FATHERING - Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Psalm 103:6-14
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
Psalm 103:13

Not every man of God is a father. There are pastors, apostles, teachers and evangelists who are not fathers. On the other hand, there are pastors, teachers, evangelists and apostles who are fathers.

Any of these callings can take on the cloak of fatherhood. Fatherhood adds an extra dimension of love to whichever calling of ministry you have.

A father has the ability to produce sons and daughters. The cardinal sign of a father is not his age. Unfortunately , most people equate old age to fatherhood. The opposite is true. Most of us became fathers when we were young and in our twenties.

We develop and perfect the art of fathering as we grow older. The cardinal sign of a father is his ability to produce offspring. A classic example of this truth is seen in the lives of the two prophets, Elijah and Elisha. Even though Elisha had a greater anointing than Elijah, he had neither successor nor son in the ministry . Elisha had earlier cursed the only son God had given him (Gehazi): 2 Kings 5:25-27. Instead of Gehazi becoming a son in the ministry , he became a leprosy patient! Elisha had also cursed some little children for laughing at him. Apparently , he had no time for children: 2 Kings 2:2325.

The double portion of anointing on the prophet’s life didn’t transform him into a father.