Mothers
In Exodus chapter 20 you will
find the 10 commandments.
Commandment #5 says that
children are to honor their father and mother.
This commandment also has a promise.
It says that we will live long prosperous lives if we obey the
commandment. So we are to honor our
parents. We are to respect and obey
them. In this message, we will discuss
honoring mothers.
Did you know that the idea for
Mother's Day was born in a small Methodist church in
While teaching a Memorial Day
lesson, Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis thought of mothers who had lost their sons. She
prayed that one day there could be a "Memorial Day" for mothers. The prayer made a deep impression on one of
Mrs. Jarvis's eleven children. Young Anna had seen her mother's efforts to hold
the war-split community and church together. As she grew into adulthood, the younger woman
kept Mrs. Jarvis's dream in her heart. On the day of her mother's death, Anna
was determined to establish Mother's Day in her honor.
On
Let us look at the scriptures
and from God Himself see what is His Will for Mothers, yes all women. It applies to us all, mothers, fathers, all
men and women. But God addresses specifically
His will and purpose for Mothers.
This is the highest calling and
purpose of women. This is basic for a full and happy life. To ignore it, means
heartache and sorry and great disappointment. To ignore it means to live a life that is less
than what God intended you to be.
Proverbs 31:30 "A woman who fears the
Lord shall be praised."
What does it mean to fear God? The Hebrew word for "fear" means an "emotional
reaction, terror, or to be afraid, and to have reverence for God, a deep respect."
In many places in the older writings of
our Bibles, the use of the term to fear God and proper living are so closely
related they were essentially had the same meaning.
If a person feared God, it
resulted in living a godly life. The
fear is seen as the motivation which produced righteous living. In other words, you find a person who fears
God, and they will be obedient unto the ways of God to the best of their given
understanding and knowledge that they possess.
A God fearing person will keep the commandments and customs of God and
not the ways of man and of the world.
Exodus 1:15-20 "And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the
name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the
other Puah:
And he said, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women,
and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then you shall kill him: but if
it be a daughter, then she shall live.
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of
And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because
the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and
are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with
the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty."
The midwives feared God and
would not kill the new born baby boys. God richly rewarded them for they had
respect unto God as the authority in their lives. God was seen as a greater authority in their
lives than was the King of Egypt, just as God should be the authority in our
lives rather than the governments of this world or as far as that goes over our
own carnal human nature.
We are to obey the laws of this
land, until those laws come into conflict with the laws of God. If and when such would occur, you and I must
choose God's ways over the laws of this land, even if doing so would or could
bring danger or persecution into our lives.
But if we believe in our God we
will have a godly fear of our Lord. We
will respect and honor Him as the master of our lives. Godly fear is the result of believing in God!
When one's sees who God really is it will bring about a godly
fear of God. Most people have
such a small view of God, yet He created all the
Universe...the Bible says he spoke it into existence out of nothing. Compared to us He is so much more than we can
even fathom.
True belief causes a deep reverence
and respect of God. When a person comes
to the knowledge of who God really is....they quit all the rebellion and
fooling around. With true repentance, a
person will change. God demands it. But He does not leave us helpless. He gives us of His Spirit to enable us to
live victorious over sin. He gives us
each other to help us in our overcoming process. He gives us His Word that we might find the
Truth and by His Spirit, He will guide us into all Truth.
But once a person begins to
understand that God is calling and choosing them, change begins to take place
in their lifestyles. They get serious
about serving God who created them! They
then want to obey God, follow Him and live their lives to His glory.
As proof of His Grace they will
show God to the rest of the world by living a godly life. A man or woman who
will not live for God, should really in all seriousness examine their lives, to
see if they really believe in God with their heart or merely have a head
knowledge of the fact of God's existence.
A woman or a man who is truly being saved will be motivated by a godly
fear of God.
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil."
The writer of this book makes
the final conclusion. In other words,
when it all comes down, the main theme for mankind is that they are to fear God
and keep His commandments. This is not
just a passing thought, it is not just a volunteer work, do as I can or as I
have the time or if I feel like it, no this is the very duty of mankind!
Jesus actually said in one
place, why do you call me your Lord and yet you don't do the things
that is say for you to do? In
other words, if we are going to call Jesus our Lord, the master and controller
and the authority in our lives, we had better then do what He says.
If He commands us to keep the
Sabbath, we will do so because we fear or honor Him as our Lord. If He tells us not to eat pork and other
unclean meats, we will not eat those things, our of
fear or respect for Him as our Lord. If
He tells us not to learn the ways of the heathen and go off practicing their
idolatrous ways, we will not observe those ways because we fear our God.
Same goes for any of the
commandments. We are going to fear God
and keep His commandments because it is our duty to do so. But it is our duty because we love and
respect our Lord and out of that loving respect, we obey.
We read earlier that the woman
who fears the Lord will be praised. Now
of course this goes for men as well. But
we are speaking of women or mothers specifically in this teaching. This next set of scriptures is very
tough. In fact in might be said that it
is impossible for a woman to actually portray what is being described in these
verses.
Proverbs 31:10
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price
is far above rubies. The heart of her
husband does safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the
days of her life. She seeks wool, and
flax, and works willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she
brings her food from afar. She rises also
while it is yet night, and gives meat to her household, and a portion to her
maidens. She considers a field, and buys it: with the fruit of her
hands she plants a vineyard. She girds
her loins with strength, and strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good:
her candle goes not out by night. She
lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretches out her hand to the poor; yea,
she reaches forth her hands to the
needy. She is not afraid of the snow for
her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes herself coverings of tapestry; her
clothing is silk and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the
land. She makes fine linen, and sells
it; and delivers girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to
come. She opens her mouth with wisdom;
and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excels
them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty
is vain: but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let
her own works praise her in the gates."
Sisters of the Church, are you a
little intimidated by this description?
I would be! This must be
superwoman described in these verses! But
let's just look at these verses from the perspective of our day.
A woman, a mother, will be a
glory and praise to God if at the center of her life, Christ Jesus is
first....she fears, reverences and loves God and that motivates all she does. The things mentioned in these verses are
possible if you are putting Christ first and you fear Him and thus you will be
the praise of God.
Therefore there are virtuous
godly women who love God and honor Him by their lives. The word "virtuous" refers to a
woman's character of being a woman of strength and ability. The Hebrew word
means strength, valiant, virtuous, one of valor, power and strength. Her strength or virtue is in her character of
being a godly woman therefore she can be used of God as a blessing to others.
The woman that fears God will be
praised. Both by God
and among those who know her. The virtuous woman according to these
verses is hard worker. She is not lazy, she kept her family and home in order.
That was a testimony of her love
of her family and love of God.
The Virtuous Woman is trusted by
Her Husband. Trust is something that is
earned. Trust does not come automatically to anyone or to a person simply
because they hold a position. Many
parents are not respected by their children because they have not earned their
respect. Many wives and husbands suffer
greatly because one or the other does not have confidence in them.
I believe everyone wants to
trust other people. But trust will only
come from the experience of observing the person and how they live. A godly woman will earn the trust and respect
of her husband as she lives a consistent righteous life before him. She honors the Lord and that manifests itself
outwardly to others so that they can also trust her. One the of the great
benefits in living for the Lord is that you live a life of character and people
learn you can be trusted.
Think about that in the context
of a godly woman influencing her family to serve the Lord. If her husband is lost and blind to the ways
of God, her virtuous life will be an positive
influence and a testimony for the Lord. Her
godly life will be a testimony and example to her children of God's saving and
life changing grace. God's influence in
a woman's life will show her family how good it is to live for the Lord.
The opposite is also true. A
nagging, never satisfied, always complaining and unstable woman will not gain
her family's confidence. It boils down
to a matter of love. True love puts
aside one's own desires and seeks the others well being. True love will always be forgiving and full
of hope and will suffer long with others.
True love will put the hopes and desires of those they love over their
own desires and hopes. A selfish wife or
mother shows she really does not have a deep love for her family. They in turn cannot return a love that they
are not shown.
There is a comedian whose is
always saying "I don't get no respect!" Listening to his sinful statements that are suppose to be jokes will show you why he gets no respect. He does not deserve any respect because he is
disrespectful.
You cannot expect people to
respect you when you do not respect them. Speaking down, being overbearing, complaining,
or mistreating a spouse is a sure sign you have no respect for them and in turn
...what goes around comes around.
This goes for husbands as well
as wives or anyone. Father's day is not
to far off, and us Dad's or husbands are going to get it from the Lord then! I need it, I will publicly state that I'm a
long way from being the father and husband that I desire to be.
But respect and confidence are
earned by one's behavior. Verse 26 says the virtuous woman
is wise and kind. Where do you think this woman will get her wisdom?
Hold your place here in
Proverbs, but turn to the book of Psalms
chapter 111.
The answer to this question is
easily found and makes perfect sense and fits right in with the theme of this
message thus far. If this virtuous woman
in our Proverbs verses has wisdom, and she is an example to be desired of by a
Christian woman, just how does she acquire this wisdom? Where does this wisdom come from and how does
it begin?
Psalms 111:10 "The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his
commandments: His praise endures for
ever."
Wisdom comes from a fear of the
Lord and understanding His commandments. So mothers, sisters and women of the Church,
you can be that virtuous superwoman spoken of in the Proverbs. Just fear the Lord and keep His commandments
and you will gain wisdom. It will be a wisdom
that those of the world does not know, nor can they
know. That wisdom can produce
virtue. An uprightness of heart that
will build trust and confidence in yourself and you can then earn the trust and
confidence of others.
Still holding your place in the
Proverbs, turn now to 1st
Corinthians chapter 13.
We saw from our Proverbs
scripture that the virtuous woman will produce wisdom and kindness. We have seen where this wisdom comes
from. The beginning of wisdom comes from
the fear of the Lord, and
that fear motivates us to keep His commandments which gives us a good
understanding. But
what about kindness? Where does
kindness come from?
1st Corinthians 13:1-7
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have
not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not
love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me
nothing. Love suffers long, and is kind;
love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not
in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things."
So here we see about the effects
of charity or love, and among the many things that we could speak on concerning
love, we see that one of the effects of love, is kindness. One of the characteristics of a virtuous
woman from what we read in Proverbs. Love
is produced through the Spirit. It is a
fruit of sorts of the Spirit. You will
begin to produce that fruit, and along with it you will show forth kindness.
These are not new
teachings. These are among the basics of
a Christ like life. It is not beyond our
abilities to perform these things. I
don't think that our God would give us a standard and then not make a way to
equip us to be able to meet that standard.
Let's go back now to Proverbs chapter 31 again. Let's take a deeper look at this virtuous
woman described in these verses that the woman and mothers of the Church are to
examine themselves by.
Proverbs 31:30 "Favor is deceitful............................
This is like living our entire
life always seeking the favor or approval of others. It is like we are only living to impress
others.
It is like everything we do is
always prefaced by what are these people or those people going to think about
me, and that kind of thinking begins to rule your life and eventually can
become idolatrous in nature.
Sure it is all right to look
nice to look one's best and to have nice things, but to do so only to attract
attention or on the other hand to keep up with the Jones as the old saying
goes, is sinful because it is based on pride and lust and covetousness.
Let's read verse 30 again. "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is
vain: but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
Beauty is vain. The word
"vain" means worthless or of no value. Over dressing and making one's appearance the
driving force in a person's life is worthless says God. Seeking to impress and gain favor and to hear
"Oh, isn't she pretty!" is vanity. Think of the sorrowful life so many women live
trying to look like a Barbie doll. What
wasted lives.
There was a TV program a while
back on the problem of Anorexia and bulimia in young girls and women. These woman were obsessed with the way they look and they starved
themselves sick trying to look good to others. Sometimes their obsession kills them. The reporter told them as had their family and
doctors that they look nice, but it did not matter. Their pride in their appearance controlled
them.
Women and mothers of the Church, do not allow the pride of your appearance to control
you. That control is idolatry. It is pure vanity. But notice in this verse that not only do we
see that seeking favor is deceitful and that beauty can be in vain, but that
the opposite is that the woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
The word "praised" is
taken from a word that means to "shine." This is true praise, virtuous praise, deserved
praised, reward that is lasting. Because
the actions that
produced this praise came from a deep reverence, love and fear of
God. In the previous verses you will notice that her children and husband also
praise her.
1st Timothy 2:9-10
"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest
apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or
pearls, or costly array;
But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good
works."
The word "modest
apparel" means in clothing that is modest, in good behavior, and seemly. When clothing is worn for the purpose of
attracting attention it is normally not considered as being modest.
The word "shamefacedness"
means having a sense of shame or honor, modesty, bashfulness, reverence, regard
for others, respect. It is like not
having a boisterous and loud character. To have a sense of public decency. Not to quench the Spirit by no means, but to
have that quiet spirit about you that is not overbearing and to the point of
being bashful, shy and timid.
The word "sobriety" in this verse
means having self-control. To have the ability to control your actions so that you can remain
modest.
The phrase "not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array"
refers to the dressing to advertise a woman's sexuality. In biblical times the women who were wearing
these things and did themselves up in this way were for the most part
prostitutes. A woman can dress nicely
and wear her hair braided. She can wear
jewelry and nice clothes, but as a Christian she should do so modestly and not
look like a Jezebel.
I do not think we need to go
into specifics about what is modest. If
it is worn to draw attention to your body is it immodest. If it is very tight fighting and or short it
is immodest. The woman and mother whose life is truly meaningful, will be a woman who
loves and fears God.
What influence is a God fearing
Mother? What greatness and good can she
inspire in her family and those who know her? When you study some of the great, positive,
history-making figures, you will often find they speak of the influence of a
parent.
Abraham Lincoln is quoted as
saying, "All that I am I owe to my angel mother."
General Douglas MacArthur said, "My sainted mother taught me devotion
to God and a love of country which have ever sustained me. To her I yield anew a son's reverent
thanks."
G. Campbell Morgan had four
sons. They all became ministers. At a family reunion a friend asked one of the
sons, "Which Morgan is the greatest preacher?" With his eyes beaming with delight, the son
looked over to his father and said, "Why, it's Mother!"
God wants women with open hearts
who will be faithful to Him and live lives that honor and bring glory to God. Women willing to raise their
families, to guide their households towards God.
Maybe you do not match up to the
superwoman of Proverbs 31: Few do....but that does not mean you can't. Maybe in the past you have not been the Mother
you needed to be or wanted to be at all times.
We all can look back and see our
mistakes....yet God is the God of new beginnings! Our God is a restorer. He restores and salvages things. He will one day restore this polluted world
to the beautiful paradise that it once was.
But His main emphasis is on restoring lives. That is what He is doing with you and I. If we can only lay
aside our pride and our own will and submit unto Him.
John 1:1-4 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made
by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life;
and the life was the light of men."
Brethren, there can be no
question about it from reading this and other such scriptures. Jesus was and is God. But what also is so marvelous is the way the
Lord became a man and entered this world. God, the Son, came to this earth "born of
a woman."
Let's take a look at a woman of
the scriptures that was chosen for a very special purpose.
And let me say this. If you are called and chosen of God, you have
a purpose. Not the same purpose as the woman we are about to look at, but you have a
purpose. You may not know what your
purpose is, but our God just does not haphazardly choose people.
He has a purpose in mind for
those that He is placing within the Church.
Not just for the time to come when we shall rule and reign with the
Christ in the
Unfortunately, most never come
to the full and complete understanding of where they fit in the Church and in
the plan of God. But for whatever my
word is worth to you, I can guarantee that if you are one of His, you have a
purpose.
We are going to be reading a
verse wherein the great messenger angel, Gabriel had appeared to Mary
Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and
said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the
Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy one which shall be born
of you shall be called the Son of God."
Gabriel told Mary the Holy
Spirit would come upon her and God's power would overshadow her and she would
conceive a child. Christ's birth was a
miracle in every respect. A young Jewish
maid who was a virgin would conceive by the power of God and would bear a
child.
There are many aspects of the
miracle birth of Christ we could look at but I want to look at who was Mary,
the maiden chosen by God to be the earthly mother of Jesus Christ.
Who Was Mary? The name Mary was a very popular name at the
time this event was taking place. Some believe that there were seven different Mary’s
mentioned in the newer writings of our Bibles.
The Bible presents Mary the
mother of Jesus as a godly chaste young Jewish girl who was betrothed to a
devout Jewish carpenter named Joseph. I
think in most ways she was an ordinary young woman. Biblically we can say she
was given no more or less potential than any other young girl or woman living
then or today.
What made the difference in her
life was her attitude towards God. What made her available to be used of God
was her commitment to Him. The proof of that is that when she heard the truth
and God's plan and purpose for her, she immediately accepted it. That showed
her heart.
Mary suffered great
embarrassment being with child and not having a husband. It was a crisis. She was betrothed to Joseph and yet she was
pregnant. Outwardly, it would be
impossible for her to explain her situation to Joseph, her parents and their
family and friends.
God intervened in a dream and
told Joseph that the child Mary was carrying was of the Holy Spirit. Joseph too was a godly young man and
apparently loved her very much. Even
before God spoke to him in a dream through an angel, the scriptures tells us
that he did not want to publicly expose her and sought to privately put her
away. Joseph obeyed God and married her.
Under the Old Covenant Law it
was a capitol offense to have a child born out of wed lock. Yet, in spite of all this she accepted this
difficulty as God's will relying on Him.
Apart from giving birth to Christ, Mary is not a
prominent figure in the New Testament writings. That she was a faithful Jew can be seen in
that she and Joseph carried out the rituals of presenting herself at the Temple
at the proper times, such as after child birth and at the Passover.
History and certain Biblical
texts tells us that Joseph and Mary had other
children, at least four boys and two girls. This too shows her to be a normal woman and
mother.
It appears that Joseph died and
left her a widow with a large family. We do not know when he died, but I
believe it would have to be after Jesus was old enough to work and provide for
her.
It may be that Jesus left home
when he was thirty and began His public ministry. Mary was a loving mother. Although it seems she did not fully understand
her Son, she went to
Jesus spoke to her and John and
entrusted each of them to the other. After
the resurrection we find the last mention of her in the Bible as she continued
in prayer with the other faithful who waited for the coming of the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit. Then the Bible is
silent and mentions her no more.
The Roman church has perverted
the memory of her with their false teachings.
They have essentially put her into the realm of being a god. It is idolatrous to say the least.
But Mary left us with a great
testimony of virtue faithfulness. Mary
had shortcomings as all men and women, yet she was a godly woman who loved the
Lord and was faithful to God. Like all
the men and women God used in the Bible, the Lord did not hide their
weaknesses. Yet, these men and women
were greatly used of the Lord. The
reason was it was God working in them that caused them to do great things for
God. It was not their ability, but their
willingness for God to use them that allowed the Lord to use them.
But women and mothers in the
Church, it doesn't have to be any different for you. Just fear God and keep His commandments. Seek God and the Kingdom first and all of His
righteousness, and no matter what your weaknesses are,
God still has a purpose in mind for you.
By His Spirit, He can give you the ability to do great things. Even if those great things
might just be to be a godly role model for others, or to take care of your
husband and children.
Don't belittle your calling,
even if your calling might be smacking you square in the face. It may just be that you are called to be a
godly woman, caring for your family.
That, to me would be one of the greatest callings you could have.
Luke
Here we can see the heart of
Mary. The course that the Lord had for
her life was a difficult one. She would have
her first child and not know a man. Clearly
she understood what she was being asked to do, yet she said let it be upon me
according to Your words.
In verse 34, she replied...."how
can this be seeing I do not know a man?" Yet, fully understanding the difficulties she
faced she replied and said "let Your will be
done."
Mary immediately left
Drop down to verse 46 of Luke
chapter one, where we hear what Mary had to day about these things.
Luke
1:46-55, "My soul does
magnify the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For he has regarded the low
estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall
call me blessed. For he that is mighty has done to me great things; and holy is
his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He has showed strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts. He has
put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He has
filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he has sent empty away. He has
helped his servant
Mary Was God's Faithful Servant.
Why was God able to use her? Because she believed God.
No man or woman can be saved or used of
God a part from believing in Him. True
belief will show itself in action. A true believer will obey God and obey His
will for their lives.
Often God calls us to do things
that are difficult. He calls those who
believe and love the Lord and want to serve Him. He called Mary to be a mother, a very
difficult job.
Many people have little time for
the Lord. Some just outright oppose Him.
Others pervert God's truth and put their
faith in false teachings. Mary lived in
a day when the Chief priest, elders, scribes and Pharisees and their religion
dominated Jewish life. Theirs was a semi-false
religion, not based totally on God's word or truth with many added manmade commandments much like in our
day.
Jesus taught them the truth, but
they rejected Him and God's truth and sought to kill Him. Eventually they had Him crucified. They were unbelievers. They were blinded to the Truth.
Yet, Mary was among the few who
believed the truth and rejected the false religion of the Jewish leaders. God cannot use nor does He call those who
will not accept His word. Because Mary
believed God gave her a special call.
Every woman and mother of the
Church has a special call from God to live a godly faithful life. God has a will and ministry for every mother
here. Often the will of God for the
Mother and wife is a difficult one. Mothers faithfully serve the Lord and are
rarely mentioned. Sometimes a wife is
mentioned and acknowledged, but rarely one's mother.
We all know of Abraham Lincoln. Do you know who was his
mother? As we heard earlier,
President Lincoln said, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my
angel Mother." Yet, hardly anyone
even knows her name.
George Washington said, "I
remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the
moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."
These mothers were faithful to
the best of their knowledge to their God given privilege and responsibilities. Their sons were great men because they had a
great and wonderful mother. Like Mary, they understood God's appointed
task and they replied "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word."
The word "handmaid" is
the word used for a female slave. Mary
was saying whatever the circumstances, whatever the difficulties, whatever the
personal cost to her....she wanted God's will done in her life.
It was God who made Mary
special. It was God's will for her and
her commitment to it that her role in God's plan that
made her a wonderful woman and child of God. She was no different from any other woman. She had her weaknesses, yet she obeyed God. There could only be one Mary, who was the
earthly mother of the Lord Jesus, but the Lord has many other mothers.
There is a problem today with
many mothers. The pressures
of modern life has made them too busy. A mother cannot put the Lord first in her
life, if she does not put her family first.
We mostly think of mothers in
their role with their children, but there must be a father, a husband if a
woman is to be a mother. A wife who is
not a "help meet" to her husband will probably not be a good mother
to her children.
If the father and mother are at
odds with each other the children and the family will greatly suffer, and sadly
God's will most likely will not be accomplished. Being a godly mother and wife is not something
that comes automatic. There are two
sides to the matter. First, a woman must
be committed to the Lord and to his will for her life. She must believe and
love the Lord. Second, she must learn to
be a devoted child of God with an open Bible and in prayer seeking God's
guidance for her life and for her family. You cannot separate these two parts of being
the mother God intended one to be. One
must be supported by the other.
The question for each of us is
the same. Do we truly believe God and
accept His word? Only the believer is being
saved and only the believer can be used of the Lord.
True belief can be tested. If it is true it will produce results in our
lives. Faith that is true will be a
committed faith that willingly seeks God's will for our life. Do you want the blessings of God within your
life? The question if
for men, women, boys and girls, fathers and mothers, Will you truly believe
the Lord and let Him use you?
Mothers, realize that the Lord
knows you have weaknesses as all of mankind does. By His Spirit He can make you and is making
you that virtuous woman that fears the Lord.
We'll talk about fathers coming
up so us fathers are not off the hook, but mothers,
let your life be a praise unto God. You
have or have had one of the most difficult jobs on earth, and yet at the same
time one of the most joyful of jobs.
And although you may have not
been given the thanks as often as you should have, you may have not been hugged
and told you are loved and appreciated as often as you should have, but today,
through the Spirit of our Lord, I speak for everyone, especially for us guys,
and say thank you, may God bless you and keep you and guide you.
If your mother is still living
and is close enough to visit, try to take the time to do so, and don't just
wait for a convenient time. And not just because our calendars tell us
that a day has been set aside called mother's day. But because she is your
mother.
But mothers, also take the time
because you are a mother, to cherish your children, no matter how big or how
old or how stubborn they may be. Be
forgiving of their weaknesses in life as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you
of your weaknesses.
May God bless our mothers!
The Old Paths Restoration Ministry
Marengo, IN 47140
Note: A portion of this
teachings came from and unknown author