Riverside Community Church

Father's Day


My 2 Fathers

What day of the year are the most phone calls made???…… Mother’s day! It seems that on mother’s day everyone wants to call home and check in. What do you think happens on father’s day? Anyone want to make a Guess? Father’s day is known for the most Collect Calls.

 

Two children came home from school and started begging their mother to allow them to take ownership of the classroom pet. This wonderful creature that the children wanted so much was a hamster named Davie. Mom kept saying no and had plenty of good reason why the children could not bring Davie home. It finally came down to an explanation that a pet is a lot of responsibility and work. As children do, they both promised to do everything to take care of Davie. And after hours of begging and promises Mom said, yes.

But she made it very clear that if the children stopped taking proper care that she would quickly make arrangements to find Davie a new home. It had only been a couple of weeks when Mom had to constantly remind the children about feeding and watering and cleaning up. About two more weeks passed and mom started making calls and found a home for Davie. She went into the living room to tell the children about her decision. She told them that Davie had become a lot of work for just one person. That they had not been of much help and that she found him a new home.

She was surprised when the children did not seem bothered by her announcement. Then her daughter said, is it because he eats too much? Maybe they could find a way to help him eat less. Mom said, that it was not the eating so much as the mess and the smell. And then there was all the extra work that she had to do cleaning up. The children seemed to understand and nodded in a sort of agreement and turned back toward their TV program. Mom went and picked up Davies’s cage and assorted supplies and headed back through the living room.

The kids saw her carrying the cage and started shouting, hey, what are you doing with Davie? Mom responded, We just talked about this. Because of all the extra work and having to do it all by myself I’ve found Davie a new home. The children said, “No not Davie, we thought you said daddy.”

 

The current culture likes to laugh at dads and poke fun in all kinds of ways at dads & their involvement with their children. A bit different from the TV shows from the 50s and 60s where dad was a guide and had wisdom and reason.

We have gone from a time of TV character dads like:

-Ward Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver),     Father knows Best (Robert Wagner),

-Ozzie Nelson in Ozzie & Harriet, Howard Cunningham in Happy Days,

-and Mike Brady in the Brady Bunch

 

GONE FROM THEM TO:

to Archie Bunker, Al Bundy in Married with Children,

and finally to Homer Simpson. DAH!

 

“Dad’s don’t get no respect.” I ADMIT some have earned ‘no respect’ but most don’t deserve the rap they are currently getting in our society. It’s too bad, so sad, it’s not right, but not all wrong. Fathers aren’t perfect except 1 Father, our heavenly Father

 

Some dads are absent, some are best friends, some dads are fearful, some are great encouragers, some are not engaged with their children and some dads give great guidance. All dads are all the above to varying degrees but every dad needs to try to be like the heavenly Father. Here’s the main thought this father’s day

The more I emulate or copy my Heavenly Father’s traits the better Father I’ll be.

EARTHLY FATHERS BEING LIKE THE HEAVENLY FATHER

 

6 TRAITS THAT MY HEAVENLY FATHER HAS THAT I WANT MORE OF

 

TO LOVE MORE

Dads need to love their children like God loves His children, no matter what, through their pain, their rebellion and their ungrateful attitudes at times.

  

1 John 3:1 (NIV)

3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

                 LAVISHING LOVE FOR CHILDREN is a decision of the mind not heart

 

1 John 4:10 (NIV)

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

                 LOVE YOUR CHILDREN FIRST

TO GUIDE MORE

Fathers: guide your children, don’t leave it up to mom or the children to self-guide

Your Heavenly Father guides you, so guide your children

Psalm 48:14 (NIV)

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
    he will be our guide even to the end.

 

Psalm 23:3 (NIV)

3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.

 

TO BE MORE PATIENT

This is a troublesome trait to have, patience comes from endured conflict and difficulties and one of difficulties fathers have is lack of patience. Remember how patient God has been with you, emulate your Heavenly Father not your earthly father.

Mark Twain said, "When I was a boy of 14 my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man learned in 7 years."

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 

TO TEACH & TRAIN MORE

  • Dads want to give their kids the things they want.
  • They want their children to be happy.
  • Dads will let you make a mistake and hope you will learn from it.
  • They want their children to become independent.

This independence needs teaching and training, that’s the job Dads, grow your kid’s into responsible adults. And this involves teaching at teachable moments, training as a discipline and yes even discipline (if you love your children you will discipline them just like God disciplines us, no escape from that fatherly responsibility).

 

DISCIPLINE

Hebrews 12:5-6 (NIV)

5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,     
à
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[
a]

  

TEACH

Proverbs 3:1 (NIV)

3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
    but keep my commands in your heart,

 

TRAIN AND INSTRUCT

Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

 

TO FORGIVE MORE

Some of us look back at our lives at 18 and we thought we were all grownup only to find out that we made mistakes and we kept making mistakes throughout our lives.

Your children are a little you, mistakes and all, so forgive them.

Don’t make it hard for your kids to come home after they make a big mistake.

Most offence comes from those whom we love –from close quarters

 

Forgive

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

 

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

TO BLESS MORE

Some of us have a real fear of our fathers. We fear punishment and rejection.

(Wait until your daddy Gets Home!) Dad was often used as the ultimate punishment machine. Some believe God is just waiting to see all of our mistakes. OR for some, we may have found that we could not be good enough.

 

Perhaps it was grades, or friends and or any choices in your life that were judged harshly. And you just can’t see how you can satisfy your dad. We feel like God is disappointed in us then.

YOU FELT YOUR EARTHLY FATHER NEVER BLESSED YOU

WELL ***YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER DOES BLESS YOU

Romans 10:12 (NIV)

12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

 

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ

 

Fathers, take your right hand and place it on your child’s head and bless them and pray for them, that the Heavenly Father will bless them because God wants to bless them and you.

My thought this morning is this: as an earthly dad my goal is to be like my heavenly father.

WHAT FATHERS WANT MOST ON FATHERS DAY

They want to know their children are doing well and are not suffering.

They want their children to know that that can come home.

The want their children to be wise and equipped to face the world.

They want forgiveness for not being perfect and appreciated for trying

Fathers copy your heavenly Father as hard as you can, do not relent, pursue these traits to be a father like HIM, (God).

PS everybody

To all of us, your Heavenly Father would love to hear from you on this Father’s Day! Call… call collect and call often; There is nothing He likes more that to hear from you! Amen.