Six things a Godly Dad Does

 

Six things a Godly Dad Does

 

The words of Paul in Ephesians 6 remind Christian fathers that our parenting has a great end towards which we must aim. God gave us the task of teaching, correcting, disciplining, loving, and training our children so that they come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and walk in a way which pleases him.

 

A Godly Dad Keeps Growing

 

A man can only be an effective father as he continues to grow spiritually.  This means that fathers must spend time in our Bibles, in prayer, and actively seeking to walk in obedience by the power of God’s Spirit.  We must grow in knowledge and wisdom.  The work we have been called to as fathers and husbands is too important for us to take a lackadaisical approach to our walk with Jesus.

 

A Godly Dad Loves His Wife

 

Men, before the call to parent our children is the call to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.  We need time together with our wives without our children around. Date nights will prove to be important, especially when our children are young.  Get your kids in bed or in their rooms at a decent hour so you can talk, read together, watch a movie together, or simply hang out in the same room. This will give you the time together you so desperately need for your marriage to grow and give you joy.  Tyson has often said, “Men do yourself a favor and love your wife.”

 

A Godly Dad Teaches Consistently

 

Moses tells fathers to talk with their children about the commands and statutes of the Lord as they sit in their houses and walk by the way.  Family devotions are not the only way for a father to teach his children, but they certainly can play a key role in the formation of our children.  If you can set aside the time to have family devotions four nights a week, you will read, pray, and sing with your children over thirty-five hundred times before they leave for college. There won’t be a major breakthrough or “aha” moment every night, but the consistency over the course of years will make a major impact.  I have prayed for my children and grandchildren everyday of their lives from when they knew we were having kids to this day.  I claim the promise of Acts 16:31,  Voddie Bachman audio

 

A Godly Dad Disciplines Patiently

 

In Proverbs 29:17, it states “Discipline your son and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.” Consistently teaching, correcting, and disciplining our children can be exhausting work. We must patiently and consistency discipline our children. When our children are wrong and need to be disciplined, it is imperative that we take the time to calmly and patiently talk with them about what happened  We should talk with them about the foolishness or sinfulness of what they did, what the Scriptures say about what they have done, and remind them that we discipline them because we love them. This takes time and is definitely not the easy way out, but it will train the hearts of our children and be better for them in the long run.

 

A Godly Dad Repents When He is Wrong

 

“What I said to you and the way I said it was wrong. Will you forgive me?” I don’t know that there is a more difficult thing for a father to say to his children. We will sin against our children at some point in our parenting, either through losing our temper, accusing falsely, speaking harshly, or in a thousand other ways. When we sin against our children, we must repent to the Lord and repent to our children.

 

The greatest temptation you will face when apologizing to your kids is seeking to justify your sinful behavior based on their sinful behavior. Resist this urge with everything you have because you sinned and that is all that matters. Repenting and asking for forgiveness will model repentance, humility, and the Gospel to your children. It will also teach them that they will be hurt throughout their lives and must learn how to forgive. Also, this process of repentance and forgiveness builds trust with your children. They know that what you say about repentance is real, and they also know that you value your relationship with them enough to humble yourself and admit you are wrong.

 

A Godly Dad Knows He Needs the Power of the Holy Spirit

 

Because we must work hard and give ourselves in a way that is not natural to us, we need the power of God’s Spirit. We need his help to stay encouraged, to love, to exercise self-control, and to make our labors effective because we cannot change the hearts of our children. As Paul said, we labor in the strength that God provides, and pray that he would use our labors in our homes to change our children’s lives and bring glory to Himself.