FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER

The church I am in now and the one I was a member of previously urged us to be FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST.

To be a follower requires that you have a leader. CHRIST is our leader. In order to follow the leader you must keep your eyes upon the leader at all times. You must listen to His voice and to His instructions. You must trust Him, trust that He knows the way and that He will lead you in the way that is best.

This morning as I was having my quiet time, I heard a commotion outside my window. As I looked, the sky was filled with black birds who began to converge upon my yard and my adjoining neighbor's yard. There were literally hundreds of them and they completely covered our yards. I stood up and went to the window for a closer look. I watched in utter fascination as they continued to come, land, and begin to peck the ground for something to eat. They were squawking and eating. The last one had hardly landed when suddenly, as if someone had given the signal, they all took off! I mean they ALL took off...not one single bird remained behind. They did not fly off in 10 different directions. They ALL flew in the same direction, at the same time, at the same speed. They were obviously following a leader. Within seconds there was not a single bird left on our lawns or in any trees.

Oh that we would be such an obedient flock!

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A "DAD"

There is a little saying that is often printed on greeting cards, plaques, figurines, etc. It says

ANY MAN CAN BE A FATHER,

BUT IT TAKES SOMEONE SPECIAL
TO BE A DAD

I believe that is true. Many men produce offspring, never to participate in their lives at all. A few hang around at the start, but drift away after a while. Others are present in body, but are absent where it really counts.

So what does it take to make a DAD?

Adrian Rogers once said you spell LOVE: T I M E

I think that is the first ingredient. To be a Dad, you must be willing to spend time with your child, to show them they are important to you. You must be willing to give up some of YOUR time for them. That may mean giving up some hours at work, giving up your favorite TV show, football game or naptime. But they need you to be present in their lives..to laugh with them, roughhouse with them, read them stories, take them for ice cream. They need you to be at their ballgames, piano recitals and cheerleader competitions. They need you to be their number one fan!

A Dad also needs to know how to have fun. Yes, his children need to respect him and obey him, but he does not need to be so stern and so serious that they do not want to be around him. Most men are just little boys anyway, so they need to get on their child's level and have FUN! They need to play games, roughhouse with them, play catch with them, read to them, and go for ice cream. For Dads with boys that is generally not too hard. However, Dads with daughters sometimes find it hard to know how to play with them. Here is a Dad who has it all together in that department:

Another element of being a Dad is to show affection. Dads need to hug their kids, kiss their kids and hold them every chance they get.............even after they are grown! Some guys think they are too macho for this, but get over it! Men need to be affectionate to their kids. He also needs to express it verbally...He needs to tell his child " I LOVE YOU "!

Dads need to be the spiritual leader of the home. They represent the Father to their children. Their children will learn their concept of God from them. Dads need to point their children to God, walk before them in such a way that their footsteps will lead their child TO God. They need to model how to pray, how to worship, and how to follow God. Tall order! No Dad can do that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ himself. No Dad can do that without walking with the Lord daily. He can't share what he does not possess.

And a Dad needs to demonstrate how to love Mom. As the old saying goes "The greatest thing a Dad can do for his children is to love their mother." He needs to demonstrate to his sons how to love, respect and care for a woman; and he needs to show his daughters how a woman SHOULD be treated so she will seek the kind of man that will treat her just like that.

Sooooooooooooo Dads....how do you think you're doing?