Just For Dads: Be A Positive Christian Role Model – Day 2

So I found a devotional that was a bit longer and that sounded powerful as a message so that it could help us learn and become the dads God created and purposed for us to be. So I chose “Just For Dads: Be A Positive Christian Role Model” because, over 21 days, we will get to read and learn about how to be a positive Christian role model for our family! Over 21 days, we will get to learn about topics like: “self-discipline, love, patience, and much more“! This devotional will not only help us be the dads but it will also help us “in our day-to-day life to show our children what it truly means to be a role model and follower of Christ in every sense“.

Let’s check out our scriptures for today’s devotional:

• Exodus 32:19-25

‘When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. ‘

Exodus 32:19-25

Ever needed that nudge, that insight, that wisdom, that understanding, that reason? Ever turned to God’s Word and had it land right before you? Ever turned to God’s Word because you couldn’t figure it out? Ever been amazed at what you discovered?

Ever seen something happening and it caused you to lose it? Ever experienced a situation where anything and everything is going off the rails? Ever had to confront the situation or the person about what they had done? Ever been that person? Ever received excuses for why it happened? Ever taken responsibility or accountability for your role in it? Ever come up with an idea in the heat of the moment and then realized later it caused things to go off the rails? Were you able to invite God into the situation to help you wrangle everyone and get the situation under control?

Today’s devotional has been provided by Zondervan!

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)

For more information, please visit Just For Dads: Be A Positive Christian Role Model | Devotional Reading Plan | YouVersion Bible for more details.

Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:

“Don’t make me laugh“

• Let’s be the dads that our wives need!
• Let’s be the dads that our kids need!
• Let’s be the dads that this world needs us to be!
• Let’s be the dads who don’t give our family the leftovers but instead our best!
• Let’s be the dads who don’t give our best to the world and whatever is left goes to our families
• Today’s devotional speaks to us about today’s scripture verse comparing life to a TV sitcom where the dads get made into a laughing stock.
• Today’s devotional speaks to the characterization like this:
  • “A reoccurring character in these programs is the clumsy, indecisive, passive and very confused dad. He may be quite successful in business, but get him home and his IQ drops to room temperature. The moment he sets his laptop or backpack down, this poor guy is overwhelmed by his unmanageable, demanding wife and his disrespectful, loudmouthed children. Sometimes we sit and laugh at this foolish man in spite of ourselves.“
• Let’s be the dads who are so focused on what God has called and purposed for us to be that we give our best to our wives and kids!
• Let’s be the dads who don’t off our brain when we walk through the door because we had to overuse it during the day but come home ready to engage with our wives and kids and family!
• Today’s devotional takes the sitcom idea and speaks to what had happened to Israel and how they had become the laughingstock of the neighborhood:
  • “Israel’s enemies were also laughing. And like our laughter at bumbling dads on TV, their entertainment was the result of a man doing a dumb thing. The man was Aaron, and the laughter was the result of his atrocious leadership of God’s family. Moses was on a business trip to visit with God and he had left Aaron in charge. A bad decision.“
  • “And with Moses the lawmaker gone, the Jews saw an opportunity for some good, old-fashioned complaining. “Give us handmade gods,” they whined. “We’re tired of worshiping a God we can’t see.”“
  • “So Aaron gave into the pressure and let them build an idol — a make-believe god. The out-of-control Jewish family became comic relief for everyone (see verse 25). “How funny it is,” these other nations must have said, “to see a family where the children make the rules.”“
• Let’s be the dads who remember right from wrong and won’t give in to peer pressure or complaints because it feels easier!
• Let’s be the dads who remember God’s purpose and calling on our lives and stand firm on His Word so that our families will stay aligned to His plans and purposes!
• Let’s be the dads who don’t makeup excuses for having made decisions but instead own them and learn from them, asking for forgiveness and help!
• Let’s be the dads who are “sober-minded in our home“!
• Let’s be the dads who “in spite of the temptation to let your family’s complaining and whining win out over your solid leadership, don’t let your behavior around your home make your neighbors laugh“!
• Let’s be the dads who get it and understand that “living in a family where the dad fails to take responsibility and lead isn’t very funny at all“!