[201 words]
My father passed away in 1996. My maternal grandfather left this earth in the 1960s. My dad’s dad died in the mid-1970s. Yet, I plan on honoring my “fathers” today in a special way. While we are worshipping and praising the Lord, I plan to thank the Lord for the influence my father and my two grandfathers had on my life.
It might surprise you to know that the Bible is full of examples of how godly people continued to honor their fathers (and mothers) even after their deaths. One example is Joseph, son of Jacob. His life’s story is found in the last half of the book of Genesis. When Joseph was on his deathbed, he made a request that when the Exodus occurred, his family would take his body back to the Promised Land and bury him (Genesis 50:25). Four hundred years later, when the Exodus happened, Joseph’s “sons” honored their “father” by doing what he had asked (Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32).
Thanking God for the good things our fathers provided is certainly a good and scriptural thing to do (Philippians 1:3-4). This is one way we can honor our dads (Ephesians 6:1–3).
Larry Fitzgerald
Woodlawn church of Christ
Abilene, TX