[For mother's day I decided to take a break from our series in I Peter and present a more "topical" study on Mothers. By the way, I have a new desktop computer and will get caught up this week on positing the last four messages from I Peter 1].
Mother: our
First and Greatest Teacher
Proverbs 1:7-9; 31:30; 2 Timothy
1:5; 3:14,15
Introduction: I read this week the story of a
little boy who was nervous about reciting his lines in the Sunday School
program. His mother sat in the front
row, thinking he might need some help. When it came his turn, he froze. His mother leaned forward, and tried to
silently mouth the words, but the boy only drew a blank. Finally, she whispered the words, “I am the
light of the world!” With that, the boy
smiled and announced in a loud, clear voice, “My mother is the light of the
world!” Mothers are such an important part of the life of a child, but it is
refreshing when adult children still express their appreciation. Churchill: “If we want to change our nation,
begin by enlisting the mothers.” It’s
been well said, “The lessons learned in the cradle go all the way to the
grave.”
The Maine Idea: Mothers are our first and
greatest teachers. A mother’s faith can impact her children in their earliest,
most teachable moments, and their prayers will reach the One who can turn their
hearts homeward.
I. Mothers are our first and
greatest teachers (Prov
1:7-9; 2 Tim 1:5). Just this week one of the presidential candidates was quoted
as saying, “I believe the primary role of the state is to teach, train, and
raise children. Parents have a secondary role.” According to another book, she
got that wrong...
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of
Israel: 2 To know wisdom and
instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive
instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth- 5
Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain
guidance, 6 to understand a
proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 Hear, my son, your father's
instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, 9 for they
are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
Where do we get the
kind of wise instruction that Proverbs is urging us to seek? And what is the
foundation? It needs to start with a
deep and sincere reverence for the Lord, and it comes from the instruction of
believing parents in the home. Read verse 8 again, “Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and
forsake not your mother's teaching...” While the responsibility
goes to both parents, the plain truth is that mothers, by virtue of the time and opportunity
they have to teach and guide their children usually have the greatest impact on
them. The “world” offers powerful temptations to our children and poses
tremendous obstacles to faith, but a godly mother, by word and example, can
guide them toward the truth. Many great leaders from the past
have reflected on the influence that their mother had on them...
- George Washington said: “The greatest teacher I ever had was my
mother.”
- Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am, and all that I ever hope to be I owe
to my mother…” He also said, “…no man is
poor when he has a godly mother.”
- Emerson: “Men are what their mothers make them.”
The story is told of a London editor who
submitted to Winston Churchill a list of all the teachers he had had throughout
his life. Churchill returned the list with the comment: “You have omitted to
mention the greatest of my teachers—my mother.”
2 Timothy 1:5 alludes to
Timothy’s spiritual lineage, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt
first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure,
dwells in you as well.” Timothy’s father was Greek rather
than Jewish, and the fact that he is not mentioned here as part of Timothy’s
spiritual lineage would seems to imply that he was an unbeliever (see Acts
16:1). Just as Lois (Timothy’s grandmother) had impacted Eunice (Timothy’s
mother), their faith and faithfulness had impacted Timothy since his childhood.
There may be encouragement here for
single parents, and for those who don’t have the enthusiastic support of a
spouse in teaching the Word to your children, God knows your situation, and He loves
your child even more than you do. Be faithful, do your best with the time and
support you do have to sow the seeds of truth into the life of your kids.
Devote yourself to prayer. And trust God to bring the increase. [By the way, a
mother can affect not only her children, but our children’s children, and the
innumerable other lives they touch.
Someone once asked DL Moody how many converts he had had at a meeting.
He replied, “Two and a half.” “Do you
mean two adults and a child?” “No,” he
replied. “Two children and an adult.” An
adult’s life is half gone; a child has their who life in front of them!
Notice that Paul mentions
not only Eunice, but also Lois. In
referring to the faith of Timothy, it seemed important enough for Paul to
mention two generations of believers in that family. As a godly mother by word and example teaches
her children, she is potentially affecting not only them, but also their
children and grandchildren. And
think of the lives that Timothy touched!
Paul was himself encouraged by Timothy, and the letters that Paul wrote
to Timothy have encouraged the church for nearly 2,000 years!
Paul encouraged Timothy to pass the things he knew on to others (2 Tim
2:2) “The things you have heard from me
in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also….” That is discipleship, and our first
responsibility is to make disciples of our own family. Mothers are our first and greatest
teachers. A mother’s faith can impact her children in their earliest, most
teachable moments, and their prayers will reach the One who can turn their
hearts homeward.
II. Personal
Faith is the most Precious Truth she can share (2 Tim 3:14,15).
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and
have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have
been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work.
They teach the
Bible: The example of Eunice and Lois.
The key truth here is that Timothy had the example of a mother, and a
grandmother, who knew that the Bible pointed to Jesus, and that in it we had
the revelation of God’s truth. The Scripture is the Word of God, through it we
know God, and we learn what He expects of us.
A woman of faith is constantly going back to the Bible, reflecting on
it, and looking for opportunities to teach these truths to their children. Mary Ann is always bragging about the kids in
her nursery class and those in the Olympian group, particularly stories about
how a parent does their quiet time faithfully with the child, or works with
them to memorize scripture. These are seeds that God can use to mold a life for
eternity.
A believing mother teaches the Bible from the
perspective of faith. This is important. Remember the highpoint of
Proverbs 31, verse 30 says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who
fears the LORD is to be praised.” Paul could see
that kind of faith of Eunice and Lois: a sincere, authentic trust in God. That
faith was now evident in the life of Timothy: “Unfeigned faith…”, authentic, genuine trust in Jesus as Savior and
Lord. The faith
that Timothy embraced was the faith that first dwelt in his mother and
grandmother. Your kids will see how
seriously you take the Bible. Do you treat it like the Word of God? Do you
value it, and get excited about the lessons that God is teaching you? That excitement is contagious! Is church a
priority to you? Our example teaches!
She teaches the Bible with the benefit of experience. One of the metaphors the Bible uses to describe the Christian
life is a “walk.” Christians are called, “Followers
of the Way.” These ideas imply
movement, direction, activity. Our life,
and particularly the life of a believing mother, will be a constant
reinforcement of the teaching we would want to pass on to the next
generation. If we talk about love and
patience, and our kids hear us constantly screaming and throwing things, what
are they hearing? Remember, it is
fairly clear that Timothy’s mother did not have an ideal situation, yet she was
able in the midst of an immoral world to raise a child who made a positive
impact for Christ. Acts 16:1 indicates
Timothy’s father was a Greek. Paul makes
no mention of him here in terms of his influence on Timothy, which implies that
he wasn’t a believer. Yet Eunice, guided
by the example of her own mother Lois, made a positive lifelong impact on her
Son. Mothers are our first and greatest teachers. A mother’s faith can
impact her children in their earliest, most teachable moments, and their
prayers will reach the One who can turn their hearts homeward.
III. Prayer
may be the most enduring tool she can use to impact the life of her children.
The passages we’ve highlighted don’t specifically mention prayer, but it
is such a fundamental part of our faith that it is assumed. The privilege of
prayer is a foundational element of our faith. In fact Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “…pray without
ceasing, 18 give thanks in
all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” That persistent, unceasing, believing prayer is part of
a mother’s impact of the life of her children.
Prayer motivated by love – There is nothing selfish in
it, the motivation is an intense desire for her children to experience God’s
best. We want our kids to avoid some of
the mistakes and the hard lessons we’ve learned. And so we pray without
ceasing.
Prayer that teaches by example – I read this week a story of four pastors
who were discussing their favorite Bible translation. One liked the KJV best because of its simple,
beautiful English. Another liked the
NASB because it followed closely the original Greek and Hebrew. Another liked
the NIV because it was readable, modern English. The fourth pastor was silent for a moment,
then he said “I like my mother’s translation best.” Surprised, the other three
men said they didn’t know his mother had translated the Bible. “Yes,” he said.
“She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever
saw!”
One of the amazing lessons about prayer
in the New Testament is the example of Jesus himself going apart at key moments
of his life and ministry, and praying. He taught his disciples, and us, by
example. If prayer was important to Jesus, it should be to us as well! Prayerfulness
is one of those lessons that is better caught than taught. I love hearing Mary Ann talk about her
nursery class, and how the kids like to pray. They aren’t just getting that in
nursery! She said sometimes she’ll say, “OK, it’s time to pray, and before you
know it, one of the kids is praying aloud!”
For 2,3, and 4 year old to embrace prayer like that, they are seeing it
at home. What a blessing! How many mothers day by day, and sometimes hour by
hour or minute by minute, are offering up prayers for their children?
There is a story that
goes back to about 1950 of Susannah Prentice. Susannah and her husband Miles
lived in a 2 story house on the coast of Maine. They had two sons and a
daughter, Annie, James and John. The family, all except the youngest son John,
were devout Christians. John went to
church with the rest of the family, but had never trusted Christ as his Savior.
Miles was a lobsterman. In those days it
wasn’t a lucrative business, and he barely was able to catch enough lobster to
support his family. One day the weather report said that a storm was possible,
but their electric bill was due the next day, and Miles decided he had no
choice, he had to go out and pull some traps so that hopefully, he could pay
the power bill the next day. Miles and his oldest son James headed out, and
sure enough the weather went bad and a storm blew in. They struggled with the
wind and the waves, and by the time the storm passed it was already dark. It
was cloudy, and there were no stars for navigation, and they were in trouble.
Meanwhile, back at
the Prentice house, Susannah knew that her husband and son were late, and would
have trouble getting back in. She took a lamp and put it in the attic window,
and prayed that God would lead her husband and son back safely. John, the
younger, unbelieving son, scoffed, “It won’t do any good!”
Out on the sea, James saw a faint light
in the distance. He pointed it out to his father who said, “We’ll steer for
that!” And slowly they made their way toward the light and home. When they
arrived home the youngest son asked, “How did you make it back in?” James said,
“We steered toward the light mother put in the window.” John thought about the
light and his mother’s prayers. God was working in his heart.
It was just a few
months later, when John, the youngest son, became seriously ill. The doctor
came and gave the grave prognosis, “He won’t live long.” As death approached
the young man said, “Don’t be afraid for me. I will make it to the safety of
the heavenly harbor, I have steered by mother’s light and have found the
Savior, Jesus Christ.
Prayer that never ceases – It
doesn’t stop when they leave nursery, or when they graduate from High School. It doesn’t end when they leave the nest. In
fact, if you have a believing mother who is still alive, I can almost guarantee
that she is still praying for you daily!
Praying for our
prodigals – Through years of counselling Proverbs 22:6 has often proven
to be a difficult verse: “Train up a
child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
What is so difficult about that? Well, in experience, many children who are
diligently taught the way should go,
at least for a time go their own way, bringing pain and heartbreak to their
parents. You remember
the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15? The Father and the Prodigal, and the
Older son are the main characters in the story Jesus told. But that story
has been lived out a thousand times in the lives of real families, and a
mother’s persistent, unrelenting prayer is almost always a factor that God uses.
I recently read the
story of a daughter who was extremely rebellious and was breaking her mother’s
heart. She got a call that the teen had been arrested for driving under the
influence. She went to pick her up, and after posting bail they drove home in
silence and didn’t speak the rest of the afternoon. The next day the mother
handed the girl a small wrapped gift. The girl opened it, and was exasperated
by what she saw. The box contained a small rock! The girl rolled her eyes and
asked, “What is this for?” Her mother replied, “Read the card.” As did, her
eyes filled with tears and she reached out to embrace her mom. The card said:
“This rock is more than a million years old. That is how long it will take
before I ever give up on you.” Some of you experienced that kind of persistent,
unrelenting love from your mother. She didn’t give up on you, despite your
rebellious heart. Some of you have extended that kind of love to a prodigal son
or daughter. You never stopped loving, praying, seeking to turn their hearts
toward home.
What is God saying to me
in this passage? Mothers
are our first and greatest teachers. A mother’s faith can impact her children
in their earliest, most teachable moments, and their prayers will reach the One
who can turn their hearts homeward.
What would
God have me to do in response to this passage? Young mothers, I hope this
encourages you to embrace the opportunity, and the responsibility, that God has
given you in entrusting a child to you. You won’t be a perfect parent. You will
make mistakes. But always seek to model before your children authentic
Christianity. They will notice how you
handle trials and adversity, how you bounce back from failures, how you model
forgiveness and grace. Most of all, they will know that you love them. And, by
the way, your relationship with your spouse will be a model that will impact their future relationships with the
opposite sex. If you have been praying for a prodigal son or daughter, one who
seems to be intent on resisting God and going their own way, persevere, keep
praying, know that God loves them even more than you do. Thank God for godly
mothers! AMEN.
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