30 Apr Dad, take your family to church

Posted at 12:00h in Uncategorized by

“The living, the living – they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.”  Isaiah 38:19 (NIV)

Sunday’s forecast: Sunny with a high near 77.

A day full of promise!

We could do so many things today, Sunday:

  • We could hit the gym;
  • We could catch up on our latest Netflix series;
  • We could finally clean out the basement;
  • We could play baseball;
  • We could even sleep in!

 

These choices are all good in varying ways, and there are so many more things we could find ourselves wrapped up in on any given Sunday, but I’d like to make a simple suggestion:

Whatever your Sunday holds, Dad, take your family to church.

When we take our family to church, we demonstrate our love for God in:

  • worshipping Him publicly;
  • singing His praises corporately;
  • giving our time, talent, and treasure to Him bountifully;
  • praying as a congregation to Him freely; and
  • greeting each other in His name joyfully!

 

Worshipping our God as a body of believers is certainly nothing new: King Hezekiah (ruled Judah between 715 and 686 BC), upon learning from the prophet Isaiah that God had extended his life 15 years, proclaimed…

“The living, the living – they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.”  Isaiah 38:19 (NIV)

Indeed!  We parents can still tell our children of God’s faithfulness: how great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23)!

But, often times, it’s our actions that speak so much more loudly than our words.  And, again, God reminded me of that this past Sunday just before church.

As I was taking my son, Braden (9), to church, the sun at our backs not only warmed us, but it also projected our shadows onto the sidewalk ahead of us (please see above image).  Amidst our playful conversation and at about the same time, Braden and I were both struck by how much our corresponding shadows resembled each other: father and son.

And that’s when the Holy Spirit REALLY hit me with an insight…

These shadows of ours were, of course, a natural physical result of the sun casting shadows from our bodies.  But, more subtly, this image of our shadows would be a shadow of things to come.  Braden’s shadow will continue grow in length as he ages towards maturity, even as my shadow will continue to diminish as I age towards retirement.  And, similarly, so will my direct influence diminish over his daily life, just as God designed (Proverbs 22:6).  Don’t delay in influencing your family to Christ!

So, whether your kids are young or fully grown, Dad:

  • take every opportunity you can to take your family to church;
  • snag every chance you can to tell them of God’s faithfulness;
  • grab every moment you can to speak of His great love for us so violently demonstrated on Calvary’s cross and so gloriously revealed in Christ’s triumphant resurrection from the grave just three days later!

 

Dad, your godly influence on your family – your legacy – is greater than we can ever imagine, worth far more than any fleeting earthly honor or depreciating annual bonus.  With tears in my eyes and a smile across my face, I snapped the image of our shadows and sensed God wanted me to share this update with you. God is SO awesome!!!

So here’s my CHALLENGE to you…

Dad, take your family to church this Sunday.  Praise him together as King Hezekiah did by telling your family of our God’s great faithfulness!

A Faithful Dad’s mission is straightforward: Follow Jesus. Lead your family. Leave a legacy (1 Corinthians 11:1).  God enables us to come alongside men from all walks of life, so we can leave a legacy that reflects Jesus, a lasting legacy that will make Jesus proud.

Want to join us in equipping more men to connect through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  Please click HERE.

On behalf of our board and serving Jesus with you,

Travis and Suzanne Zimmerman

Pastor, Co-Founders

traviszim
travis@afaithfuldad.org