A Devoted Father

Some of the most devoted fathers are found in the animal kingdom. For instance, giant South African bullfrogs are so protective of their young they've been known to attack lions and elephants while defending their tadpoles. Emperor penguins are another great example of paternal sacrifice. After leaving the sea, couples walk and skid for miles across the desolate waste of Antarctica. Then they stop on a frozen plane and the female lays one egg onto the male's feet. He quickly covers it with the folds his fat, feathery fur and keeps it warm.

The mother helps briefly, but soon she leaves him to feed in the ocean while the father cares for the egg alone. This will be done in the middle of winter near the South Pole with its perpetual, darkness and bitter cold and fierce windstorms. For 64 days he stands there living on his body blubber and eating nothing, while temperatures might reach 65 degrees below zero.

The male penguins huddle in clusters of about 100 for protection from the frigid wind. They incubate and hatch the eggs on their feet. Like the catfish, he can't eat for the entire duration of his care for the eggs.

You know friends, the Bible says, "As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him."

You know, the Bible tells us that God is our Father in heaven. When Jesus said, "In this manner ye should pray," Matthew chapter 6, "Our Father...." He drew from one of the most tender, earthly relationships that we can identify with to give us some idea of how much God loves us.

The Bible tells us God so loved the world He gave His Son. And we think of the story when Abraham went up the mountain with his son, Isaac, and was willing to offer his son because of his love for God. You think how much, God, our Father, must love us; and yet, in the world, and it's also true sometimes in the church, there is division in the families where God wants there to be unity.