, I am drawn to my own experience as a father. I was blessed by God to raise up two of His children, two daughters who are well into adulthood now at 42 and 38 years of age respectively, and I worked hard to be a good dad to them when they were growing up. Here are a few of the things I strived for, things I believe we find in our Heavenly Father as well.
First, I always sought to provide.
Good fathers make sure their children have what they need to not just survive but thrive in life. My children always had a comfortable and safe place to stay, clothing to wear, and food to eat, most of the time matching up with what they liked although any parent will tell you it’s impossible to please your kids 100% of the time.
I wonder if God feels the same way about us sometimes, that we seem hard to please when He provides?
Just food for thought.
The second thing I did was always seek to protect my children.
When I came to Christ as an adult in my early thirties, my attitude toward parenting changed. I didn’t see my daughters as my own children but of the Lord and this new perspective changed the dynamics of my fathering responsibility for God would expect me to do everything in my power to keep His children safe. He had entrusted them to my care and I was accountable to Him if anything happened to them that I could have prevented.
And so providing the utmost security for my girls became a top priority because they truly belonged first and foremost to the God who created them.
Third, I always sought to correct them when needed.
Now, imposing discipline isn’t easy or fun. I think any parent would tell you that.
It’s hard to place penalties on your children because you know that those penalties will be hard for them as it typically means losing some privilege, something they like that brings them joy.
I’ll be honest with you and say I would rather have taken my girls places where we could have fun together (something we did a lot) rather than impose punishment on them but I knew that consequences were important when they did wrong because if I didn’t teach them, who would?
And so my wife and I partnered well together to correct when it was needed, not because we cared for our daughters less but because we cared about them too much not to do it. Good fathers accept the responsibility to discipline and seek the Lord’s guidance in how to properly do it.
Number 4.
I always sought to love.
I loved being a father and still do now that my girls are adults and making a life of their own. I love my God for giving me the privilege to love His two daughters and usher them into the place where they could have a personal relationship with Him.
You see, love is central to what we are to be as people as a whole. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus offered two. First, we are to love God with every part of who we are, with all out heart and mind and soul and strength (Mark 12:30). And once we are completely sold out to love God, then we are in a place to love our neighbors, not with our love but with the very love of God that is within us.
As a father, that was the love I wanted my kids to feel. I hoped that when I snuggled them and placed a light kiss on their forehead, they felt as if God was doing it and I prayed that they would sense His presence, the presence of their Heavenly Father through the love they received from their earthly one.
So in sum, what should children receive from their fathers?
Constant provision.
Persistent protection.
Appropriate discipline when needed.
Heartfelt love always.
These are all things a child should receive from their father because they are what God, our Heavenly Father lavishes on all Christian believers, those who the scriptures make clear are His children. The big difference is that God gives all this and so much more with perfection. Where I as a father was flawed in so many ways despite my best efforts to bring my children up properly, our God has no such imperfection. His ways are always faultless and that goes for how He parents us through our entire lives and forevermore.
And that’s the beauty of having such an amazing, impeccable Father like God. His fatherhood is not just for a season of life but rather eternal. He and He alone is our Everlasting Father in this worldly life and in the glorious future eternal life to come.
Today and every day, let us give thanks and rejoice in this truth, that we serve a Mighty God and Everlasting Father who was One with Jesus our Savior so that through belief in Him, we might not perish in His judgment but live for all eternity through His amazing, saving grace (John 3:16).
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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