Intentional Father by Jon TysonSample

Jon Tyson: Intentional Father Devotional Day 7

“Blessing”

Scripture reading: Genesis 1:28; 27:1-40; Mark 10:13-16

I have a deep conviction that we are created with a need for blessing. It goes way back to the beginning. Just look at Genesis 1:28.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

We are created for blessing, and we cannot function without it. In fact, we are desperate for it. Remember the story of Jacob, who yearned for a blessing from his father and was so determined to get it that he stole from his brother, deceived his father, and spent his entire life running from the consequences? That story begins to unfold in Genesis 27.

Blessing and cursing are some of the central themes of our lives. I want to close out this devotional week with the topic of blessing. Your son needs you to officially welcome him into the community of men. He needs to know and carry the weight of the fact that you are proud of him. He needs to feel a sense of accomplishment; this path he walked means something, and he can now head into his adult life with your blessing.

Just like Jacob chased his father’s blessing, so will your son chase yours if you don’t give it to him. He’ll enter into a life of deception and striving, thinking that if he sleeps with enough women or makes enough money, he’s going to be worthy. Maybe he’ll try to prove himself by chasing public attention or dominating others physically. But the Bible shows us that when we receive a blessing, it changes the nature of our lives. Working from a place of blessing leads to a completely different life than working for a blessing.

Let’s be intentional fathers. Let’s bless our sons well so that they don’t spend the rest of their lives looking for this in other places.

Take this confidence with you: The things you do to disciple and bless your son will stretch out in the decades, and even the generations, ahead of you. This work has eternal consequences.