“Come near to God and He will come near to you…” – James 4:8 (NIV)
Our sons need to see Christ-like empathy, which was demonstrated through Christ Jesus’s actions and His words as He walked on earth.
God uses fatherhood to help other fathers become more like Him. A pattern is set for fathers to depend more on God than on man or worldly things. Matthew 16:26 (NKJV) says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” All fathers, therefore, especially those in the faith, should perform their duty; i.e., be the head of their own home.
Ephesians 5:23 refers to authority; it highlights marriage and emphasises Christ’s sacrificial love for “the Church” (all believers). It is the blueprint for our males to adopt and for their future generations to follow and understand the right way to lead.
In Luke 15:11-32, we read about the ‘prodigal son’ who asked for his share of the inheritance and left his father’s home. “Prodigal” means spending money freely and recklessly or on a lavish scale; expending in a manner that’s not wise. Contrastingly, a farmer’s work is hard. It’s a serious commitment that involves preparing the soil, sowing seeds, tending to plants, and harvesting the fruit. Joy comes from the hard work – the satisfaction of seeing produce. This is what God requires from fathers – working diligently and patiently in faith.
In this parable, it was right to give the younger son his share of the inheritance, as he requested. But in asking, he removed himself from the covering and protection of his father, resulting in him pursuing a life of worldly pleasures and dissipation. ‘Not many days after,’ he wasted it all. He was alone and hungry. We, therefore, must be careful about placing too much value on material possessions. True life and fulfillment come from a deeper source, God, not from the number of things we own.
Impatience takes us down the path of destruction, but our heavenly Father knows us and can restore us. After all, He says, “I know the plans I have for you…(Jeremiah 29:11).
Read: Jude 1:21; 1 John 3:1
Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 13:20-25; Proverbs 14:1-4; John 20:10-31; 2 Samuel 1; 2 Samuel 2:1-7