A SALUTE TO MOTHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS

Text: 2 Timothy 1:5 (CSB) – “ I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.”

Today, we are celebrating Mother’s Day. Mine is in Heaven with Jesus and my Father. I probably don’t need to tell you how much I miss her – but I would never want her to come back into this “vail of tears” in place of the beauty and wonder of Heaven. I want o share a few thoughts on Mothers today.

Mothers do influence their sons and daughters! One of life’s greatest blessings is to have a godly mother. And, thus, one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is to be a godly mother.

Timothy was a friend and associate of Paul from his 2^nd missionary journey (Acts16) – Paul called him his son in the ministry, He was influenced by his mother and grandmother – Eunice [Eu (good) Nike (victory)] and Lois. His father was a Greek (Acts 16:1) and Eunice was probably a widow. She was an example of a Godly mother.  The Bible lists some of the qualities that she had as a mother to Timothy (from Paul’s letter of 2^nd Timothy)

Ø  Genuine faith (1:5)

Ø  Honored God’s Word (3:14 – 17)

Ø  Timothy taught by both mother and grandmother (whom plural) (3:14)

Ø  From a babe to salvation (3:15)

Ø  Learned to live it (3:16)

o   Know what is right

o   Know what is not right

o   Know how to get right

o   Know how to stay right.

Ø  Became complete (3:17)

President Theodore Roosevelt said, “When all is said, it is the mother, and the mother only, who is a better citizen than the soldier who fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of the next generation, is of greater use to the community, and occupies, if she only would realize it, a more honorable as well as more important position than any man in it. The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is more important, by far, than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist” (in Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations, by Paul Tan [Assurance Publishers], p. 845).

So, if you are a Mother or Grandmother – today I salute you – I encourage you to understand how grand and great a task God has given to you. You really do hold the future in your arms. Seek to be like Timothy’s mother and grandmother.

If your Mother and/or Grandmother is still alive – be sure to show your gratitude and love to them today.

Seven Marks of a Great Mother

Matthew 15: 21-28 - "When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.” He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!” He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed."

The first Mother’s Day was celebrated 100 years ago in West Virginia in 1912. 

A familiar mother’s day poem written in the early 1900’s is:

M is for the Many things she gave me,

O means only that she's growing Old.

T is for the Tears she shed to save me,

H is for her Heart of purest gold.

E is for her Eyes with love-light shining,

R means Right and Right she'll always be.

Put them all together, they spell MOTHER. 

A word that means the world to me.

God created families and gave mothers a unique place in that unit. They can love, give of themselves, cook, clean, wash clothes, put Band-Aids on scrapes … be the first one up in the morning or the last one down at night. They juggle a lot of things including raising children, working at jobs, managing a home, and sometimes finding time for themselves.

Today we are thinking about 7 Great Marks of a Mother as shown by this mother in Matthew 15.

1. MOTHERS OVERCOME ALL GREAT BARRIERS (VERSE 22)
2. MOTHERS ARE EMPOWERED BY GREAT LOVE 
3. MOTHERS ARE ARMED WITH GREAT DETERMINATION (VERSE 23, 24)
4. MOTHERS KNOW THE POWER OF GREAT PRAYER (VERSE 25)
5. MOTHERS ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR OWN GREAT SPIRITUAL NEED (VERSE 27)
6. MOTHERS TRIUMPH BECAUSE OF GREAT FAITH (VERSE 28)
7. MOTHERS DON’T NEED A NAME TO BE A GREAT MOTHERS

 I asked God, Lord why you did not even reveal the name of this great woman of faith. Isn’t it unfair for her? Then God spoke to my heart.... 

I did it so that whenever you are reading this story, you can put the name of your own mother on her behalf... 

Then God reminded me all the sacrifice of my own mother so that I become what I am today....

Mothers make up a crucial part of our lives. It is so important to give our love to these dedicated women in our lives and don’t take them for granted. 

1 John 3: 18 – “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

Prayer: Father, today I stop and thank You for my mother. She has meant so much to me. She loved me, trained me, corrected me, and set the stage for what I would become. I also thank You for my wife - she is such a great mother to our three daughters and our four grandchildren. Without mothers, our world would be missing so much. Thank You for creating mothers. Amen.