Mother's Day Sermon Part 2

I want to look at each of those individually to teach us what it takes both to be a good mother and a faithful Christian.

First, a Spirit of Power. I don’t always think of mothers as powerful, but perhaps I underestimate them. They are a powerful influence on the lives of their kids. My mom has been here a few times and some of you have met her. I doubt any of you would term her powerful. She is of modest size, but I would put her in the category of powerful. She has strength that I wish I could emulate. When I was growing up, my mom would get up at the crack of dawn and go into work at 6:00 in the morning to do a job that she didn’t really enjoy, with people who were often lazy and lacksidasical, and then come home at 5:00, cook dinner, clean the house, take me to various practices, get back and work on some project from making clothes to crocheting, throw in some laundry, and then finally go to bed frustrated that she didn’t get more done. That is some strength, people. But it is not just physical strength and power, it is inner strength. My mom went through a lot. We moved quite a bit. There were some tough times as there always are in families. But she stayed strong. She had a faith that was bolstered on the promises of God so that she could live with the confidence that God was in control.

We all need such a faith. The weakest among us physically can be the strongest in the faith. God says it just takes faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. That’s power that comes from God.

The second characteristic is a Spirit of Love. My family is not a very affectionate family. You may have noticed that I am not all that huggy either. But all love is not touch. Love displays itself in a variety of ways, and though we weren’t a touchy feely family I always knew I was loved. My mom’s love reminds me of something I once read from John Killinger:
“I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children, they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.”

That is the kind of love that kids need. And more and more children are growing up into adults still lacking such love. People will go to great lengths, seeking approval and love and they usually end up disappointed. Oh that we would all love one another as a good mother loves her children—mending wounds, encouraging through failure, standing by one another through our faults, forgiving when people offend us. It’s the kind of love that resembles Jesus, laying down our lives, pride, and selfishness for a friend—for a brother, sister, son or daughter in Christ.

The final characteristic is a Spirit of Self-discipline. And I have to say, fewer and fewer of us resemble this characteristic. We often need external motivation to get things done—a paycheck, a threat of punishment, a reward of some sort. Otherwise, we just don’t see the necessity of getting stuff done when it should be or how it should be. Or maybe we just give up. It’s like the mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. "Yes," she replied. "But not the same ones." Sometimes, we just don’t feel like trying anymore.

I am not always self-disciplined, but my mom sure taught me that I should and could be. A lot of kids these days get rewarded for good grades. Say, $10 for an A, $5 for a B, and $1 for a C. That’s pretty good incentive to work hard. But I was expected to get straight A’s. That’s right, expected. There was no reward for getting an A, just punishment for anything less than that standard. This may seem harsh to some of you, but I learned a valuable lesson. Early on, maybe 5th grade, I got a C+. There were extenuating circumstances, as there always are, and when my mom berated me for this failure I replied to her, “But a C+ is average.” Do you know what she replied to me? “You are not average. You are not living up to your ability.” That stuck with me. She was right. God has blessed me with an acute mind, and not excelling in the academic realm was a direct result of a lack of self-discipline.

Spiritually, our world lacks self-discipline. We don’t resist sin like we should. We don’t cultivate our relationship with God like we should. We don’t glorify Him like we should. Plenty of excuses could be made, but it all comes back to us not living up to our ability. God has put a Spirit within us to do awesome things for His kingdom. The only thing that holds us back is us. God has not made us average. He has made us special. May we all live up to our potential.

A lot of things make a good mom—love, kindness, gentleness, patience. But the most important is a faithful witness. The same is not just for moms, but for all of us. As Christians we have a responsibility and a privilege to be a spark in people’s lives and to help fan into flame their faith. The challenge is there not just for moms, but for all of us to be what Eunice and Paul were to Timothy.