Thanks, in part, to my Mother, I had a drug problem when I was young.
I was drug to church for Bible class on Sunday morning, and then drug to worship services and then drug to church again on Sunday evening.
I was drug to Wednesday night Bible studys. I was also drug to gospel meetings and Vacation Bible School and youth activities.
I was drug to family reunions.
I was drug to the bus stop to go to school every weekday.
When I disobeyed my parents I was also drug to the woodshed.
These drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in every thing I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place. Thank-you, Mom, for the drug problem that has saved my life.
Spanish proverb: An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.
A man came home from work one day to find his kids outside in their pajamas playing with a water hose in a mud puddle, totally filthy and making mud pies. As he approached the house he noticed a pile of toys and dirt in front of the door. He quickly stepped over the pile, opened the door and beheld what looked like the remains of a war. There was food and there were dishes randomly strewn here and there and a pile of dirty clothes at the foot of the stairs. He began to call for his wife and heard her voice upstairs coming from their bedroom. He rushed up the stairs dodging obstacles as he went and burst into the door of his bedroom only to find his wife sitting up in bed reading a book.
“Are you all right?” He asked. “Yes.” She said. “Well what’s going on?” He demanded. She replied, “You know how every day when you come home you laugh and ask me what I did all day? Well, today I didn’t do it.”
Men, our jobs are often pretty clear cut. We know when we are on the clock and when we are off. Most men can see if they have done a good job or a bad job at their work by simply whether or not they got it done right and on time. Even in construction and education there are deadlines and final exams that measure how we are doing. Success or failure are easily measured and evaluated in a corporate world of work. Now… let’s compare that to motherhood.
Many a mother spends long hours of sleepless nights wondering if they are doing the right thing with their children. The victory of one day turns into the disaster of the next.
I remember when my mom once said, “It was a lot easier to take care of you kids when you were young enough for me to think for you.” In our early years Mom had a way of bending our minds in the direction she wanted them to go. But then we grew up. We didn’t always listen to the instructions of Mom and Dad. There were other voices saying things that sounded attractive and interesting. A mother may not be sure she’s successful in her work of raising children until years after she begins the job. Most jobs come with a job description. Babies, on the other hand are not born with instructions attached or included. There are no labels. And every one of them comes with a different set of characteristics, emotions, temperaments, strengths and weaknesses. You can’t order them to specs. What you get is… well, what you get. Motherhood can be overwhelming. So what’s a mother to do?
Let me point out here that one of the best instruction books in the Bible for raising children is the book of proverbs. God’s word is filled with wonderful instruction about life, but I’m just telling you… Proverbs are great for instruction on child rearing. It’s filled with short practical applications of the Law and wisdom of God.
Ok, now we turn to our text in 2 Timothy.
You’ve got to love what the Lord tells us in 2 Timothy 3:14-15.
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Mom’s, listen to this and be blessed. This is the apostle Paul telling a faithful young Christian preacher some things to remember. These things are the very things that have brought Timothy this far.
#1 Continue in the things which you have learned… Do you get this? He’s been doing it anyway. This is simply an encouragement to keep it up. Who started the “things” Timothy was to continue in? The answer to that is found in the first chapter in verse 5.
… I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
I have to wonder as Timothy grew up, how many times did Lois and Eunice talk to him about the scriptures? How many times did Timothy hear God’s word spoken to him by these women? I wonder if it was hard to make him sit still and listen to or memorize verses of scripture. How well are we doing in this with our kids today?
I hear some people say that we are too busy to read the Bible or memorize scriptures. People say that no one memorizes much any more. This is not true! We memorize what we listen to most and whatever we are interested in. We can’t help it! I discovered how true this is with my own kids. We were taking one of our long trips and Jennifer suggested we play the radio game. This is a game where you turn on the radio and hit the search button. Everyone has a turn. When the radio finds a station playing a song, whoever’s turn it is has to prove that they know that song or they are out. The way you prove that you know the song is to sing along with it as soon as you recognize it. Or you can also prove it if you can name the song and who sings it. I have been amazed at how many songs my kids could sing along with! I was also amazed that when we hit the oldies stations, I could usually do the same, and sing whole verses of songs I haven’t heard in years! Memorizing still goes on! It’s just a matter of time and interest. One of the best ways I know to make the Bible more interesting is to read it together with others and talk about it. That’s basically what a family devotional revolves around. You can be sure that Timothy came from a home where scripture was spoken and memorized regularly! Paul tells him, “continue in” them.
#2 Notice how he talks about the things Timothy is to continue in. You have learned and become convinced of, (or been assured of). He didn’t just hear them, he learned them. and he didn’t just learn them, he was convinced. There is a difference. To learn something like this implies that there is focused attention and efforts given to making it stick. Here’s where Mom’s can really make the difference.
Every little child loves their mother by nature. Every little child believes what Mom says. Every mother has an amazing power of influence in the hearts and minds of her children. What happen to a child whose mother believes in Jesus Christ with passion and faithfulness? What does this child learn? What is the most convincing impact on that child’s mind and heart?
Now, mothers, listen to me. Don’t quit when the going gets tough. Don’t drop the ball or hand it off to someone else who you think is more qualified. God didn’t give that job to someone else. He handed it to you. He trusts you! He knows you don’t know all the answers and that’s part of the beauty of it all. You need God’s help in this! Child rearing will drive more people to their knees than just about anything else in this world. Not only does God want your children to learn and be convinced… he wants you to learn and be convinced too. Mothers learn and are convinced of many things because of child rearing. Moms that stay close to Jesus and in His word are going to learn and be convinced of the things that count forever.
#3 Next is my favorite statement in this list. “Knowing those from whom you learned it.”
Timothy, here’s another good reason to keep up the faith you hold and carry. You know those that taught you these things! You know them well!
Think about it… we learn a lot of stuff from people we don’t even know. We can be really impressed by other people on TV or even in our communities that seem to have it all together. Or at least they seem to have it all… But we really don’t know them. We’re not with them in the private times of their lives when they fight with their families or act like fools in other ways. We can falsely imagine them as happy and satisfied, taking life by the handful and living it all up! We don’t see the morning after. Script writers lead us to believe in lies.
Unless you rebel against them and fight the natural course of life, the closest people in your life are the ones you learn from most and end up living like most. You may not like it, but you and I tend to be shaped by those we know and who know us the very most. Who do you know more than your mother?
#4 The last thing we will look at is this one: and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
How early did it start? Is it ever too early to begin reading the Bible to your kids?
Listen. Let me tell you a secret that you already know, but which if you will apply will make a huge difference in your life for Christ.
Traditions and rituals are your friends. The best thing you can do for your family is establish and maintain good Christian traditions such as daily Bible reading and devotionals, attending church together, doing service projects and mission trips together. These traditions will make memories that will bless not only your children, but your children’s children.
Regular traditions are the fabric of life. From morning activities to bedtime prayers, good rituals educate, bring stability, build identity, and provide a context for maturity. Timothy’s mom and grandmother obviously had a tradition of speaking and sharing the word of God with him from the earliest time of his life. Look at the results.
How are we doing here? The reason you came to church today and why we honor mothers this day has to do with tradition.
May God bless our homes and families with godly rituals and traditions that will produce godly sons and daughters.
In a world washed away with pleasure seekers who miss the meaning of life, may God grant us godly homes to establish and protect our children and may we honor those who sacrifice to provide this blessing to us.
And on this special day, we all want to say, "Thanks Mom!"
