FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:
June 19, 2022
The God-given duties and responsibilities of father to his children are numerous. The most important ones are: to love them (Gen. 37: 1-4); command (Gen. 18: 19, 1-33); instruct (Prov. 1: 8, 9); guide and warn (1 Thess. 2: 11, 12): train up (Prov. 22:6); rebuke (Gen. 34: 30, etc); restrain (1 Sam. 3:13; 1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-25); punish (Deut. 21:18-21); nourish (Isa. 1: 2,3); supply their needs (Matt. 7: 8-11); not to provoke his children to anger (Eph. 6: 1-4); and to chasten with God’s discipline as described below (emphasis mine):
“And you have forgotten the exhortation. which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the CHASTENING of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are REBUKED by Him: for WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, and SCOURGES every son He receives [cf. Prov. 3: 11, 12]. If you ENDURE CHASTENING, God deals with you as with SONS, for what son is there whom a FATHER DOES NOT CHASTEN? But if you are WITHOUT chastening, of which all of you have become partakers, then you are ILLEGITIMATE (bastards, KJV), and NOT SONS. Furthermore, we have had HUMAN FATHERS who corrected us, and we paid them RESPECT, Shall we not MUCH MORE READILY BE IN SUBJECTION TO THE FATHER OF SPIRITS, AND LIVE? For they [our human fathers] for a FEW DAYS chastened us AS SEEMED BEST to them, but HE [our heavenly Father] for OUR PROFIT, that we may be PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS!
Now no chastening seems to be JOYFUL FOR THE PRESENT BUT GRIEVOUS: nevertheless, AFTERWARD it yields the PEACEABLE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS to those who have been TRAINED by it [the chastening of the Father].” Heb. 12:5-11, NKJV.
Professed Christian fathers who presumptuously belittle or worse, rebelliously reject the heavenly Father’s work of chastening him in order to produce the “peaceable fruit” of Christ’s righteousness without a flaw, have disqualified themselves from chastening their own sons or “training them up” for God’s glory and eternity. Pure, fresh water cannot be obtained from corrupted wells. The source must first be purified.
Bless all fathers and grandfathers today! NMF