United Church of God

Letter From Dan Dowd - June 17, 2022

Letter From Dan Dowd

June 17, 2022

Sabbath Thought - Godly Fathers

This coming Sunday is Father's Day in this country.  For those of us who have had good fathers, this can be a wonderful day of thankfulness and positive memories.  For an increasing number of individuals, especially in the western world, a father fulfilling a positive role in his family is increasingly rare.  Some statistics point to more than half of the children in this country growing up without a father in their daily life.  One of the very sad "successes" of Satan's culture is the fragmentation of the family.  Add to this the marginalization of and lack of respect for fathers, and the family unit is even more compromised.  If physical fathers are not seen as leaders of families, then neither is God.

It was God who established the family through marriage (Genesis 2:18, 24), and he did so in part to show on a physical level what family will be like on a spiritual level.  Those relationships we will have once we are spirit and in God's Kingdom will be based on the very same laws that ensure positive relationships now.  In the Ten Commandments, number five is the first of those interpersonal laws - honoring our parents.

God requires fathers to not only provide for the needs of their families physically, but also morally and spiritually (Proverbs 22:6).  Our lives, our thoughts and our actions are to point the rest of our family to God.  The thought from God in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 rings out: "So love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning" (CEV).

As father's we are to teach our children to retain God's instruction in their heart (Proverbs 4:4), and that living according to His word will bring a long, peaceful life (Proverbs 3:2).  In fact, the book of Proverbs is the instruction of Solomon to his children in how to have a Godly life.  It is worth a re-read if you haven't done so in a while.  Beyond a father teaching his children to listen to and follow God, he is to be the example of our Heavenly Father.  As such a physical father is to be a loving source of comfort and safety.  That is a lot to live up to.

Whether you are a father or not, whether you had (or have) a loving father or not, God is our loving Father and He wants us to be a part of His family forever.  May we men be honorable fathers.

I wish you a profitable and value filled Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

17 June, 2022