Dudes, Duds, and Dads (part three)

Hebrews 11:7

There are dudes like King David, duds like Abraham’s nephew Lot, and then there are dads…like Noah.  I’m not suggesting he was the perfect father, but he did what God told him to do and it saved his family.  Like every man, Noah had his faults.  But his desire to obey God was his priority even though he occasionally stumbled.

Dads will do the right thing even if it means sacrificing time and money.  Dads are men who put their dreams on hold so their children’s dreams can come true.  These guys do more than father a child, they feel compelled to be a dad.  These men, while they love to fish and golf and hunt, etc… make sure their kids are more important than their drivers, rods and reels, and rifles. 

My dad is the son of share-croppers who never owned a home, but he made sure our family had a home of our own.  My dad quit school in the 8^th grade to work and help the family, but he always encouraged me in college and seminary.  My dad was never wealthy but he taught me the value of a dollar and hard work. 

Courage defines you.  Noah believed God and it was accounted to his as righteousness.(Gen.15:6) Noah’s life counted for God.  He did the ridiculous and it saved his family.

Noah built an ark…we all know that.  But he built something else just as important.  Following the flood, when Noah and his family were able to walk out of the ark onto dry land, he built an altar.  He taught his family to obey God when he built the ark… but he taught his family to worship God when he built the altar. In Genesis 8:21, what Noah did pleased God. 

Men…the temptation will always be there to be a dude or a dud…but be a Dad.  Be a man who not only loves your children but leads them in the way that pleases God.  Be a Noah – Let your children see you obeying God.  Let them see you worshipping God.  Amen