The other night, I was sitting and reading through one of my favorite testimonies in the Bible again. The testimony of the life of Moses.
As I read through the first few chapters, I covered sections like his birth, deliverance, adoption, upbringing, his stand against oppressors, exile, and more. As I came to one of the more famous stories of Moses and the burning bush, something stood out to me in a new way that I had missed before.
When God introduced himself to Moses in the conversation, this is what he said…. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3: 6
There is much to be said about the implication of God being the God of Abraham in whom the covenant was given. We could explore that for some time. There is a great deal of truth behind Him being the God of Isaac and of Jacob as well. However, the one I had missed before was God taking stock that He was the God of Moses’ father.
We don’t know much about Amram (Moses’ father). We know he was a Levite (priest). We know that He is a God follower and followed during some challenging times. We know that even though Moses was adopted out of the family, he was aware of his family and appeared to still have relationships with them. Here we see that the faith choices of Moses’ daddy was not only impactful but recognized by God himself.
One of the challenges within the church community is finding a man of faith can be tougher than finding a woman of faith. When we owned the local Christian bookstore, we have huge sections of discipleship resources for women but it was hard to find good resources for men because the demand was so light.
This coupled with some truths I shared with our church a few weeks back should challenge us as men and fathers to step up. Here’s what I shared with our church.
– When 18 years olds are established in Christ and Church, they are 50% more likely to have their own children plugged into Christ and Church in the future.
– You have most of your spiritual formation in place between the ages of 6 years old and 13 years old.
– 80% of the people who come to know Jesus as Leader and Forgiver in their lives do so between the ages of 4 and 14.
Being a father who worships God not only has implications in our lives but is critical for our children as well.
This was not just true for Moses but for God’s people. As God continued his conversation, he instructed Moses to do this … “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” Exodus 3: 15 and again in Exodus 4: 5
If you are a father, I encourage you this Father’s Day to take stock of your walk and your witness before your children. You have an incredible oppurtunity to make an eternal difference for those who hold your heart.
If you have a father of faith, encourage them and praise God for them. If they have already passed on, remember and praise God for them. So many do not have the benefit you do. God sees your father of faith and calls him His own. God sees your father of faith and lists him with the giants. God sees your father of faith and lists him first in the line up.
Happy Father’s Day!
Pastor Tom Hypes
theshepherdsfellowship.org
About Tom Hypes
