Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
In this series on lessons I learned from my father, we have considered the following topics:
- Earthly fatherhood was designed to teach us of our relationship to the heavenly Father.
- Earthly fathers must first take God’s Word to heart before they can effectively teach it to their children.
- God’s commands are given to us for our own good
- The Word of God is to shape our thoughts and govern our activities in this world.
- Effective teaching requires living the lessons.
- Investing time in your children is essential to their development in godliness.
- The importance of worshipping as a family.
- Seeking first God’s kingdom.
- Beware the love of money.
- Standing under the Word of God.
The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27). Love for God is seen, not only in what we say but how we live. As Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” This is to be the aim of every Christian and, as Deuteronomy 6 tells us, a lesson fathers are responsible for teaching. While no one comes close to keeping this commandment perfectly in this life, I can say that my father’s love for God was an inspiration to me. The desire to love God above all was evident, and he was always quick to admit his failings in this regard. While no one can love God unless that love has been poured into his heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), God generally works covenantally through families. My grandfather’s love for God was evident to all who knew him. My father made this his objective as well. This has continued in me, my son, and now, there is evidence of such love in his sons as well.
In this present time between our justification and glorification, we are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). In this corrupt world of sin, growth in Christ is often slow and erratic. The Christian life is a struggle (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7) and there is no place for pride (Romans 12:16). As has often been said, there are no great men, only men with a great God. The Christian life is to be lived in humility which, by biblical definition, is a realistic view of our own lowliness and complete dependency upon God. Proverbs 26:12 tells us there is little hope for one who is wise in his own eyes. A woe is pronounced upon them in Isaiah 5:21. In Philippians 2:3-4, the Apostle Paul tells us to set aside all selfish ambition and baseless conceit. Rather, we are to adopt the spirit of humility, considering others better than ourselves. The goal is to look after the interests of others as well our own. While we all struggle with the original sin of pride (it is ever ready to rear its ugly head), my father’s life was characterized by humility. On more than one occasion, he publicly sought forgiveness for teaching that was in error. He never clamored for the limelight. His example has been instrumental in how I have come to assess success. It is not found in the acclaim of men or great personal achievements. True success is standing before the Lord and hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In conclusion, all these lessons I learned from my father may be summarized by Paul’s declaration in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Follow me, as I follow Christ.” This was the overarching principle dictating the way he lived. He openly acknowledged the faults of which he was aware. He never wanted those sitting under his ministry to seek to be like him but rather strive to be like Christ. He always encouraged the congregation to search the Scriptures to see if what he was preaching was faithful to Christ and His Word. He was quick to repent when he was made aware of his failings. Above all, his humble desire to love the Lord made an indelible impression upon me. I thank the Lord for the example he set before me. May God grant godly fathers the wisdom and the strength to lead their homes covenantally, to the praise of His glory.
