Mothers Gifted by God
2 Timothy 1:3-7
Genesis 2:15-25
Today is a special day for all of us to remember our Mothers. For some of us the memories are pleasant and for others not so pleasant. Young Timothy in our Scripture text had the advantage of a Godly heritage. Both his mother and his grandmother were women of sincere faith.
Genesis 2:13-25 tells the story of the creation of human kind. It is clear that God created women. Someone has written:
God made woman
To add a feminine touch to life…
To add fragrance of beauty…
To be a wife and companion…
To live for God as an important
Person…
To become a mother…
The teachings of the New Testament brought a new level of honor to women.
Before Christ the Jewish view of women was very low. A strict Jewish man would pray in the morning: “I thank God that He did not make me a Gentile, a slave or a woman.” According to Jewish law a woman had no legal rights, she was absolutely under the control of her husband.
Before the time of Christ Greek culture treated women as nobodies. Women were forced to live secluded lives. They could have no part in public life; they never appeared on the streets alone. Each woman had her own living quarters and only her husband could enter. In Greek culture the woman was an object to be used.
Roman culture was no better. The Roman thought: “women are married to be divorced and divorced to be married.” Roman men did not date their lives by years but by the names of their divorced wives.
The teachings of Jesus and Paul brought the marriage relationship into a new perspective. Paul called men and women to a new fidelity, purity and fellowship in the married life.
On this Mother’s Day we want to get a Biblical perspective on women. Women gifted by God demonstrate the fine art of being a woman and the privileges of being a wife and mother.
I. The Fine Art of Being a Woman.
Women are not naturally born with charm. They have to develop it. Charm is an inner beauty. It means good grooming, but more. Charm is the ability to bring the best in every person to the surface.
Arlene Francis gives ten ways to become a woman of charm:
1. Get organized. Plan every day ahead of time.
2. Make sure you’re well groomed.
3. Do one thing special for someone else as a surprise.
4. Do one thing a day to make your home more pleasant.
5. Do one thing you’ve been embarrassed to do in the past. Visit that new neighbor you’ve been too shy to go see.
6. Read something worthwhile for a t least 15 minutes each day.
7. Think about someone you dislike-pray for him or her and wish the person well. Petty bitterness distracts from charm. The desire to slander those you dislike eats like an acid at your own personality.
8. Practice looking a person directly in the eye and concentrate wholly on what is being said.
9. Practice laughing at your own mistakes.
10. Practice forgetting yourself completely. Get totally absorbed in something outside yourself.
Ladies, you are uniquely a woman. Thank God you are who you are. Don’t let anti-Christian attitudes take away your feminine touch.
Equality to men is not the question. Your are neither inferior or superior to men. You are distinctly different. As a woman you have no equal. You are God’s special creation.
Enjoy the gifts God has given you.
As a woman, single, married, mother, widow you can possess the joy of being alive. God has given your gifts to serve Him and make an impact on your family and community.
Whatever you situation, God loves you and is for you. You have a special place to fill in this life. You can know and do God’s will.
Your attitude will determine your outlook on life. By a commitment of your will you determine whether or not you are going to live as a bear or a dove. You determine if you are going to be a charming person – a joy to be around; or shabby dressed, complaining grouch – unbearable to be around.
Find the joy of living – abide in Christ – live according to God’s plan – your life will be filled with sincere faith and excitement. I imagine Timothy’s mother Eunice and Grandmother Lois were women of charm. They were women of sincere faith.
II. The Privilege of Being A Wife and Mother
As a woman many of you have or will have the privilege of being a wife and mother.
As a wife you are both a companion and partner. God said, “I will make a helper suitable for man.” The best way a wife can be a partner is to align herself with God’s Word.
1. “Wives submit to your husband’s leadership.’’ Eph. 5:21-33 Respect your husband, cooperate let him know. “I’m with you whatever happens. You are number one next to God in my life. You are important to me.”
2. Fit into your husband’s plans and goals. (I Peter 1:1-7) Constantly work on developing your inner beauty.
3. Love your husband-there are so many ways you say I love you…clothes washed, ironed, and meals cooked. Titus 2:3-5
4. Encourage your husband to be the leader in your home. In some cases the wife has to be the spiritual leader because the husband is too proud to humble himself in the presence of the Lord. It is not God’s plan for the wife to be dominant.
There are all kinds of lines about dominant wives and henpecked husbands.
• “When she wants his opinion, she gives it to him.”
• “The only time he opens his mouth is to ask for the apron and iron.”
• She snaps, “Are you a man or a mouse, squeak up.”
Most husbands want a tender loving wife and not a snorting wrestler.
#Do you know how a female rhino selects her male rhino? She is nearsighted, so when she sees her potential lover, she flirts, backs up. Then charges him at thirty miles an hour, hitting him broadside and knocking him to the ground. Then she proceeds to gouge and step on him. While he is literally bleeding and bruised he gets the message….”She really loves me.”
There are few men who want a drill sergeant for a wife. Every home needs a leader and God has ordained men to give spiritual leadership.
The scripture says, “Wives submit to your husband’s leadership.” What does that mean? Biblical submission means submission from the motivation of love not fear. Submission is always on a voluntary basis. It does not mean becoming a doormat. The wife does not sellout her rights. She is not a servant.
Submission is prompted by love.
Norman Wright, a marriage counselor, says: “A wife is under no obligation to obey her husband in areas over which he has no authority. If he asks her to do something that is morally, ethically, or Scripturally wrong, he has exceeded his authority. If he tries to control her inner thoughts and ideas, her religious convictions, her inner-personal life, he again has exceeded his authority and she is not obligated.”
Harmony in marriage requires 100% effort by both partners. Make an effort to be an inspiration to each other and not a threat to each other.
--Go on an occasional date – just the two of you.
--Praise each other every day.
--Pray together –Christ is the answer.
Many of you have the privilege of serving as mother and grandmother. There are several principles to assist in fulfilling that role.
1. Give your children time. May our children not say: “
Bless the dear clinic that weighted me with care.
The nursery-school teacher who tooth combed my hair.
The youth leader who took time for me.
And my mother, God bless her, who I never see.
2. Fulfill your role as mother by an act of your will not by the whim of emotion.
When you get up in the morning and the baby cries, the three-year old spills her milk, the diaper pail is overflowing and smelling up the house, the telephone rings and someone is at the door. At times like that, love is an act of the will; it is not a time to depend on emotional feeling.
#My mother was one who had to accept the responsibility of spiritual leadership in the home. I remember the untiring effort she gave to her two children. Her role as mother was not easy because she did everything on her own. It was a struggle. She was in charge of the discipline, meals, laundry, dishes, and the total program of raising my sister and me. My dad did odd joys and did not have a steady income. We lived below the poverty level. My mother provided leadership in the home for many years without inside running water, electric refrigerator, no hot water, no washing machine, no central heat or air conditioning. As I look back on those early years I don’t see how my mother did it.
In spite of her circumstance my mother had great dreams for her children. For several years she did baby sitting and did washing and ironing to help make ends meet. Then at the age of 40 she started attending college during the summers. The year I graduated from college was the same year my mother graduated. My mother was a woman of sincere faith.
Someone has written: What will my boys remember?
What will my boys remember?
When they’ve grown old and gray?
The pants knees oft were full of holes?
Or the trout we caught that day?
Just what will they remember most?
Two little beds unmade?
Or the fun they had at hide-and-seek,
The days that Mother played?
What matters if my ironing waits?
When I smooth out their troubles,
Take time to kiss those briar-scratched hands,
And start them blowing bubbles?
Will they remember mud-tracked floors?
When they’ve grown old and gray?
What do they care if each room is dusted? or
I’m too tired to play?
Phyllis, C. Michael
#A Sunday school teacher was describing Jesus without giving His name. She said to her class, “This one of whom I speak was always living for others, always denying self, always cheerful, and always in every way helpful.” When she asked the boys to tell her of whom she was speaking, one little boy, with face shining, raised his hand and said: “Please teacher, I know who that is, That’s My Mother.”
I praise the Lord for my mother. She never gave up on me. She appreciated me and gave me lots of hugs; love pats and complimented me often.
She prayed for me continually. I could never get away from her prayers. Even when I rebelled and disobeyed – she would talk to me with tear-filled eyes and encourage me to live for Jesus.
She encouraged me to study and do my best. She supported me through college and seminary or I would never have made it. Her selflessness impressed me. She did without so my sister and I could have better things.
I praise the Lord for a mother who loved God and practiced her faith. She had more influence on me than any other person on earth.
My prayer for every woman, wife, mother, and grandmother here today is that you will be a woman that uses God’s gifts to honor the serve the Lord. May you be a fully devoted disciple of Jesus.
