When is a good dad great?
On fathers day, I wanted to look at and understand the complexities of a good father vs a great father.
A good father loves
A great father loves
A good father says “I love you”
A great father says “I love you”
A good father provides
A great father provides
A good father supports
A great father supports
A good father is present
A great father is present
A good father is a positive role model
A great father is a positive role model
A good father is a friend to his kids
A great father is a great friend to his kids
All in all, there are many principles to be followed in these statements, and none of them are bad, they are all levels of good fathering…
Dr Google says :
The key difference [between a good and great father] lies in the level of active engagement and the depth of the relationship with their children.
The world is measured by the world, and basically the difference is found in the “degree of goodness” a father has for his kids.
“A good father is good to his kids and a great father is gooder to his kids”
But the bible sees it very differently… The bible says “fathers” with no distinction between “good” and “great”. So what does it mean to be a father in the bible? Here are a few key illustrations from scripture:
raising them in the Lord’s instruction
guiding children towards a right path
righteous and wise, highlighting the impact of a father’s example
leading with reverence for God
You can clearly see the Bible has turned the relationship of
“father / child”
to
“father/God, child/God, father/child”
and does not talk about the child and father without God, a great father is a three way relationship putting God at the center and father/child on each side.
“father/GOD/child”
If you want to be a good father, be good to your kids, if you want to be a great father, be gooder to your kids but if you want to be the father you are called to be… put God in that relationship first and always point back to God.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you think you are a good father, God says you are actually evil (by comparison or actually evil by human standards, it matters not). “evil” and you still make good choices for your kids…
A godly father should be our goal, not a good father and not a great father. We should be friendly, not friends. We should be models, not peers. We should be God focused, not person focused. Take back the role of father today and serve your children well, teach them in the ways of the Lord first.
May God richly bless your sacrificial service to your family today as you discover God’s sacrificial service to you.
Special side note: There are a group of men that give extra, not all are “GOOD” but remember the “step fathers” who make a decision every day to be a father to a child that usually rejects that man daily, remember those men that “step in” as a father…
C
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