2
Timothy 1:2-7
To Timothy, my dear
son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I
thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as
night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I
long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 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. 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. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a
spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (NIV)
It was Timothy's mother and
grandmother that influenced his life for God through their influence as
Christian homemakers. Timothy got his faith from his mom and she got her faith
from her mom. There is no mention of a father or a grandfather in Timothy's
home. We know that Paul circumcised Timothy in Acts 16. His father was probably
a Gentile. It is here in home of mixed religion that we see the influence of a
godly mother even in less than idea circumstances.
As Paul looked at Timothy, he saw a
young man strong in doctrine, strong in faith and he was ready to be a leader
for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God. Why? Because of the godly
influence of his mother Eunice, and her mother Lois. The greatest thing that
Timothy's mother had going for her was that her mother was a believer.
Faith is certainly not inherited,
but is surely passed from one generation to another through the godly influence
of the parents. Timothy's family's faith created an environment for him to
become a Christian.
"Four
scholars were arguing over Bible translations. One said he preferred the King
James Version because of its beauty, eloquent old English. Another said he
preferred the American Standard Bible for its literalism, the way it moves the
reader from passage to passage with confident feelings of accuracy from the
original text. A third man preferred Moffatt because of its quaint, penetrating
use of words, the turn of a phrase that captures the attention of the reader.
After giving the issue further thought, the fourth scholar admitted, 'I have
personally preferred my mother's translation.' When the other scholars
chuckled, he responded, 'Yes, she translated it. She translated each page of
the Bible into life. It is the most convincing translation I ever saw.'"
(Charles Swindoll, Family Life, Multonomah Press, Portland Oregon 97266, 1988.
pg. 72)
Mother's can Influence in Less than
Idea Circumstances
King Lemuel wrote the famous
Proverbs 31 portraying the beauty of a good woman. This chapter contains the
teaching, which a mother had imparted to her son Lemuel. Lemuel was a name
given to Solomon by his mother and father. Lemuel meant "belonging to
God."
Do you remember how David acquired
Bathsheba as his wife? Bathsheba was married to Uriah, the Hittite. One day as
her husband was off to battle, King David saw Bathsheba taking a bath and
decided he wanted her. He had her brought to the palace and slept with her.
David sent her home, but she became pregnant with his child.
David sent Bathsheba's husband
Uriah into battle to be killed in the line of duty. Then David married
Bathsheba. The baby conceived prior to their marriage lived only a few days
after its birth.
When God rebuked David for his sin,
he confessed and Bathsheba was disgraced in the eyes of the people. The amazing
thing about Bathsheba was that she became a great mother. Bathsheba taught her
son Solomon Proverbs 31.
In Proverbs 31 Solomon reveals the
things his mother taught him that a good wife and mother would be.
A mother must be strong in
her conviction.
A mother must be dignified.
A mother needs a sense of
humor, and should be optimistic about the future.
A mother should speak with wisdom,
not with nonsense and gossip.
A great woman, wife and
mother is kind and teaches by modeling compassion.
A great mother and wife is
industrious.
A great wife and mother is strong
and dignified, wise, kind, optimistic, industrious, unselfish, caring . . . and
for all these things will be praised unendingly by her family. (This example
from Proverbs came from Dr. David E. Leininger, The St. Paul Pulpit
http://www.unidial.com/~stpaul/mother.html#1r)
"Rufus
Jones often told a story from his childhood: It seems that one day when he was
12 or 13, his mother went to town, leaving him behind on the farm with some
chores. He fully intended to do the work, but his friends' beckonings to play
grew too loud. "When he saw his mother's car pull into the driveway that
evening, his heart sank. He knew he was in for one of the worst whippings of
his life. His mother parked the car and came into the house. She looked him
straight in the eye. She didn't have to ask. "Rufus said he would always
remember what happened next. It affected him as no whipping ever could. His
mother took him upstairs into the bedroom, knelt down beside him, wrapped him
in her arms, and, with tears streaming down her face, prayed one phrase over
and over: `Lord, make a man out of him. Lord, make a man out of him.' "It
is said that whenever Jones told that story his voice would grow quiet, his
eyes misty, as he remembered that special feeling of `standing in the weeping
arms of love.'" (Clergy Journal, Apr 1993. Page 36.)
How to Become A Great Mother
The influence a mother has on her
children concerning the things of the Lord can make all the difference as to
what kind of persons those kids become. "Mothers write on the hearts of
their children what the rough hand of the world cannot erase."
A woman once wrote Gipsy Smith
after an evangelistic campaign to tell him she had been converted as a result
of one of his messages. She said, "I believe the Lord wants me to preach
the Gospel, Brother Smith, but the trouble is that I have 12 children to raise!
What shall I do?" She received this letter in reply: "My dear lady, I
am happy to hear that you have been saved and feel called to preach, but I am
even more delighted to know that God has already provided you with a
congregation of 12! The new convert got the point!
Susannah Wesley, mother of John
Wesley spent one hour each day praying for her 17 children. In addition, she
took each child aside for a full hour every week to discuss spiritual matters. No
wonder two of her sons, Charles and John, were used of God to bring blessing to
all of England and much of America. Here are a few rules she followed in
training her children:
1. Subdue self-will in a
child and thus work together with God to save his/her soul.
2. Teach the child to pray as
soon as he can speak.
3. Give the child nothing he
cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely.
4. To prevent lying, punish
no fault, which is freely confessed, but never allow a rebellious, sinful act
to go unnoticed.
5. Commend and reward good
behavior.
6. Strictly observe all
promises you have made to your child."
After one of the battles of the
Civil War, a chaplain came to see a man who was dying. He took the young
soldier's hand and said, "Brother, what can I do for you?"
The boy replied, "I want you
to kneel down and return thanks for me." This is an unusual request from
someone who is dying.
"Thanks for what?" asked
the chaplain.
And the soldier said, "Thank
him for my mother. Thank him that because of her I am a Christian. What would I
do now if I were not a Christian? (Walter B. Knight, Ed., Knight's Master Book
of New Illustrations, Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Co., 1956), p. 421
Conclusion:
We must never diminish the roles
God has assigned each of us in life. Wives and mothers you must understand that
you are the most influential people in the entire world. That is the role God
has assigned you in life. It was through the woman that God chose to shape us,
give us form and substance and life!
There was a preacher's wife who was
a woman of prayer. When her husband would leave for an important meeting or
call, she would pray a sentence or two for him, asking the Lord's guidance and
protection. When he would leave for services away from home, she would stop
right after he drove away and ask God to give him wisdom and strength. She
prayed aloud and the children heard her; but she never thought much about the
impact it would have on them. Imagine her delight with what her daughter said
when she was preparing to leave for college several hundred miles away. She
said that going would be easier because she knew that as soon as she left, her
mother would pray for her-- and keep on praying! Sometimes mothers feel
frustrated because they are limited in what they can do for their children. But
they can always pray, and their prayers are among the most cherished gifts of
all.
Last Sunday we thought about
abiding in the role in which God has placed each of us. Today is Mother's Day
and the highest calling on earth is that of a Mother. Don't let the modern
mindset rob you of your calling as a woman and mother.