Fathers Are Essential

 

Mark Twain quipped, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”

Several years ago, rangers in the Kruger National Park in Africa needed to reduce the elephant population. They decided to send a large number of elephants to other parks. Because of the size of the elephants and the difficulty in transporting them long distances, it was decided to only send juvenile elephants and adult female elephants. Adult bull elephants were just too large to transport. All seemed to go smoothly until rangers at a National Park in South Africa--the new home of the first shipment of elephants--began to discover dead white rhinos. At first, they suspected poachers. However, upon closer investigation, they discovered that the rhinos still had their precious horns, which was the usual target of poachers. Additionally, they were not killed by gunshot wounds but by deep puncture wounds to their bodies. To discover what was happening, the rangers set up hidden cameras throughout the forest. What they found astonished them. The culprits were bands of young, aggressive male elephants. They would knock down a rhino and then gore him to death with their tusks. According to zoologists, this kind of behavior is unheard of in elephants. What could have caused this abnormality in their behavior? The rangers speculated that it was the absence of the leadership of adult bull elephants. They knew that in normal circumstances, the adult bulls kept the younger bulls in line. To test their theory, the rangers brought in several older bulls. Sure enough, in a brief period of time the older bulls let the younger ones know that such brutal, cruel behavior was unacceptable. Within weeks, the harassment of other animals in the park ceased. The young bulls were photographed following the older bulls around and imitating their more appropriate, civilized behavior. So, what does that have to do with us? Simply this: what happened to the elephants is happening in our society today. Fathers are an integral part of the family!

[Revelation 21:7] Inheritance is important. Good fathers de­sire to leave something behind for their chil­dren. As fathers, what sort of inheritance would we like to see our children get? Material Possessions. There is nothing wrong with money, if possessed and used in godly ways. The Lord certainly wants us to provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:8). How­ever, Paul also warned Timothy that the “love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), and Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). So, while we cer­tainly can be interested in provided a materi­al inheritance for our children, we must also be aware that riches will grow wings (Proverb 23:5). Worldly possessions will rust and are subject to the thievery of men (Matthew 6:19). A material inheritance can be good for our fam­ilies, but isn’t there something better? Eternal Possessions. While fathers cannot literally pass down eternal life to their chil­dren, they can certainly influence their chil­dren towards it by storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20-21), and in so doing set the right example for our children. Fathers are tasked with the responsibility of bringing up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). In so doing, we can pass down to our children a legacy of faith that could last them for eternity! Fathers, it is good to provide for our family’s physical wellbeing. But the greatest legacy you can leave your children is faith in God and a Christian example that will span the ages!

“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him” (Proverbs 23:24). It takes work, but the father who guides well is rewarded.