On May 11th I spoke at a Mother Child Tea. As I studied while I prepared to speak in my fullness I posted The Meaning of Mother and then the The Call of a Mother. I am going to finish sharing what I learned through a series of post. Today we will look at the charge of a Mother…
As I studied through the book of Jeremiah I had never realized how well the study of this book could relate to the cry of a mother’s heart… As I read passages like
‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not look upon you in anger.
For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
‘Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God
And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’
Jeremiah 3:12-14
One of the hardest things to watch as a parent is to see your children making wrong choices and living in the deceit of them instead of trusting in your words of truth to them. It is even harder when this thing is in absolute rebellion to God. There is nothing but the leaning into the sovereign arms of the Lord that can comfort a mother who is watching her child walk stubbornly and stiff-necked right into the death of sin…
To the Christian mother of today’s United States in the abundance of promoted immorality and having the seeds of evil and lies of Satan so fervently sown in every direction no matter where you turn… the call of a Mother to pluck up and break down and destroy and overflow becomes all the more crucial and overwhelming.
How on earth can we win this fight?
How on earth can we build on the solid foundation and plant the good seed fast enough, deep enough, secure enough to keep the seeds of evil and lies from taking root and to keep the enemy of our souls from throwing up his make-shift shanties where the temple of the Holy Spirit of the Living God should be.
We hear the call, but how can we accomplish this call?
Thus the charge of a mother…
For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you,
which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois
and your mother Eunice,
and I am sure that it is in you as well.
For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh
the gift of God which is in you
through the laying on of my hands.
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity,
but of power and love and discipline.
2 Timothy 1:5-7
First, be aware that God is mindful of the sincere faith that is within you. Be aware that God sees the desire of your heart to raise your children up in truth and to fight the powers of hell on their behalf. Be aware, mother, that He sees and He knows.
Then, remember what you have been taught by the generation before you. Why are you where you are today with this heart for God. Who has invested in you and how did they invest in you. Follow their example. Pour into your child the hope that was poured into you.
Then, kindle afresh the gift of God that is within you… His Holy Spirit… His Word. Never let the wellspring of the Living Water run dry in you. Never let the fire of His Spirit be quenched within you… keep yourself under the mentorship of other strong mature believers who can pray with you and encourage and exhort you. Stay in the Word and stay in the fellowship.
Finally, never ever forget that God has not given you a spirit of timidity. He has given you a spirit of power and of love and of discipline. You can answer this call of a mother because God Himself has prepared and supplied you with everything you need to do so.
Notice the list is power – love – discipline
If love is not at the center in how you answer this call, then power and discipline will backfire and uproot all that you plant and destroy all that you build… be careful to keep love at the center. You can do this if you remember who you are in Him and remember that is Him who watches over His Word to perform it. It is not your job to force it… but His to perform it.