FATHER- A SPECIE OF PERPETUITY
BY Ven Stephen Wolemonwu
The Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor wishes all fathers a happy fathers’ day especially the Archbishop, Metropolitan and primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev Henry C. Ndukuba (Chairman Trinity Foundation) and all our fathers in God; may God bless all your efforts and may you never lose your reward, Amen.
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, (Joshua 1:1)
Fathers are the most essential part of procreation, development and making of every human being. The bible text shows that Joshua had a father whose name was Nun. The Man Nun is the true definition of what a father should be. Yes! He was of the tribe of Ephraim (Exodus 33:11; 1Chronicles 7:27); his name of Hebrew origin means: ‘perpetuity’ which means something perpetual, endless, durable, uninterrupted, existence. It supposes unalterable. Fathers indeed are progenitors- an ancestor, a being with a lineage, there are always people coming behind him.
Fathers have unique role to play especially in this period of change and challenges. In 2Timothy 1:3; the Apostle Paul boasted of his fore fathers; and testified that he inherited and received from them ‘a pure conscience’. Children are influenced by what they hear, see, touch, feel and taste. Their first line of contact is the ‘parent figure’ they interact with. Life does not celebrate us based on what we took out of it but what we are able to give. One of the major role the father plays is guidance and counselling.
THE PLACE OF COUNSEL (Exodus 18:19; Jeremiah 49:7)
The world is in a morally decaying state and needs to be preserved through the family. Every individual is coming from a family; from conception to birth to growth; the responsibility of saving the world morally becomes a task for parents especially fathers; this ‘father’ must not necessarily be the seed donor. In this age molding the infant into a man is best done between the first twelve years of existence; the adult he or she becomes is defined within this years. Counseling through friendship becomes the best tool in the child’s upbringing.
There are different kinds of Counseling:
- Godly Counsel- (Rev 3:18; 11:2; Psalm 16:7;73:24;Isaiah 28:29)
- Wise Counsel- (Exodus 18:19; Ikings12:7; Daniel 4:27; Math27:19)
- Evil Counsel- (Numbers 31:16; Job 2:9, 1Kings 12:28; 12:10)
Counsel can be received from:
- God through scripture or divine revelation via vision, dreams or godly men
- Evil powers through human agents or written materials
- Other means of life style, oral communication, other means of communication: visuals, social media; adverts; meetings, gatherings.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COUNSEL
- Counsel are powerful Proverbs 20:5-8, 15, 18
- Counsel are more powerful than weapons proverbs 24:4
- Wise counsel given in abundance leads to victory Proverbs 11:14
- Not every counsel can help a man Proverbs 26:24-26
- Wise men listens to Counsel Proverbs 12:15
- A counsel may sound very great but can be deceitful and evil Prov. 26:24-26
- Bad counsel comes from the imagination of evil hearts
- Evil counsel are unfruitful and come from philosophy and vain deceit, rudiments and traditions of men. Ephesians 5:11
- Counsel outside God’s word may lead a person to sin Isaiah 30:1
- Blessed is the man who does not walk in the Counsel of the ungodly Psalm 1:1
Note: -ungodly counsel may be logically presented and may sound very correct
-ungodly counsel may sound traditionally accurate
-ungodly counsel may sound very reasonable
However, ungodly counsel will always be contradictory to the word and will of God, and will not promote peace, forgiveness, and does not give peace of mind and takes away the joy of the LORD.
While a good counsel may be painful to accept but has a lasting joy and result.
- Counsel given from a friendly mind brings joy and blessings Prov 27:9
- Good counsel could bring a man to safety
- Good counsel may not always be found in the mouth of the ancient- old age is not always wisdom Ezekiel 7:26 ‘a time will come when counsel will perish from the ancient’
- When God’s anger is upon the people
- When the ancient allows his mind to be corrupted with greed and selfishness and gluttony
- When the eyes of the ancient is darkened and the end is near
- When the ancient allows his mind to turn away from righteousness.
Some man exist and are no more, and no one misses them, but others live and died yet they walk the face of the earth even in death through the seed they sowed on earth. What kind of person are you? Someone said: “live your life in such a way that when you die even the undertakers will be sorry carrying your corpse.”
Know this about life
- Life is a vapour- preserve it
- Life is a seed – plant it
- Life is reward- pursue it
- Life is a task- purposefully accomplish it
- Life is a responsibility- fulfil it
- Life is an investment- pay the price
- Life is a journey- peacefully take the right route
- Life is a blessing – strive to earn it
Life has made every father a life giver, a care giver and a seed giver. Yes! A seed giver- a seed in two distinct form:
- Feminine in nature- this is a weak, beautiful, fragile, valuable kind of seed
- Masculine in nature- a strong, long lasting, progressive, progeny- trans generational kind of seed.
- Fathers reproduce themselves
- Fathers preserve generation and destinies
Today many destinies are ruined because of parental negligence and paternal carelessness. Every father has the capacity to decorate or destroy; able to make a beauty or a beast out of life.
