The Influence of a Christian Father

The greatest thing you can give other people is a heart dedicated devoted to God and leads in worship. Personal worship, family worship, whatever kind of worship.

Ronald Reagan will be remembered in many, many ways. The history books will say he was great actor, or he was an average actor. They’ll say, He was the governor of the largest state in the United States. For eight years, Ronald Reagan was the leader of the free world. They’ll talk about all the things that happened because of his administration. That eventually the Berlin wall came down, communism crumbled, that he held the line and the cold war was ended and we’re not at war with the Soviet Union any more. All of these different accomplishments. But that wasn’t his greatest accomplishment. It’s what he did with his own son. At his funeral Michael Reagan gave a testimony to his dad about how his dad led him to Jesus Christ. And how his dad first lived a life of dedication to God, to Christ. And that he knows he’s in heaven and that as his son he taught him that and he became a believer and Michael Reagan said, I intend to pass that heritage on to my kids. He said that’s more important than anything else that my dad did because it’s going to last forever. I want you to watch just part of his testimony. This is at the funeral of Ronald Reagan. This is his son.

You knew my father as Governor, as President but I knew him as Dad. I want to tell you a little bit about my dad. He gave me a lot of gifts as a child. He gave me a horse. He gave me a car. He gave me a lot of things. But a gift that he gave me that I think is wonderful for every father to give every son. The gift that he was going to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I can’t think of better gift for a father to give his son. I hope to honor my father by giving my son Cameron and my daughter Ashley that very same gift he gave to me. Knowing where he is this very moment, this very day, that he is in heaven, and I can only promise my father this, Dad, when I go, I will go to heaven too. And you and I and my sister Maureen that went before us we will dance with the heavenly host of angels before the presence of God. We will do it melanoma and Alzheimer’s free. Thank you for letting me share my father Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Guys, a million years from today your career is not going to be worth squat. None of your accomplishments are really going to matter a million years from today. None of your hobbies are going to matter a million years from today. None of your golf scores or sports or any of that is going to matter a million years from today. But whether you yourself are in heaven and your family is in heaven and your friends around you are in heaven is going to matter. It is going to matter. It’s going to matter more than anything else you do in life. And that’s the greatest gift you can give to the people you love, that you choose to become a godly man and you choose to become a spiritual leader. And you choose to become a person who says, I am not ashamed to publicly say I owe my life to Jesus Christ, that I would have nothing without God and I am totally dependent upon Him. As best I know how I’m going to live for Him. It not only gives stability and security and as God says, success. It gives an eternal legacy.

Father, You say in the Word, that “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.” God, there’s the man we think we ought to be and then there’s the man You’ve created us to be and we’re learning today that You’ve created us to be spiritual leaders, to have influence, to leave a wake of life and blessing, to leave a legacy. Thank You for these men who are standing right now. Thank You for the responsibility You have given them. We lay our hands on them by faith and we ask You to bless them, to encourage them, to strengthen them. To not be the men who they think they ought to be but to be the men that you’ve created them to be. A godly man – God’s man. So thank You for this wonderful day to celebrate the privilege of stewardship, of being a dad. We ask Your blessing on each and every one of them. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.