The Most Important Relationship

Father's have many relationships and each one is unique and important.  You have a relationship with your wife, your children, your co-workers, your pastor, etc.  The most important relationship you can have is the one with God.

We should always look to the Bible for guidance.  The Bible teaches us through example that God first made man, Adam.  Adam walked with God, in other words Adam spent time with God and put effort into their relationship.  God then gave Adam a wife, Eve.  See, God knew what was best for Adam so God cultivated Adam into a godly man, then seeing that Adam was ready to lead a wife, Eve was given to Adam.  How does this related to fatherhood?  It starts with a man spending time with God and then being able to lead his house with his wife.

The Bible says that a blessing given before you are ready to handle it is a curse.  That's why storks don't actually deliver babies to unsuspecting men.  God gets you ready for a family and then blesses you with a child when He deems you are ready.

Let's take a look at another Father, Abraham.  Abraham was not a perfect husband or father.  In fact, I sympathize with Abraham because he is so often criticized for attempting to fulfill God's promise of a son himself through Hagar.  The Bible does not speak to this but both Abraham and I are human, which makes us similar.  In my life God has made promises that confused me and took what seemed like an eternity to fulfill.  It took 13+ years for God to fulfill his promise of a son to Abraham.  I can understand that in those 13 years Abraham may have began to wonder if God was waiting on him to do something.  I can understand if Abraham asked himself, "How is God going to give me a son, am I supposed to do something?"

Back to the point...Abraham was a godly man.  Long before God's promise of a son, back when Abraham was still named Abram, there was a relationship between God and Abram.  They spent time together, they talked with each other, God was always a big part of Abram's life.  As fathers, this needs to be true for us as well.  I wish someone had modeled this for me in my youth, but Dads, you need to ask "What does the Bible say about this?"  Any topic that comes up, whether it's about money, relationships, fights, even TV shows...what does the Bible say about it?