Scripture Passage: Proverbs 3:11-12

Happy Father’s Day!

Special days like Father’s Day can be emotionally positive or negative — depending on the role our father played in our lives. God’s design for the family is to have a mom and a dad because it takes a man and woman, father and mother, to reflect God’s image to a child.

The First Ingredient for Biblical Fatherhood is Instruction

Vs. 11 – “Do not despise the Lord’s instruction my son and do not loathe his discipline.”

The purpose of fatherly instruction is to inform and equip. Many passages in Proverbs are about a father teaching his children about living wisely. Someone noted that proverbs is not a book for philosophers to ponder but rather a book for parents to practice.

The primary duty of a father is not to fix things or take out the trash but instead to teach his children. If you are a father, what are some practical ways in which you are teaching your children to live in a way pleasing to God.

The Second Ingredient for Biblical Fatherhood is Correction

The purpose of correction is to adjust and strengthen. Parents must love their kids enough to correct them. Requiring obedience of children is implicit in the biblical requirement that children obey their parents (read Ephesians 6:1).

The purpose of discipline and correction is to adjust and strengthen and not to humiliate or to anger. As a dad, what adjustments do you need to make in regard to how you discipline your children?

The Third Ingredient for Biblical Fatherhood is Affection

Vs. 12. “for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”

For some, affection may be something difficult to express. We can, however, show affection by being a part of our children’s lives by being there for the big and small moments, especially those that can’t be repeated. Parents should also verbalize affection because there is power in words.

As a dad, how do you show affection to your children?