Happy Mother’s Day to all you mom’s out there this morning on this Mother’s Day 2003. If you remember a few years back, as we were studying the book of Revelation, we did that awesome, powerful Mother’s Day message, “Demon Locusts from the Pit!”  Don’t be afraid, we aren’t going there this morning, I learned my lesson!  My prayer for this message is that it would encourage you, strengthen you in the work that is before you, the work that God has called you to do.

            Now I do understand that not all of you are moms this morning, if fact some of you are not even women, so what does this have to do with you?  I believe this is a important message for all of us to understand and I think we can apply these things to our lives besides encouraging the moms out there to continue on in the work. You see, in this society we are living in we don’t see mom’s like June Cleaver from the Leave it to Beaver television show. In fact, I am not sure there were ever any mom’s out there like that, but the office, the position, the ministry of being a mom is looked down upon today, not like it was years ago! 

            People see motherhood as unimportant and children as a burden; and God sees these things differently, in opposition to what our society is saying. Thus, as we see the importance of mother’s, the blessing of children, we then can encourage mom’s to continue on, we can help them in the work they are doing and we can truly appreciate all the time, the effort, the patience and-so-on they have in raising our children.  As William Ross Wallace said, and it is so true regarding mothers, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”  The influence you have on your children is powerful and it is lasting!

            This morning, if you would, please turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6.  Now don’t be afraid, don’t think I am going to beat you with the Law, remember it is not the Demon Locusts from the Pit, so it’s got to be better.  Before we get to our text, listen to what some have said regarding their mother and mother’s in general.  First of all, listen to what Theodore Roosevelt said regarding mothers. We read:

            “When all is said, it is the mother and the mother only who is a better citizen than the soldier who fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of the next generation, is of greater use to the community and occupies, if she would only realize it, a more honorable, as well as important, position than any man in it. The mother is the only one supreme asset of national life.  She is more important by far than the successful statesmen or businessmen or artists or scientists.”

            President George Washington said this of his mother: “All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.”

            President Abraham Lincoln said this regarding his mother: “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”

            And lastly, Booker T. Washington said this regarding his mother: “If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.”

            Sorry, men, even Gallup reports that nine in ten American adults, some 88 percent, report that their own mother had a positive influence on them!  So I don’t care what some in our society try to tell us, mothers are very important, as we are going to see this morning, and as I am sure you have realized already!

            I hope those words encourage you moms and that as we go through Deuteronomy chapter 6, you will see what you are to do, what you are to instill in your children. So with that said, let’s begin reading in Deuteronomy chapter 6, starting in verse 4 and see what the Lord has for us on this Mother’s Day 2003!

            This portion of Scripture is called the SHEMA and it means “to hear.”  The Lord wants us to hear these instructions so that we may apply them to our lives. Now, obviously this is not only for mom’s but for dad’s, really it is for all of us to apply to our lives and it all starts in one place, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-6.

            You see, it all begins in your own heart, your own relationship with the Lord. You can’t give to others; you can’t give to your children what you yourself don’t have. What does God desire of you?  Is it your money?  No!  Is it your time?  No!  Is it your possessions?  No!  What God wants from you is simply, your love!  Thus, to love Him you must know Him and to know Him you must be in His Word and then take that and apply it to your life.  You see, being a godly mother, having that positive influence upon your child or children, you first must love God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your strength, and all of your mind; in other words, with your entire being!

            Maybe you heard of the story of the four famous scholars who were discussing which translation of the Bible was the best.  Each one was making his point using his intellectual arguments for their case, proving why this one was better than the others, when all of a sudden, and quit unexpectedly, one scholar said, “I like my mom’s translation the best.”  The others started laughing and making fun of this man saying to him, “Your mom translated the Bible, now did she?”  The man replied back rather sure of himself, “Yes she did!”  Stunned by his remarks, the others stood by just looking at this man who made this strange remark, and he said to these other scholars, “She translated every page of the Bible into her life, and it was the most convincing translation I’ve ever seen.”

            You have heard of the saying “Do as I say and not as I do!”  That is garbage and what you are doing is justifying your wrong behavior and your child or children will see right through you. Be the example, live what you believe and they will take notice. I am not saying you need to be a perfect mother because there are none, none of us are perfect! But be all that God wants you to be, you make the Bible come alive to them because of your love, your devotion, your closeness to God.  But it does start with you and from you then you can teach these things to your child or children several different ways, as these verses in Deuteronomy chapter 6 tell us.  In fact, we are told that we are to “teach them diligently to your children” and then he lists for us the ways we are to do it. So with that said, lets look at these practical ways we can train our children in the things of God.    

            The first seems too simple; you are to talk with them!  When was the last time you sat down with your son or daughter to just talk with them?  This is something that is to be done daily. In fact, you should talk with them when you are sitting down in your home.  Too often today kids’ rooms are like a multi-media center, where they can live in their rooms never needing to have contact with their parents. Folks, that is not something that is a good thing.  There needs to be a place where you can sit down and take the time to talk to each other, speak of what is going on in your life and theirs, and what God is doing, His love for us!

            Also, you are to talk to your child or children when you are out of the house, on walks, at the store, going to school, going to practice, whatever you are doing, make God an important part of your life and it will be an important part of their life, maybe not at that moment, maybe not while they are still living at home, but as God’s Word says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6.  

            Also, when you go to bed at night, close the day in prayer, close the day by reading them out of the Bible and if they are older, let them know that you are praying for them. Let them always see that you end each day with the Lord on your heart and mind and that they are also on your heart and mind because you love the Lord and them so much!

            Lastly, when you rise up in the morning, do you do so complaining, grumpy and your excuse is “I’m not a morning person!”?  Or do you rise up praising the Lord for a new day to serve Him, I am not saying you are not tired, but you are ready to start your day with the Lord!  Let your children see that you don’t start your day without the Lord upon your heart, your mind!

            Yes, teaching them the things of God is important, but if you are not living them, the words you say will be empty!  James tells us, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  The Word of God living in us and through us should be a part of everything we do. This is not to condemn you or make you feel bad about yourself because you have failed, to lay a heavy burden on you, this is to encourage you to do these things and see the blessings that will come as you do!  And, if you fill yourself up with the Lord, what will come flowing from your life will be Jesus!

            As we continuing on reading in Deuteronomy 6:8 we are told, “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”  Now by the time we get to Jesus’ day they had developed a practice of wearing these small, or sometimes large boxes on their forehead or hand, held in place by leather straps, and in these boxes were scriptures, like the SHEMA.  They saw this as God’s command for them but they missed what the Lord was saying here.  Do you really think by wearing Christian tee-shirts that makes you more holy, godlier, that you are living a life that God desires?  Of course not!

            Then what is the point here?  First of all when the Lord tells us to bind them on our hand He is talking about letting the Word of God guide our actions, the things we touch, the things we do. What does that mean? I think Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:19-21, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” 

            You see, as the Lord fills your life and guides your hands, your walk, there then is a song in your heart and a bounce in your step. Your children will see it, they will see how God guides you and not your own fleshly desires.  Again, none of us are perfect, and when we blow it, it is okay to let your children hear those words, “I’m sorry, I was wrong!”  But it is also important to let them see how God guides your life, to direct you, and how His hands are not only upon you but also your child or children!

            Also, he speaks of these being a sign on the “frontlets between your eyes.” And believe it or not, they use to and still do today with the orthodox Jews, wear these phylacteries on their forehead!  But again, that is not what the Lord is speaking of here; He is talking about the mind. That God needs to be guiding and guarding it and that is only done as we submit to Him and obey His voice.

            I like what Paul says in Philippians 4:6-9, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

            You see, when you give it to the Lord, when you fill your mind with His love, His Word, then you can have peace in your life no matter what you are going through. You can have a peace in your heart, your emotions when He is in control.  You can be at peace in your mind even through the storms of life.  And, as you do these things, your children will notice and as they watch you they are learning by example what it means to trust in the Lord, to rest in Him.

            Lastly, in Deuteronomy 6:9 we are told, “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  The Jews today place a small container called a MEZZUZAH which again holds a passage of Scripture and it is nailed to the doorpost.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with having the Scriptures that can be seen throughout your house, obviously if it is in a box where it can’t be seen it is useless.  I love going throughout my house and seeing Scripture. God’s Word brings comfort to us and they tell others this is what we believe.

            But I also think it must go farther than that. You see, by having Scripture verses throughout your home is meaningless if you are not living what you say you believe.  Your house, filled with the love of God, should be an oasis for your children to enter knowing that the presence of God is here!

            Remember Joshua, as he was giving his farewell address to the nation, and he said in Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!  And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  

            As a family, as a mom, you must take a stand, who are you going to serve? You see, will it be the Lord or other things?  For Joshua, he said it was going to be the Lord, that he and his family would not let outside pressures to deter them from serving the Lord as a family, and mom’s you play an important role it that!

            Maybe some of you mom’s are feeling overwhelmed this morning. Maybe you are a single mom trying to do the best that you can, and again, you are just overwhelmed wondering what will happen to your children as they grow, can you influence them?  Let me say this, surrender yourself to the Lord, fill yourself with Him, and He will honor your faithfulness and will take care of your children, you will have a positive influence upon them!

            In II Timothy 1:3-5 Paul tells us, “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”  

            What about Timothy’s father?  From what we can gather, he was an unbelieving Greek according to Acts 16:1.  So all of Timothy’s training in the things of God came from his Jewish mother, Eunice, who was a believer and his Jewish grandmother, Lois, who was also a believer.  These two women had a powerful influence upon Timothy’s life, so much so that he not only became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, but he was the pastor of the church in Ephesus!

            Folks, like with Timothy, there is no such thing as a perfect family, only a perfect God who can take families that are broken, divided and hear their cry and bring them back together again.  God can take families that seem so far apart and heal them. You see, God desires to see our families grow in Him and that growth does take place during difficult times when we have to look to Him, rely on Him to see us through.  And yes, it is not always easy, but we can thank God that our children are not born teenagers and our teenagers can thank God for that too, for it gives us parents some 12 years to learn and to grow as parents!

            Maybe some of you mom’s are struggling with a rebellious child or children and you are at your wits end, you don’t know what to do.  All you can do is give the child to God, pray for them and love them.  I have seen that in my wife over the past few years with our children, the love she has for them even when they were rebellious.  To tell you the truth, she puts me to shame in this area, I think I am harder here. 

            Just to give you one example, a few years back one of my sons who wasn’t living with us at the time because of his rebellion, was going to have his car towed away.  I don’t know how the police got in touch with us, because he wasn’t living with us, and I’m sure he didn’t even want to be associated with us at that time, but they did.  My reaction was, “Good, let them tow it!”  My wife, upon hearing this news went out looking for our son to tell him what was going to happen if he didn’t move his car.  Now that love, the love of Jesus flowing through her has helped in the healing in our relationship with one of our sons and also the other one. We aren’t there yet, but God is working.

            I love listening to my wife talk on the phone to both our sons because she has this boldness to speak the truth and yet she does so in a loving way, and they do listen even though they might not agree many times.  Never give up, remember what 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.”  The Living Bible puts it this way, “Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.” 

            Train them up when they are young, teach them the things of God, fill your home with the things of God, speak the things of God with them outside the home, when you go to bed and when you rise up in the morning, let them see Jesus in you!  Let God guide your actions and your mind and fill your house with the things of God, make His presence be manifested for all to see who enter it!

            As I close this morning let me encourage you to continue on, don’t give up, continue forging ahead in this battle because it is worth it in the end.  And thank you once again for your love, your patience, your influence, that you desire to manifest Jesus to your children. How important that is and may we not just remember it one day a year, but everyday, thanking you for being a godly mother!   You are appreciated and if we forget to thank you, God remembers and He is smiling down giving you a “That-a-girl!” 

            Listen to this story as I close this morning that I hope will encourage you.  It is the story of the world-class mother, which all of you are and it goes like this:

            A mother appears to be a normal human being. She has all the physical features that all people have: two eyes, two hands, two arms, two feet, all connected to one body. Now, that’s what you see if you just look at the exterior of a mother. But if you were a child, you know that she has at least three sets of eyes. Two in front, two in back, so that she can see all the things that she must see but that are hidden from her, and one on each side of her head so that she can protect the cookie jar no matter where she stands in the kitchen.  All of these eyes are capable of seeing through wood, plaster, and so forth so she can tell what’s going on behind closed doors. 

            And she has bionic ears.  She can hear a dirty word whispered a block away. She can hear a complaint that is only thought when unpleasant tasks are assigned to her kids.  With her many arms and hands, she can prepare a meal, find Dad’s shirt, change a diaper, run the vacuum, and hug two kids all at the same time.

            With strong, fast legs, she can move about the house like a speeding bullet. She patrols the streets, stops a fight in the backyard, catches a tennis ball before it is flushed down the toilet, prevents a child from falling out of a tree, and moves the toys out of the driveway before Dad comes home, all at the same time.

            Her endless supply of energy can only be a God-given attribute.  She’s the first to rise in the morning, have breakfast ready for the brood as they get up, gets each child ready for school, is both barber and beautician, fashion consultant, chairman, budget director, purchasing agent, paramedic, veterinarian, interpreter, travel agent, interior decorator, and is the last to bed at night.  With a tender kiss, she can heal everything from a cut finger to a broken heart. With her kiss, she can convince a balding 40-year-old man that he’s just as handsome as ever. Her ability to love is exceeded only by God’s love. Her love is protective.  Her love is tender. Her love is consistent and understanding, forgiving, unchanging, unselfish, giving, contagious, comfortable, and everlasting. The nearest thing that we can see in this world to God’s love is a mother’s love.

                                                                                    - Rex R. Burns, Pulpit Helps

            Happy Mother’s Day Mom’s, and may the Lord richly bless you and your family throughout the year.  Keep manifesting Jesus and in the end, no matter the struggles in between, they will see Jesus!  As we read in one of our stories this morning, translate every page of the Bible into your life, and it will be the most convincing translation your children will ever see!