“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11.
“As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13-14.
Many folks do not think of God as a father, even though He is constantly referenced to as Father in Scripture; whether He is Jesus’ Father or “Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your name.” Luke 11:2a, He is the Father.
For those who have accepted Christ as their Savior, He is literally our Father. For those who reject Jesus Christ, God’s Son as their savior, they wander this desert alone because they have rejected His offer to become their Father. Though His eye is on them as it is on the Christian, they are as rebellious children who have run away from home.
“That [Jesus] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:9-13.
There are times when the ungodly will cry out to God in fear or in pain, and He rescues them because He is merciful; but it is the cry out for Christ as their Savior that He truly hears.
God the Father pities those who trust in Him because He knows what they are like, and He remembers that they are but frail mortals.
When you consider these verses, consider the Father, then think on the fathers He has given us on earth. God is true and He will remain to eternity, but where are the fathers? Where are the fathers?
One in three U.S. children lives without a father. Only one in ten children live with both parents, while 84% live with only their mother.
Our civilization is perishing not because of schools, politicians, drugs, or dead humanistic philosophies toxic as they are.
It is dying because there are no fathers in the home to teach children right and wrong, to teach basic skills, to lead by example, or to hold or love them because they are their own children.
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Without a father, without both parents, this is where the above list of evil children turned adults come from. Sinful people like this come from very good homes as well as poverty stricken ones, but one constant is that most of them will come from the 84% of single parent homes.
Psychologists and feminists may say that children are resilient and can adapt to a one parent home, or that the woman is nurturing and able to be enough of a parent for any child. It is all a lie straight out of the pit of hell.
Men and women are different for a reason and it is not because we evolved differently, that too is a lie, we were created by an omniscient God with a purpose and are meant to function with a purpose in mind.
Part of this purpose is to act like adults, especially when we take on the responsibility of marriage, and that responsibility becomes greater for both parents when children are born.
Parents, no matter what age, have no right to say, “Oh, I gotta be me” or “He/she is such a brute/nag, I am leaving!” Men or women who walk out on their spouse without attempting any sort of reconciliation and never look back are not adults, they are children!
Men who walk out and never visit (or support) their children again, no matter what acrimony, no matter whether she divorced him or he divorced her, are not adults, they are children.
Men like this fall under the “unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control…” category.
Often men are unable to see their children because the ex-wife is spiteful and keeps the children from them.
Unless the man is dangerous, this is wrong, and the blame is on the woman. Do not be foolish, God sees these things, and will require it of the guilty party.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man [woman] sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7.
What are they sowing, what are they planting, selfishness, jealousy, anger, spitefulness? What is being planted is going to grow, bad brings bad, and good brings good, no one should expect to reap good from an evil heart.
Speaking on another matter Moses said this to the Israelite tribes of Gad and Reuben who made a promise to him, Numbers 32:16-27.
“But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23.
That is a good principle to remember, “…your sin will find you out” and then the sinner will reap what they have sown.
Anyone, male or female in these circumstances should ask themselves, am I considering the children or myself, am I doing what is right, or am I just spilling bile all over innocent children who need both parents?
Children do not need to have one parent belittle the other to them. Why do they have to choose whom to love and be loyal to?
“As a father pities his children…” do you as a father pity your children? Do you as a father look at your innocent toddler who so desperately needs the hands of someone who loves them to hold them up and guide them and take pity on them?
Some just walk away and leave their child to be raised by a stranger who may or may not love a child who is not their own.
No longer do they want anything to do with the mother of the child, nor with her child; but the child has a father and they are just as much a part of the father as they are the mother.
It is wrong for a father to throw out their child along with the mother like so much trash.
“For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” Fathers need to remember that children are weak and dependent on a faithful adult to care for them, training them and keeping them from danger.
Fathers who desert their children need to remember this; they are not leaving a pet bear who knows how to hunt, alone in the woods. It is a helpless child, and I mean helpless no matter how old the child is.
Until they are properly trained up to adulthood by their parents, they are not ready to be left without the benefit of someone who loves them to counsel or comfort them and to help them to make wise decisions.
Fathers need to remember that children, like the rest of us, are but dust. Weak, frail and facing a life that has an end. It is up to the fathers to teach their child how to live life, that there is a Creator and there is an end to this life.
“Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:6-7.
Of all the tragedies that came out of hurricane Katrina one of the saddest sights on the news was of a bloated dead body of a young man of about 18 or 19 years of age floating in the water. He had been shot during the juvenile violence that erupted during the chaotic aftermath of the storm.
It is tragic to see young men (and women), children really, the majority of whom are fatherless die, for nothing, nothing!
Children born fatherless, joining a lawless crowd, killing, stealing, raising hell, dying and going to hell; all because sinful, selfish men would not shoulder responsibility, either by marriage, or refraining from sex with just anybody.
“Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well [sex with your own wife]. Should your fountains [children] be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth.” Proverbs 5:15-18.
In relation to the above, here is another good rule to follow.
“And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” 1 Corinthians 7:13-16.
“Otherwise your children would be unclean…” there are a few different explanations for this phrase which in my opinion are crude at best.
The correct twofold explanation for this is that if the believing parent departs the child may be raised to be an unbeliever, a catastrophe.
The second meaning is that if the child is not raised in a Christian home they will miss the blessings and peace of being raised in such a household and the likelihood that they too would become believers.
“…as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children…” 1 Thessalonians 2:11.
Fathers and mothers, it is important for you to remember that it is you who are the adults, you have the authority to tell your children what is right and to teach them; not the other way around.
Children are to learn from their parents, not argue with them.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’” Ephesians 6:1-3.
Parents are to listen to their children, in love, and respond accordingly, but they are not to put up with, or give in to some specious, repetitive inane argument. Parents have the final authority; use it wisely and without pettiness or partiality.
“…we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children…” these are the functions of the father, exhortation, comforting, and charging them.
To exhort is to; urge, advise, or caution earnestly, or admonish urgently.
To comfort is to; calm, encourage, or console.
To charge is to; teach them from the things you have learned and to charge them with the responsibility of learning from your experiences or training.
An example of this might be:
“I know you are frustrated because you are failing at spelling, do not be discouraged, we all have problems, but we can learn patience from them. Try this, this is what I did; I wrote each word out ten times before taking the test. Do this and your spelling will improve greatly. If not I am here, I will help you succeed.”
There is nothing like having someone who loves you say something like this to you. Men and women, even battle hardened soldiers at times need arms to embrace them, children most of all, if they are to grow into mature adults.
“Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.” Lamentations 2:19.
Children hunger for peace, comfort, purpose and the love of the true God and Father.
Fathers, Part 1 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 11-9-18, updated on 5-14-21.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.