Mother’s Day

Gtcotr/ss051026

In recognition of our mothers today, let’s honor and celebrate them with a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Mothers are a gift from heaven’s own hand and without yours, you would never have known life. There is no way, not a chance, you could have a different mother and still be you. Without your mother, you would never exist. Let’s pray … (Prayer of Thanksgiving)

To moms, stepmoms, adoptive moms, assumptive moms, foster moms, spiritual moms, and moms of necessity – we want to say a very special Happy Mother’s Day! We love and appreciate you all.

Let’s open our Bibles to the New Testament Book of 2 Timothy, chapter 1.

I believe 2 Timothy contains the last words we have from the Apostle Paul. I believe Paul was about 62 years old and was in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter. He knew from the Holy Spirit that he was nearing the end of his earthly life and his departure to heaven was close at hand.

Several places in the Bible where we read the last words of our mothers and fathers of faith seem to hold concentrated truths meant to somehow carry greater weight in our lives. I can tell you for sure, the last words spoken to me by my father and my mother have sustained me in some of my greatest times of testing and trials in life.

2 Timothy 1 NKJV

1 ¶  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2  To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

·        Paul calls Timothy his beloved son. Not a biological reality, and not because Paul had led Timothy to faith in Jesus.

·        Paul claims Timothy as his son solely based on the demonstrated fact that Paul had adopted Timothy into his spiritual family and as such took on the responsibility of raising him as a son in the faith.

·        This verse serves to prove we may embrace and experience more than one level of parenthood in our lives.

·        One thing a godly parent does is to declare blessings over the lives of their children.

o   “Grace, mercy, and peace from God …”

3  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,

·        Another mark of a godly parent is that they serve God for their children’s sake.

·        Samson’s mother (Judges 13:7&14) was told to alter her lifestyle to fit the rules her son was destined to follow.

·        A godly parent is committed to pray for their children night and day. Just because you didn’t have one, doesn’t mean you can’t be one.

4  greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,

·        A godly parent longs for and enjoys the company of their children.

·        They know their welfare.

·        And they applaud their faithfulness.

·        “That I may be filled with joy …”

5  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.

·        3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear my children walk in truth.

·        Paul credited Timothy’s faith and faithfulness to what he had learned from his mother Eunice, who first learned it from her mother Lois.

The name Lois in the Greek means agreeable. Do you know what a blessing it is to have an agreeable mother, more so than having a disagreeable mother? The support of a godly mother sets us up for success. And that’s exactly what the name Eunice means, prosperity and victory … in other words - success!

Allow me to give you the backstory to Lois, Eunice, and Timothy. Lois, the grandmother, was Jewish, evidently married to a Jewish man. They had a daughter named Eunice. At some point, Eunice decided to marry a Gentile man who lived in the city of Lystra, in what is now the country of Turkey. Timothy’s father did not believe in God as did Timothy’s mother and therefore the family did not practice the religious customs or keep the law. Nonetheless Timothy’s mother taught him to believe the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:15  And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

No doubt this was taxing for Lois, the grandmother. Nonetheless, she evidently supported her daughter Eunice and taught her to trust God.

Acts 16

1 ¶  Then Paul came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.

2  He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.

3  Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

Timothy did not have a father who taught him to believe in Jesus or serve the Lord. Thankfully it was not so with his mother. Eunice was a believer in Jesus, and her son Timothy also believed, and he gained a good reputation amongst the other Believers in that area.

Timothy must have also inherited some spiritual DNA, or was otherwise greatly influenced by his grandmother’s agreeable spirit seeing Timothy submitted himself to Paul and even to circumcision before going with him to the mission field.

If you have a daughter, you are raising a potential Eunice. Your godly, motherly support and your faith in Jesus can help her become prosperous and successful, even in the face of difficulties and bad decisions. If you have a son, you’re potentially raising a Timothy. Teach him the Word.

It’s easy to imagine Timothy wasn’t raised in a perfect world. However, his mother taught him the Holy Scriptures that led him to Jesus. I challenge each mom today, be a Lois or a Eunice and be a blessing to your children.