The power of a mother is seen in her lifestyle. Motherhood not only changes the mother, but changes generations of family. Allow me a moment to expand on this concept a little further.
M – Model of Selflessness: Mothers hold a special place in the children’s hearts because they go out of their way to serve others and throughout our lives, they have put themselves last in order to put their children first. Consider the mother of 1 Kings 3 who stood before Solomon and choose the best interest over herself.
O – Obedience: From the beginning, Christian mothers uphold a standard of obedience in their teaching of the greatness and the faith their children must have in God. Take the example of the widow in 2 Kings 4 who followed the instruction of Elisha and was able to pay her debts and take care of her children.
T – Thankfulness: Christian mothers are a powerful example of the thankfulness to the Father. From the moment of birth, mothers begin to pray for their children. Consider Hannah, who, having her prayers answered, followed through and dedicated her son to the Lord.
H – Helping: Mothers have a special touch when being patient throughout their children’s lives as they mature. Lois and Eunice both took a helping hand in teaching Timothy about faith in God. (2 Timothy 1:5)
E – Extraordinary Living: Christian mothers set an example for their children to endure throughout generations. Remember the character of Elisabeth who was called “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in the commands and statues of the Lord.” (Luke 1:8)
R- Reflection of God’s Love: Jochabed was a true reflection of God’s love as she choose to protect her son from the hand of Pharaoh and to teach him his spiritual roots. (Exodus 2:1-15; Hebrew 11:25-28)
Just some thoughts,
The Wall Street Journal (WJS, 1/27/18)reported on a study published in the December 2017 Journal of Happiness Studies and suggested “getting married is one of the best ways to cement a couple’s long-term happiness.”
Using research spanning the past two decades and over 300,000 people, the study sought to discover if marriage causes happiness or if happy people are more likely to get married and stay that way.
The simple conclusion is “a close marital bond spurs long-term happiness.”
The WSJ reporter noted, “That level of commitment, formalized by a ritual and a legal document, may be one reason why the advantages of marriage trump those of just living together.” The article was appropriately titled, “For Happiness That Lasts, Take Those Vows.”
The Bible speaks to the value of the marriage relationship and the strength of the marriage commitment:
- “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
- “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9)
- “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.” (Proverbs 31:10-11)
- “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:31-33)
There are more verses that could be mentioned, but the commitment of a marriage is strong and even stronger when God is present. God’s plan is always best.
Even though Father’s Day is over, the wisdom of our fathers can bring us knowledge every day. It does not need to be a special day to appreciate the wisdom of our father.
You may remember Lee Iacocca from his famous statement, “If you can find a better car, but it” or from the great turnaround of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s.
Lee Iacocca had a well-known career in the auto industry. While he may be best known for the Chrysler turnaround to one of the biggest car companies of the 1980s, he is also known for his development in the Ford Mustang. Over the course of his career in the auto industry, his net worth has grown to over $100 million.
Even with great business success and great wealth, he never forgot the wisdom his father gave him concerning greed: “Be careful about money. When you have five thousand, you’ll want ten. And when you have ten, you’ll want twenty.” Lee Iacocca wrote, “He was right. No matter what you have, it’s never enough.” (Iacocca, Lee Iacocca, 1986, p.155)
When I read this I was reminded of the words of Jesus in Luke 12.15, ““Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
As Christians, we understand the things we see in this world are temporary and the things we do not see are eternal (2 Corinthians 4.18). The world, and Satan, has a way to tempt us with the things that we see, feel, and enjoy (1 John 2.15-17) but we must remember that life is not in earthly possessions. Life is in Christ. (John 14.6)
Just some thoughts,
Let’s say for a moment, you are one of the best golfers in the world.
Now imagine that you have an opportunity to win the one major tournament you have been waiting to win. This tournament has been your professional desire. It is this tournament where you have a record six runners up finishes, but this year you have a good chance of winning. But there is a problem.
The day of the tournament, your daughter has a high school graduation.
What would you choose?
Phil Mickelson faced this problem in 2017. June 15th was drawing closer and he had to make a choice. He had been runner-up six times at the U.S. Open. In 2017 Phil Mickelson had a great opportunity to win the U.S. Open, but at the same time of the tournament, his daughter would give the commencement speech at the senior class president.
What would you choose?
Would you choose the chance of winning, or a family event?
Mr. Mickelson withdrew from the tournament and Robert Diaz would take his place. Two weeks before the U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson spoke about the scheduling conflict and offered these comments,
“It’s a tournament that I want to win the most, the only way to win is if you play and have a chance. But this is one of those moments where you look back on life and you just don’t want to miss it. I’ll be really glad that I was there and present.”
Life comes with hard decisions. Phil Mickelson choose family over profession.
Would you do the same?
As fathers, our children are watching our every move.
Just a thought,
Source: https://www.espn.com/golf/usopen17/story/_/id/19641956/phil-mickelson-officially-withdraws-2017-us-open
As David is drawing near death, he speaks words to his son Solomon, challenging him as a man, as a ruler, and as David’s son. His words, as a father and a King, challenge Solomon to carry on the work that is being done, so Solomon’s family will have a legacy on the throne given to David by God.
“When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 2:1-4)
Notice from the text, David tells Solomon to do three things:
- Act Responsibly – Solomon is to be strong, show himself to be a man and keep the charge of the Lord. David wants Solomon to be a powerful leader of the people and take the male responsibility of being King.
- Walk with God – David knew what it was like to walk with God. David had walked with God, and he knew the blessings of someone committed to God.
- Hear David’s Commands – I wonder, if later, Solomon reflected on David’s words when he wrote Proverbs 1.8-9.
Fathers, are we challenging (charging) our children like David did Solomon?
Just a thought,
Every day I am amazed how far our influence in simple things can reach into the world. In a hurting world, our influence of a greater hope is needed more than ever in our lifetime. People are hurting. They are hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The effects of the Covid-19 virus, many people losing or changing jobs, the current lection crisis and the added bonus of a crazy news cycle has cause many to feel discouraged and disappointed. It is during this time that we, as Christians, can become a powerful influence on people.
The radio personality Paul Harvey once said that every day we influence 150 people directly and 450 people indirectly. To think that we have the ability to influence around 450 people each day is daunting, but a great opportunity. My amazement grows even more when I see how parent’s actions flow into the lives of their children. The influence we have on others, directly and indirectly, is significant, but the influence we have upon our children is most significant.
It makes me ask the question, “What are we teaching our children?’
I can assure you if you are not teaching your children, someone or something else is.
[bctt tweet=”I can assure you if you are not teaching your children, someone or something else is.” username=”PreachersPen”]
Our duty as parents should be the same duty the Israelites were given by God – to teach our children His word. At the end of life, it will not be the ballgames they played, or the performances they had, it will be the eternity they have gracefully gained.
Take Deuteronomy 6.4-8 as an example:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-8; ESV)
Did you notice the remarkable things in those verses?
First, the word of God must be in the hearts of the parents before they can teach them to the children. Remember, if you are not teaching your children, then someone or something is. You need to be aware of the influences in your child’s life. Children need to be actively taught from their home. It is not the job of the Bible School to teach your children; the teaching must begin first in the home.
Second, the parents were to teach the children the precepts of God everywhere: inside, outside, in private, in public, simply everywhere. Are parents teaching children the word of God today? This is where your influence, as a parent will matter the most. If your children and not seeing how the Word of God is active in your life, then they may not understand the power of Christianity.
Our influence reaches to our children, no matter what we do. Let us commit today to becoming the Christ-like example our children need, not necessarily the example they might want.
Just a thought,
