Dad, the Right Man for the Job!
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(S1)
Frantic text from Melissa:
“Dad, are you coming home for lunch? Me: Why? Do you need me? (puff-up, smile). Melissa: Yes, there’s a huge wasp in the kitchen!”
Dad’s, you understand those special moments...even if they seem insignificant at the time.
Psalm 127:3 “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.”
Fatherhood a noble calling confirmed in our children—gifts from God.
Deuteronomy—Israelites about to make their way into the promise land. Moses gives God’s instruction to set up the household, solidifying the role of the father....
6:1-2 “The Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.”
Fatherhood, an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy—Dad’s, our children are the benefactors of the life we lead—Good, bad and the ugly
Dear absentee father, That name means you should be here, but you are not. When you left, pieces of my life went with you. I needed to know that I could count on you. We were supposed to build something together—lots of things together. You could’ve played with me. That would have helped my confidence grow. You could’ve been there to build me up after a hard day at school. Instead, I got really mad. You could’ve helped me build important life skills. Mom is doing her best to fill the piece that was always meant for two. But there are some things only a dad can do.
Signed, The child you never knew.
No better picture of God’s work of grace, then a father who loves the Lord and passes that legacy to his children.
Dad, When I sit back and remember all the countless times that you carried me on your shoulders, I am convinced that the God knew what he/she was doing when the God chose you to be my dad. The one man that always encouraged me to reach for the stars was you. I am thankful for all the things you prepared me for.
In you, I see the effortless dedication to care and love..Although you were never as vocal as Mommy and never escorted me around from activity to activity, your influence, your quiet yet strong presence was always there. I have now truly realized the true depth and breadth of your presence throughout my life. In you, I see the effortless dedication to care and love.
Today we honor dad’s, who may not always get it right, but when you walk in the grace of your heavenly father who is perfect, you are the right man for the Job!
PRAY
(S2) —What does it take to be the man for the job? What is it that we are called to do and be as a dads?
The Psalmist (Solomon), gives the image of an archer whose quiver is full of the blessing of God
Psalm 127:4 “Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.”
Just as an archer has to perfect certain skills to hit the target, so does the dad who desires to pass on the legacy of faith to his children.
Father— variety of images may come to mind depending on our life experience. These words of wisdom are for all of us—single mothers, grandparents, those who are raising and mentoring children, dad’s and those who hope to be.
Let me make three clarifying statements
1. No perfect fathers here today — I pray that I have done more right than wrong
2. “God’s grace covers a multitude of parenting mistakes….”
3. It’s never too late to be a dad! (my dad, late years of his life)
So no matter what our image or experience of a father good or bad…there is one who is perfect in every way; God who is our heavenly father.
2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
Father’s we are to teach our children the moral why, not just the moral what? It’s not just about following all the rules of life, but about raising children who come to know God...…
Ephesians 5:1 “ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.”
Dad’s we are to show our children who the target is...and our children are watching.
Raised by my step dad. who wasn’t perfect but he did the best...By his faith and his actions.... in doing so he left an eternal legacy pointing us boys to faith.
The psalmists image is that of the hands of the archer; skilled in his role, trained and able to execute a shot intended for a certain target. For an archer to shoot a bow correctly they have to do a few key things correctly…. A dad who is the right man for the job, has to as well…
Five biblical principles that should frame our role as fathers...
(S3) — The first step is to...
1. Commit to KNOWING the target yourself
1. Commit to KNOWING the target yourself
127:1-2
Solomon (Ecclesiastes) —Successful man of God, for the most part…responsible for leading the people through the building of the temple. His results were attributed to his KNOWING and serving God. (3) Children are the fruit of his success a heritage or gift of God.
Before the archer can shoot they have to have knowledge of the the target—What their aiming at
“Target archery is the discipline of shooting at stationary circular targets set at specific distances. Archers shoot at varied distances at the recognizable five-colour target, consisting of 10 scoring zones and gold, red, blue, black and white rings.”
In the professional and amateur world of archery, there is something called TARGET PANIC...
Tim’s boy’s first dear hunting trip
Ways to overcome target panic
1. When you draw your bow back, immediately FOCUS on the CENTER of your target
Dad’s when our focus is only on our work, success and all we can accomplish…we miss the target every time. Knowing God ourselves is setting up the target for our children. Pointing them to the one who is at work in us.
Hebrews 12:2 “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
2. Practice at short distances—get close
1 John 2:14 I write to you, fathers, because you KNOW him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you,
Dad, by growing up in the knowledge and love of God you help set the target in your children’s site.
Proverbs 4:25-26 “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.”
Dads, we can’t imitate who we don’t know.
“Train up a child in the way they should go—be sure you go there yourself.” Charles Spurgeon
(S4)
Bob—Desk—Bible
We grow up in the Lord, by growing closer and deeper in love with God
Old roman philosopher (senica) “You gottta know what harbor you are going to go to in order to catch the right wind to take you there”
Sometimes we may think, “If I am a good guy, and go to church once in awhile, that my children would become Christians by osmosis.”
Almost a zero chance of that happening, especially because our cultures outside influences are too strong…you have to be intentional in committing to growing yourself and knowing the target.
Solomon's downfall came when he lost site of the target—Success and Sensuality
Commit to knowing—Focus on Jesus, the center of the target—get close to your heavenly father. A good place to start, show them what it means to love God with all their heart soul and mind
(S5) —The next step in knowing what the job is. We have to...
2. Lead with INTEGRITY
2. Lead with INTEGRITY
Psalm 127:4 “Children are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.”
Children are like PRECIOUS CARGO and they deserve our best. Leading with integrity, means being out front, learning, growing, and failing ourselves
Overcoming target panic—Shot Process Examination
Dads’ this means frequently examining our own conscience—making valuable course correction along the way—Do an integrity check.
The most important thing your kids can see is your own spiritual transformation—what you got right and what you didn’t
“Kids may fail to do what you say, but rarely do they fail to do what you do.”
When our children see us learning how to love and live like Jesus then the target becomes visible for them and their lives. You will point your kids somewhere, or the world will.
Ephesians 5:1-2 “ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
Does our integrity point them to Jesus? Be a dad who leads with integrity…imitate the way of Christ, and our children have a better chance of doing the same.
The next step in knowing what the job is. We have to...
(S6) —
3. Train INTENTIONALLY
3. Train INTENTIONALLY
The archer has to address the target with confidence in their learned abilities.
Overcoming target panic—Shooting and Aiming Drills—They go through the shot process, except they don't shoot the bow. This takes the pressure off of releasing, and then you don't worry about where the arrows hits.
As an archer takes responsibility for where he intends his arrow to go through training, so does a godly dad take responsibility to train himself so he can teach his children.
Deut 6:6 “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Training ourselves in the word, takes the pressure off...
Melissa piano recital
It’s easy to focus on our kid’s behavior; doing the right things acting right in public. Making them be good kids because it makes us look good. To move past this is to train intentionally for transformation in our hearts and lives.
I saw my step-father lean on God in very difficult times.
It’s easy to be a father when things are good…Be a dad who trains, and teaches your children how to walk in this life…
Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) “Train up a child in the way he should go...
(S7) —The next step in knowing what the job is. We have to...
4. Initiate EFFECTIVELY
4. Initiate EFFECTIVELY
The archer has to put the arrow on the bow in the right position before it has any chance of even coming close to the target.
Overcoming target panic—Don't Overthink, Don't Over hold, Be Patient and Breathe
That means praying, planning and disciplining our children. Kids rarely do the things we hope all by themselves…
The greatest failure in parenting is passivity…being the fun dad without discipline. We have to be active and intentional about praying for them, planning with them and disciplining them when its appropriate
Philippians 4:9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.
Sometimes, you can do all of things right and still have a prodigal child…but if we will be commit to knowing the target, leading with integrity, training intentionally and initiating effectively, your home will know peace even in prodigal times.
John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
When we shower them with grace while with holding teaching them truth—We set them up for failure—We initiate effectively we with arrows of grace and truth— by planning, teach and training
(S8) —The last step in knowing what the job is. We have to...
5. Release with CONFIDENCE
5. Release with CONFIDENCE
Psalm 127:5 “5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame
If the archer never lets go of the arrow….it doesn’t matter how well its aimed there is no chance of hitting the target. Dad’s we must release our children in confidence
Can we be honest…? Releasing them is hard
Thomas—College
Releasing them means letting them go….harder for moms than dads
Weddings…Leave and cleave
Releasing with them with confidence, means trusting them in God’s faithfulness, giving them freedom to learn, fail and grow…releasing them is loving them enough to let them go…
(S9)
We are not going to hit the bullseye every time, and neither will our kids, but Dad, you are the right man for the job and you don’t have to do it alone—you only have to
Committing to KNOWING—Lead with INTEGRITY—Train INTENTIONALLY—Initiate EFFECTIVELY—Release with CONFIDENCE
…so that they have a better chance of becoming followers of Jesus who is the target
Dad’s hang onto those special moments...even if they seem insignificant at the time, cause children are a heritage from the Lord; a reward from him.
(S10)
Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.
No perfect fathers here today; but our task is to point our children to the one who is. The blessings of fatherhood seen in our children—Gifts from God our heavenly father. If we show them the target and how to hit it, then they have a greater chance of knowing the God their heavenly father, who IS perfect in every way.
Daily prayer—Father in heaven, may children see less of me and more of Jesus. But in seeing me, may they grow to become more like you.
Good news—for kids whose dads aren’t present—You can still come to know your heavenly father through grace and those around you... who commit to knowing, lead with integrity, train intentionally, initiate effectively and release you with confidence.
Daily prayer—Father in heaven, may the children around me see less of me and more of Jesus. But in seeing me, may they grow to become more like you.
Resources
Archery Lessons: 8 Exercises to Overcome Target Panic - North American Whitetail