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Posted by: thepinetree on 07/05/2009 10:44 AM Updated by: thepinetree on 07/05/2009 10:51 AM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM

Faith and Values...Fathers: Reconciled by Jesus ~By Shawn McCamey

Angels Camp, CA...With Fathers Day just a couple of weeks ago, I thought it appropriate to take time and reflect on fathers. Having grown up in a broken home, I understand the importance of the father’s roll in the family and having five children makes me understand how hard it is to be a father in the times we are living. As we look at our society and read the statistics on fathers it becomes evident that there is a problem with many fathers today. I believe that it is time for us who are fathers, to become redeemed fathers...

The Problem:

The problem we face is sin. In Genesis 3 we read the account of the original sin of our father Adam. In Romans the Apostle Paul states: “12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come”. Romans 5:12-14. As a result of Adam’s sin, we are all separated from God (a father Himself). From that day forward things have gone downhill, as the statistics will show.

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.

85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes –

80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes --14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)

75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average. (Rainbows for All God’s Children)

70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)

85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)

The statistics make it obvious that fathers are an important part of their children’s lives.

The Solution:

Men, you need to be more than a pay check, you need to be involved. Your kids need more than a roll model in their lives, they need you. But it does not stop there. Your presence itself is not the solution. If you are present but not dealing with sin, you are just be putting a band-aid on an open wound that needs stitches. Being there will slow down the bleeding but it wont stop it.
What your kids need most is a redeemed father.
What you need most is Jesus, who didn’t just cover up sin, but dealt with it on the cross so that you might have access to the Father (God) again. Romans 5:15-17 states: “15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
Two things that I have learned about sin over the years have stuck out the most to me. First is that sin separates and second is that it stains. I have experienced these personally in both the cause and the effect. My only hope is in the fact that the blood of Jesus cleansed me from the sins that I committed (which caused separation) and purified me from the stain of sin that was imposed upon me from other people.

Being redeemed is not going to make you a perfect father. We all still sin. What I have found is that it helps to be an involved father, realizing that you are forgiven and that you make mistakes. As a father you can humbly go to your children, ask them for forgiveness and point them to God, who is the perfect father. By doing this you are showing that you are a flawed father but God is a perfect father who loves and cherishes you and them. In doing this you will show your children the most important lesson they could ever learn which is; we are all sinners saved by the grace of a loving God through faith in Jesus.

What the world needs most is to see men who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, who love God with all their hearts, minds, souls and strength. Men who love their wives with all that they are and who will cherish their roll as a father, loving their children by giving up their own rights and desires.

It is time men, to step up. If you don’t, who will? Your children’s lives are at stake. Remember, you will never be perfect but you can always be redeemed.

Shawn McCamey is the Senior Pastor of Refuge Church in Angels Camp

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