A seven-year-old boy, separated from his mother in a supermarket, began to call, “Martha! Martha! Martha!”
That was his mother’s name and she came running to him quickly. “But, honey,” she admonished, “You shouldn’t call me ‘Martha’, I’m ‘Mother’ to you.” “Yes, I know,” he answered, “but there are a lot of mothers here.”
The world is full of Mothers. While it’s true, that there is only one mother who gave us birth and life, perhaps you were raised by another mother. In any case, the command “Honor your father and mother” still holds.
Mothers are teachers. One fellow put it this way.
My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
My mother taught me about RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that’s why."
My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident."
My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
But far better it is to say, “My mother taught me about JESUS and how to obey Him.”
Timothy could make that claim. “I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason, I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.” 2 Timothy 1:5-11 (NASB).
We honor mothers today, especially those who are consistently godly. You just can’t overstate, and should not underrate, the worth of a Godly mother’s influence. John Quincy Adams said, “All that I am my mother made me.” Lincoln said, “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Dwight Moody said, “All that I have ever accomplished in life, I owe to my mother.” The influence of a Godly mother over her children cannot be overstated and ought not be undervalued! Paul noted the influence of two Godly mothers in the text for today. To illuminate the great influence of a Godly mother, let me tell you about one such mother.
Her husband and daughter had gone out in their fishing boat and were overtaken by a dense fog. This mother knew how dangerous the coast was and that in the fog her beloved would not be able to find their way. So she took a lamp and put it in the attic window, hoping its rays would serve as a beacon to direct her family home. As we consider mother and her influence over her family, let’s consider how she exerts that influence.
I. A GODLY MOTHER SETS OUT A LIGHT FOR HER FAMILY:
A. You can be sure there was a lot of light shining in Timothy’s home. Grandmother Lois had given light to her daughter Eunice and then in turn that light had illuminated young Timothy. Darkness didn’t stand a chance in that home.
B. These are dark times, spiritually, morally, and ethically speaking and the Gospel Light is in demand.
1. Violence increases. Daily we hear of shootings or abuses or terrorist activities.
2. Consumption of addictive substances abound. Meth production and distribution is at an all-time high.
3. Occultic doctrines proliferate as the New Age Movement and psychic hotlines lead many astray.
4. Evolution is taught as established fact and Creationism is scoffed at as religious poppycock.
5. Sexual immorality is not only condoned but is encouraged on every hand.
6. The breakdown of the home is pandemic.
7. The abandonment of Judeo-Christian values is widespread.
8. Liberal views are openly espoused and endorsed and conservative ideas are silenced.
C. The days are dark and evil, but mothers, there is light! Let yours shine!
1. The light of good deeds, benevolence, and unselfish service. Jesus said, “let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:16 (NLT).
2. The light of God’s word, spoken, cherished, and lived out in your home. The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NLT).
3. The light of truth, honesty, sincerity, and integrity integrated into our character. Jesus said, “If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you.” Luke 11:36 (NLT).
4. The light of Jesus Christ, trusted as Savior, obeyed as Lord, and openly shared with others around us. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 (NLT).
D. Though our culture is stagnant and our society is deviant, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not, will not, and never can overcome it! Set your light in the window and it will shine through the fog. Shine a light for truth, honor, and right.
So this mother set a lamp in the window as a beacon. Her son said, contemptuously, “It won’t do any good! They’ll never see that tiny light!” Nevertheless, she kept the lamp lit and added to it her prayers for the deliverance of her husband and young daughter. Out in the fog, the little girl saw the faint light in the distance and pointed it out to her father. “I don’t know what it is, but we’ll steer for it!” said the father and slowly they made their way toward the light and shore, guided by mother’s light and upheld in her prayers. Here is another factor in a Godly mother’s influence.
II. A GODLY MOTHER PERSEVERES IN PRAYER FOR HER FAMILY:
A. It isn’t in the text, but it had to be in the home. Any home in which faith is passed on from generation to generation has, by default, to be a home of prayer. One cannot imagine Lois not praying for Eunice or Eunice not praying for Timothy.
B. Sometimes we worry and fret and grow anxious about things in our lives. It’s like we think, “Why pray when you can worry?” But let’s persevere in prayer for them instead.
1. Will they grow to be good citizens and useful people in society?
2. Will they make it in life and survive in the world?
3. Will they keep the faith and walk through all of life with the Lord?
4. These and other concerns rest heavily on the hearts of Godly mothers. But each pressure, each burden, each worry, each concern ought to be a signal and motivation to persevere in prayer!
C. We read in Acts 12:12 that the mother of John Mark had opened her home to a prayer meeting for Peter who was imprisoned. The church gathered there was in fervent, extended, unceasing prayer. That’s the hallmark of a Godly mother.
1. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we find Mary, Jesus’ mother gathered with the 120 in an upper room. Acts 1:14shows us that “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.”
2. Paul urged the Christians:
a. Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”
b. 1 Thessalonians 5:17“pray without ceasing.”
c. Philippians 4:6“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
D. Though the pressures sometimes mount, and our worries about our families run wild, let us persevere in prayer. Add prayer to your light and it can shine through the fog. That’s the kind of mother who exerts a Godly influence.
Seeing the light in the window, and I am certain, assisted by the mother’s prayers, husband and daughter were soon safely ashore. The family embraced upon reunion and the son asked, “How did you make it back in?” The little girl said, “We steered by the light mother put in the window, but we didn’t know what it was out there.” To himself, the ungodly son thought, “Perhaps it is time for me to steer by mother’s light.” And that, too, is another way a Godly mother influences for good.
III. A GODLY MOTHER INSTILLS FAITH IN HER FAMILY:
A. Notice the chain of faith that was created: Lois to Eunice to Timothy. That’s the kind of chain reaction that pleases the Lord.
B. Notice the kind of faith they instilled:
1. It was a Christ-centered faith. Timothy was a disciple and so were both his grandmother and mother.
2. It was a sincere faith: not phony or put on or for the eyes or approval of men.
3. It was a personal faith: it was in Timothy as well as in his mother and grandmother.
4. A courageous faith: not a spirit of timidity or hesitation.
5. It was an evangelistic faith: Mother led daughter, then that daughter led her son who became a pastor at Ephesus leading others to Jesus.
C. A Godly Mother will seek to instill faith and is more interested in
1. Her children’s souls than their bodies.
2. Her children’s eternal life than their success in this life.
3. Her children’s relationship with Jesus Christ than their popularity in the world.
4. Her children’s standing before God than their social status.
5. Her children’s spirituality than their sportuality.
D. Though there is much in the world to thwart us, a Godly mother will be diligent to instill faith in Jesus Christ and will see the salvation of her children as her highest calling. That’s the kind of mother who influences her children for Jesus.
Mothers, keep putting the light before your family; keep persevering in prayer; keep instilling faith in your family. The Godly mother in the story not only put a light in the attic window but let her light shine in front of her family. A few months later, the son became ill and the doctor uttered the grim prognosis, “He won’t live long.” As death approached, the young man said, “Don’t be afraid for me. I will make the harbor, for I have steered by mother’s light and have found the Savior, Jesus Christ.” There is a great need on the one hand for followers of Jesus Christ to send the light; there’s a great need, on the other hand, to steer by that light as you become aware of its beams.
Perhaps you are away in the fog of uncertainty-- you don’t know about the condition of your soul.
Perhaps you are in the fog of insecurity -- you feel unsure that God loves you or will forgive you.
Perhaps your fog is doubt or unbelief or stubborn rebellion.
Perhaps you are waiting for some feeling or sign. Faith is not based on feeling or signs.
Maybe your mother’s prayers are still echoing at the Throne of Grace; today could be the answering of those prayers as you steer by the light.
The light shines in the darkness -- it shines for you to see -- it shines to lead you to Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Steer by that light and you will find harbor in Him.
Story source unknown.
