God Works Through Dads

Blessed to be a blessing

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” —Genesis 12:1–3

If there is a pattern we see in the opening pages of scripture, it is the way God accomplishes his work through families. And it always starts with a dad who says “Yes” to God’s purposes.

The book of Genesis describes a family line from our first parents, Adam and Eve, to a dad named Noah—the ark builder. It took Noah, his wife, his 3 boys and their wives, about 100 years to build it.

The ark was nowhere near a body of water, and at this point, it had never even rained on the earth. God gave Noah the instructions and the timeline, and it became a family project, trusting God’s promises together. Then Noah’s family accompanied Noah and his wife on the ark, ultimately, to repopulate the new world.

Through one of Noah’s sons, the family line is then traced to Abraham: Abraham the shepherd. Abraham the father of Israel. Abraham, the father of our faith. God told Abraham that through his line, all families on earth would be blessed.

The irony in this was that Abraham was 75 years old and had no children! His wife Sarah was 65. But God promised him that he would have a family—and that they would be innumerable—like the sand on the seashore.

But so far they were childless.

In fact, it would be 25 years before another messenger would tell them that they would be parents very soon. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old. At this point Sarah shook her head, laughing to herself at the thought of bearing a child.

But in less than a year, her laughter in scoffing turned to laughter of joy. She gave birth to her first-born—a son—and named him “Laughter” (Isaac).

And, long-story-short, as you follow Abraham’s family line, it leads to Jesus: The Promised One. The Redeemer. Rock of Ages. Son of God. Messiah. The Lion from the tribe of Judah. The Prince of Peace. Savior of the world.

And through Him, all families on earth now have access to the blessings of God.

God’s blessings were on Abraham and his family, because Abraham said “yes” to God’s purposes for his life. They were blessed to be a blessing to others.

And today, as you follow Jesus, you can live in the blessing of God—thanks to what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.

But don’t miss this: it all started with a little family, whose dad said yes to God’s purposes for his life. God told Abraham to leave his security—to leave the familiar—and follow God’s plan for his life. Abraham said “Yes Lord” and did what God told him to do. And so, it is today, with God’s call on our life.

Dad, you are important. Never discount your influence. You have an important role to play, not only in the raising of your family in faith, but in the legacy that they will leave in this world.

Cheering for you,

Pastor Bill

Bill Herried is lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma, Washington. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon. He is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, and he loves a good biryani. Bill invites you to learn more on Your Daily Encouragement

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