UNPARALLELED STRENGTH AND WISDOM
"Charm is deceitful and
beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the lord, she shall be praised."
-proverbs 31:30
Proverbs
describes a godly woman in this way: "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is
fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all
that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city
gate."
“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the
teaching of kindness is on her tounge. She looks well to the ways of her
household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:26-27
Moms offer unparalleled strength,
wisdom, kindness and truth, even in the midst of busy, chaotic lives at work
and at home. We know what true love and strength looks like because of their
ethics and example. Celebrate Mother’s Day and motherhood with these
encouraging Scriptures for Moms. These verses reflect on the nature of
motherhood and ways our mothers, and mother figures inspire us to live better
and model better lives.
REFLECTIONS
FOR MOTHERS
Reflections from Proverbs
Proverbs 31:10-31
10 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts
in her, And he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax, And
works with her hands in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships; She brings her
food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still
night, And gives food to her household, And portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys
it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is
good; Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to
the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the
poor; And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow
for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the
gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and
sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her
clothing, And she smiles at the future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her
household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless
her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 "Many daughters have done
nobly, But you excel them all."
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is
vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the product of her
hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.
In
this passage in Proverbs, God presents us with His description and estimation
of what a godly wife and mother looks like. In this passage we are given a
glimpse of a woman who is a wife and mother, and one who diligently cares for
her household, the extended family unit including servants, business
associates, and those she helps in the society in which she lives. This woman,
whom God praises and defines as "excellent" or "of noble
character" or "virtuous", and whose value is far above jewels,
is shown to possess at least five characteristics or qualities. But before we
look at these five qualities, let's consider the word translated
"excellent".
The five qualities are:
1. She is a devoted wife (vss. 11, 12, 23). She is one
who has the confidence of her husband, who seeks his welfare, and enhances his
reputation.
2. She is a diligent partner (vss. 13-17, 18b, 19, 22,
24). As a woman with God's viewpoint, she is a willing worker, a wise shopper
and planner who is able to minister to her family because she keeps herself fit
spiritually and physically (cf. vs. 18a, 25).
3. She is a dutiful servant to the needy and the poor
(vs. 20). She has a vision for ministry not only to her family but to her
society.
4. She is a dependable mother (vss. 15, 21, 27). She
is devoted to the needs of her family. She is well groomed, attractive,
organized, and disciplined and as such, is a testimony to her children.
5. She is a doctrinally oriented woman (vs. 26, 18).
She is a woman full of God's wisdom.
Well, after this description, you are probably saying,
“I give up! This doesn't describe a woman, it describes superwoman"! Not
exactly, though you are close. It describes a woman who is living in a
supernatural way with a supernatural God.
As we look at this passage we can see that being a
wife and mother is a tremendously challenging task in any age. But in our day
it is even more challenging because of the distorted values and inroads of
secular humanism and the moral breakdown in our society. And it is especially
difficult for single moms without the help of a husband, and many times without
the help of a caring church.
But may I inject here an important statement. Nothing,
absolutely nothing is more important to a society than godly motherhood. The family
is the foundation of society, and while fathers are responsible for the way the
family goes, mothers are the glue that holds the family together.
Since
this is so true and mothers are so important to our society and to each of us
in our own families, I’d like us to consider some of the problems that moms and
families face as a means of protecting motherhood and increasing our
thoughtfulness for mom.
Reflections for Dad
Ephesians 5:23-29 is the classic passage on headship.
This passage clearly gives us God's perspective of the husband as the head of
the wife, not as a dictator but with a loving servant-like responsibility to
their wife. When we neglect the admonitions and example of this passage, we sin
in several ways:
We sin against God by disobedience and by destroying
the picture that marriage provides of Christ and the church.
We sin against our wives by failing to care for their
needs properly.
We sin against our children since they pick up our
attitudes and actions.
As husbands we are told to care for our wives in two
ways:
(1) As Christ is the Savior of the church, so husbands
are to provide for their wives, not simply by putting food on the table, but by
emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental support. Our wives have all kinds of
needs, but many men are like bulls in a china shop--totally oblivious to the
makeup, the value, needs, and sensitivities of their wives (cf. 1 Pet. 3:7).
Some men are concerned solely with what they can get
from their wives, but are deaf, blind and dumb to the needs of their spouse.
She can change her hair, make a new dress, but does he notice? Does he say,
"Hey, sweetheart, I love your hair, or you really look great." Does
he sit down to just spend time talking with her about what's on her heart and
on his? Too often, the answer to this question is--rarely! Men take care of
their hunting rifles and shotguns, their gardens, their car, their boat, and
their business, but do they notice the strain, the tension, and the desire of
their wife to be loved and cared for as a person?
(2) Two examples are given to show men how to love
their wives. We are to love them as Christ loved the church and as we love our
very own bodies. Ask yourself these questions. Do I want for my wife what I
want for myself? Do I want to avoid for her the unpleasant things I want to
avoid for myself? Life and the home are filled with opportunities for husbands
to show their love and concern for their wives.
Reflections for Sons and Daughters
From Proverbs 31:28 we read, "Her children rise
up and bless her." Mom is far too often taken for granted. She provides
the ride to little league, to ballet, or to piano lessons. Or she provides good
meals for seemingly never ending empty stomachs, or provides a shoulder to cry
on when in trouble. Far too often, mom is the blunt end of cutting remarks or
of unspoken angry looks and attitudes, of disrespect, rebellion, and neglect
because she didn't give in to some whim because she loves you.
Too often she fails to see or hear what her heart
longs for in your attitudes and words like, "thanks mom, I really
appreciate that." Or "thanks mom, I really appreciate you."
In Ephesians Paul mentions two commands with a
promise.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the
Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother which is the first
commandment with a promise, 3 that it may be well with you, and that you may
live long on the earth.
God is very serious about children obeying and
honoring their parents; so serious that he gave this vital command in the Old
Testament with a special promise. In the context of the Old Testament in which
this promise was given, the promise was first of all national and applied to
God's blessing on the nation so they could remain in the land under the care of
God. It illustrates the fact that when there is breakdown in the home, there is
also breakdown in the society as a whole. For Israel, this would result in
disobedience to the Word of God and, ultimately, if there was not repentance,
the nation would come under the curses of Deuteronomy 28-30 and dispersion.
The promise for those who obey their parents is that
they enjoy a prosperous and long life on the earth. This states a general
principle that obedience fosters self-discipline, which in turn brings
stability and longevity in one’s life. (Stated conversely, it is improbable
that an undisciplined person will live a long life. An Israelite who
persistently disobeyed his parents was not privileged to enjoy a long, stable
life in the land of Israel. A clear example of this was Eli’s sons Hophni and
Phinehas [1 Sam. 4:11].) Though that promise was given to Israel in the Old
Testament, the principle still holds true today. (Walvoord, John F., and Zuck,
Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press
Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
How serious is God about obedience? So serious that in
1 Samuel 15:23 He likens rebellion and insubordination (disobedience and
dishonor) to divination (demonic activity) and idolatry.
To honor your parents means you respect, esteem, or
value their opinions and listen to their instruction. You may think mom and dad
are out to lunch and do not understand you, but they do and they are there for
your protection.
Reflections for Mom
THE DEMANDS OF MOTHERHOOD
The demands on mothers are awesome, as we see from
Proverbs 31. Some of these demands include planning meals, grocery shopping,
meal preparation (often for finicky kids and husbands), shopping for clothes
for the family, mending, washing, and ironing; housecleaning, caring for the
many other needs of the family from the broken arm to the runny nose, from the
fight with the kid next door to the quarrel with the boyfriend.
How can mom handle all of this and not only remain
sane and strong but joyful?
THE NEEDS OF MOTHERHOOD
In addition to the need of a loving and caring family,
Luke 10:38f shows us another tremendous need and priority. This is a passage of
contrasts--contrasts between a woman (Martha) who was distracted over her
responsibilities in the home, and a woman (Mary) who found time to sit at the
feet of the Savior to take in His Word. (This is the same Mary who anointed the
Lord’s feet in preparation for His burial.) She had penetrated into the mystery
and truth of His life and death. How had she come to grasp these things when
even the disciples were too spiritually sluggish to do so? She had grasped
these truths because she had seen the need to sit at the Savior’s feet that she
might carefully hear His word.
Only
those mothers who make Mary's priority their own priority will be able to enter
into the secret of Christ's death so they can live in the supernatural power
and quality of His life. This does not imply ignoring the responsibilities of
motherhood, but developing priorities with the Lord that allow for the exchange
of Christ’s life in hers.
A
store, providing suitable gifts for those who love the best, put out this
acrostic of Mother—
M is for the million things she gave you. (Today’s your
chance to give something to her.)
O is only that she’s growing old. (That’s what happens
to Mother. One never notices it until one day, she’s a little old lady.)
T is for the tears she shed to save you. (Many’s the
tear. Don't make her cry today.)
H is for her heart of purest gold. (That heart has ever
been filled with love for you.)
E is for her eyes, with love-light burning. (Have you
ever seen them when deep down inside you, they weren't filled with love for
you?)
R is right—and right she'll always be. (Who dares to
say differently?)
MOTHERS: REFLECTIONS OF GOD’S LOVE
One
of the reasons God created mothers was to gives us an earthly example of His
heavenly love for us. Each stage of motherhood reveals an aspect of His love.
The Pregnancy
Even in the womb the mother loves her baby. She knows
his every move – she knows when he’s awake or sleeping or playing. This reminds
us of how intimately our God knows us.
“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know
my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You
comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For
there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” (Psalm
139:1-5)
The Delivery
Think of how a mother puts her baby’s needs ahead of
her own. She’s willing to endure great pain to see her child face-to-face.
The same is true with God who endured the great pain
of seeing Jesus on the cross so that we will one day be able to see Him
face-to-face.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Nurturing The Baby
Think of a mother feeding her baby. It’s just the two
of them. The mother telling her child how much she loves him as he looks into
her eyes with complete love. She cares for his every need.
It reminds us of God feeding us His Word. We can
picture our heavenly Father cradling us, telling us how much He loves us,
providing everything we need, all the while we look to Him with complete love.
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before
the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the
flock under his care. (Psalm 95:6-7)
Raising The Child
Notice the mother setting boundaries for her child.
Rules are put into place. The difference between right and wrong is taught. She
does this to keep her child safe – she only wants the best for him. He rarely
understands this though and thinks Mom is just out to ruin his fun. But one day
it will become clear to him that she has his best interest at heart.
So it is with God who sets boundaries for us as well
and, like Mom, is often view as a “bad guy” because we don’t understand that
He’s only looking out for our safety. But, just like this child, one day we
will understand too.
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present,
but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)
All Grown Up
No matter how big he is he will always be his mother’s
baby, she will always love him with all her heart. And here again we see a
reflection of God’s love. He loves you deeply and continually thinks of you
(Psalm 139:17-18).
“I
have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
With
joy we bring them, Lord,
Devoting
them to Thee,
Imploring,
that, as we are Thine,
Thine
may our offspring be.
“As
a mother comforts
O
words of gentle worth!
So
will I comfort you,” declares
The
Lord of all the earth.
He
patient is, as mothers are
Who
love their children well;
Our
faults and failings He forgives;
His
mercies—who can tell!
For
every wonderful mother out there happy mother’s day. GOD BLESS.
