The Heart of a Godly Mother
Intro: [Read illustration of motherhood]
The Bible has quite a lot to say about mothers. Here are a few examples:
Eve – the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20) [Pioneer – was taught motherhood by God]
Sarah – a mother of many nations (Gen. 17:16) [From Beauty Queen to Motherhood]
Jochabed – mother of Moses (Ex. 2:8; Num. 26:59; Heb. 11:23) [Fearless & nurturing]
Deborah - Judges 5:7 - a mother in Israel. [Judge / Prophetess, Strength – willing to step out and lead when needed.]
Hannah – prayed earnestly for a son, and God blessed her w/ Samuel and other children (1 Sam. 2:19-21) [Persistent]
Widow of Zarephath – 1 Kings 17:8-24 [Trusting & Obedient]- She was willing to give the last of her food to Elijah, believing that God’s word through Elijah was true.
Mary – mother of Jesus [Gentle, virtuous, pleasing to God]
Elizabeth – mother of J.B. [Devout, Committed]
Rufus’ Mother – Paul referred to her as his own mother because she had shown a mother’s love to him (Rom. 16:13) [Tender, caring, motherly]
Timothy’s grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice 2 Timothy 1:5 - women of faith
-In light of these and many other references to moms in the Bible, I would say a mother’s heart is very important to God.
Prop: The heart of a godly mother is a reflection of the heart of God. As we focus on the heart of a Godly Mother, we can be assured that God loves us with the same love. He is the source of a mother’s love.
TS: We will be using several different Scriptures and characters to see some of the qualities that are found in a mother’s heart.
I. The Heart of a Godly Mother Is Tender (Ruth 1)
- Several different mothers in the Bible could fit this description (Mary is one that comes to mind. I think of her as gentle and kind). However, I have chosen Naomi to represent tenderness.
Naomi – a bereaved mother – lost her husband and 2 sons, yet she was still a mother to Ruth, who became King David’s great grandmother (Ruth 1)
-Naomi was a survivor. She gave even in the midst of her grief. She continued to be a mentor to Ruth after she lost her husband and sons. One of her sons had been Ruth’s husband, so she and Ruth probably helped each other through their grief. She did not let her grief turn her into a bitter woman, but was like a mother to the widow of her son. Her heart remained tender – even in the midst of personal loss and pain. With tenderness, she helped Ruth find another husband who loved her and took care of her.
Maybe you can remember times of tenderness with your own mother. Sometimes, nothing can soothe a cut finger or an owie better than the tenderness of a mother. Dads don’t always understand this, but there are times when the warmth, comfort, and tenderness of a mother is precisely what is needed. Even as adults, those who have been blessed enough to have a close relationship with their mother know how much her tenderness can mean, especially when you go through grief and pain.
God made us in such a way that we all need a little love and tenderness sometimes. God deals with us as a father deals with his children (Heb. 12), but lest you think He only sees us from a Dad’s point of view, listen to what Jesus said about wanting to be Motherly to His people - Luke 13:34 34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Unfortunately, this did not reflect well on the people to whom it was addressed, because of their rejection of God’s tender love. Nevertheless, Jesus showed the tender love that made Him want to gather His people in close to Himself, giving them warmth, closeness, and protection from a harsh world.
Romans 2:4 tells us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 also says He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Psalm 145:8-9 8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”
Make no mistake. God created tenderness and one way He spread it around the world is through the heart of a mother.
TS: Now, whether or not you remember your mother’s tenderness, it is quite possible that you remember her tenacity.
II. The Heart of a Godly Mother Is Tenacious (Will not give up or let go)
-Tenacity means resolve or firmness. It means being persistent, and not letting up on you until you do what you are told.
-This is often portrayed in a negative light, but it really is a very good quality that comes from the heart of a mother. A Godly Mom wants to see her children grow up to love and serve the Lord and do what is right. A Godly Mom has a protective instinct for her children. If something or someone threatens a child, Moms have been known to display superhuman strength in defending their children.
The Shunammite Woman – 2 Kings 4:8-37 gives us a good picture of this tenacity. She was spiritually sensitive, and wanted to show kindness to Elisha, because he was a man of God. So she asked her husband to make a small room for him to stay when he came through their area. In return, Elisha prayed for her and she had a son, even though her husband was quite old. One day, something happened to the boy, and he died on his mother’s lap. She calmly told her husband to have a servant get a donkey ready, because she was going to get the man of God. When she finally got there, Elisha told his servant to go quickly and lay his staff on the boy’s face so he would live. However, this is what the tenacious mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her. She would not receive no for an answer. She would not give up on her son. Well, in case you don’t know the rest of the story, the staff did not work, but Elisha went and prayed for the boy, and God raised him back to life. This mother’s tenacity paid off.
ILLUSTRATION: Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother, who was in the house looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, grabbed his rifle, raced from his truck and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails had dug into his flesh in her effort to hang onto the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs, showing the damage. Then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms too. I have them because my mom wouldn’t let go.
Many of us can identify with that little boy. We have scars too. Maybe not from an alligator or anything quite so dramatic, but we have scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But some of our scars we have are because God has refused to let us go. In the midst of your struggle, He’s been there holding onto you. His love is tenacious! He will not let you go!
TS: Not only is the heart of a Godly mother tenacious, but…
III. The Heart of a Godly Mother Is Trusting
-First, a Godly mother entrusts each of her children to God, knowing that God can take much better care of them than she can. Moms aren’t omnipresent, but sometimes they come pretty close. Some may be omniscient – they sure seem to know everything.
-Godly mothers trust God with their entire lives. Certainly, there have been mothers who have failed at this, but that just shows us that God is still working on all of us. I think of Eve. She believed Satan’s lie that God was holding out on them by telling them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:6 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Somehow, Eve lost sight of the fact that God could be trusted to know what was best. The devil deceived her into taking matters into her own hands.
-Sarah is another one who thought she would manipulate circumstances so she and Abraham could have a child. She is the one who suggested that Abraham take her maid, Hagar, and have a son by her. What a mess that turned out to be! The strife and jealousy that followed became an ugly affair.
-However, we also have some positive examples of mothers who trusted God. (Mary had to let go of Jesus & trust God with His future. She was probably a little stressed when they lost Jesus in Jerusalem at the temple. However, she had a rock solid trust in God that He would work things out for good. This is seen when she asked Jesus to do something about the shortage of wine at the wedding in Cana. She told the servants, “Do whatever Jesus asks you to do.” She knew she could trust God’s Son to take care of the situation.
-Jochabed is another example of a trusting mom. She released Moses into God’s hands on the river, when he was a 3-month old baby. First, she risked her very life by hiding him for 3 months. She could have been put to death for defying Pharaoh’s order to kill all the baby boys. However, she totally put him in God’s hands when she put him in a little basket among the reeds of the Nile River. Well, God sent someone with a mother’s heart (Pharaoh’s daughter) who felt compassion for the little baby and decided to spare his life and raise him for her own. God used a pagan woman, who may never have even come to believe in Him. God’s ways are amazing!
The point is, God can be trusted, and a Godly mother will put her trust in Him, rather than trying to take matters into her own hands. Do all you can do, but always trust God to bring about His will and plan. He will always make a way.
You know, God Himself is very trusting. He has given us so many things to take care of for Him. God trusts us with the treasures of heaven. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay (or earthen vessels) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” God trusts us with salvation, with His word, with the task of sharing the gospel with others so they might believe on Him. God gives us room to make mistakes, but He also expects a lot out of us.
TS: Now, the heart of a mother is tender, tenacious, and trusting, and last but not least,
IV. The Heart of a Godly Mother Is True
-1 Peter 3:1-6 tells us how unbelieving spouses and children can come to the Lord. If a Mom, who has one of the most important, difficult jobs in the world, can maintain a true loving relationship with God, those around her will see Jesus in her and eventually be won to the Lord.
1 Peter 3:1-6 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”
-Now, let me set the record straight. I am not suggesting that the wives here should start calling their husbands Master. It worked for Sarah, but for most of us men, it would probably go to our heads, and then we’d really mess things up.
-The main point of the passage, for our purposes, is that a wife and mother should be true, pure, and faithful to God and man. Peter says that the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is of great worth in God's sight. The heart of a Godly mother will reflect the sweet goodness of the one who created her.
2 Timothy 1:5 5 “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.” Timothy’s mom and grandma had the real thing. They knew and loved God, and passed it on to the next generation, regardless of what their husbands did or did not do. Timothy’s father is not mentioned here, but Acts 16:1-3 shows that he was a Greek, who apparently did not know the Lord or believe in Christ.
-Jesus is called Faithful and True. He is true to us. He can be trusted with our lives. Whether you are a mother, father, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, son or daughter, it is our place to be true to God and to one another.
Conclusion: As we close today, I hope that you have been able to see that a good heart only comes from God. A Godly mother will have a heart that looks like God’s heart, because she knows Jesus and is becoming more and more like Him everyday. For the rest of us, the story is the same. If our hearts are right with God, then we will learn to be tender, tenacious, trusting, and true. We can be all that God wants us to be as we surrender our hearts and lives to Him.
-If you have not done that yet, or if you know that your heart is not right with God today, then I would ask you on this Mother’s Day 2005, to make things right with God. How do you do that? Simply talk to Him and tell Him you want to change. Tell Him you are tired of not being able to live and love with a whole heart. He knows all about it and will change you and give you a new heart. As we all bow our heads, if there is anyone here who wants and needs a heart change today, would you slip up your hand? I want to pray for you that God would show you His love by forgiving you and changing your heart and life.
Pray
