Children often give material gifts on Father’s Day. Dads, like anyone else, love a thoughtful gift! But what a godly father wants more than anything from his children is for them to truly know and love their heavenly Father. That is the best gift of all. As a young father myself, I am growing in what it looks like to set this kind of example for my children. The resources included below have aided me in this (I do not receive any compensation for linking these resources :), and I fully acknowledge I still have much to learn).
Enjoy Routine Time In God’s Word
So much of what we impart to our children as it relates to God and godliness is caught rather than taught. They should see in me what it looks like to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. And the only way I can do that is if I am connected to God with His power working in and through me. I must stay connected to Him.
To this end, I seek to enjoy routine time with God.
It is important to have a plan (routine), but it is also important to see that as a means to a greater end (enjoying God).
For me, this routine starts with reading God’s Word. It is in God’s Word that we learn about who God is, who we are apart from Him, how much He still loves us, and how we can receive that love through faith in Jesus.
Establishing a routine for reading the Bible can be daunting at first. But the following suggestions serve to make it less so.
Understand the Big Picture Story of the Bible. Beginning a challenging 500 piece puzzle is made less intimidating when you can see from the cover what the whole picture looks like. You can then start to put the corners together and fill in the gaps as you uncover more pieces that fit. The Bible is a lot like that. We need resources like Clarifying the Bible (takes only 2 hours to watch) or 30 Days to Understanding Your Bible to begin understanding how the many tiny pieces fit to create a unified whole.
Find a Plan. After you have a grasp on the whole, start uncovering one puzzle piece of the Bible at a time. Full confession: I have never enjoyed a strict Bible Reading plan. I usually just start in Genesis at the beginning of each year and read 5ish chapters at a time and march through the whole in around a year or so. This may work for you. Or if you enjoy a more specific plan, this site has several to choose from.
Use a Study Bible. Even those of us who have had the privilege of going to seminary or other advanced Bible training still need help making sense of the little pieces that make up the Bible. When reading through the Bible this year, I have done so with my ESV Study Bible. It is great to consult the footnotes when I have a question (which is a lot).
Remember, the ultimate goal is to enjoy Him by learning more about Him from His Word. Tomorrow, we’ll look at another helpful routine.
Equipping the Found 