A Critical Message For "Modern" Fathers
Biblical fatherhood is on life support. Pew Research recently released a study finding that America has the highest percentage of single-parent homes in the entire world, and the vast majority of those are single mother homes (80%). “Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%)” First, we must acknowledge that there is an increasing shortage of fathers in our country, let alone Biblical fathers. What is going on? There’s a shortage of godly fathers because there is a shortage of godly men. There is a shortage of godly men because there is a shortage of discipled men.
Gentlemen, no sports figure, celebrity, coach, teacher, youth pastor, or relative will ever replace an active, present, and humble father in a home. Success in education, finances, faith, marriage, mental health, and so much more is so intertwined with fatherhood that the absence of a father literally will throw society into absolute chaos. I want to be clear, this is not an attempt do diminish the role of a mother in any form. However, the God-ordained role of a father, I believe, is so impactful because it is the closest representation a person has to their heavenly father. How we as fathers project ourselves to our families is often times the greatest influence on how those children will view God in their adult lives. The potent ability of a father in a child’s life is not only Biblically supported it has been studied and proven in study after study in our secular world. No matter how our society attempts to redefine, change, squash, and destroy fatherhood the truth of the Bible rings loud and clear as our society chases after every image it can except what God has ordained in His word. One could make a solid argument that fatherhood is one of the greatest mission fields of our generation. This teaching was delivered at Pursuing Truth Ministries. If you would like to find out more about that ministry click here.
Comments