"A WORTHY DAD!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte

PROVERBS 10:1-10

There are Dads and there are Duds; there are Fathers and there are Failures; There are Pops and there are Flops. But the man who lives by the wisdom described by Solomon in the Proverb can be truly called a Worthy Father! The principles here noted can apply to all of our lives, so if in addressing Fathers you feel lost between the cracks, don't. The Proverb is axiomatic for us all. To illustrate, let me tell you about Bobby Lewis, a man who took his two sons miniature golfing one sunny Saturday afternoon. Here is a father who is interested in his sons. As we will see, he is more interested in building boys than bank accounts; he is more interested in raising sons than making it big in the world. He seems to recognize the truth of verse 1: "A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother." He knows how to raise wise sons. The man asks the fellow at the ticket counter how much it is to golf. The young man said, "$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six. We let them in free if they are six or younger. How old are they?" Bobby replied, "The lawyer's three and the doctor is seven, so I guess I owe you $6.00." The young man said, "Did you just win the lottery or something? You could have saved yourself three bucks. You could have told me the older one was six; I wouldn't have known the difference." Bobby paid the full price. He illustrates the first concept I want to share with you today. Fathers: if you want to be worthy, build these principles into your life, too.

Bobby could have saved $3.00 by claiming his seven year old was only six. The fellow at the ticket counter almost ridiculed him for not doing it! But the difference between Bobby and the ticket seller was honor, integrity, character! And in paying the full price, Bobby did something for his sons they'd never forget. He taught them what is truly important in life. If you want to be a person of honor, do the same.

That's what Bobby Lewis wanted to do, build living things into his boys. When he could have cheated and paid less, the ticket seller said, "I wouldn't have known the difference." Bobby Lewis said, "Yes, that may be true, but the kids would have known the difference." Bingo! Bulls eye! Right on! He realized that no matter what good things he had tried to teach them, they'd be down the drain if he cheated now. What he'd gain in saving $3.00 he'd more than lose in the respect of his sons and the forfeiture of his honor. He wanted to be, and was, a worthy dad. The call to each of us to day, dad or not, is to be people of honor, people the Lord can call worthy. We are challenged, "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" Philippians 1:27, and to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" Colossians 1:10. The call today is to leave off the quest for the temporal, the earth-bound, and the unholy. Pursue righteousness, godliness, and faith. Whatever the world may say of you, be a person God can call worthy. That can never happen on the basis of our own good works. Being worthy in God's eyes is a matter of faith that produces good works. Faith believes God's testimony about Jesus Christ; faith acknowledges Jesus as Lord; faith obeys in repenting of sin, being immersed for the forgiveness of sin, and continuing steadfastly in Christian living. When we have that kind of faith, God deems us worthy. Be worthy in His sight; be a person of faith.

Patricia Fripp, in, "Chicken Soup For The Soul," Canfield & Hansen, Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield, Florida. Lucado from The International Study Bible.

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