by Elizabeth George June 11, 2019
1 CommentFROM JIM'S HEART Have you considered the importance of presenting the right kind of model for your children? And are you wondering where can you find this right kind of model? The Bible is an obvious first place to look.
Hopefully, your spiritual understanding is far enough along that you may be aware of what the Bible says about the model you have in your loving, caring, giving, and guiding Father in heaven.
The Bible presents many verses about what a strong, consistent model you have in God the Father. And you are doubly blessed if you have an earthly father who has also provided a constant model of godly fatherhood.
But for those of us who don’t have this kind of legacy to fall back on, we are forced to look around for others who can model what a father should be for his children. So where do we start?
Of course, the first place is your Bible. There, you find that God is the ultimate model of what it means to be a father. God is often spoken of as “the Father” in the Bible. He is called “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”(Ephesians 3:14).
Probably the most famous reference to God as Father came in the most famous of prayers uttered by Jesus Himself. Jesus began this prayer by saying, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).
God the Father is a person; therefore, He has character qualities that theologians refer to as attributes. These attributes are what identify and distinguish who God is as a person. God is the ultimate model of what it means to be a father.
Some of God’s characteristics belong only to Him, such as His infinity, eternity, immutability, omnipresence, omniscience, and sovereignty. These cannot be passed on to His creation.
But other qualities, like love, truth, holiness, patience, and kindness, can—at least in a limited sense—be found in man, who was created in God’s image. These are called the “communicable” qualities of God because they can be expressed by man.
And hopefully that includes you and me as dads.
RESPOND
God, I commit my parenting to You today. Help me to honor You in all I do. Thank You for guiding me so that my decisions will glorify You and bless my children. Amen.
A Dad After God’s Own Heartby Jim George—in this fresh rerelease, learn the basics for how to be a good dad with your kids, including...
Art Prints—Check out these art prints, designed to encourage you to be a dad after God’s own heart!
REFLECT
Choose one of the four steps and implement that step this week. Next week, choose a second to do, and so forth and so on.
REMEMBER
Your example as a father will mark your children for life.
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
by Elizabeth George March 21, 2023
When something difficult happens in your life, are you ever tempted to ask, “What good could come out of this?” The event looks like a disaster. It feels like a disaster. Therefore, we quickly conclude, it is a disaster! But God did not forget His people who were suffering in Babylon. And, my friend, He won’t forget you!
by Elizabeth George March 14, 2023
Too many times in the past I’ve told others “I’m fine” in order to hide my pain and sorrows from them. The truth is, my thoughts pulled me down so far that, in private, tears regularly streamed down my face. Are you constantly thinking negative thoughts? Being a woman after God’s own heart is all about “minding your mind.”
by Elizabeth George March 07, 2023
As a young mother, I endeavored to “train a child in the way he should go,” so that “when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). A decade later, however, I wasn’t reaping the results I had expected. Angrily, I said to God, “But this isn’t the way it was supposed to be! This isn’t the way it went for this family here or that family over there. And this isn’t the way it was supposed to be for my family!”
NATALIA ANDRIANOU
October 26, 2020
Hello brother and sister,
How can I acquire the book 9 Attributes of a Godly Man?
Thank you
Natalia Andrianou