I was at an event last year and the (godly, faithful) teacher used 1 Corinthians 8:1 out of context to make the point that knowledge “puffs up”. Man, drives me batty when I hear that. As if knowledge alone is a bad thing. In that stretch, Paul’s telling believers not to lord their knowledge (of food offered to idols, btw) over people but to be loving instead. In dozens of other spots in the Bible, the pursuit of knowledge is commended and even commanded. Proverbs 2:10 promises, “…knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” Gaining knowledge is better than chasing money, protection against foolishness, the way of the wise, a result of God’s Spirit in us and something we should desire. Sure, there are some men in the church who’ve let their knowledge go to their heads. However, for every one of them, I think we have dozens who don’t chase it at all. Dad, gain knowledge.

So many of you tell me your biggest struggle is being unsure where to start in being a godly dad. I get it, but, it’s time we overcome this feeling and get unstuck. I may not be able to answer every question you have as a dad (Go ahead, try me!). But, I can help point you in the right direction to get unstuck. Here are four mistakes dads make when they’re unsure where to start.

1. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” —C. S. Lewis

2. “Midlife crisis happens when it finally hits us that we have not really accomplished anything significant with our lives…that we wasted the nobility that God gave us by chasing after material goods and transitory, self-gratifying experiences.” – Rick Johnson, Better Dads, Stronger Sons

3. “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” – Charles Spurgeon

4. Are you like many dads who struggle with anger? You can overcome anger and bring peace to your life and family. We have an anger removal tool coming soon (hint: May). That’s all I’ll say for now. You can preorder it now—unless good deals make you mad.

Start a Reading Plan. We love the You Version Bible App. Tons of tools to help dads dive into Scripture. Go pick one out. We just launched two new ones. In More Than the Score, MJ author Pat Combs helps dads learn to leverage sports to build character. In Survival Gear for Dads, we share the seven must-have tools for being a godly dad (shockingly: having a stainless steel grill spatula isn’t one of them, but it probably should be).

Make it a great week,

Kent Evans
Author of the The Manhood Journey, co-founder of Manhood Journey and Father On Purpose.

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.