Topic: How to Be a Father of the Word – Discover the Book by Dr John Barnett  12 September 2022

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How to Be a Father of the Word

In a study conducted several years ago, sociologists Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck, of Harvard University, identified several crucial factors in the development of juvenile delinquents.  They created a test that can, with about 90 percent accuracy, predict future delinquency of children 5-6 years old.  They listed four necessary factors in preventing juvenile delinquency. 

·       First, the father’s discipline must be firm, fair, and consistent. 

·       Second, the mother must know where her children are and what they are doing at all times, and be with them as much as possible. 

·       Third, the children need to see affection demonstrated between their parents, and from their parents to them. 

·       And fourth, the family must spend time together as a unit.

In a similar report, but from a Christian perspective, Dr. Paul D. Meier, a Christian psychiatrist, wrote that the key to right parent-child relationships could be summed up in five things:

(1)   Parents’ love for each other and for the children;

(2)   Discipline;

(3)   Consistency;

(4)   A good parental example; and

(5)   A man at the head of the home.

KNOWING GOD AS THE PERFECT FATHER

The perfect Father would be the one who knows everything about you and still loves you; who is always on your side; who is big enough for anything; and who never lets you down. Of course that is the description God’s Word gives of the ONLY perfect Father in God’s Word. We all have met Him. Jesus introduced us to God as Our perfect Father:

Jesus says we need to notice our seeing father. Jesus calls Him Our Father who sees all of our secrets. That means He is watching; He “knows everything and still loves us”. What a comfort to have God as our Perfect Father. He is on your side .

Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

The perfect Father would be the one who knows everything about you and still loves you; who is always on your side; who is big enough for anything; and who never lets you down. So how do we who are so imperfect perform one of the most difficult tasks in life?

We start by seeing our Perfect Father as He is, and then we start in the power of His Spirit to emulate Him. God is the model. God alone is Perfect. We are imperfect and sometimes failing students of the Perfect Father. But even if we fail at times, we can always point our families to their Perfect Father, right?

OUR PATTERN IS GOD’S WORD

So what should we look for? Good habits that show up in the great dads of God’s Word! The first great dad we will see is Job.  From his life we need to grab and copy his habit of prayer. And by the power of God’s Spirit start making it characteristic of your life!

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