The Godly Influence of Mothers

[0:00] Have you ever stopped to consider the powerful impact that moms have on our lives and the lives of others? Moms truly have a wonderful influence on their family, or they can.

[0:14] There's the possibility of being a negative influence as well. But from a perspective when we look at moms who know Jesus and who are the living embodiment of the Lord Jesus in her family, we know that from her nurturing presence, from her words of wisdom, mothers have the ability to shape children in a profound way that will last an entire lifetime.

[0:47] Fathers, we'll get our encouragement and our challenging message next month, but in today's message, as we recognize moms, today's message is really not necessarily just for moms.

[1:02] It's more of how we know that godly mothers can influence their families, but this can be a challenge to every one of us as we think of the ways that we can influence others.

[1:18] So as we today celebrate Mother's Day, let's take a moment to reflect on the godly influence mothers can have and the ways in which they can and do influence their families and guide them into the paths of righteousness.

[1:35] Mother's Day is a special day that we celebrate moms. Of course, we know that we ought to be celebrating our loved ones on a regular basis every day, but it's a time that we set aside to show special appreciation for those who have a special place in our lives.

[1:53] And as a community, as a body of Christ, we come together to celebrate our moms in our community and also for the moms that have already passed.

[2:03] They have left a profound void, I'm sure, in your lives for those who've had to say a final goodbye to your mom.

[2:16] But today we're going to recognize the significant place and the influence that moms have on our families. Moms really are the backbone of families.

[2:29] They spend the most time with children. They have a profound impact in the way that they act, they serve, they speak, dispensing wisdom throughout the day.

[2:42] And they're often the primary caregivers, especially throughout the day, ensuring the needs of their families are met. And mothers play a vital role in shaping the character of their children that will stay with them throughout their lives.

[3:03] Today, as we celebrate Mother's Day, we'll look at some ways that moms can influence their family. We'll look at the importance of faith, compassion, humility, wisdom, and even resilience.

[3:17] Sometimes we don't think about how moms can influence our children in learning how to be resilient, learning how to bounce back, learning how to continue going, even when the times are difficult.

[3:32] So it's through their words, through their wisdom, and through their actions, mom can accomplish all of these things. First of all, we'll look at the importance of a mother's godly influence.

[3:45] As we do this, we're going to turn to a very, very common passage that is read on Mother's Day. We're not going to spend the majority of our time there, but we are going to read it from Proverbs 31.

[4:01] We will not read the entire proverb, but we will read the 21 verses from verse number 10 of Proverbs 31.

[4:13] It begins with, How many times have you as a mom, or you seeing moms, they'll stay up late at night to make sure that everything is in order, everything is done, prepared for the next day.

[5:21] She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. She extends her hands to the poor. Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

[5:32] She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

[5:44] Her husband is known in the gates. When he sits among the elders of the land, she makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing.

[5:57] She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

[6:07] She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed.

[6:19] Her husband also, and he praises her. Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

[6:39] Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. Now, Proverbs 31 describes a godly, virtuous woman who is praised for her wisdom, praised for her strength, and praised for her diligence, taking care of her family.

[6:58] She supports her husband so that he is known in the gates as a leader in the city, and she takes care of many of the behind-the-scenes things.

[7:10] She takes care of the poor, and she makes sure that her family is well-fed. She's a loving wife. She's a devoted mother, and her actions reflect that reverence that we see in Proverbs 31.

[7:26] And I believe this passage highlights the role of that godly wife, the role of that godly mother, the important role she plays in the fabric of society.

[7:41] I know one of the greatest ills today is when men, when fathers are not part of the family, and it becomes incumbent upon many moms to raise their children.

[7:55] But also, I believe that mothers are an important part of the fabric of society because a mom can either provide a godly influence or a mom can provide a worldly negative influence on their family.

[8:11] So moms, you have a role to play, and it's a very, very awesome responsibility that you have in the lives of your families, especially you young moms with your impressionable tender-aged children.

[8:31] And you play a vital, an important role in their lives. As I think of others whose lives have been impacted by their moms and even by their grandmothers, I think of Timothy.

[8:47] In 2 Timothy 1, verse number 5, The Apostle Paul, as he's writing to Timothy, the young man that he's nurtured in the faith, the young man that he has placed as the pastor of the local church and who places him as the leader of the local church, Paul says, When 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 in you also.

[9:23] What Paul's doing is he's reminding Timothy of the faith that was passed down from his grandmother and from his mother. And he is revealing how important that was.

[9:36] And he sees those character traits. He sees that faith in Timothy's life that first began in his grandmother and in his mother.

[9:46] And they instilled within him a love for God and a respect for the Word of God. You know, it is awesome to see when families are encouraging their children to learn God's Word and to memorize the Word of God.

[10:05] Just a couple of weeks ago, or just last week, we had our Awana Award Ceremony. And Awana Youth Clubs is where the children learn Bible verses.

[10:20] We also encourage the leaders to learn, memorize Bible verses as well. But this is so, so important. And there are so many scripture songs that I know that maybe you even play for your family, providing respect for the Word of God.

[10:38] Timothy's spiritual foundation was built on these godly women's godly influence and the influence that continued to shape the ministry and the life of Timothy.

[10:54] And this passage reminds us of the impact a mother's love can have on her children. And there's also the impact of the lasting impact of a mother's teachings.

[11:05] We see also in Proverbs 22, 6, as we see this proverb, this wisdom that says, Train up a child in the way he should go.

[11:18] Now, there are many potential meanings for that. We're not exactly sure what the writer of the Proverbs meant by that. There's a number of things that we think that might be in the way he needs to go or should go or his natural bent.

[11:36] But whatever it is, it says, Train up a child. And when he is old, he will not depart from it. This verse emphasizes the importance of a mother's role, of training her children in the ways of God.

[11:51] Train them up in the way they need to go. Obviously, based on their personality, based on their natural inclination, but we need to be training them just like you would train a young tree to grow in a direction that it needs to grow.

[12:12] And eventually, when it gets older, it will remember that training, and it will guide that tree for the rest of its life.

[12:25] So by instilling godly values, by instilling godly principles in their children from a young age, mothers can provide a strong foundation from their children from a very young age that will continue with them throughout their life.

[12:41] So a mother's teaching can have a lasting impact throughout the lives of their family. Now, through these biblical examples, I think we can see that mothers play a significant role, and they can have a significant impact in the lives of their children.

[12:57] This godly influence can shape their character, their values, and the faith of their children, and even their children's children.

[13:07] Because we leave a legacy, and it depends upon the legacy that we leave. There may be negative legacies that we leave, and we see it in the lives of children and grandchildren.

[13:20] I have seen it down through the years of dealing with those who have been on the wrong side of the law. And in speaking to them, they talked about how their mother or their father, or both of them, were in jail, and their grandmother, and on and on and on.

[13:43] It was a legacy of a difficult lifestyle. But yet there are families who, maybe one person in that family begins a new legacy, trusts Christ as their Savior, and shows by their lifestyle that they follow God, and they're becoming more and more like Jesus every day, and they can start a new legacy.

[14:10] It can be a legacy of Christian workers, pastors, teachers, godly mothers, godly, who knows, plumbers, doctors, whatever they choose to be, they can carry on that lineage, just like Timothy did with his mother and his grandmother, instilling within him the faith and the love for the Word of God.

[14:39] It can extend well beyond the years. So what are some ways? What are some ways that mothers can provide godly influence? First thing is providing nurturing, nurturing their family.

[14:53] Mothers can provide a godly influence by nurturing their families, providing love. And according to Deuteronomy 6, verses 6 and 7, God instructs parents to teach their children the commands of God as they rise up, as they sit down, as they go about the house.

[15:14] Do you realize that most everything in life is a teaching moment? They hear something that maybe they shouldn't hear. That can be a teaching moment. They say something they shouldn't say.

[15:26] That can be a teaching moment. You see an example of something that we should do. That can be a teaching moment. You see, honey, that is what we should be doing.

[15:40] We should be helping others. That is something we should be doing. That is something Jesus tells us is a good thing. We can show them by our sharing Jesus with others that it's important to share the gospel with others around us.

[15:58] Ephesians 6, 4 emphasizes bringing our children up in the discipline and the nurture of God. So these are ways that we can influence, that mothers can influence their family.

[16:12] And by prioritizing their own relationship with God. Do your children see you reading the word of God? Do your children see you praying?

[16:24] Do they walk into a room and maybe they see you on your knees and you're praying? So those are ways that you nurture.

[16:37] Those are the ways that you influence your families and to help guide them on that path to spiritual growth. So nurture faith in the family.

[16:49] Demonstrating love and compassion. Do you want to know the secret to a loving family? It's providing love and compassion.

[17:02] It's the magic that transforms a house into a home. And it's more than just words. It's a daily commitment to understanding, to empathy, to simple kindness.

[17:14] Just this past week we had opportunities to see families. A whole bunch of families interacting with one another. And there were some that we would see that there was not a lot of kindness.

[17:26] There was not a lot of empathy in those families. But it begins with the smallest act of service to the most profound expression of sacrifice, of love, and compassion that we can show.

[17:41] And those are the foundations of a loving family. So what are the marks of your family? Is it contention? Is it strife? Or is it compassion and kindness?

[17:57] And just showing the fruit of the Spirit within the family. See, mothers can provide a godly influence by demonstrating love and compassion.

[18:09] 1 Corinthians 13, 4 through 7. If you want to know what love looks like, look up 1 Corinthians 13. It will tell you exactly what love looks like. Patience, kindness, selflessness.

[18:22] Colossians 3, 12 instructs us to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, and humility. Is that a mark in your family?

[18:33] Does that mark your family? And I trust it does. If it doesn't, then ask God to produce within you the fruit of the Spirit, love, patience, long-suffering, showing empathy to those around us.

[18:51] That's some of the things that we all need. There are times when I need to show more empathy. There are times when I need to show more kindness. It is the mark, and it's a secret ingredient to a loving family.

[19:03] By showing love and compassion to their families, mothers can teach children the value of putting others before them. Cultivating a spirit of humility.

[19:16] Cultivating a spirit of service. Mothers can provide this godly influence by cultivating a spirit of humility and service.

[19:26] Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4 instructs believers to value others above themselves. Now, most moms, they don't have to learn how to put their children before them.

[19:42] You look at most moms, and they'll be the last one to take that piece of pie, or they'll give the double portion, and they'll say, when there's none left, you know, I'm not hungry. I'm okay.

[19:55] But we need to see that these are important values. These are important parts of being a mom. Galatians 5.13 encourages believers to serve one another in love.

[20:10] So by modeling humility, service to their families, mothers can instill within their children the value of putting others first. Because we're in a society today where it's, I'm going to take care of number one.

[20:27] Isn't that so true? We care about ourselves. Who cares about anybody else? Moms, you can instill that character within your children by learning, putting others ahead of yourselves.

[20:43] We have moms here that are already doing things to serve others. We have some who are working with ABC family, ABC pregnancy resource center, who are providing clothes, who are providing diapers, formula.

[21:03] Those are things that we're taking care, doing to take care of others. We have a food pantry. We have other ways that we can teach our children, our grandchildren, how to put others ahead of us and serve others, the importance of service.

[21:22] Because if they see us doing it, it's going to instill within them a realization that it's important. And it's something that we need to be doing as well. Also, encouraging the pursuit of wisdom.

[21:34] We saw in Proverbs 31 that this virtuous woman, this godly woman, was teaching snippets of wisdom to her children, to her families.

[21:46] So that is another way of providing a godly influence. Proverbs 4, verses 5 through 7, emphasizes the importance of seeking wisdom, seeking understanding.

[21:58] In many places in Scripture, it talks about seeking wisdom like you would want to look for jewels or buried treasure. It's something that you want.

[22:10] It's something that you value so much that you're going to spend some time searching for it, looking for it. It says search for wisdom. James 1, 5 encourages us to ask God for wisdom.

[22:23] That comes when we pray and when we teach our children to pray. And when our children see us praying, do you have a difficult decision to make? Do your children see you praying?

[22:37] Do we get everyone together and say, hey, let's pray about this? We have a decision that we need to make. And we need God's guidance. We need God's instruction in this. James says God won't chide you.

[22:47] God won't say, I don't have time for that. No, what will he do? He will give you wisdom. He will help you. So we need to be instructing our children in what God can do and what God wants to do for us.

[23:01] So by valuing wisdom and the pursuit of wisdom and encouraging their children to do the same, mothers can help their families grow in knowledge and in wisdom.

[23:12] And then lastly, fostering resilience. I mentioned that earlier, fostering resilience and perseverance. Finally, mothers can help their children, help their families, learn what it looks like to be resilient.

[23:31] Learn what it looks like to persevere. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I am a very poor patient. I'm not very fun to be around when I'm sick.

[23:44] But moms, what do moms do when they're sick and they have kids to take care of most of the time? They take care of them, right?

[23:55] I mean, they may be running a fever, they may be sick, they may feel horrible, but they're going to, if possible, get up and take care of their husband, cook, and take care of the kids.

[24:13] Now, guys, I hope that you help when your wife is not feeling well. But there are times when you have to go to work. And moms sometimes will still have to do all of this.

[24:27] This is teaching. This is training children. Number one, putting families ahead of themselves. But also, how to persevere, even when things are difficult.

[24:38] Romans 5, verses 3 through 5, teaches us that perseverance leads to character. It leads to hope. James 1, verses 2 through 4, encourages us to consider it pure joy when we face trials, when we face troubles, when we face tribulations.

[25:03] Are we prone, first of all, to complain? Are we prone, first of all, to go into a foul mood when things don't go our way?

[25:17] Or do we consider it joy? God, this is an opportunity to show the fruit of the Spirit.

[25:27] It may not be easy. We may find ourselves reacting emotionally in the moment. But then that's an opportunity for us to say, well, Lord, give me patience.

[25:38] Help me to endure. Help me to persevere. And you are obviously teaching me something. Because James tells us that these trials, these tribulations, can lead to perseverance, and they can lead to maturity.

[25:56] Because as our children grow up, they're going to face some difficult times. Especially in the world in which we live, there's going to be more and more difficulties that they're going to face.

[26:10] But as they see us show joy, even in the midst of trials, as they see us praise God, even though things are difficult, and ask God for grace to get through what it is that we're going through, we can teach our children how to face difficulty as they grow up.

[26:34] We need to learn, or we need to know, that the way that we deal with difficulties, trials, and problems are probably going to be the way that our children deal with them when they grow up.

[26:53] Because they see us, they watch us, and they copy us. And so we can foster resilience, we can foster perseverance, and moms, you can do that.

[27:05] As you model resilience, and as you persevere in the difficult times in the face of challenges, and encouraging their children, encouraging their families to do the same, mothers can help their families develop a strong and enduring faith.

[27:23] So as we're coming to a close in this message this morning, I want to take a moment this morning to express our gratitude gratitude for the godly courage, for what moms, for the role moms play in our lives, from their nurturing love to their unwavering support that mothers play a significant role in our lives.

[27:47] You know, we thank God for the foundation. We thank God for the influence that mothers provide. Moms deserve our respect, deserve our admiration, and we need to continually acknowledge them.

[28:07] What I'd like to do at this time during our service, I would like to pray for our moms. So if you are a mom this morning, just simply stand where you are.

[28:20] We know that Satan will want to do everything he can to disrupt your family. He will want to do everything he can to influence your families negatively.

[28:37] So this morning, our prayer is going to be that God would continue to provide the support. he would continue to provide the grace that you need to go through what you're going through, but also to be that godly influence in your family.

[29:03] Father, as we approach your throne of grace, this special day that we've set aside to recognize the mothers that you've given us the privilege to have.

[29:17] Every one of us here has a mother. We lift them up before you. Amen. We thank you for the empowerment that you've given them to be what they are.

[29:38] The homemaker, the nurse, the doctor, the maid, the cook, father, we thank you for their willingness to sacrifice their time, their energy, all that they have for their family, for their children.

[30:07] I pray, Father, as they invest their time teaching your word to their children, to their grandchildren.

[30:25] Lord, as they see the investment that they've made in their lives produce fruit that is pleasing in your sight to the point that their children and their grandchildren come to know you as their savior because they've seen the godly influence that you've had in their lives.

[30:49] Yes. That you are real, Lord, because they see it lived out in the lives of their mother.

[31:01] Yes, Father. So, Father, we just lift them up before you. We pray for strength, for wisdom, for encouragement, to continue to press on, to be faithful in what the task that you've given to them, which is awesome and in many times goes unrecognized.

[31:30] So, Father, we want to recognize them today. We thank you in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Moms, you can sit down and just in conclusion as our worship team comes, mothers, you have the ability to shape your families in profound ways by nurturing faith, by demonstrating love and compassion, cultivating humility and service, encouraging wisdom, and fostering resilience and perseverance.

[32:08] You can have a lasting, godly influence in the lives of your family. So, as we continue to celebrate Mother's Day, let's honor, let's appreciate our mothers and our lives, thank them for their unwavering love and support.

[32:24] thank you. thank you so much for your foreman and take minutes to come see the lives garden today, thank you so much and get to take time