Leaving a spiritual legacy begins with the personal character of every dad. Who we are determines what we leave behind. By and large, godly children come from godly parents. Certainly there are exceptions. By His saving power, there are children saved out of godless homes to become trophies of His grace. But for the most part, godly children come out of godly homes where godly fathers live godly lives. Because like produces like.
The most important question any father can ask himself is, “Am I living a godly life? How can I be more godly?”
With this in mind, I want us to look at Ephesians 5:18-21 in order to discover what marks of godliness must be present in our lives if we are to leave a legacy that lasts. The greatest thing any dad can do for his kids is to be spiritual man.
DADS, BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT – Eph. 5:18:
The key verb in this paragraph is “be filled with the Spirit.” The command is then followed by five participles which explain how to “be filled with the Spirit.”
When we are baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins, we receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). But the Spirit cannot change our lives if we do not allow the Spirit, through His Word, to impact our lives. We must walk with the Spirit, that is, allow the Spirit’s teachings to influence our lives.
At any given moment, we are either controlled by the Holy Spirit or by our flesh (Galatians 5:16). When we are carnal, our families are marked by disputes, anger, arguments, selfishness, impatience, and intolerance (Galatians 5:19-21). But when we are controlled by, filled with the Spirit, our families are marked by the fruit of the Spirit -love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
DADS, BE SINGING! – Eph. 5:19:
Three participles are found in this verse, which help “fill out” the command to “be filled with the Spirit:” speaking, singing, and making melody.
A godly dad will be a worshiper of the true God who transforms his home into a place of praise. His house will be a place where God is glorified.
Dad, do you worship God? Do you live a life of praise? Is there a song in your heart to the Lord? Do your kids see this in your life?
DADS, BE SATISFIED! – 5:20:
“Always giving thanks” is the fourth participle which explains how to “be filled with the Spirit.”
A godly dad will have a thankful heart. Either we will be humbly grateful, or grumbly hateful. Unfortunately, many homes have an old grump for it’s head when it ought to have a man who is ever giving thanks to God.
DADS, BE SUBMISSIVE! – Eph. 5:21:
Finally, “being subject to one another” is the final participle in this brief paragraph.
As godly fathers, we must be submissive to the needs of our wife and children. While dads are the spiritual leaders of their homes, they are not to lord it over their family, Rather we are to live in humble submission to them, considering their interests to be more important than our own.
The greatest thing we can do for our kids is to love Jesus Christ and allow His teachings to impact how we live.
Let us live a godly life. And as we do, we will leave a godly legacy for our children to possess. Because like produces like.
Paul Holland