God’s Kind Of Mother
Proverbs 31:10-31
We all know just how important mothers really are. Our very existence tells us mother are absolutely necessary. Any progress we may have made toward growing up physically or otherwise is usually a testimony to the faithfulness of our mothers. Most of us could personally endorse old sayings such as, "God couldn’t be everywhere (physically), so he gave us mothers." Or, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Or, "Behind every great man stands a great woman."
In this portion of Proverbs, God inspired Solomon to describe the special qualities of a Godly wife and mother. These qualities have served mankind well down through the ages. In the Book of James, we are told all good and perfect gifts come down to man from the Father in heaven. We then know we have God to thank for mothers.
God is clearly describing Godly mothers in this
passage. His kind of mother. The sort of mother He would have all mothers strive to be. The sort of
mother many of us have had or have now as our help meet. God surely gave us mothers that we might see the qualities described in this passage in the mothers He gave us as we were growing up. It has been shown again and again that parents exert the primary and greatest influence on their children. This is one of the basic reasons we need to resist today’s attack upon the family unit. The guidance a child receives at a mother’s knee will help set thedirection his or her life. Much of this influence is brought to bear by the mother before the child is six years old. The mother often creates the environment and teaches the standards and values that ultimately determine a child’s personality and character traits. Of course, this is not recent news. God inspired the same wise man to say, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."
There is a story told of a mother asking a pastor when she should begin teaching her five year old about God. He replied, "Hurry home, you’ve lost five years already." So it is appropriate that on this special day we focus upon the importance of God’s kind of mothers in our world today.
God’s Kind Of Mother Serves God By Serving Others. I Peter 3:1-7 "Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of
putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
[even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after
this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in
subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters
ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
In Godly motherhood we see personified the primary principle and purpose of life as given to us by Jesus. Jesus lived out this purpose perfectly. In Him, we have the perfect example of serving the Father by lovingly serving others. Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
This passage could be summed up by the statement, "We serve God by loving Him and lovingly serving others." In the description of Godly mothers in Proverbs we see the Great Commandment placed into practical action.
Luke 10:27 ".....Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself."
God created Eve and all other mothers who would follow, for the vital role of help meet and
mother. The ordinary man is only half his potential; without the help of God’s appointed companion
on life’s journey. One of the great tragedies of our time has been the promotion of the concept that
somehow the role of motherhood is secondary in the greater scheme of things. This philosophy permeates so much of the popular culture of our time. It maintains that the mundane ministry of motherhood is demeaning and slavish. It is accepted wisdom that ultimate success and fulfillment for the liberated woman lies in a professional career outside the home. Those mothers who dare to defy the dictates of those dominating the feminist movement by staying home and focusing on being real Christian homemakers are made to feel inadequate and insignificant.
But nothing could be farther from the truth. The importance of the mother’s personal role in early childhood training cannot be overemphasized. Stories of the mothers of many great men of history such as Jesus, Moses, Samuel, Timothy, Lincoln and Wesley, confirm this. The examples of these mothers tell us that they first gave themselves to God and then to their families.
God’s Kind Of Mother Places Her Faith And Love Into Practice One mother who placed the principles outlined in Proverbs into practice wrote the following testimony: "When my children were young I thought the very best thing I could do for them was to give them myself. So I spared no pains to talk to them, read to them, teach them and to pray with them, and in this way to be a loving companion and friend to my children. I had to neglect my housework often. I had no time to improve myself in many ways that I would have liked to do. I have my reward now! My sons are ministers of the gospel; my grown up daughters are Christian women. I have plenty of time now to sit down and rest; plenty of time to keep my house in order; plenty of time to indulge myself in many ways, besides
going about my Master’s business. I have a thousand beautiful memories of their childhood to comfort
me. Now that they have gone out into the world for themselves, I have a sweet consciousness of having done all that I could to make them ready for whatever work God calls them to do. I gave them
the best that I had - myself."
A young man who was raised by such a mother was once asked, "What version of the Bible do you prefer?" He replied, "I prefer my mother’s version. She has translated it into the language of daily life for me ever since I was old enough to understand it. There has never been any doubt about her version."
A mother’s ministry of giving and help begins with a baby’s first steps, first words, the mystery of shoe strings and the magical world of pretend and make belief. It includes the medical magic of a mother’s touch and kiss. It is best expressed by the cooling touch of a loving hand upon a feverish brow in the midnight hour.
But the ministry of a selfless and serving mother can extend far outside the home. The Bible is filled with examples of those wonderful and faithful women who were helpers in the ministry of the Word. The role of Mary and Martha in the ministry of our Lord comes quickly to mind. The importance of the help of Lydia in the ministry of the apostles is made crystal clear in the Word. And how could we forget the faithfulness of Lois and Eunice in the ministry of Paul and Timothy. It was Paul who said to their son and grandson, "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." (II Tim. 1:5)
God’s Kind Of Mother Is A Paragon Of Purity And Virtue. Solomon’s statement leaves no doubt about this. "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies." Prov. 31:10) It is also significant that God chose a special virtuous mother as the mother of His own Son. These verses in Matthew Chapter One describe this pure and virtuous mother: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Mary’s dialogue with the angel of the Lord in Luke Chapter One about the pending birth of the Son of God confirms her purity and virtue and her committal to the will of God: "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.. . . . And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy [is] his name. And his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation.”
The restoration of purity and virtue, the neglected attributes, is so vitally needed in our world today. In days gone by Godly men fought and died to defend the purity and virtue of Godly women. Many of those from an older generation can recall real life incidents that illustrate the deep underlying respect our culture had for the purity and virtue of our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. No man worth his salt would take advantage of another man’s wife, sister or daughter.
It seems our culture is dominated by those who see no evil in promiscuity, fornication or adultery or little value in virtue. The sanctity of the family and the sacredness of motherhood has been dragged down and degraded. It seems the expected norm for the daughters and granddaughters to enter into trial cohabitation with whom, when and as often as they please. Such so -called trial relationships seem to produce children more easily and more often than true marriages today.
But even today, contrary to popular opinion, most men still look for virtue above all else when they are looking for a Godly bride. Such a virtuous woman is a priceless gift from God. "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD." (Prov. 18:22)
God’s Kind Of Mother Has A Ministry Of Loving Faithfulness And Encouragement. The
faithfulness of mothers is legendary. A Godly mother remains a friend when all others may turn away.
Mary, the sister of Martha, encouraged our Saviour with a precious anointing. "(It was [that] Mary
which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was
sick.)" (John 11:2) It was not so much what Mary did that matters; it is what it meant. At a time our
Savior needed to be encouraged and ministered to, Mary was faithful to express the love in her heart
in a practical and helpful way. Thus demonstrating the faithful and encouraging love that so often characterizing the lives of Godly women.
The faithful love of mothers is shown in this true story told by D. L. Moody:
"There was a boy who was bad. He had a very bad father who seemed to take delight in teaching
his son everything that was bad. The father died and the boy went on from bad to worse until he was
arrested for murder. When he was on trial, it came out that he had murdered five other people and
from one end of the city to the other there was a universal cry going up against him. During his trial
they had to guard the courthouse; the indignation was so intense. The white-haired mother got just as
near her son as she could and every witness that went into the court and said anything against seemed
to hurt her more than it hurt her son. When the jury brought in a verdict of guilty a great shout went
up, but the old mother nearly fainted away: and when the judge pronounced the sentence of death
they thought she would faint away. After it was all over she threw her arms around her son and kissed
him, and there in the court they had to tear him from her embrace. She then went the length and
breadth of the city trying to get men to sign a petition for his pardon. And when he was hanged, she
begged the governor to let her have the body of her son, that she might bury it. They say that death
has torn down everything in this world, everything but a mother’s love. That is stronger than death.
The governor refused to let her have the body, but she cherished the memory of that boy as long as she
lived. A few months later she followed her boy, and when she was dying she sent word to the
governor and begged that her body might be laid close to her son. That is a mother’s love. She wasn’t
ashamed to have her grave pointed out for all time as the grave of the mother of the most noted
criminal in the state of Vermont. The prophet takes hold of that very idea. He says, "Can a mother
forget her child?" But a mother’s love is not to be compared to the love of God."
God’s Kind Of Mother Shows Us Courage And Sacrificial Love. One of the most touching examples of such courageous love is found in the story of the mother of Moses. She placed herself in severe jeopardy in order to give her son an opportunity to live and serve the Lord. Such motherly love and courage has always been typical of real Godly motherhood. God’s response in saving her infantson from sure death was predictable and encouraging. God blesses such love.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is an excellent example of such motherhood. What we are told of her character, attitude and life, confirms the excellency of the Father’s choice of a virgin through which to bless His world. From the very beginning her submissive and sacrificial willingness shines through. As the years of her unique calling and motherly ministry unfold, we are given progressive insights into the depth of her love and committal, Even when she did not fully understand, she seemed always ready to submit herself to God and seek what was best for His Son. In the end, we see her standing by the cross of His suffering; confirming the enormity of her love and sacrifice, as she shares the moment of her son’s agony on the cross.
"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother....
when Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his
mother, Woman, behold thy son! " (John 19:25-26)
Even in nature we find many illustrations of the sacrificial love of mothers. Many have witnessed the peculiar activity of the mother meadowlark. As the name suggests, these birds build their nests in the grass. Once their young fledglings are hatched, they will go to great lengths to protect them. Instead of taking to full flight when a possible predator, such as man, approaches the nest, they will pretend to be injured. In small hops they will flutter slowly away from the area, placing themselves at great risk as they lead the threatening intruder away.
Another example is the legendary ferocity and loving courage of a mother bear. "The Mother Bear Syndrome," has been common among mothers in every age. This tendency to lovingly and bravely defend their child at any cost is a noble characteristic. Yet, sometimes it has led some mothers to rush in with guns blazing to protect their offspring from a perceived injustice that was more imaginary than real.
We should not end our Mother’s Day message today without all together thanking God for the mothers in our life and for those who have touched our lives in the past. As we do so, we should ask ourselves just what would be the deepest desire of the heart of God’s Kind Of Mother?
Clearly, it would be that all her offspring and all those she loves would come to know the Lord Jesus
Christ as their personal Saviour through true repentance and faith. Have you made sure you will meet
your mother in heaven someday? Mothers, have you made sure you will be in heaven to greet your saved offspring when you leave this world, as we all surely will?
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