2 Timothy 1:3&5
Reading
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
INTRODUCTION
It will be very difficult to have a simple definition of the word mother. Many think that a mother is the one who has given birth to a baby. Many women never had a baby in their entire life, but they take good care of their relative’s children and see them through their. Some women never had children of their own. They resorted to adopting a child, taking good care of the child, and showing the child the way of the Lord. Some of these children became preachers of the gospel of Christ. What I am saying is that it is very difficult to find a word to define a mother because what adjective can portray her infinite patience, her unfailing tenderness, her loving care, her amazingness, self-sacrifice, her wonderful understanding, and her intense loyalty?
In our modern days when the godless element is putting a premium on childless homes and sneering at the faithful wives and mothers, some homes are becoming centers of crime. Marriage is becoming merchandise, wives are becoming businesswomen, and children are unavoidable nuisances. The few children who do make it into the world are turned over to milk bottles and babysitters, and to the public schools where there is now danger in the classroom. Another problem is the modernistic colleges, where young people live together without the legality of marriage and where drugs and drinks abound on our campuses. May God give us Christian mothers.
To the wife or a great Christian mother, her home is her realm. She is always there at home for the children. We see a great Christian mother with her children sitting in front of the fireplace telling them Bible stories. Time will not permit me to say half of what a great Christian mother is, but the little I know about a great mother is wonderful.
The Bible declares that we should render honour to whom honour is due. It is good, therefore, that we should render tribute to the many mothers who have been and still are true to the standard set forth in the Bible. As the world celebrates Mother’s Day, I want to call your attention to four great and wonderful mothers, their God-given children, and how they raised them.
(1) Moses’s Mother Jochebed
There was amazing protection on baby Moses and God miraculously intervened to save him. It was possible because Moses’ mother, having some sweet inking of what God had in mind for her baby Moses, set out to work with God to spare the infant from the murderous hand of the wicked king Pharaoh who commanded that all the boy babies born to the Israelites be killed. O Mother, be sure you listen to the voice of God and cooperate with Him in bringing up the little ones He gave you. Moses was properly trained in the fear of God. We could see this in his upbringing, in Hebrews 11:24 and 25, “24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”. It takes a trained, disciplined, and one who fears God to reject the goodies of the palace and the privilege to be called the king’s son, ‘Pharaoh’s son’. Thank God for a great mother like Jochebed.
(2) Hannah, mother of the Prophet Samuel
Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah, but she had no children. She wept and would not eat. They went to Shiloh, the place of worship to pray. We see this in 1 Samuel 1:10&11,
“10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.”
The aged priest Eli saw her mouth moving but did not know that she prayed. He thought she was drunk. The priest Eli rebuked her, but after realizing that she was pouring out her heart to the LORD, blessed her, saying; “17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” – 1 Samuel 1: 17-18. God had spoken to her in assurance, praise be His name!
She conceived, and when the child was born, she named him Samuel meaning “asked of God”. After the little boy Samuel was weaned, she took him to Eli at the place of worship and said, “27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” – 1 Samuel 1:27-28.
Samuel’s mother made a vow to the Lord on her son, God answered her petition, and she fulfilled her promise. Mothers, how many times do you make a promise to God, and God answers, but you do not fulfill your promise to Him? God never failed in His promises it is you and I that do fail in our promises to Him. Let us be faithful, truthful, and honest in our dealing with God
(3) Elizabeth, mother of the greatest prophet John the Baptist
The third Christian mother I want to talk about is Elizabeth. She prayed, and God gave her John the Baptist. Jesus Christ describes John the Baptist as the greatest among them born of a woman (Mathew 11:11). Zacharias and Elizabeth were both “well stricken in years” and Elizabeth was too old to have a child by any normal standards. But in answer to prayer, God gave her a child. The story is told in Luke 1:5-17.
The birth of John the Baptist was a time of great joy, and Zacharias, filled with the Spirit, prophesied wonderful things about John, particularly about the Saviour whom John would announce. But the father of John had little faith, and because he had not believed, he was dumb for months before the child was born. We may well suppose that Elizabeth had been more fervent in prayer and had more faith. Perhaps she had prayed for one who would be “great in the sight of the Lord; will be filled with the Holy Ghost; who will also turn many of Israel to the coming Savior Jesus Christ,” so Elizabeth the mother of John was Spirit-filled. We find an encounter in Luke 1:42. Elizabeth meets Mary, the mother of Jesus, and filled with the Holy Ghost, says; “And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” to praise God for the Virgin Mary and the Saviour that should be born.
John the Baptist was rather a strange man. He lived in the desert until the time of his showing to Israel, dressed in a garment of camel’s hair with a leather girdle about his loins. his meat was locusts and wild honey, said the Bible about him in Mathew 3:1-6. You see how great and wonderful John the Baptist was. Who could tell what part Elizabeth’s prayers and influence had on this mighty man of God? Mothers, why not learn from a great Christian mother like Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist?
(4) Eunice, Timothy’s mother
The scripture talks about Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice on one aspect of the Christian pillar which is faith. Faith is essential. The word of God says, “Without faith, we cannot see God. In salvation, we put our trust in Jesus Christ. We accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our personal Lord and Saviour by faith. In Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The whole of Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the chapter of FAITH.
We read this in 2 Timothy 1:3&5, “3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”
Paul could thank God for Timothy’s faith and his wonderful life and ministry, so he could thank God for his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, who had taught Timothy to know and love the Saviour. The wife shares with her husband the marvellous privilege of bringing an immortal soul into being in conception. The husband and wife are “heirs together of the grace of life.”
Motherhood is greatly exalted in the Bible. It is the mother, as well as the father, who is to be honoured, respected, obeyed, and supported by the children in her old age. The Bible makes it quite clear that the ultimate authority in the home is the father, but perhaps, He made mothers more tender, more forgiving, more affectionate, and less by conscience and justice. Mothers will always be known as “Sweet Mothers”.
CONCLUSION
You can all see that mothers are of great value, probably far more value than we sometimes think. She is of great value because of her far-reaching influence for good. The greatest trust in the world is in the hands of a woman. I cannot overemphasize the importance of your role as a mother in the world. I wish I could make you see it like I have seen and thought about it today.
Remember Jochebed, the mother of Moses, whose son became a leader of a great nation. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, whom the son became one of the greatest Prophets of the Old Testament. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, her son became the forerunner of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Eunice and Lois; Timothy’s mother and grandmother, taught him of faith. Timothy became a disciple of the Apostle Paul.
In our modern day, we have great men of God whose mothers helped them to become great men of God; John Rice, Dr. Jack Hyles, Dr. R. G. Lee, and Billy Sunday, just to mention a few, Mothers pray to God to help shape their children and bring them to the knowledge of the almighty God. It is my prayer for you mothers to help these young ones in Jesus’ name.
Amen!!!