The Christian Home
Fathers Under the Microscope

Recently, my wife was monitoring the four-year-old class for Sunday morning Bible study; and our youngest grandchild Jake was in that class. As the teacher was reading from Exodus, about Moses and the burning bush, Jake spoke up and told the teacher that it was a tree and not a bush. The teacher very patiently told Jake that it was a bush and not a tree. When unsuccessful tries were made to convince him, he was finally encouraged to check with his dad. His dad has been reading Bible stories to Jake as he goes to sleep at night. Jake apparently had seen one of the pictures and made his own decision that it was a tree. His dad very lovingly instructed Jake more perfectly in the way of righteousness. This is apropos to our situation both as a father and as a child.

Fathers, from the moment your children arrive on this earth, they are watching and listening to you. A child is blessed with an intense sense of correct moral character. Now, generally speaking, this moral character is either solidified or turned into sinking sand by the father of the family. The microscope you happen to be under is your precious child’s watching eyes and ears. If the child sees honesty, integrity, and fidelity in his father, he most likely will want to emulate these characteristics.

One of the things that fascinated me about our first child was those perfectly formed ears. As the father of this child, my desire was for her to be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). We are told in Psalm 37:5 to “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” The Lord is He who will bless the fruit of the womb (Deut. 7:13). My point is simply this: when you become a father, the job is just beginning. Oh how quickly the realization comes that “I need help”. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

The reason to admonish your child in the Lord is because God can see from beginning to end. We, as earthly parents, can only see such a short distance. I know you want that precious child of yours to live eternally with God. If the question were asked of the reader to place a monetary figure on the value of your child, does that figure exist?

My hope for you is that the answer would be “No!” Our children are a blessing from our heavenly Father (Psalm 127:3). How much does God love our children? So much that He allowed His only Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from eternal loss by shedding His precious blood (John 3:16f).

Ecclesiastes 12:7 says that our spirit will return again to God who gave it. We show our love for God by keeping His commandments (Jn. 14:15). In showing our love for God, we show love for ourselves and our children, and respect for others. Tomorrow, as you climb up on that slide to be viewed by your children, ask God’s blessing to help you be the father that is seeking first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33). It will make the job a lot easier.

James C. Garner
Fayetteville, GA