Welcome to Week 2 of Geek Devotions’ Dystopian Month! This week we look at anime version of Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis! In this dystopian society, Duke Red had set himself on a path to be the ruler of the world, but has he neglected his duties as a father? Even a spiritual father to young Rock? What do the scriptures say about the responsibilities of a father? Find out!

In this particular devotional Dallas take a look at Ephesians 6:4 and discusses the proper responsibilities of a father.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
~ Ephesians 6:4

There are a few major ideas that can be taken this verse.

  1. Fathers do not need to be intentional about provoking their children to anger. The same idea could be used for other negative responses (in reason). Some in today’s culture have taken to the idea that the way to “man-up” their sons or straighten their children out is to belittle them and intentionally cause fear. There is a drastic difference between pushing your child to become better and you being a jerk to your child.
  2. Fathers need to bring their children up int he discipline of the Lord. This does not mean reprimanding as some have taken it to mean. Yes, there is a time to do that, but this speaking to spiritual disciplines. Fathers need to teach their sons and daughters how to pray, how to fast, how to read the word, how to have proper fellowship and other practices.  Contrary to the opinion of some, it’s not the church’s responsibility to teach your child, it’s yours. Yes, the church is there to help you and is a great resource, but children need to be taught these things from their fathers. Beyond the teaching needs to be done not just from vocal instruction but from practical example.
  3. The third aspect speaks to the practical way that the disciplines of God and His word guides us. There are black and white aspects of the scriptures that guide us in our day to day life. It is a father’s responsibility to teach these things to his children. He needs to show them what being a follower of Jesus Christ really looks like and means.

There are those who may wonder why this important.  Are we suggesting that mothers can’t do these things? By no means. Mothers need to be doing the same thing, but here in the United States we have an epidemic of fatherless homes and it’s causing issues in our society.  God never intended single parenthood to be a norm. Out of the numerous issues that come with people growing up without their father is how it causes people to view God. Yes, we should look to the scriptures for an accurate interpretation of who and what God the Father is like, but the reality is that many people will overlay their view of their earthly father with the heavenly one. If they see their earthly father as someone who absent, abusive, and manipulative; chances are that they will see God the Father the same way.  This is one reason out of many that Fathers should step up and be a father.

There are some who will read through this and take the advice given to extremes. We want to remind everyone who reads this or watches our episode to remember that balance is key.

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