Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! I hope it will be a great one and you will feel appreciated and special. One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Proverbs. There is so much practical advice found in its pages. I thought for Father’s Day we would take a look at Proverbs for some advice about being fathers.
Proverbs 20:7 says, “A righteous man who walks in his integrity- How blessed are his sons after him.” We want to do the best we can as fathers to model the life that we want our children to live. It is one thing to tell them the right thing to do, but if we constantly show something different, then our kids are smart enough to realize that whatever principle we are talking about may be important in word but not in deed. None of us are perfect, so when we mess up let’s model how to repent right, also.
We need to take time to teach our children with our words as well. The first part of Proverbs 1:8 says, “Hear my son, your father’s instruction.” I know the endless questions and whys can be draining, but we as fathers have a responsibility to lead our families and part of that involves instruction. If we do not instruct them, the devil will be glad to help out. Be careful what you set in front of them (media, etc.) because they are learning whether we like it or not.
The last Proverb I want to share is Proverbs 13:24 which says, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” I hate having to discipline. I wish everything would just go along smoothly, but unfortunately even after teaching and setting a good example, the message does not always get home. I am not saying I have bad kids. Truthfully, they are probably better than I was at their age, but we all need a little course correction every now and again.