Bad Dad Redemption
“ Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
Proverbs 1:8 (NIV)
Over the past week we have looked at our biblical fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and have seen how they demonstrate obedience, courage, faith, love and discipline. They all have features and attributes that we see in Christ, and we ourselves should aspire to. These people were also very flawed and broken. They fail to correct their mistakes, and their sons fall into the same traps as they did. We see in these great men the same failings within ourselves
Abraham lies about his wife, claiming she is his sister, causing anger from King Abimelek (Genesis 20). Isaac commits the exact same lie to King Abimelek as well (Genesis 26). Abraham fails to trust God and honor his promise, taking matters into his own hands and trying to carry on his family line through his servant Hagar. This causes great turmoil within his own family (Genesis 16). Abraham’s grandson follows suit. Jacob’s wives begin to fight and have jealousy towards one another (Genesis 30). All of Abraham and Isaac’s sneaky lies seem to influence Jacob greatly as he steals his brother’s birthright (Genesis 27). With all of these faults and errors, it’s a miracle God continued to use this family line. But that is the great wonder and beauty of our Heavenly Father; he elevates the broken and chooses those that are undeserving. It is His grace that sustains our stories.
All our biblical fathers fall into sin and temptation as we do ourselves. It might not look the exact same, but we fall into the trap of trying to bend what God has laid straight. The point of recounting the failures of our church fathers is to try and learn from their mistakes. They were promised great things, were the beginning of the lineage of Israel and its Messiah, and were also in direct communication with God. Even with that, they weren’t above our own human inclinations toward selfishness.
It’s important to note that our responsibilities as fathers and mothers are to pass on our blessings and teach our children to avoid mistakes. We see several times through scripture of God reminding children to listen and obey their parents. “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” Proverbs 1:8 (NIV).
This proverb implies that we are teaching and commanding our children to do right unto the Lord. That is our task and calling. God has given us the blessing of knowing Him through The Spirit that dwells within us, and we are to share this with our children. We must pass on the good to be used as a signpost and the bad as a warning. Both must be passed on.
Children will learn more from what we do than what we say. Living a life pure and worthy of Christ’s sacrifice requires us to demonstrate God’s principles through word and deed. We need to tell our children what to do and how to live. More importantly, we need to exhibit what our children need to become.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.