The Attributes of a Godly Mother

[0:00] Today on Mother's Day, I, of course, have come with a word for the moms, many future mothers. However, I believe that the message I'm going to portray today can be applied in all of our lives, not just moms, not just women.

[0:16] I think we can find spiritual application that we can all take from it. So I hope that even though I might say mom, I might say mothers, I might say woman, I hope you guys can kind of think outside the box.

[0:26] And you guys can think outside the box and find a way to apply it to you as well, because I think if you if you really think about it, you can. Today, I would like to talk about some godly attributes of a woman.

[0:40] And I want to connect those attributes to some women of the Bible and talk about how they can relate to us as mothers, women, Christians as women, Christians as a whole.

[0:50] The first one is a godly woman loves one more than her own family. And I'm sorry, I don't have like a beginning text. I'm going to be reading scriptures throughout. So no need to stand or anything like that.

[1:03] Just I'm going to be reading throughout. A godly woman loves one more than her own family. I am a wife to a wonderful godly man, mom to three beautiful children, and nana to one perfect grandbaby.

[1:19] I love and adore these humans more than anything else in this world. More than I could ever express to you, I love and adore them very, very much. However, but there is one that I must love more than them.

[1:32] Mark 12, 30 says, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, with all thy strength, for this is the first commandment. A godly mom loves the Lord with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength.

[1:48] Throughout the Bible, there are several biblical examples that exemplify prioritizing God's will over their family. Particularly in moments of faith and obedience.

[2:00] The one I would like to talk about today is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is a prime example of this. She embraced God's plan for her son's life, even in the face of immense suffering.

[2:14] She was a loving mother, and she loved her son very much. However, her faith and trust in God shows that there was one that she loved much more. We're all familiar with the story of Mary.

[2:28] She was a virgin. God sent an angel to tell her she would birth the Messiah. Mary had only one question for that angel. How can this be? I have not been with a man.

[2:40] And the angel simply answered her, saying, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also, that holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

[2:52] And Mary simply said, Let it be. Mary recognized God's plan for Jesus and his mission. Even when it meant watching him suffer and die, she trusted in God's plan.

[3:04] Even when it was painful, showing her love for God came first. A godly woman depends on God's love and power rather than on her own.

[3:17] Psalm 121.1 says, The woman of the Bible that I would like to talk about for this attribute is Naomi.

[3:41] Naomi is found in the book of Ruth. Naomi was married to Elimelech. They had two sons. Both of those sons had married Moabite women, Orpha and Ruth.

[3:52] Sadly, Naomi lost her husband and both of her sons. Her and her daughter-in-laws were left widowed. And the daughter-in-laws were left with no children. This made Naomi a bitter woman.

[4:06] Imagine losing your husband and your sons, not ever having grandchildren. Sorry, this just keeps going out. They were living a poor life, and there was famine in the land.

[4:19] Naomi decided it was time for her to go back to Bethlehem. So she told her daughter-in-laws, Hey, you know, there's famine. I'm not sure what's going to happen. We don't have husbands.

[4:30] I have nothing to offer you to. I think it's best for you guys to go back to your families and their land. And I'm going to go back to where I'm from. And so one of the daughter-in-laws, she did.

[4:42] She went back to her parents and to her homeland. But the other daughter-in-law, Ruth, decided she was going to follow her mother-in-law. Ruth left not. The Bible says Ruth claved to her mother-in-law, forsaking her own people, forsaking her family, forsaking her native country, facing a likelihood of poverty and an unlikelihood of a husband.

[5:04] She chose to follow Naomi. Ruth said in Ruth chapter 1, verse 17, Where thou goest, I will go. Where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people.

[5:15] Thy God, my God. Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem. They were not sure what lied ahead. But they eventually found favor in the eyes of Boaz. Ruth's loyalty as a worker and Boaz's kindness provided support and opportunity for them.

[5:33] Ruth found love in Boaz. And they eventually married and they had a son named Obed, who was the father of Jesse, grandfather to King David. This is a beautiful story of a godly mother-in-law who faced challenges of grief and loss and struggled at times to find faith and hope in the difficult circumstances.

[5:54] However, despite those circumstances, she displayed her trust and her faith in God. And her walk with God was so evident that even her daughter-in-law was willing to follow her.

[6:07] This one speaks to me a great deal. I am also a mother-in-law to a beautiful daughter-in-law. I have raised my children. They are adults living their own lives and must now make their own decisions and their own commitments to God.

[6:22] However, I don't believe my job is done. My godly example must still be portrayed each and every day. Despite Naomi's bitterness, despite her suffering, despite the uncertainty, the story of Naomi demonstrates how God can bring good from difficult situations, ultimately fulfilling his promises.

[6:45] A godly woman spends time in God's word and in prayer. Samuel 2, 1-2 says, Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices and triumphs in the Lord.

[6:58] My strength is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth has opened wide to speak boldly against my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There was no one holy like the Lord. There was no one beside you.

[7:08] There was no rock like our God. The story of Hannah exemplifies a mother who spent time in God's presence and in God's word. She knew the power of prayer, and she vowed to dedicate her life as well as her sons to God.

[7:22] Hannah was barren and could not have a child. She prayed and asked God to give her a child, and she made a vow to God, If you would just give me that child, I will commit his life, and I will give him back to serve in the temple.

[7:36] She kept her commitment to God, even when I'm sure it conflicted with her maternal desires. You see, Hannah had made the commitment to dedicate her son Samuel to God and give him back to serve in the temple.

[7:48] In that day, as Shane, sorry, Pastor Eccles, so eloquently talked about when baby Miles was being dedicated, in that day, when we dedicated, when they dedicated, it was more, it was a physical action.

[8:01] He physically went to the temple and served there. Despite Hannah's immense love for Samuel, she honored her vow to God.

[8:13] This act demonstrated Hannah's faith and trust in God's plan, even when it required her to relinquish her own son. This type of sacrifice could not have come from a heart of someone that was not completely sold out to God.

[8:28] Could not have come from someone who was not spending time with God. Having a relationship with God, it could definitely not have come from someone that was not, because maternal instincts are going to give in if you're not completely sold out to God.

[8:43] Hannah fully submersed herself in God's will and in living for God. The fourth attribute I want to talk about is a godly woman intentionally disciples her children.

[8:56] Proverbs 22, 6, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Deuteronomy 4, 9, Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life, but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.

[9:17] Deuteronomy 6, 6-7 says, And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart, that thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

[9:33] So basically, all the time. We should be diligently speaking of the... Diligently teaching our children, and talking of God, and discipling our children.

[9:44] It says when we rise, when we lay down to sleep, when we're sitting in our house, when we're walking by the way. Constantly. It should be something that's ever-present in our homes. There's the story of Timothy, and his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice are the biblical women I'd like to talk about here.

[10:05] I love this story, and quite honestly, it's one I haven't heard much about, which is sad, because it's a very beautiful story of a godly legacy. Timothy's mother and grandmother were excellent examples of women in the Bible who intentionally discipled their children.

[10:21] This is evident in the lineage and legacy carried on throughout generations. These two women of the Bible were unwavering in their commitment to instill in their children a love and application for the things of God.

[10:35] In 2 Timothy 1, the Apostle Paul is speaking to Timothy, and he says, When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, I am persuaded that it is also in thee.

[10:49] Paul is reminding Timothy of his sincere faith and demonstrating that he believes it was inherited from his mother and grandmother. Their teachings and example had a lasting impact on Timothy, shaping him into a faithful and devoted follower of Jesus.

[11:07] The story of Lois and Eunice is a reminder that the life that we live, the faith and the trust in God that we possess, or sadly, the lack of faith and trust that we possess in God, as women, as men, can have a lasting impact on future generations.

[11:27] Their example encourages Christian mothers and grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers, future fathers, future grandfathers, to actively participate in raising up their children to serve God.

[11:43] Attribute number five, a godly woman pursues the Lord and leads her children by example on good days and bad days. 1 Corinthians 11 says, Be ye followers of me, even I also am of Christ.

[12:00] Jacobad is the mother of Moses. We've all heard this story preached a thousand times. Pharaoh had ordered all the male babies to be killed. And of course, as any mother would, Jacobad tried everything she could to spare her son's life.

[12:15] She hid him for three months, and when she could no longer hide him, she placed him in a basket and set him to float along the river. Lo and behold, who was it that found Moses floating in the river?

[12:27] But Pharaoh's daughter herself. She adopted Moses, and when she could not nurse Moses in the way only a mother can, she went in search of someone who could help.

[12:41] Jacobad, Moses' actual birth mother, was hired to nurse him. It was during these times of nursing and caring for Moses that Jacobad was able to teach him of his true Hebrew heritage, and although he was raised in an Egyptian home with his adopted Egyptian mother, Jacobad's actions began from that moment when she was no doubt fighting an internal battle and had placed him, her baby boy, in a basket in that river.

[13:12] She demonstrated her courage, faith, and devotion to God. She demonstrated her unending love for her son, and her actions ultimately contributed to his survival and his eventual role in leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

[13:27] In closing today, I'd like to share something I read with you all and bring this all back around in application to our lives today. Some have had kings in their lineage, some to whom honor was paid, not blessed of my ancestors, but I have a mother who prays.

[13:46] I have a mother who prays for me and pleads with the Lord every day for me. Oh, what a difference it makes for me. I have a mother who prays. Some have worldly success and trust in riches they've made.

[13:58] This is my surest asset. I have a mother who prays. My mother's prayers cannot save me. Only mine can avail. But my mother introduced me to someone someone who could never fail.

[14:09] Oh, yes, I have a mother who prays for me and pleads with the Lord every day for me. Oh, what a difference it makes for me. I have a mother who prays. Throughout all the five attributes, and there's many, many more attributes and wonderful mothers and women of the Bible, but the five that I brought out today, all of these attributes and examples of godly women, it is evident that the impact of a praying mother's influence on her children's life is profound.

[14:35] It is vitally important that we as mothers, fathers, aunties, uncles, grandparents, Christians as a whole, provide a godly example, model faith, and teach our children, our grandchildren, our future children, or anybody who we might just be examples to.

[14:57] Try to teach them to put our trust in God, that we can approach him with childlike faith, and he will hear our prayers. It is vital that we create a godly lineage and establish a heritage within our families, that one, like Mary, although I love my family, I love my husband, I love my children, I love my grandchild very much, God, I love you more.

[15:22] Your will is my will above all else. Like Naomi, through the hard times, through the tough times, I can and will depend on you, Lord. Your love and your strength provide me the strength that I need, and ultimately, in the end, you will make beauty for ashes, and what we think is a horrible situation will become a testimony of God's grace and mercy.

[15:43] Like Hannah, even if it means giving the one thing that I have prayed for, the son I pleaded for God to give me, I vow to make that commitment.

[15:54] I vow to devote myself to God, fully immerse myself in his word, and in prayer, and in turn, God will use us. He will use our families, he will use our children for something much greater than we can ever imagine.

[16:08] There is something to be said about a praying mama. Children are a gift from God. There is no one who loves that gift more than a mom. And when a mama goes to God on behalf of her baby, it's a very powerful thing.

[16:24] Like Lois and Eunice, we must create a godly heritage, build a foundation of faith, and serving God for generations to come. There is no greater joy than when our children walk in truth.

[16:35] There is nothing I desire more than seeing my children be successful in their walk with God. Many chase success in so many frivolous areas, but I pray today that the successes we chase are after God's own heart.

[16:48] It doesn't matter if we're rich or poor, if we're sick or if we're healthy, if we have fancy name brand things, or if we have secondhand goodwill things, I don't care. As long as we're saved and have created a legacy to pass on from generation to generation, that is all that matters.

[17:07] Like Jacobad, when faced with unimaginable mountains, situations that seemed completely impossible, unimaginable, there was no doubt there were some prayers that went forth as she was placing her baby in the Nile River that day.

[17:21] There was no doubt there was pleas going up to God for protection, for God to bring him back to her safely somehow, someday. She had faith and trusted that God would take care of her situation, and he did.

[17:36] In the face of adversity, in the midst of our greatest storm, on the good days and the bad days, we must lead our children by example. We must teach them that God will meet their every need and that God is faithful.

[17:49] Let's all stand. I'm going to let Brother Eccles come out and close this out in a second, but today I would like to ask that we reflect on these attributes of these godly women of the Bible.

[18:02] How can we apply these to our lives even if we're not mothers? How are these attributes vital to us as disciples of Jesus Christ? Even if our children are grown, even if we don't have children.

[18:16] Although I spoke of many different women of the Bible, these attributes we could all aim to possess, I honestly believe. These are godly examples we can all benefit from living by.

[18:28] Thank you.