As I continue this journey of blogging about and for dads through daily devotionals I have been able to find, connect with the publishers, and get approval to share my thoughts and insights from reading them, I have found this dad devotional called The Daring Dad. The image that goes along with it is so telling as it shows the title as The DARE-ING Dad. I am excited to see what dares come out of this devotional that can help us be the dads God needs us to be. The introduction to the blog that captured my attention and drew me to reach out to the publisher was:
Being a dad is difficult. You have so much responsibility. So much to do. Many of us put being a dad on the back burner – until we find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be. I dare you to be a great dad.
The Daring Dad from Plans on Bible.com
Today’s devotional is connected to the verses from God’s Word found in Deuteronomy 6:1-25.
‘These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord , the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord , who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord ’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”’
Deuteronomy 6:1-25
Today’s reading from God’s Word speaks to us the importance of being the dad who makes sure that we, our kids, and our grandkids know God and live for Him and His purposes. We need to be the dads who point our families to God and His faithfulness. We need to be the dads who lead our family to live lives that are glorifying to God by living our lives to His higher calling. We have the opportunity and the benefit of getting to choose to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and to raise up our kids in His ways. He is our redeemer. He is our savior. His grace is enough for each of us. Let’s be the dads who make time to dig into the Bible and to make sure our families are being filled too. Let’s be the dads who grab hold of and share God’s promises with this world.
Today’s devotional has been provided by Stonecreek Church. (more details can be found http://www.stonecreek.church)
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
We need to be the dads that lead!
- Do you lead?
- Do you find it easier to lead some places more than others?
- Do you find it easier to lead at work?
- Do you find it easier to lead at church?
- Do you find it easier to lead at home?
- What is it that makes it easier to lead some places more than others?
- Is it the common purpose?
- Is it the common heart?
- Is it that there are dealines, priorities, missions, and people looking to you?
- Is it that there is a known chain of command?
- Is it that the role of leader has been clearly defined?
- What is it that challenges you to be a leader at home?
- Is it your perspective that your wife is the CEO of the house?
- Is it the perspective that its a dual or shared supervisory role?
- Is it that you don’t want to lead?
- Leading is important and we need to be the dads God created and calls us to be.
- God’s call to be the dads who lead their family goes beyond the old testament.
- God’s call to be the dads who lead their family continues into the new testament.
- God’s call to be the dads who lead their family continues to this day.
- Do you remember what Paul told the church of Ephesus?
- Ephesians 521-33 speaks to the household and the roles.
- To be the dads we need to submit to one another.
- To be the dads we need to be the head of the household as Christ is the head of the church.
- To be the dads we need to love our wives just as Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for her on the cross.
- To be the dads we need to give of ourselves sacrificially like Jesus did for the church to make her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through the Word.
- To be the dads we need to give of ourselves sacrificially like Jesus did for the church so as to present our wives as radiant.
- To be the dads we need to give of ourselves sacrificially in love like Jesus did for the church so that our wives can be presented without stain or wrinkle or any other blemishes.
- To be the dads we need to give of ourselves sacrificially in love like Jesus did for the church so that our wives can be presented holy and blameless.
- To be the dads we need to love our wives like our own bodies.
- To be the dads we need to love our wives and feed and take care of them like we would/do our bodies.
- We are the body of Christ and as such we need to live up to His calling.
- Remember the words from the Old Testament that gets given as a reminder in Ephesians 5:
- ‘“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ‘ Ephesians 5:31
- Genesis 2:24
- Let’s be the dads who love our wives as ourselves.
- Let’s be the dads whose wives respect us.
- Today’s devotional closes with a DARE, are you ready to be the dad and take up this dare?
