Genesis 2:21-23: "So the LORD God caused the man to
fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs
and closed up the place with flesh. {22} Then the LORD God made a woman from the
rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. {23} The man
said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called
'woman, ' for she was taken out of man.""
Woman, a help-meet and a 'special creation' of God. Man, the living, breathing masterpiece of the Creator was not complete himself, and woman was made for him. The word "help-meet" means "according to himself"--a complement to his life.
"Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward down here for all your earthly toil." (Ecclesiastes 9:9)
Adam and Eve had the world’s only perfect marriage. She couldn’t talk about the man she might have married and he couldn’t complain that his mother was a better cook.
No one ever said more good things about marriage, in fewer words, than Joseph Addison when he wrote, “Two persons who have chosen each other out of all the species, with the design to be each other’s mutual comfort and entertainment, have, in that action, bound themselves to be good-humored, affable, discreet, forgiving, patient, and joyful with respect to each other’s frailties and perfections to the end of their lives.”
Gallup poll on marriage showed that nine out of ten married people were faithful to their spouses. Four out of five would marry the same person again. The report pictured most Americans as faithful, romantic, and happily married!
"What is the single greatest threat to family life?"
a) Inattentive parents
b) Absence of religious foundation
c) Materialism
d) Financial pressure
Through the years, in one way or another, God’s Word has addressed each of these problems.
Nothing else is comparable to being a
mother! To her is given the responsibility of producing another human being,
made in the image of God!
John 16:21: "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has
come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that
a child is born into the world."
Mother love is a synonym for deep, sacrificial affection which neither knows
death nor limitations.
(1 Thessalonians 2:7-8) "As apostles of Christ, we
could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother
caring for her little children. {8} We loved you so much that we were delighted
to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you
had become so dear to us."
A mother's love and a proper sense of child
direction can direct a son or daughter to fill a place of usefulness in God's
cause and human society. Tremendous power resides in godly motherhood.
"God made the streams that gurgle down the purple mountainside; He made the
gorgeous coloring with which the sunset's dyed; He made the hills and covered
them with glory, and he made The sparkle on the dewdrops and the flecks of light
and shade. Then, knowing all earth needed was a climax for her charms, He made a
little woman with a baby in her arms! "He made the arching rainbow that is
thrown across the sky; He made the blessed flowers that nod and smile as we go
by; He made the gladsome beauty, as she bows with queenly grace; But the
sweetest of them all, He made the love-light in the face That bends above a
baby, warding off the world's alarms – That dainty little woman with a baby in
her arms."
THE KIND OF MOTHERS WE NEED IN THIS WORLD
We need mothers like the mother of Moses - Jochebed
Moses was born in the critical period of Hebrew history. Pharoah was
treacherous and his decree to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth was an example
of his efforts to control the power of his kingdom.
Exodus 2:1-10: "Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, {2}
and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine
child, she hid him for three months. {3} But when she could hide him no longer,
she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she
placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
{4} His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. {5} Then
Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were
walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her
slave girl to get it. {6} She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and
she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. {7} Then
his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women
to nurse the baby for you?" {8} "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl
went and got the baby's mother. {9} Pharaoh's daughter said to her,
"Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the
baby and nursed him. {10} When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's
daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of
the water."
Additional insight into the character of these two individuals is offered in
(Hebrews 11:23-28) "By faith Moses' parents (Amram and Jochebed)
hid him for three months after he was born, because
they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
{24} By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of
Pharaoh's daughter. {25} He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God
rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. {26} He regarded
disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt,
because he was looking ahead to his reward. {27} By faith he left Egypt, not
fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
{28} By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the
destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.”
We need more men like Moses .... but it will take women of faith to produce and
rear them.
We need mothers like Hannah, the mother of Samuel
Our first glimpse of her is as a barren wife. She had an intense desire to
bear a son, and her prayer and vow are familiar to Old Testament students. 1
Samuel 1:11: "And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only
look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but
give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life,
and no razor will ever be used on his head."
Several months later Hannah became a mother, and there was no doubt where that
child came from: 1 Samuel 1:20: "So in the course of time Hannah conceived
and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD
for him."
Hannah had several qualities needed of a good wife:
- she wanted to be a mother
- she was a woman of prayer
-she loaned her son to the Lord
Motherhood is full of frustrations and challenges -- but, eventually they move out.
The influence of a Godly mother over her children cannot be overstated and ought not be undervalued! Paul noted the influence of two mothers in the text for today. And it is that
kind of mother that God can bless.
A GODLY MOTHER SETS OUT A LIGHT FOR HER FAMILY:
(2 Timothy 1:5-11) " I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. {6} For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. {7} For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.."
1. You can be sure there was a lot of light shining in Timothy's home. His grandmother Lois had given light to her daughter Eunice and then in turn that light had illuminated young Timothy.
But mothers, there is light! Let yours shine!
· The light of good deeds, benevolence and unselfish service.
· The light of God's word, spoken, cherished and lived out in your home.
· The light of truth, honesty, sincerity and integrity integrated into our character.
· The light of Jesus Christ, trusted as Savior, obeyed as Lord, and esteemed as Almighty God.
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. That's the kind of mother God can bless.
A GODLY MOTHER PERSEVERES IN PRAYER FOR HER FAMILY:
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.
Sometimes we worry and fret and grow anxious about our brood.
· Will they grow to be good citizens and useful people in society?
· Will they make it in life?
· Will they keep the faith and walk through all of life with the Lord?
These and other concerns rest heavy on the hearts of Godly mothers. But each pressure, each burden, each worry, each concern ought to be a signal to pray!
(Acts 12:12) "When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying."
The church gathered there was in fervent, extended, unceasing prayer. That's the hallmark of a Godly mother.
After the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus, we find Mary, Jesus' mother gathered with the 120 in an upper room.
A GODLY MOTHER INSTILLS FAITH IN HER FAMILY:
Notice the chain that was created: Lois to
Eunice to Timothy. We know from
A Godly Mother will seek to instill Christian faith and is more interested in
· Her childrens' souls than their bodies.
· Her childrens' eternal life than their success in this life.
· Her childrens' relationship to Jesus Christ than their popularity in the world.
· Her childrens' standing before God than their social status.
Dear Lord, Thank you for this child that I call mine; not my possession but my sacred charge. Teach me patience and humility so that the best I know may flow in its being. Let me always remember, parental love is my natural instinct but my child's love must ever be deserved and earned; That for love I must give love, That for understanding I must give understanding, That for respect, I must give respect; That as I was the giver of life, so must I be the giver always. Help me to share my child with life and not to clutch at it for my own sake. Give courage to do my share to make this world a better place for all children and my own.
