Happy Father's Day to our GWAP Dads!!!

Happy Father's Day to all Girl With a Purpose (GWAP) Blog Dads!

 

We trust that your day has been going wonderfully well and that your spouses and children are making you feel extra special!

 

Well, on Mother's Day, we promised our dads a treat and so we are delivering on that promise, today!

 

Here goes:

 

Fatherhood is a very special period in a man's life where he truly learns to give of and extend himself outside of himself, to other human beings that he brought into this world.

 

But to truly understand what God expects of fathers, we need to go to the human race's owner's manual - the Bible.

 

We will be examining Ephesians chapter 5: 25-30 (in context Ephesians 5:21-33), in the New International Version of the Bible.

 

Here we see that God places a huge responsibility on dad.

 

Dad is seen as God's representative in the household and so he is encouraged to love his wife as Christ loves the Church and gave himself for her (Ephesians 5:25).

 

This is quoted below:

" ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her".

 

What this verse tells us is that God expects dad to:

1) Be a husband first. (Yes, God sees marriage as being integral to fatherhood).

 

2) Love his wife as Christ loved the church - as demonstrated in Ephesians 5:25, Christ's love for his Church was so deep that He was willing to die for her (Jesus Christ died so that we, his Church, might have eternal life. He died for us - He took our place as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb for our sins, so that we would forever be connected to God).

 

Dads are likewise expected to give sacrificially to their families:

 

Now, this doesn't mean that his spouse and children must milk dad dry, what it means is that men should be providers for their households.

 

This is still relevant today, even though most wives work and are so co-providers in the household.

 

A dad is expected in every way, to contribute to the sustenance of his household.

 

This not just financial, but in the entire health and well-being of his family. He is expected to be there physically, mentally, psychologically and emotionally.

 

Dads, your presence must be wonderfully felt in your households! :)

 

Now let's examine verses 26-27:

 

²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[b] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

 

What this scripture passage means is that God expects dad to be a priest in his household -

 

The section in verse 26 above "washing with water through the word", stresses the importance that God places on His word being taught, discussed and acted out in the household, so that the household, under leadership of its priest (dad), will be radiant: pure, holy and blameless (verse 27).

 

So under its priest direction, the household, meaning husband, wife and children, should be so committed to God, that they are doing what God commands and in so doing, are living right before God and their community, so that blame (accusation of sin), cannot be laid against the household.

 

...Powerful!

 

And now for the clincher, verses 28-30:

²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body.

 

This verse is a continuation of Ephesians 5 verse 25 above, as God expects dads to so deeply love their wives, that they love them as they do their own bodies, as the dad who loves his wife, also loves himself.

 

Now, which healthy-minded individual doesn't love himself? :) (verses 29-30). Do you notice that God's word is clear that a man who loves his wife, loves himself? :)

 

So dads, from the above, you see that you have a huge responsibility to your family and to God.

 

Please read the above verses in Ephesians in context: from verses 21-33...you will be pleasantly surprised at what is said there! :)

 

May you continue to reflect on and enact God's word in your lives and in that of your families, so that when you are asked to give account of how you loved, led and provided for your family, Jesus will say to you, "well done, my good and faithful servant!"

 

Happy Father's Day!!!!

 

Gillian

Sources Include

Ephesians 5:21-33, via BibleGateway.com, accessed June 19,2011