Jesus gave it all, making the ultimate sacrifice, and modeling for us how to be the dads He created, purposed, and planned for us to be. As a result, we learn how to:
- love through Him,
- sacrifice through Him,
- be the husbands we need to be through Him,
- lead our kids and families through Him.
Be it through messages for us as husbands like:
‘Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [of God], so that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy [set apart for God] and blameless. Even so husbands should and are morally obligated to love their own wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members (parts) of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined [and be faithfully devoted] to his wife , and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery [of two becoming one] is great; but I am speaking with reference to [the relationship of] Christ and the church. ‘
Ephesians 5:25-32
and as dads like:
‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ‘
Ephesians 6:4
Firstly, let’s pause and receive from God a message of hope and love that we can pass on to our wives, our kids, and our world!
Today’s verse of the day:
‘In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace ‘
Ephesians 1:7
Furthermore, seeing the words in the Bible, with the verse above missing the period, it feels like we need to add that to ensure we have the full context.
‘In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] ‘
Ephesians 1:7-8
Let’s be the dads looking upon the ultimate sacrifice who:
- know we have redemption in Jesus.
- receive our deliverance and salvation through Jesus.
- through the blood of Jesus have had our penalty of sin paid.
- have the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin because of His ultimate sacrifice.
- realize it wasn’t because we were or are good enough but rather because of the riches of His grace which He lavishes upon us.
So as we prepare for this day ahead of us, let’s consider how we can apply today’s verse of the day in being the dads God created, planned, and purposed us to be.
- Model forgiveness: “As fathers, we can demonstrate forgiveness by forgiving our children when they make mistakes and apologizing when we make mistakes ourselves.”
- Teach about redemption: “We can explain the concept of redemption to our children and how Christ’s sacrifice on the cross provides redemption for all of us.”
- Share stories of grace: “We can share stories of times when we have experienced God’s grace and encourage our children to reflect on the grace they have received in their lives.”
- Encourage confession: “We can create a safe space for our children to confess their sins and seek forgiveness, reminding them that forgiveness is always available to them.”
- Show gratitude: “We can cultivate an attitude of gratitude in our homes, encouraging our children to give thanks for the forgiveness and redemption they have received.”
- Be quick to forgive: “We can model forgiveness by being quick to forgive our children when they ask for forgiveness, without holding grudges or resentment.”
- Discuss the value of forgiveness: “We can discuss with our children the importance of forgiveness in relationships and how forgiveness helps to build stronger bonds.”
- Pray for forgiveness: “We can pray with our children, asking God to forgive us for our sins and help us to forgive others.”
- Emphasize the love of God: “We can remind our children of God’s love and grace, and how it is freely given to us through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.”
- Live a life of grace: “We can strive to live a life that reflects God’s grace and forgiveness, treating others with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.”
