Fathering for a Legacy
(Prov 13:22 AMP) "A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up."
With Father's Day in mind, I feel led to share a few thoughts with you from message that I preached last Father's Day. The message was entitled, "Fathering for a Legacy." Here are a few thoughts from the message:"Any male that is able-bodied can reproduce and create a child, but that does not mean that they are actively "Fathering."
(Prov 13:22 AMP) "A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up."
With Father's Day in mind, I feel led to share a few thoughts with you from message that I preached last Father's Day. The message was entitled, "Fathering for a Legacy." Here are a few thoughts from the message:"Any male that is able-bodied can reproduce and create a child, but that does not mean that they are actively "Fathering."
Fathering is the act of being a father. It is more than just having the title; it requires energy and effort on the part of the Father.""When we look at the words of Solomon (Prov 13:22) we see that it is a good thing to leave a financial inheritance to our children; but the greatest inheritance you can leave for your children is an inheritance of Righteousness.
When you look at God and what he did in the Old Testament you quickly find out that God is a relational God that connects with us to impact our entire FAMILY - from GENERATION to GENERATION!"1. Father for Purpose, not just for Pleasure: In Genesis 17 the Lord instructed Abraham to circumcise every male child when he was eight days old. Jehovah sealed His covenant with Abraham through a shedding of blood (Gen 15). Now He required the shedding of blood to pass the covenant down from generation to generation. Notice that God did not instruct Abraham to cut the child's hand or chest. Jehovah chose to have Abraham cut the reproductive organ. This was a sign that the covenant would pass to his children's seed.
Every time a man (that was circumcised), came together with his wife, his seed passed through the blood (symbolically) of the covenant.
This also meant that part of the responsibility of the Father was to CUT his child on the 8th day. Was this painful? YES! Was this somewhat brutal back then - doing it with a stone? YES! But was this necessary? YES! A father that failed to CUT his son was a father that did not love him.
A Father must do more than just have children. He raises his children to become mature adults. It is a painful, costly, time consuming, life draining, "stay up all hours of the night" type of relationship. It is not always a joyful experience for the Father or the Son. The cost is everything a Father has within him. The benefit is a son who will honor his Father.2. Father for a Legacy, not a Monopoly: The last verse of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:6) tells us that God will "Turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers." This is a reminder for us - those of us who are New Testament believers - that our hearts should be towards our children.
We should seek to BE a blessing to them. Our life cannot be just about us anymore. A person who owns a monopoly is only out for themselves. As parents we must be givers, not just takers. The Greatest mark of a Leader is Development, not Dictatorship! Leadership is a servant relationship that leads to human development. Our focus must be to develop our children and to empower them to maximize their potential, in the earth, while they are living.
Every time a man (that was circumcised), came together with his wife, his seed passed through the blood (symbolically) of the covenant.
This also meant that part of the responsibility of the Father was to CUT his child on the 8th day. Was this painful? YES! Was this somewhat brutal back then - doing it with a stone? YES! But was this necessary? YES! A father that failed to CUT his son was a father that did not love him.
A Father must do more than just have children. He raises his children to become mature adults. It is a painful, costly, time consuming, life draining, "stay up all hours of the night" type of relationship. It is not always a joyful experience for the Father or the Son. The cost is everything a Father has within him. The benefit is a son who will honor his Father.2. Father for a Legacy, not a Monopoly: The last verse of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:6) tells us that God will "Turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers." This is a reminder for us - those of us who are New Testament believers - that our hearts should be towards our children.
We should seek to BE a blessing to them. Our life cannot be just about us anymore. A person who owns a monopoly is only out for themselves. As parents we must be givers, not just takers. The Greatest mark of a Leader is Development, not Dictatorship! Leadership is a servant relationship that leads to human development. Our focus must be to develop our children and to empower them to maximize their potential, in the earth, while they are living.
Father, I will take everything that You have poured into me and release that to my family. I will pray over them fervently and diligently. They will not have to start where I started. I want to see them do more and make a greater impact in Your Kingdom than I ever will. I want better for my children and I thank You for being a God that transfers Blessing to the second and third generation. My children and my children's children shall be blessed because of Your hand upon my life. Thank You Father, for teaching me what it means to be a Godly parent! In Jesus' Name! Amen!
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