How to turn the “Same Old Same Old” into something special. : Growth through Monotony
Proverbs 31:10-31
Introduction:
Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so
dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to each person who attended.
Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the
U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for "public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country." By then it had become customary to wear white carnations to honor departed mothers and red to honor the living, a custom that continues to this day.
Elaberate on motherhood often becoming a monotony.
How can we turn the same old same old into something special?
I. Maintain your own integrity. (v. 11-12, 17,19)
A. Monotony will lead to a spiritual breakdown.
1. The 50’s wife and “The Milkman,” or “The
Butcher,”
2. Adulterous affairs with these men became a
common joke.
B. However, her husband “has confidence in
her”, “trusts her,” (NAS)
C. Pursue purity
1. For the sake of those you influence.
1 When Robert Ingersoll, the notorious skeptic, was in his heyday, two college students went to hear him lecture. As they walked down the street after the
lecture, one said to the other, “Well, I guess he knocked the props out from under Christianity, didn’t the?” The other said, “No, I don’t think he did. Ingersoll did not explain my mother’s life, and until he can explain my mother’s life I will stand by my mother’s God.”
James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, Tyndale, 1972, p. 381
2. For the sake of your relationship with Jesus.
II. Search for quality for your life.
A. Monotony will devalue your life. (v. 13-14, 22)
1. Selects wool and flax.
2. Clothed in fine linen and purple.
B. Isn’t quality expensive?
1. She did spend money. Purple (v.22) Scarlet
(v.21)
2. Did not buy the expensive linen, she made it.
a. Her options were goatskin and sheepskin
clothes.
b. You don’t have to make your own clothes.
c. You don’t always have to settle for the
goatskins of your lives when with a little
extra effort you can have the fine linens.
3. “She is like the merchant ships,”
a. Three Hebrew words are used to
form “merchant.”
b. They all mean to go about or explore.
c. She was looking for the best buys and
highest quality.
C. How can I make my life better?
D. Jesus does call us to humility.
1. Humility doesn’t mean life has to be drab and
boring.
2. Ephesians 2:10
-workmanship = poe-ai-ma = work of art.
III. Find the value in giving of yourself.
A. Monotony will draw you inward. (v. 15, 20)
B. Compare Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee.
If you compare the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee, you will surely see great differences. The Dead Sea is so full of minerals and deposits all life is completely snuffed out. No fish, plants or anything else. However, the Sea of Galilee is thriving with life. What is the difference? There are many channels of water feeding into the Dead Sea, yet there is no channels funneling out. It keeps it all to itself. Yet, the Sea of Galilee is not only recieving water from rivers and creeks, it is also flowing water out to other places. There is life and activity in the Sea of Galilee because as it takes in blessings it also gives away.
C. Following the example of Jesus.
- I Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once
for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to
bring you to God.”
IV. Seek out your own endeavors.
A. Monotony needs to have a break. (v. 16, 24, 18)
1. Have something you spend your time on.
- Hobby, craft, escape.
2. Have something to where you will be able to
hop off of the “hamsters wheel.”
B. Isn’t she doing this to give to the family?
1. Is she working to make ends meet? No.
2. Is she giving the money to the family? Maybe.
3. Husband is well off. (v. 23)
4. The family has quality possessions.
(v.13-14,22)
C. This vineyard is for her.
1. My Mom gave her life to her family. When my Dad passed, she recieved his life insurance and it was the first time she had something that was all her own.
D. Is this greedy self- gain?
1. (Luke 4:40-42a ???)
2. Why was He alone?
- sleep, pray, rest, meditated, weep,
E. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
1. This goes both ways.
2. Love yourself and care for yourself.
V. Be mindful of what is truly important: family.
A. Monotony will cause you to lose focus.
(v. 21,26,27)
B. Keeping family in Focus.
1. Motherhood and Compassion: A few days ago I made a marvelous discovery. In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament the word for “compassion” comes from the root word, “womb.” The picture is of a birthing. Something new is being born. If I apply this in a human experience, it means that my compassionate acts always give the other person another chance. I do not hold past failures against them. I offer a “fresh start.” I want this for myself from others. Am I willing to give it to the other person? Such compassion will dramatically change the way we relate to each other.
Brooks Ramsey, Pastoral Counseling and Consulting Center, Memphis TN.
C. Caring for them.
1. Provide for them. (v.21)
2. Pass wisdom on to them. (v. 26)
3. Watch over them. (v. 27)
- *3)GOD’S WINGS
> An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings.
> The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, distinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live.
> "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge." (Psalm 91:4)
D.Jesus Cares for us.
1. He acted as a mother to us in this way.
2. He covered us with His wings and he took the
brunt of our rightful punishment for sin.
3. In this case, however, the mother bird is not
dead, she is still alive in the person of Jesus
Christ.
