I LOVE YOU, MOM!

Today is Mother’s Day. It is the day we men honor our mothers and the mothers of our children. My mother is gone now, and all I have left are memories of her. Out of all those memories, the one that sticks out the most is that she was a devout Christian lady who raised four sons and daughter to be Christian, too. For that, I will forever be grateful TO her and FOR her.

My mom was a very special lady who taught me many things. When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she taught me to pray by saying things like:
"You better pray that dirt comes out of the carpet.” She caught her fingers in a drawer one time and I laughed. She took the opportunity to teach me emotions by saying, "You keep laughing and I’ll give you something to cry about!”

She taught me how to never give up. She would say, “You’ll sit there until your food is all gone or until you are covered with cobwebs!” And finally, she taught me about the sanctity of life. She would say, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out, too!”

In all seriousness, my mom was a great mom and it is mostly because of her that I am who I am today. And I thank God that she loved us kids enough to teach us the many things she did.

Today is the one day of the year that men will generally go out and buy a gift without being prompted to.  But if you are one of those men who has not yet purchased a gift for your mother or your wife, let me give you a couple of pointers on what NOT to buy.

Do not buy her anything that plugs in. If something needs to be plugged in, she will only see it as a tool. Do not get her any exercise equipment, as this will lead to six months of her asking why you think she needs to exercise in the first place. And I guarantee you that is something you do not want to live with.

My suggestion is for you to buy her something that is only for her, and that will show her you are thinking only about her happiness. If you follow that rule, then whatever you get her will be appreciated and loved.

As far as a woman goes, becoming a mother changes things, doesn’t it? And, becoming a mother more than once changes things even more. When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time, she will start wearing maternity clothes the day the doctor says she is pregnant.

On her second pregnancy, she will wear her normal clothes for as long as she can, and by her third or fourth pregnancy, she will wear anything because she doesn’t have any more money to go out and buy any new clothes.

We all know that mothers are many things to their children, don’t we? Mothers are our first teachers in life and our most compassionate nurses.

We have all heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child. Today, more than ever before, babysitters and nurseries are raising our children. The tragedy in that is more and more children are being taught outside the home, and what they are taught is most-often worldly rather than Godly.

Here are some of the things our small children are learning today.

• They learn the world’s morality – ‘If it feels right, it is right.’

• They learn Humanism - ‘God doesn’t exist and we are capable of taking care of ourselves’

• They learn that man descended from apes – ‘My question is this; if man descended from apes, why are there still apes?

We live in the society Jeremiah spoke of – a society that “does not know how to blush.” Let’s face it. It might be more convenient for a village, or a nursery, or a sitter to raise our children, but it is much better for the child if the mother raises him – at least in the early years.

And let me throw in something about fathers: If a man is old enough to father a child, he is old enough to assume the responsibilities of raising that child. It is a shame that so many men are so focused on their own ‘good times’ that they are wiling to throw their babies away like yesterday’s trash.

I know that there are mothers out there who also care more about themselves than they do their babies, but statistics find that is found more in fathers. Of course, that is what you get when you take God out of society, isn’t it?

We need Godly mothers and fathers who will stand and say, “I will teach my children to walk in the way of the Lord.” We cannot let the most important thing in our children’s lives be left up to chance, or up to somebody else’s false teachings.  We must stand up and be accountable as parents for our children’s spiritual safety.

In PROVERBS 22:6, we are given some clear advice.

‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’

We know that being a good mother is helpful to our children as far as their physical well-being goes, but is it really that important to a child to be brought up spiritually sound in Jesus Christ?

In 2 TIMOTHY 1:5, Paul reminds us of Timothy’s parental influence.

‘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 had sincere faith, and he had that faith because of his grandmother and mother. Surely a mother helps form our spirit, and if she is a Godly mother, she will be the first introduction we have to our Lord.

Mothers are also protectors of their children, no matter how old her children may get. Mrs. Zebedee was the mother of James and John, and like any mother, she wanted only the very best for her sons.

Jesus gave us an illustration in MATTHEW about a landowner, who hired some helpers, and no matter how long they worked for him, they all got paid the same wages. This may have caused Mrs. Zebedee to worry about what kind of reward her sons were going to get in Heaven, so she found a time to ask Jesus about it.

In MATTHEW 20:20-23 we read,

‘Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him. “What is it you want?” He asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from My cup, but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father.”

Mrs. Zebedee was certain that when the Lord formed His kingdom, her boys would have positions of responsibility and authority. After all, the human way is to reward the best worker with the highest reward.

Jesus did not grant her request, but He did not deny it either. He simply reminded her of the cost of being seated on the right or left, and then told her that only the Father knows such things.

This morning, let’s look at what Mrs. Zebedee did for her sons, and compare that with what you, as a mother, might be doing (or have done) for your children. The first thing we will see is that she prayed for her sons to be …

1.   PART OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

I think Zebedee’s wife was a very good mother. I can think of no more important task of motherhood than to want your children to be a part of God’s Kingdom.

I know that many mothers pray. Sometimes they pray out of necessity and sometimes they pray because motherhood is sometimes very difficult. I have heard it said that the reason women are mothers, is because men couldn’t take the pressure. I fully agree with that statement.

Certainly, mothers do get frustrated, don’t they?  And being a parent is not always an easy job. There are times when your joy and pride cannot be contained, and there are other times when the sadness is so great your eyes can’t hold all the tears.

What good have we done by teaching our kids how to be successful in life if we have not also taught them how to be responsible for the life they have been given?

I think Jesus said it best in MATTHEW 16:26:

‘What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?'

Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her sons would be a part of God’s Heavenly kingdom. I think all parents should pray the same prayer for their children – and this includes the fathers as well as the mothers. And we should do this for our children no matter what their ages.

I hope that in the heart of every mother and father here this morning, there is a burden to go before the throne of God in prayer for your children - to pray they will be saved, saved from eternal damnation, and saved for eternal life.

Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her sons would be a part of God’s kingdom, and she prayed that they would be …

2.   INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF GOD’S KINGDOM

We must remember that we are all called to be of service to the Lord, and I think that service should begin in the home. It should begin with moms and dads going in prayer, in front of their children so they too can learn to pray.

It begins with parents setting the Godly example of how to live and how to serve the Lord. It begins when parents pray that their sons and daughters might be involved in the work of the kingdom. It begins when parents pray that their children are not only a part of the kingdom, but are involved in the work of the kingdom.

Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her children would be actively involved in the work of His kingdom. And, as parents today, we need to walk in her footsteps. We need to follow her example in …

3.   HAVING GODLY EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR CHILDREN

Mrs. Zebedee had big expectations, can’t we? She didn’t just pray that her children would be doorkeepers or such. She wanted them to sit on the throne, on either side of Jesus.

Too often, we have a tendency to settle for mediocrity in our lives and in the church. Too often, we settle for aiming just about two feet inside the door. Too many Christians have been content to just sit back and let things happen around us instead of our getting up and making things happen for us.

As a good mother, she was looking out for her children’s best interest. She wanted her boys to be the most they could be.

I think we should start looking for more in our Christian walks, too. Jesus called us to be doers of the word, not just hearers only. And one of the best ways to do God’s holy and righteous word is to be a person of humble prayer.

CONCLUSION

We see in Scripture that Zebedee’s wife was really focused on her children.  What does that fact, by itself, tell us?  It tells us that she was devoted to building her marriage with Zebedee up so they could properly raise their children.  And to do that, she had to have been focused on the Lord God.

In our world today, we see marriages falling apart everywhere we look.  And it isn’t just “those people” who are getting divorced.  Last year, I counseled a couple with two small children who wanted to divorce.  They were simply tired of the mundane.  They wanted out of the bland.

Can we see where this would not only destroy their lives, but it would also destroy the lives of their children?  I told them the truth.  I told them they were selfishly thinking about what they wanted, and not being concerned at all about what God wanted for them or what was good for their children.  I told them that divorce was a sin and there was no way they could justify it in the eyes of God.

On the other side of the coin, I have some friends who have been married for over 40 years.  But just ten years ago, they were going to get a divorce.  Seems the husband could only see what was outside the marriage and having no ties and responsibilities seemed so wonderful to him.  They have three grown children.  Don’t you think that would have not only torn the marriage apart, but it would have also torn the children apart?

Mrs. Zebedee was probably just like us today.  She probably got tired of the same-o, same-o, too, but we find that she was devoted.  She was devoted to her family and she put their needs above her personal desires.  And it was in this act that she became a woman of Godly character.  It was her willingness to sacrifice what single life offered so she could have all that a Godly marriage gives.

And what does a Godly marriage give?  It gives the man the God-ordained position of spiritual leader, or head of the home.  It also gives the Godly woman the position of Mother.  And a mother is one who has more impact on children than anyone else.  It is the mother who influences her children for Jesus and the mother who shapes that child’s spiritual eyes. But no matter how much a mother might give to her child, it takes both the mom and the dad to raise the child and give him all that he needs to become a Godly adult.

Mrs. Zebedee knew this and gave up her personal desires to focus on her children.  As a Godly mother, I urge you to reach out to your children today, no matter their ages, and once again confirm your dedication to them and your love for them while standing in unity with your husband.

Today is Mother’s Day and it is the day we honor the women in our lives who have given so much to help us.  I believe the old saying is really true:  ‘A man works from sun up to sun down, but a woman’s job is never done.’

If your mother is still here, reach out to her today with the love in your heart.  They need to hear that so much.  Reach out to your children today, too, reaffirming your devotion to always be there for them no matter what they need.  They also need to hear that. 

And speaking of reaching out to someone, did you know that ….

Jesus is reaching for you right now? If you have been waiting for that right moment to reach back, may I suggest that this is it – right now?

INVITATION