Traits of a Godly Father
job 1:1-5
 
The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her.

It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Her father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June 1910. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

A GOOD FATHER IS ONE OF THE MOST UNSUNG, UNPRAISED, UNNOTICED, AND UNAPPRECIATED HEROES IN ALL HUMANITY.

A little boy was asked to define Father’s Day. He said, “It’s just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.”

The greatest number of long-distance phone calls is made on Mother’s Day; the largest number of collect calls is made on Father’s Day!

DADS' FAVORITE SAYINGS:
"Go ask your mother!"
"Just wait ‘til I get home!"
"When I was your age…"
"I used to have to walk to school in the snow!"
"I’m busy right now."

When we think of a father, this little prayer says it all:

Mender of toys, leader of boys,
Changer of fuses, kisser of bruises,
Bless him, O Lord.

Mover of couches, soother of ouches,
Pounder of nails, teller of tales,
Reward him, O Lord.

Hanger of screens, counselor of teens,
Fixer of bikes, chastiser of tykes,
Help him, O Lord.

Raker of leaves, cleaner of eaves,
Dryer of dishes, fulfiller of wishes,
Bless him, O Lord.

We could go to many places in the Bible for examples of godly fathers. One is, without doubt, Job. When we want to talk about someone who has gone through extreme suffering, we talk about Job. However, I’m always reminded of how this man is described as a father. He was a perfect and upright man. He was one who feared God, and eschewed evil. And here are some lessons that we learn from Job.

(1) Lead By Example:
Fathers, if you want to lead your children, you must lead by example. The Bible tells us that Job was perfect and upright. That doesn’t mean he had no faults. There is not a man alive or who has ever lived who had no faults (other than Christ). But what the Bible means here is that Job was a man of integrity, sincerity and consistency. When you lead by example, you must be consistent in your leadership. We can never lead our children by saying, “Do what I say and not what I do.” They will know when you do not walk the walk.

Juan Thompson said this about his dad, whom he called an outlaw, “ I learned a lot from my father, topics ranging from guns and dynamite to crooked presidents and the importance of loyalty, but not by sitting on his lap. He wasn't that kind of a father. Instead, I learned by observing him, listening to him, and reading his writing. It turns out that these are the lessons that really matter. Words can be nothing more than words. Actions have meaning. Actions matter.”

Lorenza Carcaterra wrote about his dad, whom he called a murderer, “He killed his wife, and he would tell me to respect women. He told me never to hit women, and he always hit my mother. I learned by watching him how not to treat women. The lesson for me, for my mother, was how to live through a nightmare all those years. I can't imagine how difficult life must have been for his first wife. There were a lot of other women in his life. It taught me that if you make a commitment to a person, to a wife—for me, looking at his example of not keeping it—you keep it. I never use the words he used toward my mother with my wife.”

Franklin Graham wrote about his dad, Billy Graham, “I've watched him my whole life. He is my example. My father doesn't keep a record of wrongs. If someone hurts him or disappoints him, my father just forgives the person and moves on. I think that's what love is all about.”

Dads, the walk you walk will determine how you are remembered by your children.

Verse two talks about Job’s children. He lived during the days when they had large families. He had 10 children—seven boys and three girls. And I believe it was intentional, because we are told about his children before we are told about his possessions. Men, if your priorities are things and your job, your children will know it!

(2) Be a Protector of Your Priorities:
A good father has to be a protector of his priorities. She is not mentioned here; but based on the description found in verse one, I think it is safe to assume that Job took care of Mrs. Job. Your children will know how much you love them by your demonstration of love towards their mother.

And those things or that job that takes up all your time—remember things will break and need replacing and the job may be phased out.  As my wife would say, things and the job can’t come and visit you when you get old and are in the nursing home! Your first priority is the Lord. Your second priority is your wife. Your third priority is your children!

(3) Your Family Comes Before Your Toys and/or Your Job:
We are told about Job’s physical possessions after we are told about his family. Fathers, your success is not based upon the possessions you have or the company for which you work. On their deathbeds, most men never regret they didn’t spend more time on the job or accumulate a lot more possessions. However, many regret they did not spend more time with their families. 

(4) Be a Priest in Your Family:
This doesn’t mean that you have to teach better than the Sunday school superintendent or the pastor. It doesn’t mean you have to be able to explain every verse in the Bible! However, you can make certain that God has a presence in your household.  In verse 5, we see a demonstration of Job as a priest in his home. We noticed Job was concerned about his children’s relationship with God. He prayed for them, sanctified them and offered a burnt offering for them. This would be similar to praying with and for our children.

Even before my son, Cameron, has found a young lady to began “courting and sparking,” I’ve already been praying for God to prepare the right young lady for him. I still don’t know whom he will marry, but between the Lord and his mother, I believe he’s going to do all right!

Men, learn to pray for your children. Pray for the needs of your family and let your children know you are praying for them. The greatest thing a father can pass on to his children is a love for God. One of the things that I insist on in our home is family devotions. We don’t spend hours studying the Bible. Typically, our devotions last fifteen or twenty minutes. The purpose is not to have a three-hour Bible class. It is rather an opportunity to remind us of our need to honor the Lord in our home. Listen to what our Scripture passage states: “Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom.” (Job 1:5)

The family will usually follow the parent, especially the father. Someone has said, “A boy loves his mother, but will follow his father.” I heard a touching story about a humble, consecrated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son had a terminal illness. The youngster had accepted Christ as his Savior, so the minister knew that death would usher him into Glory; but he wondered how to inform one in the bloom of youth that he soon would die.

After earnestly seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, he went with a heavy heart through the hospital ward to the boy’s bedside. First, he read a passage of Scripture and had a time of prayer with his dear child. Then he gently told him the doctors could promise him only a few more days to live. “Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my boy?” asked his devout father. Blinking away a few tears, the little fellow wrapped his little arms around his dad’s neck and said bravely, “No, not if He’s like you, Dad!”

Discover TEN WAYS TO FAIL AS A PARENT. . .

Since its first publication many years ago, over 30 million copies of Charles M. Sheldon’s book, In His Steps, have been sold. In it, Sheldon gives this testimony:

“In a log house on the prairie, my father taught me to love the Bible. After breakfast every morning, the family would have a devotional time in the parlor. Each of us had a Bible of his own. Father would read two verses out loud from the chapter of the day. Then mother would read two verses and each of us would read two. Before five years were over, we read the whole Bible five times. I think I am the only man alive who has heard the whole Bible read five times. We never skipped, not even those long lists of worthies who begat one another. The minute we finished Revelation, father calmly turned back to Genesis and we went at it again. I want to repeat what my father taught me, to love the Bible as the greatest book in the world.

“After we had read the Bible passages for the day, we would sing a hymn and then all kneel down while father offered the morning prayer. We are Scotch-Irish, and naturally father prayed as long as he liked. And he would often pray for us by name.

Sheldon concluded, “When I finally left home to go down East to college, I would often be tempted to do what some of the college boys did—swear, gamble, go to the bars, etc. Just as I was about to give way to my desires, I would hear my father’s morning prayer in the log house. It was enough to keep me from falling away from God.”

Men, let me close with a question: What are you doing to keep your children from falling away from God?

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