Go Mom!
Thesis: Moms on the go for God emphasize seven sayings that will teach and impact their children for all eternity.
Opening Illustration:
What My Mother taught me
My mother taught me Religion: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, ¡§You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet.¡¨
My mother taught me logic: From her decisive words, ¡§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.¡¨
My mother taught me about stamina: ¡§You¡¦ll sit there ¡¥til all that spinach is finished.¡¨
My mother taught me about weather: ¡§It looks as if a tornado swept through your room.¡¨
My mother taught me the circle of life: ¡§I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.¡¨
My mother taught me about Behavior Modification: ¡§Stop acting like your father!¡¨
My mother taught me envy: ¡§There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don¡¦t have a wonderful Mom like you do!¡¨
Thanks Mom!
Text: Proverbs 31:10-31 A Woman of noble character is a Go Mom!
10ƒnA wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 ¡§Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.¡¨
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Introduction:
Today is Mother¡¦s Day a day to honor and uplift our mothers. Everyone sitting in this service this morning has been affected by a mother. Motherhood has either affected you negatively or positively. I know that for some of you here today this Mother¡¦s Day will affect you with a smile or with a frown but everyone of us has a mother, had a mother, is a mother, or has been impacted by a motherly figure.
Mother¡¦s Day is a day that fulfills The Scripture ¡§Honor you father and Mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.¡¨ Today we are fulfilling one of the 10 Commandments of God found in Exodus 20:12. God rejoices at days like these were we honor the influential mothers of the Kingdom of God. We are going to call them Moms on the go for God ¡V Go Moms!
A poem for Mothers by Nicholas Gorden:
¡§Happy Mother¡¦s Day¡¨ means more than have a happy day.
Within those words lie lots of things we never get to say.
It means I love you first of all, then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to me, and that I honor you.
Video Illustration: Step Mom- The scenario is found at the end of the movie where she says things to her children that are meant to last the rest of their lives. She is dieing of cancer and she wants to leave them with words of comfort and principles for life. Moms on the go know that their faithful instruction makes a difference in their children¡¦s lives. This goes for their spiritual children and their natural children!
Today I want to look at the 7 highly effective sayings of a ¡§Go Mom!¡¨ A Go Mom is always on the go knowing she has a divine task to do for God. These are her 7 sayings which teach Biblical life principles. The Go Mom repeats these lessons of life repeatedly in her day to her children and to those around her.
I. Go Moms say, ¡§I will be with you after I finish my devotional time with the Lord.¡¨
a. How many times moms have you said there is not enough time in the day.
i. I suspect frequently. Moms are always under the gun but it is imperative to teach your children the importance of honoring God privately.
ii. We have to role model to our children the importance of personal devotion to the Lord.
b. Moms on the go for the Lord know the importance of placing God first in their life and their family¡¦s life.
i. If you budget your time with God in it He will give you more of it.
ii. I Samuel 2:30: ¡§Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ¡¥I promised that your house and your father¡¦s house would minister before me forever.¡¦ But now the LORD declares: ¡¥Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
iii. Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
iv. Matthew 22:37: 37Jesus replied: ¡§¡¥Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.¡¦ 38This is the first and greatest commandment.
c. We need to teach our children by example the benefit of private devotions- one on one time with the Lord. We need to teach them when they are young or old the importance of this habit. Moms do this by allowing their children to see their passion for the Lord daily.
T.S. ¡V Go moms are role models by their actions and their sayings. They demonstrate the importance of having God first in their lives. They also teach their children the importance of following the Lords instruction of not forsaking the corporate worshipping of the Lord together on the Sabbath.
II. Go moms say, ¡§It¡¦s time to go to church!¡¨
a. Moms on the go for the Lord know the importance of placing God first in their life and their family¡¦s life.
b. They have internalized ¡§Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy¡¨ Exodus 20:8.
c. God has placed the parents of children here to teach and train our children in His ways. That is one our primary responsibilities as parents.
i. Deut 4:9: 9Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
ii. Deut 11:19 - 21: 19Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
iii. Proverbs 31: 30, 31 30Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
d. Watch what you say and what you teach your children about church. Remember they listen and internalize whether they should value honoring God on the Sabbath by how you view church.
i. Do you go? Are you a Go Mom or a No mom?!
ii. They will role model what you do and don¡¦t do!
1. Axelrod shares this story about a magnificent mom:
a. There is a story about four preachers discussing their favorite translations of the Bible. The first one said, ¡¥I like the King James Version because of its beautiful English.¡¨ Another said, ¡§I like the New American Standard version because it¡¦s closer to the original Greek and Hebrew.¡¨ The third one replied, ¡§I like the Good News version because it¡¦s so easy to read.¡¦ The fourth minister was silent for a moment then said, ¡§I like my mother¡¦s translation best.¡¨ The other three men were surprised. They said, ¡§I didn¡¦t know your mother made a translation of the Bible.¡¦ ¡§Yes,¡¦ he replied. ¡§She translated it into everyday life. And it was the most beautiful and convincing translation I ever saw.¡¨
e. So what is your speech regarding church attendance?
i. I pray you say ¡§It¡¦s time to go to church!¡¨
ii. I pray that moms would not just read the Bible but live it out to their family everyday. That they would instill in their children the value of regular attendance to the Lord¡¦s church.
T.S. - Go moms know the importance of influencing their kids to go to church and they also know the importance of teaching their kids respect for others.
III. Go moms say, ¡§It¡¦s important to always speak well of others don¡¦t say that about them!¡¨
a. Moms on the go know the importance of speaking well of others and teaching their children to speak well of others.
i. Respect is a lesson that is modeled and taught with consistency being the rein forcer.
1. It¡¦s taught by teaching etiquette to children at mealtime.
2. Teaching them to say ¡§Please¡¨ and ¡§Thank You¡¨.
3. Teaching them not to interrupt other adults while they are talking.
4. Teaching them how to say things like ¡§excuse me¡¨ and ¡¥I¡¦m sorry!¡¨
5. Respect is also demonstrated through gratefulness to others and one good way of doing this is by writing Thank You notes.
6. Go moms know the value of these so-called little things.
a. These little things determine the character of your child.
i. Proverbs tells us it is the little foxes that destroy the vineyard. Deal with them and the vineyard produces great crops leave them to nibble away at it and they will destroy it.
ii. It¡¦s the little things that help to build the character of your children. Learn to value and rein force the little things in your family¡¦s life.
ii. Are you a Go Mom who controls her tongue or do you unleash your tongue against others and demonstrate to your children how to do the same?
1. A mom who overlooks little deceits and lies discovers that they will develop a character full of deceitfulness in the lives of their children.
a. Will Rogers said, "Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip."
iii. Truth is our children mirror our behaviors.
1. We are never to forget this truth. We are their role models so it is imperative that we be positive ones.
a. Poor role models: Teachers and administrators in the Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California have had it with bad behavior from parents. CUSD is now the first school district to craft a civility code for Mom and Dad. Parents who bully teachers or otherwise abuse school workers will be politely hung up on, ignored, or reported to the police. --U.S. News & World Report
b. Poor role model: A little three-year-old boy had been learning the game of golf by watching his grandfather play. "The boy was so enthused, I bought him his own set of clubs." Said Grandpa. The following week the entire family had a cookout and the little boy who had learned to golf by watching Grandpa announced, "Watch me play golf!" and then he said a bad word and threw his golf club into the pear tree!
c. Children will invariably talk, eat, walk, think, respond, and act like their parents. Give them a target to shoot at. Give them a goal to work toward. Give them a pattern which they can see clearly, and you give them something that gold and silver cannot buy.--Billy Graham, The Hour of Decision, 1958
2. I Peter 2:17 ¡§Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.¡¨
b. Moms who teach and model respect for others gain respect from their children, husband and the Lord.
i. If you practice respect for others you will receive what you sow if sow otherwise you will also reap that.
1. You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do." --Henry Ford
2. Proverbs 11:16: ¡§A kindhearted woman gains respect¡K¡¨
3. Proverbs 31:28: ¡§Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her.¡¨
T.S.- Go moms always speak with respect toward others and they also speak to their children with a heart full of love and acceptance.
IV. Go moms say, ¡§You have made my life wonderful because you are you and I Love you for being who you are!¡¨
a. Moms on the go for the Lord know the importance of instilling in their children the knowledge that they love them for who they are.¡¨
i. Moms on the go strengthen their children¡¦s individual personalities.
ii. They allow their children to soar into what God designed them to be.
iii. This poem expresses this act well: Before I was myself, you made me, me by Nicholas Gordon:
Before I was myself you made me, me
With love and patience, discipline and tears,
Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,
Allowing me to sail upon the sea,
Though well within the headlands of your fears.
Before I was myself you made me, me
With dreams enough of what I was to be
And hopes that would be sculpted by the years,
Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,
Relinquishing your powers gradually
To let me shape myself among my peers.
Before I was myself you made me, me,
And being good and wise, you gracefully
As dancers when the last sweet cadence nears
Bit by bit stepped back to set me free.
For love inspires learning naturally:
The mind assents to what the heart reveres.
And so it was through love you made me, me
By slowly stepping back to set me free.
b. This is an important Go Mom trait the willingness to allow their kids to be who they are.
T.S. ¡V A Go mom does not try to manipulate her kids into being what she wants them to be but what God wants them to be. A Go mom is also a mom of integrity.
V. Go moms say, ¡§It¡¦s important that you always be honest.¡¨
a. Teach the importance of integrity to your children.
i. Our society is lacking this Godly virtue. Just look at all the scandals that are out there. The companies going bankrupt.
ii. From Stories for Preachers: While Jan was visiting her mother, they went for a walk and bumped into the pastor. "Is this your daughter?" he asked. "Oh my, I remember her when she was this high." Without pausing Jan’s mother said, "Well, she’s twenty-four now." Jan, 35, nearly fainted on the spot. After everyone had said their good-byes, Jan asked her mother why she’d told such a whopper. "Well," she replied, "I’ve been lying about my age for so long, it suddenly dawned on me that I’d have to start lying about yours too."
iii. Proverbs 12:17: A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.
iv. Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
1. From Stories for Preachers: A few years ago an airline ran a special half-fare for the spouse of business travelers. Anticipating some valuable testimonials, the publicity department of the airline sent out letters to all the wives of businessmen who used the special rates, asking them how they enjoyed their trip. The number one response was: "What trip?!"
b. If we fail to teach our kids the value of honesty and integrity ¡V Who Will?
T.S. ¡V A Go mom is one who demonstrates honesty to her children. She is also one who knows the importance of discipline for the sake of her children.
VI. Go mom says, ¡§I am sorry I have to discipline you but it¡¦s because I love you.¡¨
a. Moms on the go know the importance of discipline for their children.
i. Scripture has taught the go mom that discipline is the best thing for their children.
b. They don¡¦t do it out of anger but out of love.
i. Proverbs 29:15: The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
ii. Proverbs 12:1: Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
iii. Proverbs 10:17: He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
iv. Proverbs 20:11: Even a child is known by his actions,
by whether his conduct is pure and right.
v. Proverbs 22:6: Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
vi. Proverbs 23:13, 14: Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.14Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.
vii. Proverbs 29:15: The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
1. The rod is a symbol for authority and divine guidance.
2. The Writer of Proverbs tells us that if you want your children to have wisdom then discipline them and teach them that they cannot just do what ever they want.
c. Discipline is to be used to impart instruction and wisdom into a child. So that they learn that there are boundaries in life you cannot cross.
i. I know of one police officer who said if they don¡¦t learn boundaries at home than we deal with them and they get enforced boundaries for the rest of their life.
T.S. ¡V Moms on the go with the Lord know the importance of discipline for the benefit of their children they also know the importance of teaching their kids the attitude of being content with what they have.
VII. Go moms say, ¡§Bigger is not better. Learn to be content with what you have.¡¨
a. I Timothy 6:6 - 10: 6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
b. Phil 4:11 - 13: 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
c. Our society will pound our kids with the thought ¡§Bigger is better!¡¨ A child who is taught to be self-indulgent will think of only themselves and what they want ¡V which is always more! They will not grow up with a servants attitude toward others but an attitude that says serve me I deserve it.
i. Lazy parents breed self-indulgent children because they don¡¦t want to take the necessary time to train their children in the importance of moderation.
ii. Parents who don¡¦t have time for their kids like to buy them off and they in still in their kids that it things that bring you happiness not relationships.
iii. Nothing communicates to your child more than by your presence!
Conclusion:
Remember a go mom is a mom on the go for the Lord. She knows that her most important job is to influence her children in the direction of God¡¦s will.
She teaches and trains her children by what she says and does.
She models Proverbs 31:26:
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She needs to make sure she translates the Bible to her children by what she says and does. She is a woman who daily communicates the seven life giving sayings that will benefit her children for ever. Remember these sayings they are:
1. ¡§I will be with you after I finish my devotional time with the Lord.¡¨
2. ¡§It¡¦s time to go to church!¡¨
3. ¡§It¡¦s important to always speak well of others don¡¦t say that about them!¡¨
4. ¡§You have made my life wonderful because you are you and I Love you for being who you are!¡¨
5. ¡§It¡¦s important that you always be honest.¡¨
6. ¡§I am sorry I have to discipline you but it¡¦s because I love you.¡¨
7. ¡§Bigger is not better. Learn to be content with what you have.¡¨
¡§Go Moms¡¨ ¡V that is my encouragement to you mothers today. Be who the Lord has called you to be. Be a mom on the go for the Lord and make a difference in the lives of your children both your natural ones and your spiritual ones. Instruct them and teach them the ways of the Lord. And for doing that today we praise and honor you moms for being impact players in the Kingdom of God.
Lets honor our mothers now by sharing why our Mothers are special- read what the kids said about why their moms are special.
Close in Prayer ¡V pray for the moms!
