Football season is done. March madness is behind us. And now baseball season is in full swing! As a sports nut, this pretty well sums up what I need to think less of. As a hunter, if you have the popular plaque in your home that says, “This marriage is interrupted for hunting season,” it may be a sign of something to think less of.

None of this is necessarily bad stuff. But it is stuff that can distract from what requires focused attention. As Oswald Chambers has said, “It is not sin that keeps a Christian from being his best, but all the good things he is doing.” Is there anything in your day-to-day routine that you need to think less of, or even not at all?

… must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, not overindulging in wine, not a bully, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well. … men of dignity, not insincere, not prone to drink much wine, not greedy for money, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. – 1Timothy 3:1-8. Words on leadership from Paul to Timothy were comprehensive. In chapter 4, Paul goes on to instruct Timothy to be “nourished on the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following.”- 1Tim.4:6. Focusing in on the words of faith and the good doctrine would require a new level of spiritual maturity. Timothy had to rebuke some natural tendencies, ways of thinking that could distract him from being his best. Paul’s words are just as applicable today as they were in Timothy’s day. Dads are charged to spend time reading Scripture, to be nourished by the words of faith written in the Bible. And to embrace the good doctrine, a doctrine that identifies what we should be thinking less of, thoughts that have us caught up in a secular worldview. When dads focus in on the right stuff and live under a Biblical worldview, a generation will be blessed.

During 2020 and 2021, dads were telling me how wonderful it was to have schedules cleared of business travel, events, luncheons, volunteer organization meetings and even the kids’ various activities. For many, it was the first time that the family actually sat down and ate dinner together every night of the week. That window of time provided an opportunity to think less of all the BUSYness of life and focus more attention on the important things – family and faith. The charge today is to identify what you need to think less of, and be intentional to turn the focus to words of faith and good doctrine.

Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and the doctrine it provides. I confess that more often than not I am caught up in a secular worldview that has me busy with the wrong stuff. Forgive me. Help me identify what I need to be thinking less of, that I may be able to focus on why You have me where You have me, specifically in my marriage and family. Grant me the spiritual maturity and discipline needed to think clearly about what I allow to dominate my thoughts and time, and to make changes that glorify You. That is the dad You call me to be and that’s the dad my kids need to see. Amen.

A faithful father discerns what to think less of and focuses on the right stuff.