The church in which I grew up did not do holidays well. For Christmas, Santa was usually lurking somewhere within the vicinity of our discussions of the Incarnation. Easter brought Jesus out of the tomb and also drove a certain bunny out of winter hibernation. Fathers Day and Mothers Day, while not “official” holidays as such, were usually fraught with tear-filled testimonies about and flowers for mom and a sermon adorned with talk about tool time and deer hunting for dad. We were pleased to traffic in Hallmark sentimentality.
Today, I am blessed to attend a church that seeks to be Christ-centered and God exalting in all things. As with all churches, it is filled with imperfect believers, and I am deeply grateful for the courage and faithfulness of our elders in preaching the Word of God. Yesterday, on Fathers Day, my friend John Kimbell, our senior associate pastor, completed a sermon series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians with an exposition of 2 Thess. 3:6-18, “Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good.” In it, he issued a convicting challenge to dads. John first pointed out Paul’s view of the slothfulness in the life of Christian: it is a self-centered sin that veils the Gospel and is anything but a mere trifle:
“What drives a lifestyle of idleness is a disregard of others,” Kimbell said. “That’s why the sin of idleness is so serious…We’re talking about a heart that is absorbed with self. An idle person is one who certainly does not want to be troubled with the needs of others and more than that, is generally willing to cause trouble and burden for others if it means that it will help them pursue their own self-centered desires. This is precisely 180 degrees from the lifestyle of a disciple of Jesus Christ…What drives idleness? It is a self-centered pursuit of one’s desires while disregarding the interest of others…The heart it reveals is not in keeping with a follower of Jesus Christ.”
John had this penetrating application of the text for fathers, an application that urges men to be husbands and fathers of the Ephesians 5 sort:
“I don’t think it is a coincidence that (Paul) goes to fatherhood here. The heart of fatherhood is spending yourself, your time, your energy, your labor, your strength, to provide for and instruct and bless your family. Let’s not be idle, dads. Let’s not turn in on ourselves and shoot for the glorious goal of being an armchair quarterback. Let’s give of ourselves and let’s not simply be content not to trouble our families.
“I read this year how men tend to think of love in terms of not causing trouble for (their families). We tend to think, ‘Nobody’s mad at me; I must be doing a pretty good job, right?’ Don’t settle for that as a dad. Your job is not simply to keep out of trouble. Your job is to lay your life down, not to be idle, but to give all of your strength and energy to provide and instruct and to be a blessing for your family. The flipside of not being idle is not simply working to provide for your own needs—it certainly includes that—but it goes beyond that. It’s about looking out for the interests of others. Don’t be a burden, but rather be a blessing. Spend yourself, your time, your energy, your labor and your strength in order to be a blessing to those around you.”
As a dad who is prone to idleness, these words were convicting, challenging and edifying. Thanks John for your faithfulness to the God’s Word, for not feeding my fellow dads and me candy corn on Father’s Day. Our idle hearts desperately needed to hear it.