A Narrower Path for Fathers
A path for men and especially fathers exists… a path carved out for those willing to treke through it… a path totally different from any other path… a path with eyes not focused on investment strategies or bank accounts… a path not caught up with high profile status symbols… a path not self-centered… a path void of hypocrisy… a narrower path with far fewer travelers… the path that loves God and trusts God alone!
Only fathers who possess a burning desire to be a living example of God’s faithful provision travel this path. They believe that God can be taken at His word and He remains faithful to all the promises He makes. They stay on the path because they learned that wherever God guides them, He provides for them. They exhibit a child-like faith-the faith their children look for in them.
Fathers, its not just about you. What happens to the faith of your wife, children and others who watch you? As you speak of this God that you love and trust, do your feet walk the path of your talk? God says in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Do you read the word of God and believe what it says and act on it, or do you rationalize it, bend or twist it to accommodate your desires? This narrower path requires you to be a “doer” of the word not just a hearer, listener or quoter of it.
Do you seriously and fervently pray specifically for your wife and children and wait for God’s answer, or do you just go through the motions saying the same routine prayers and doing things your own way?
Do you expect your Heavenly Father, just as a child would, to deliver what He promised or do you just hope that maybe He will? Does your wife and children expect you to deliver on your promises or do they just dismiss any promises based on your track record?
Is your wife legally married, yet emotionally and intimately divorced because you walk the worldly broader path? Are your children legally yours, yet feeling like orphans, detached and fatherless?
A.W. Tozer, an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor penned these words: “Every man is as close to God as he wants to be.”
Here lies the fork in the road, and the challenge to the Christian fathers and men today. How will you face this dilemma? How will you answer the question…
How close to God do you want to be?
Fathers, do you want to know God in a way that very few men do? Then you must take the narrower path. This path requires you to go beyond just reading the Bible and simply learning to recite verses and be encouraged by them. It goes beyond reading from Genesis to the last chapter in Revelations and then reaching for another Christian book. It moves you from treating Jesus as just another great “Biblical character”.
The narrower path beckons you to love and trust God and God alone. It requires you to be a “doer” of the word because you believe God is telling the truth and will do exactly what He says. This path realizes your fleshly ways and imperfections, but fuels your heart and feet to pursue perfection. This path, albeit narrow, results in wide-reaching benefits for you and your family.
I don’t know about you, but my earthly father walked the narrower path to cover my mom, my brother, my sisters and me. He desired to be close to God and gave us a clear example of what a life dedicated to loving and trusting the Lord looked like. I am so blessed He encouraged me to pursue the narrower path. Why? Simply…
