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Godly Men, Strong Families

Happy Father’s Day! In a culture that undermines the traditional family, minimizes the roles of fathers, and rejects the marks of our Maker, we must celebrate the fact that daddies matter to families in proportion to the way mommies matter.herbie-family

The enemy is the same enemy introduced in Genesis 3—the great serpent, Satan. From the beginning of creation, he has warred against God’s design.

God uniquely designed men and women to play specific roles in the family unit and when those roles are thwarted, broken, or dismissed we see weak families and a confused society.

It’s no surprise that we live in such a society. Traditional families have an enemy, and it isn’t the LGBTQ agenda, government, tolerance, or Hollywood.

God’s first commands were given to man before woman was even created. His single prohibition was contained in these commands in Genesis 2:17, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The very next thing out of God’s mouth in verse 18 was, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” It was the man’s job to lead the woman and to guard her heart. It was his job to help her understand the goodness of God and His great love and ultimate protection.

However, the first sin was aided by the apathy of the man.

dad and baby stock photo

Satan was already working to bring enmity in God’s perfect relationship. He was tempting the man towards being weak and apathetic while tempting the woman to take on the role of the leader.

When Genesis 3 begins with this first temptation and, utterly, the fall of man, make no mistake: the attack was supremely against the relationship between God and His creation, but ultimately it was an attack on the horizontal family as well.

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6

From that point on, the war on the traditional family has been raging… What came next was murder, polygamy, incest, fornication, homosexuality, men abusing their wives, prostitution, abortion, and no-contest divorce.

This is why, Men of God, we need to seek God with all of our hearts, with all of our minds, with all of our souls, and to love our wives as we love ourselves. We need to take up the weapons of this war and fight back for the sake of our marriages, for the sake of our families, and for the sake of the gospel to the nations.

Our great God calls Himself our Father. He compares Himself to the groom seeking after His bride (the church) and as the Father who pursues His prodigal son. Men, we are image bearers of the godly pursuit. Our wives are craving our leadership, and our role is vital to our children.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal published an article on a study in the Journal of Developmental Psychology, May 2017, called, “The Link between Detached Dads and Risk-taking Girls.”

Melvin Conner reported for The Wall Street Journal as he summarized the report in this way, “It’s all about the exposure to dads; the bigger the dose, the more fathering matters—for better or for worse . . . The prolonged presence of a warm and engaged father can buffer girls against early, high-risk sex.”

So, as my friend Karyn Purvis used to say, “It’s so awesome when science finally catches up to God.

While The Wall Street Journal and psychologists may be puzzled that both a mom and a dad matter to a balanced rearing of children, our God isn’t because this was His design. A godly man will fight for a strong family.

child with curly brown hair being held up in the air by his dad laughing

As I travel often for the work of Lifeline, my strong, capable, and supportive wife bears the brunt of my absence. My son struggles to lovingly lead his sisters, resorting instead to ruling over them. My girls feel the threat to their safety and find themselves much more on edge.

At the end of all of my trips my wife embraces me and says, “I thank our God I don’t have to continue doing this without you.”

So brothers, put down the smartphone, turn off the TV, and pick up a Bible. Life is short. Pray more. Read your Bible. Love your wife. Pay attention to your children.

We are called to love our wives like Christ loves the church. That means loving this precious, image-bearer of God even when the dailyness of life seems boring, even when her sin makes her unlovable, even when she wounds our ego, even when she fails to respect our leadership or rebels against our love. And we do this because our marriages are a picture of the gospel.

Our wives and our children need our presence and our dependence on God.

As godly men we must humbly serve and protect the weak, the vulnerable, and the orphan. We must seek integrity for every area of our life. And we must lead our families, communities, churches, and businesses with courage and conviction. We are God’s image bearers of justice and strength to a watching world. We are called to bring strength and stability to our families.

“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” – Psalm 9:9

Beloved, are you ready to stand in the gap?

If so, Lifeline Children’s Services stands ready to put you to action.

Are you called to adopt or be a foster parent? Apply today.

Has the Lord burdened you for pregnant women and broken families? We need mentors.

Is your heart burdened for the scores of orphans around the world? Get engaged from your home or on a trip with (un)adopted®.

The battle lines are forming and we need your help.

Partner with Lifeline today.

Visit LifelineChild.org to donate to the cause; to apply to adopt; to sign up for a trip to visit orphans in need through our (un)adopted ministry; to apply to be a foster parent for a child in U.S. foster care; to volunteer in one of many ways for the sake of orphans; and ultimately to partner with us as we seek to take the gospel to the fatherless.

O, Beloved, will you allow God to use the gospel through you to impact the life of a child? Please do not hesitate to give Lifeline a call because we are here . . .

. . . to defend the fatherless

Herbie Newell
President/Executive Director
Lifeline Children’s Services