Mom’s Bible - A Mother’s Day sermon
There are three stages of motherhood: young, middle age and “you’re looking fine.”
I don’t know about you, but my mother was responsible for teaching me some of the most valuable life lessons I ever learned. Someone sent me some valuable reminders of Mom lessons and I wanted to share a few of them with you before I get into the meat of the message this morning.
This was called “Ode to Mom”
My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done
“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside …... I just finished cleaning.”
My mother taught me Religion -
“You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
My mother taught me Logic. -
“Because I said so, that’s why.”
My mother taught me Foresight -
“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”
My mother taught me Irony -
“Keep laughing and I’ll give you something to cry about.”
Ps 71:14-18
14 But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.
NIV
There is a story about four preachers discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version best because of its simple, beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it was closer to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked a contemporary version because of its up to date vocabulary. The fourth minister was silent for moment, then 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 replied. “She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw.”
Have you ever taken the time to look through mom’s bible? As you look through the pages you find several interesting things … first hair cuts, flowers picked by the hands of a three year old pressed flat between the pages, names of children with their baptism dates, marriages and deaths of loved ones. Letters of love to children. Notes of inspiration written in the margin. Tattered pages worn by the devoted study of a mother determined to walk close to Christ.
A mother’s bible will give you a glimpse into the legacy she endeavors to pass on to the next generation. Our text in Psalms is a prayer to God that before we are gone, we will have the opportunity to pass on Godly wisdom to the next generation. Mom’s and dad’s, we all have that responsibility. It is our obligation as parents to pass on to the next generation God’s goodness, mercy, and sovereignty.
Proverbs 22:6 says, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
What incredible wisdom!
Is it easy to instill the Christian lifestyle in a child? No. Satan confronts us and opposes us on every hand. If you see your child running down the road with a sharp stick in his hand, what do you say mom? (WFA)
If they’re about to stick a paperclip in the electrical outlet, what do you say? (WFA)
We work hard to teach them the things that will hurt them. Do we teach them that sin will hurt them? Do we strive to live a Godly life that will pass on to the next generation?
Paul spoke to Timothy and encouraged him in the faith by reminding him of the great faith that was in two generations of his family – his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Have you ever heard the expression “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree? The life we live before our children makes a difference. It puts an impression on them that will not just go with them for a lifetime, but with them for generations to come.
Paul wrote Titus to encourage him to teach the older women there at Crete Godly attributes. They were to be reverent, not slanderers, not given to much wine, but to teach what is good to the younger women so that they would love their husbands and children, be self-controlled, busy at home, kind and subject to their husbands.
What was Paul telling Titus to do? To help the older women pass on Godly wisdom and attributes to the next generation.
Mom’s, think about a day in the distant future when your great, great grandchildren are sitting with their parents looking through an old photo album and they run across your picture. When the little child looks at their mother and says, “Mommy, who is that?”
Wouldn’t it be great if that mother said, “That’s your great, great grandmother. Because of her, our family has been blessed. She was one of the dearest Christians in our entire family.”
The late Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, “Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one.”
The Lord turned and said, “Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee and leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands.”
“Six pairs of hands,” said the angel, “that’s impossible.” “It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me.” said the Lord, “It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there.”
She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed and communicate love and understanding without saying a word.”
“That’s too much.” said the angel, “You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while and resume your creating tomorrow?”
“No, I can’t,” said the Lord. “I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick – who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger – and who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower.”
Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely and said, “She’s too soft.” “Oh, but she is tough,” said the Lord. “You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do.”
“Can she think?” asked the angel. “Not only can she think,” said the Lord, “but she can reason and compromise and persuade.”
Then the angel reached over and touched her cheek. “This one has a leak,” he said. “I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model.” “That’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “That’s a tear.”
“What’s the tear for?” asked the angel. “Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride.” “You’re a genius,” said the angel. And the Lord said, “Oh, but I didn’t put it there.”
Conclusion:
Mom’s today is a special day when we take time to openly tell you we love you. In truth, we appreciate you every day, not just today. Your Godly wisdom and heritage has fortified our country by the way you serve God in our homes. Thank you. Do me a favor, keep passing it on to the next generation.
