A father’s role is not to be always trying to do battle for his children in those situations in life he might wish had gone or will go another way.
No, a father’s role is to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”(Ephesians 6:4 NAS). A significant element of accomplishing this God ordained and commanded task (Deuteronomy 11:18-20) is the father, by spoken word (regular conversation) and life example (daily living) teaching and training his children in the ways of the Lord, that as the Father draws them to Christ they might receive Him as their personal Savior and then be discipled by their earthly father. Herein is accomplished, one day at a time, the fulfillment of the task of bringing “them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”that equips and prepares them to expect and anticipate victory in any situation that the realities of life might bring (I Peter 1:3-7).
A father can confidently pursue this task when his love for and trust in God is real and he is faithful to obey, day by day, the command of God that states “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”(Romans 12:1-2 NAS). The “living and holy sacrifice”here identified by Paul is in stark contrast to the dead animal sacrifices of the Old Testament sacrificial system — those sacrifices with no capacity to bringeternal forgiveness and salvation to anyone. The “living and holy sacrifice” God requires of every Christian father is that sacrifice identified and commanded in II Corinthians 4:10-11, “…..always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”(NAS).
The following represent just a few of the provisions of God for the father who will be faithful to allow God to renew his mind through regular, trusting study and meditation on God’s word:
I Peter I:3-7: John 10:10, 28-29; Colossians 2:9-10 (Hebrews 2:14); II Corinthians 4:7-11; Philippians 4:4-13; II Corinthians 10:3-5 (I Corinthians 2:15-16); I Thessalonians 5:16-24; II Peter 1:1-10(vv 3-4); Hebrews 5:8-14; Psalm 119:9,97-105; 84:10-12(v 11)