It’s no wonder that some people in our society have tried to diminish the importance of fatherhood. God has revealed Himself as our Heavenly Father, so of course our enemy seeks to destroy the role and respect of our earthly fathers. Yet studies have shown what happens when the father is absent. Children without a father figure in the home are: at greater risk of poverty, more likely to have behavioral problems, more likely to go to prison, more likely to become pregnant as teenagers, more likely to be abused, more likely to use drugs or alcohol, and More likely to drop out of school. Those are just some of the findings published by the National Fatherhood Initiative.

Of course, not all fathers are good, so it is reasonable to ask what makes a good father. A good father guides, protects, and disciplines, but most importantly he does so out of love. A good father sets boundaries in order to protect his children. So it is with our Heavenly father. When we look at the Bible as a collection of rules, we miss the whole point, but the rules are there for a reason. God is saying, just like our parents may have said more times than we can remember, “Don’t hurt yourself!” The boundaries are there because He loves us. When we do things the way He intended, life may not be perfect, but it will definitely be better.

Sin has consequences. God may choose to punish us because He loves us. The book of Hebrews, chapter 12, tells us that we should expect discipline from Him if we are truly His children. But I believe most of said punishment simply comes as the natural consequence of violating the natural order that He established. Sin is a cruel master, and it will eventually destroy us. Our text this week will be from Romans 6:16-23.