Present Fathers and a Hunger for God
June 15, 2025 · 2:11:53 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
On Father's Day the church gathers to honor earthly fathers and to lift up the heavenly Father who, as Deuteronomy teaches, disciplines and corrects his children in love, and who in Christ has fixed the greatest mistake of our lives - our sin.
The main message draws four lessons from the life of Eli the priest in 1 Samuel. Eli served God faithfully, yet his own sons did not know the Lord. A father's faith must reach his whole household, like the resolve to say 'as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord'; priorities must keep God first; real love sets boundaries instead of ignoring sin; and lasting influence grows from presence and relationship, not love alone. The enemy aims at fathers because the home's spiritual covering rests on them.
A closing word turns to the Holy Spirit. To truly encounter God you must hunger and thirst for him, like the young man of the Welsh revival who sought God for hours, or the 120 who stayed for Pentecost while others drifted away ten minutes before the fire fell. Baptism in the Spirit is being immersed in fire, and the simplest, most powerful prayer of all is just 'help,' because the Spirit is our Helper.
Key Points
- God is a loving Father who teaches and corrects us, and in Christ he forgave the greatest mistake of our lives.
- Faith is more than your own church attendance - lead your whole household to serve the Lord.
- Guard your priorities and never honor children, work, or comfort above God.
- Loving your children means setting boundaries; ignoring their sin is not kindness.
- Influence comes from presence and relationship, not from love alone - be with your kids.
- An encounter with the Holy Spirit is given to those who genuinely hunger and thirst for God.
- Baptism in the Spirit is an ongoing immersion in fire, and the strongest prayer is simply 'Help.'
Devotional
Ask yourself today not only whether you go to church, but whether your whole life and home are turned toward God. A father's greatest gift is not provision alone but presence: hours given, conversations shared, sin lovingly restrained. The same hunger that draws a child toward a father who is near draws every believer to the Father in heaven. So come thirsty, pray the simple prayer 'help,' and let the Spirit immerse you afresh today.
“Love does not automatically equal influence - presence and relationship do.”
“'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord' is a decision, not a wish.”
“If you truly hunger and thirst for God, you will be filled.”
