I belong to a fellowship that I never wanted to join. It’s the Fellowship of the Fatherless. I won’t be purchasing a gift, signing a card or sharing a meal with my father on Father’s Day. He’s been with Jesus for a long time and I still miss him. Time has faded many memories and yet a legacy remains that gives me more than comfort…it gives me hope. His love remains, and it is a reminder that my earthly father is with my heavenly Father and my Saviour has promised me a reunion one day.
The Legacy of a Godly Father
Many have written about what defines a godly father and the Bible speaks clearly with much wisdom and instruction on this. I suggest that what makes a man a good and godly father is the same thing that makes a woman a good and godly mother, a daughter a good and godly daughter, a son a good and godly son, a friend a good and godly friend…you get the idea.
Pastor and Bible teacher Woodrow Kroll is well known for these words:
Have a good and godly day. For of what lasting value is a good day, if it is not also a godly day?
I borrow on his thoughts and paraphrase that to suggest:
Be a good and godly father [or mother, daughter, son, etc]. For of what lasting value is being a good father if one is not also a godly father?
This article will be short and sweet. It’s about the lasting value that our lives leave when we depart this world. When one becomes a member of the Fellowship of the Fatherless, or the Fellowship of the Motherless, or any other such group. People are bonded together by the loss of a loved one, but what remains is individual, personal, and hopefully precious.
***Watch the inspiring video at the end of this article***
There are 5 points of importance in the video that follows. While the video is intended to honor fathers on Father’s Day, the lessons apply to all of us.
This article is also not only about fathers. What applies to being godly fathers also applies to being godly mothers, daughters, sons, friends, employees, etc. Living a godly life does not start with a “to do” list. Godly living is not sustained by duty. Rather, godliness is generated and sustained by devotion. We are fallen creatures and we will always fail in duty-driving living. What God wants is that our lives be fueled by devotion and dependence on Him. That’s godly living.
Godly living starts with a heart devoted to the Lord, a focus on Jesus, and a daily surrender to His will and ways. When we live that way, our souls will be filled, and our minds directed, by His Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ Prescription for Godly Living
Matthew 22:37-40 “…You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Only by loving God first can we love others with a selflessness that reflects Jesus’ unconditional love for us. When Jesus said, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets,” He was giving godly direction for our works and our hopes.
Our works are defined by the Law of God, and our works should always be fueled by love for Jesus. Then we will know and trust that His Spirit will direct and guide us in all we do.
Our true hope has been given to us through the promises of God as prophesied through the Prophets and many of which are already fulfilled. When we abide in Jesus’ love and find rest in Him, we can know and trust that He is faithful to give us all that He has promised. What a great hope that is. It’s a hope of strength and joy in this life and an even greater hop in the glory to come. The Lord’s promises are many and our hope is anchored in Him.
Fellowship of the Fatherless?
So what does all this have to do with the Fellowship of the Fatherless? If people live long enough, they will need to say goodbye to their father (mother too) What defines the members in this “group” is loss, but what surpasses the sorrow is love. Memories of loved ones will fade with time, but their love abides forever.
Living a good and godly life really is all about love…loving God and loving our neighbors. And it really is that which has lasting value. That’s why the apostle James defined the commandment to love as The Royal Law.
The Royal Law
James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
This law is the Law of our King, the One whom we live to love and love to serve. It is the identification of a true disciple according to Jesus (John 13:35), and it is the law of Christ that Paul wrote about (Gal 6:2).
When our lives are fueled by God’s love for us, and when we pour out the love we receive to others, we are building the legacy of love that we all hope to leave for our loved ones.
Happy Father’s Day from Reasons for Hope* Jesus
If your father isn’t with you on this Father’s Day, remember that God is your Father, a father to the Fatherless (Ps 68:5), and you are never alone (Heb 13:5).
Take a minute now and watch this video. It’s meant for fathers but it presents 5 truths, 5 key points about love, that hold true for all. Live your life, not focused on your works, but on loving your Lord. Let Him work in and through you with His love that enables you to live a godly life and leave a true and faithful legacy of love.
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Read and Watch More About Fathers and Father's Day
- Good Good Father (video about our heavenly Father)
- When We Honor Our Fathers -- It's Says More Than You Might Think
- Bible Quiz: Fathers in the Bible
- Charlie Brown Wisdom for Fathers
- Does Abba Really Mean Daddy?
- Cool Dads Make Sacrifices
- Thank You, Dad (video)
- The Verse Every Father Must Know (video)
- Did Jesus call Joseph “father?”
- The best eulogy to remember a father!
- The Fellowship of the Fatherless -- A Legacy of Love
- Happy Father's Day (video)
- What is a Hebrews 12 Father?
- A Tribute to Dads on Father's Day (video)
- A Little Girl's Prayer for Her Daddy (video)
- Dads are a Work of Art (video)
- Stay Groovy, Dad! (video)
Read more about love:
- A-Z Proof of Love that Never Fades
- What are the 10 Ways We Can Love Like Jesus?
- You Ask Why I Follow This Jesus? -- a short poem
- Because He First Loved Us - 1 John 4:19
- Faith, Hope, and Love — Why is Love the Greatest?
- Testify to Love (VIDEO)
- Does a Wedding Ceremony Have Prophetic Typology of the Rapture?
- Extravagant Love that Captures our Hearts
- Fun Facts about Love
- Kids Say the Darndest Things (video)
- “The Five Love Languages” by God
- Do You Really Love Him?
- What Do Kids Say About Love?
- What’s Love Got to Do With It?
- What is Love?
- Is the Bible a love letter to me?
- Does God love the lost?
- Extravagant Love
- O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
- 24 Reasons “Why I Love America,” by John Wayne (video)
- The Legacy of Love — It’s Not Just For Fathers
- Mother’s Love
- Love Lifted Me
- True Love is Jesus (video)
- Won't You Be Mine (video)
- He Loves Me (video)
- Love One Another (video)
- True Love is Jesus (video)
- How Can I Understand the Love of God?
- Do You Have a Heart for God?
- A Heart for God Revealed in St. Patrick’s Prayer
- My Beloved is Mine and I am His
- Oh, To Love With a Pure Heart
- Love is. . .
- Is All Love Created Equal? CS Lewis Answers
- What Can Love Do? (video)
- What is Biblical Love?
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***A Hidden Message in Psalm 23?***
Hidden in the six verses of Psalm 23 are 11 names for Jesus. When you subscribe to our newsletter, we’ll send you The Names of God in Psalm 23 PDF that reveals all 11 names and Scripture verses of comfort and hope (link will be sent in your confirmation email).
Hear, See, Speak No Evil -- A Practical Guide for Guarding the Mind -- This book will cause you to think before you speak, to close your eyes to that which you should not behold, and to stop listening to the lies of the world and the evil one. Learn to guard your gates and process everything according to God’s perfect will and by His Word. The three little monkeys, Hear, See, and Speak No Evil, can teach us a lot. And there’s a fourth monkey that can help stop the spread of ungodly thinking and living in our world.
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There is much to be learned from those who have gone before us in the faith. Check out our Cloud of Witnesses category that features the words of departed saints who are now with the Lord in glory. Their words equip and encourage us even to this day. Take a few minutes to hear...
- ONLY ONE LIFE, Twill Soon Be Past – by C.T. Studd (1860 – 1931)
- “The Love of God is Greater Far” by Frederick M. Lehman (1917)
- Prayers from Billy Graham
- Who Was Robert Robinson? What’s the Story Behind “Come Thou Fount”
- “Immanuel” — A Poem by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)
- Who Am I? A Poem by Deitrich Bonhoeffer (1905-1945)
- Understanding the Everlasting Arms of God, by J.R. Miller (1840–1912)
- 24 Reasons Why I Love America, by John Wayne (1907-1979)
- Give Me Perpetual Broken-heartedness (from The Valley of Vision)
- Abide with Me, by James Smith, 1859
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