You Were Fathered for a Purpose

Devotional
Someone invested in you. Maybe it was a pastor, a mentor, a friend, or a stranger who shared their story at just the right moment. However it happened, someone helped you take your first steps toward Jesus. That investment was not accidental. It was intentional, and it changed the trajectory of your life. Paul understood this deeply. He reminded the church in Corinth that while they had many instructors, they did not have many fathers. Instructors give information. Fathers give themselves. There is a difference between someone who teaches you what to do and someone who walks with you through the process of becoming. Here is the encouraging truth: you are not just the recipient of that kind of love. You are also called to give it. Every person who has been touched by the Gospel carries a responsibility to pass that grace forward. Not because you have it all together, but because you have experienced something real, and real experiences change people. You were fathered so that you could Father others. That is the design of the Gospel. It does not stop with you. It moves through you.

Bible Verse
"I am writing these things not to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual Father. For I became your Father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you." - 1 Corinthians 4:14-15 (New Living Translation (NLT))

Reflection Question
Who in your life helped you take your first steps toward Jesus, and have you ever stopped to consider how their investment still shapes who you are today?

Quote
"For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers."

Prayer
Lord, thank You for the people You placed in my life who pointed me toward You. Help me never take that investment for granted, and open my eyes to who I can now pour into. Amen.