1. A Good Father is a Positive Role Model
Psalm 1:1 – Blessed is the man, who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
It is said that a daughter’s first love is her father – and a son’s first hero is his father. Whether you know it or not, as a father you have a direct and indirect influence on your children. Children naturally will at times imitate the good and the bad things that they see in their fathers. However just as God who is good wants us to imitate Him, a good human father would want to see his children imitate the good things that are in him as a father.
2. A Good Father Gives Direction & Teaching
Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
As a father, your role is to teach your children about life. You must provide family, social, academic, professional and spiritual guidance to your children as they are growing up. Do not wait until your children are adults to start guiding them. But be involved in your children’s lives from the very day that they are born. Intimately know your children and what is happening in every stage of their lives and be there to give them help and guidance whenever they need it.
3. A Good Father Understands That Children Are A Gift From God
Psalm 127:3 – Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
There are many families that have absentee fathers. There are children who either have never known their father or who have been abandoned by their father. A father who does not love or care for his children is a man who has no respect for God or the fact that children are a gift from God. A good father does not see his children as being an unwanted burden on his life but he enjoys his children and feels blessed to have them.
4. A Good Father Leaves An Inheritance For His Children
Proverbs 13:22 – A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
As a father, your role is to work to provide for your family and in particular for the next generations in your family. A good father does not work for himself only. He does not accumulate wealth for only his lifetime, but whatever wealth he accumulates, he is able to pass on down to his children and his children’s children. Therefore your wealth should not die when you die, but it should be passed on to the next generation.
5. A Good Father Listens To His Children
Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
A good father is not autocratic in his leadership. He does not always apply a military approach in his
method of leadership and guidance toward his children. However, a father will take the time to
listen and not provoke his children. Children yearn to be understood and to be heard by their fathers. Therefore as a father, you must learn to bridge any distance and generation gap between you and your children. One of those ways of bridging that distance or generation gap is by being a good listener. It is only when you have understood and listened to your children in their situation, that can you then give them appropriate discipline and instruction in the Lord.
6. A Good Father Prays For His Children
1 Timothy 2:8 – I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
A good father prays for his children. He blesses his children and prays for God’s hand and presence in the lives of his children. A good father ultimately does not forget that it is God who is the Father that we ALL need in our lives. A good father knows that even he and his children cannot live without the presence and guidance of God our Heavenly Father.
7. A Good Father Imitates God, His Heavenly Father
Ephesians 5:1-2 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
A good father imitates God, for we are children of our heavenly Father. As a father, you must therefore worship God and be rooted in your knowledge and understanding of God who is your Father. You must understand God’s values and principles just as you would expect your own children to understand and follow your values and principles.
