SoLo Lives! Ministry

The Greatest Father of All
Ptr. Peter Tanchi / Sunday, June 15, 2008

What kind of emotion is stirred within you when thoughts of your father come to mind? What kind of father did you grow up with? How a person turns out in his later years says much about his father. How trusting a child is toward his father depends on how trustworthy the father has been to his children.

Fathers are very important. It has been shown that there is a tremendous correlation between a fatherless family and the outcome of the children. Statistically, over 60% of suicide rates, 90% of children who run away from home, and 85% of all youth that are now in prison are from fatherless homes. Fathers make a very strong impact on families.

God is the greatest father that every father should follow. And for those who did not have fathers in their childhood, they should know that in reality, they do have a Father. Psalm 68:5 refers to God as “A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows…” Psalm 103:3 says, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” God, the Greatest Father of all, shows us what a great father is like:

A Great Father Knows. Our Father is in heaven.  He is in the highest realm, high above us. No one can compare to His holiness, knowledge, wisdom and goodness. The great disparity between Him and us, however, does not make Him a cold, distant Father. He is as close and personal as anyone could ever get. No one can come close to the intimate knowledge He has of each one of us. Our Father knows our needs. He knows best, and will always give what’s best for us.  Being the God of love, His compassion will never fail us.

A Great Father Provides. Earthly fathers, with their best efforts, try to provide for their children’s needs. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Earthly fathers are not perfect but our God in heaven is, and He promised us that He will take care of us. It is our Heavenly Father’s job to provide for us, just as earthly fathers provide for their children.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26). God is telling us we are worth much more than birds. So why do we worry? God knows what our needs are. He is able to supply. If He can take care of the needs of the birds, how much more us?

Again, Matthew 6:31-33 says, “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘with what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Part of trusting is doing what’s humanly possible and leaving the rest to God. As long as we toil daily and observe a day of Sabbath (Exodus 16:12, 16-23), God shall supply our daily needs. God faithfully provides as long as we are trusting and obedient to His commands. We do not compromise God’s principles in order to gain God’s blessings. God’s condition is that we put Him first in everything.

A Great Father Trains. No other person plays a role as pivotal as the father to his son. The cliché “Like father, Like son” points out the importance of modeling. “Every father should remember that one day, his son will follow his example instead of his advice.” The best training a father could give is one that develops the son into a godly person.
A father would do well to observe a few simple guidelines to be a great father and pass on valuable lessons to his children who will eventually have families and children of their own:

• I would love my wife more.
• I would laugh more.
• I would listen more.
• I would spend more time with family.
• I would model more than lecture.
• I would pray more, worry less.
• I would appreciate more, criticize less.
• I would encourage more, correct less.

A Great Father Loves. To a child, love is spelled T-I-M-E.  Children also equate love with forgiveness and acceptance.  But no one can equal God’s love, forgiveness and acceptance.  “See how great a Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1).  Precisely because we are His children, God shows His love for us through discipline. “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6-7). What father would not want his child to learn the ropes of right living so he may not go wayward and go through life dejected and defeated?

Knowing that we have the greatest Father of all who knows, provides and trains and has nothing but our best interests at heart, we can draw near Him with confidence. Are we turning to Him? Are we willing to trust and obey the greatest Father of all?