by Joey Watkins, Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Perhaps the clearest instruction to dads in the Old Testament of the Bible is found in Deuteronomy chapter 6.  Moses had gathered all the Hebrew men together — thousands of them – in a large group to give them direct instructions from God while they were in “transition” to their future home land.

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD; And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart; and you shall repeat them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as a token between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Maybe these instructions were just for a specific group of people for a specific timeframe. But I believe we see in this passage God’s ongoing pattern for parenting that applies to us today thousands of years later.

Dad, you and I are to repeat God’s word, His commands, His truth, to our sons and daughters. And to do so diligently. That means more than once or twice a week.

We are even told *where* and *when* to do so — at home, while traveling, at night, and in the mornings.

Notice it does NOT give options for passing this responsibility off to another person. It is a very clear and direct command to US.

Why? Because this is God’s plan for transmitting spiritual truth in the most EFFECTIVE manner possible! From dads to their children. God is well aware of “father power.” He created it. And He, of course, has the ultimate Father power!

What a privilege we dads have. What an honor. And what a tremendous responsibility. But we are called to do it. And it is up to us be diligent with our children.

Do you have input, insights, or experience on this topic? Please submit your comments and feedback below so that other dads can also be encouraged by your words.

R E S O U R C E   for   D A D S

by Voddie Baucham

In this book, Voddie Baucham, a father of 4 children himself, provides a great read for dads who want to instill their values and Biblical faith into their children and see it “stick” when they become adults. The message in this book will convict you, stir your heart, and encourage you to do whatever it takes to proactively lead your family. Learn More

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by Joey Watkins

Dad, has your son or daughter ever done something that really upset you? Maybe made you question what you were doing "wrong" as a parent to have caused him or her to act a certain way or say a certain thing?

Here’s a recent example from my own family…

This past week, our family spent 9 hours together in a car driving home from a long trip. When we finally arrived, we were all rather tired and cranky.

While getting ready for bed, my two youngest children got into a spat over something very silly… as is usually the case when children argue.

They were fighting over our "drinking water."

My youngest son, who is only 5, was unwilling to drink the water that was available in our house because it was not "cold" due to our water cooler having been unplugged while we were away on our trip.

Can you believe that?!!

My first thought was something like…

"What a spoiled rotten brat! He should be grateful that we even have bottled spring water to begin with. He has no idea there are billions of children around the world who don’t even have clean drinking water — much less COLD clean spring water! He has no idea how good he has it!!!"

And with that, I proceeded to vent at both him and my wife, telling him to drink the water that WAS available, or else go to bed thirsty.

What a great response from Dad, eh?! I’m sure you’ve never done anything like this

The nerve of this "spoiled" little 5-year-old kid demanding **cold** water.

It’s now a few days later, and I just remembered a recent rant of my own when our family was in Florida last week.

I had walked into the kitchen to pour a glass of water, and there wasn’t any cold water available because no one remembered to refill the water pitcher we kept in the refrigerator.

And yes, my entire family heard this grown man… Dad… rant and blame his family for something so silly.

I think I owe my family an apology — and explain to my 5-year-old son that he and dad were both wrong and should be grateful for water whether it is cold or not.

It never ceases to amaze me how our children learn from the actions and words of their dad. Especially when dad is not in "teaching" mode.

R E S O U R C E S   for   D A D S

Revolutionary Parenting

by George Barna

Determined to learn the secrets of those who’ve raised spiritual champions, world-renowned researcher George Barna conducted a series of surveys and thousands of personal interviews with both young adults and their parents.