Fatherhood ~ What Are You Passing?

What Are You Passing? Now there is a question to ask on the day after Halloween! But what I am asking goes deeper. What are you passing to your kids? What are you passing to your grandkids?

Genesis 18

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
19 “For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what He promised him.”

Fatherhood ~ What Are You Passing?

What Are You Passing?

The Purpose of Fatherhood

In the verse above, God said that I have chosen him (Abraham). Fatherhood is a calling, not just a job.  It is a calling because he said I have chosen Abraham so that he will command his children.  It is a calling the comes from the highest of all employers.  It has been established by God to achieve His divine purposes.  This calling is called in the scripture a covenant.

“Covenant : a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement :
” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covenant>..

Now this covenant is established in Chapter 17 of Genesis in the first 4 verses

Genesis 17

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and be blameless.
2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him:
4 “As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations.

God called fatherhood a covenant. Now Merriam-Webster defines fatherhood as a binding agreement. Yet, fatherhood is more than just that. Many fathers at times look at it as though it is just that. A binding agreement. What will the court make me do? What is my legal responsibility? Who will have the time with the kid? How much will I have to pay? But it is much more than that! It is a conventual responsibility.

Fatherhood is about the generational transfer of the mandates (requirement, stipulations, duties) of God. In a covenant, things are long-lasting, generational and enduring. So in fatherhood, your decision not to be a father is not just a decision related to your children. It is something that passes on down through the generations. When you decide that the kids are driving you crazy, there is a chance that your kids will think the same about their kids and their kids will think the same thing about their kids. And when we look down through our timeline, we wonder what happened? It is happening with us, dad, we are generational abandoning the covenant!

Fatherhood is a calling. It is a mandate from God. In the garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. The reason was to replicate the image of God throughout history so that the father would impact such an image of God in their children that when the children left home, the image of God would be expanded throughout the world.

So, where is the problem? The covenants have to be passed on! The word that is used today is legacy. The athletic word for that is passing the baton. I don’t care how fast you run, or how quick you are, who you are in your career, how much money you got, if you don’t pass the baton, you lose the race. In this race, it does not matter how quick you are, but how accurately you pass the baton! In the covenant, the baton is passed on down.

Now there is another option to this. The covenant can be a promise of good things to come or it can become a curse of bad things to come. In fatherhood there is no grey area. You will pass something down to your children whether you want to or not.

Exodus 20

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
5 You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.

Men, if you are an alcoholic, you will pass that down to your kids. If you are a drug addict, you will pass that down to your kids. If you are a physically or verbally abusive person, you will pass that down to your kids. Unless they break that curse through their own personal relationship with Jesus, you will pass down the covenant of curse when you abandon the covenant.

I have heard it put that Fatherhood is theological not social, spiritual not secular, it is not about the government it is about you and me.” It is a decision of will that is more important than my happiness. Your happiness is the not first and most important part of the covenant. In the covenant, your child’s future and God’s glory is the most important part. I would rather live a miserable life passing the baton, than to never have someone on the other side to take it. Dads, we must understand that it is not about us, it is about our kids.

So, again I ask you, What are you passing? Are you passing a promise or a curse? Are you passing along something that is good or not. There is no neutral zone to hang out in and watch life go by. You are engaged in your kids life one way or another, so be careful what you pass!

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