Moms should be honored!

God has blessed mankind with mothers! The Lord’s goodness has been shown in moms. Some of the most recognized leaders and thinkers of our nation gave tribute about their mothers:

“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
– George Washington (1732-1799)

“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”
– Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.”
– Albert Einstein

“My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.”
– Mark Twain

The Holy Scriptures has much to say about the regards that should be given to mothers. Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God hath giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

For respect to be shown to one’s mother the Word claims “honour” should be given. Defined, “honour” means “to get oneself glory” according to Strong’s Concordance and Webster defines honour as “ a good name or public esteem: reputation a showing of usually merited respect.”

It is quite obvious God requires “honour” for mother, so why?

“Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.”
– John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Why honor mothers?

-First, mothers are God’s precious influence over children. What mothers say, do, pray, and plan all impact their offspring presently and in the future. Seeing the huge influence there is no wonder the Apostle Paul led of the Holy Spirit penned, Ephesians 6:2 “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)” supporting the principle. When we growing up we lived on the lake. Well the sun did a number to my mom’s beautiful red hair, so we went to the pharmacy to get some tint to put the red back in the sun bleached hair. As we went into the store my mom asked, “Tim, does the neighbor boy work in this store?” “Oh, no mom he works at the other place.” I was wrong he did work there and I learned the value of protecting the secret of the hairdresser. When the clerk turned out to be the neighbor boy my mother said to him that the hair product was for me. When we got out side of the store she said she was sorry for embarrassing me by saying that but that she didn’t want the neighbor to know it was for her. The next day she saw the clerk next door and announced the hair color was for her and that she was sorry for making the joke that it was for me. I remember her relief that she had that truth made clear. Kids really listen to what is said. She set the example that there is no such thing as a white lie (or in that hair dye story a red one).

-Secondly, mothers are God’s promise line for “…long upon the land…” (Honor mom and dad to be blessed by God). The first commandment with promise has been explained by Pastor John Gill as meaning, “…meaning either that the commandments, and keeping of them, may be the means of prolonging the days of obedient children, according to the divine promise; or that they, their father and mother, whom they harbour and obey, might, by their prayers for them, be the means of obtaining long life for them; or else that they, Father, Son, and Spirit, may do it, though man’s days, strictly speaking, cannot be shortened or lengthened beyond the purpose of God…” You don’t just find obedient children; they are molded through constant training such as Proverbs 22:6 states “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” My wife illustrated this in a creative way. When our sons were growing up we enjoyed lots of things but the memorable one to me was the devotion and book reading time that my wife would invest in. After the Bible reading time she would break open some adventure book and read aloud one episode that had some moral told in it. One particular book she found and read that I especially enjoyed was about a pastor’s son struggling with cancer. The principal character always did some mischievous thing in church anonymously to keep the congregation interested. My wife’s enthusiasm to share with the boys endeared her to our sons and gained their respect that mom could have great fun and continue to still be “mom”.

-Thirdly, mothers are God’s protective love for children. Matthew 20:21 “And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.” This dear mom wanted the most and best for her sons. Best love message i’ve ever heard..”I BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT”…Because I’VE BEEN LOVING MY MOTHER SINCE I OPENED MY EYES….”

– Unknown Isn’t it just like a mom to want the best for her child? Yes, it is! That kind of dedication to her sons builds a trust between mom and child. M-O-T-H-E-R
”M” is for the million things she gave me,
”O” means only that she’s growing old,
”T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
”H” is for her heart of purest gold;
”E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
”R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.- Howard Johnson There isn’t a thing wrong with wanting to protect your children nor is there anything wrong with having a desire for them to have better than you. Mrs. Zebedee was promoting her sons. She was praying for her son to be part of Jesus future kingdom. Can you think of a more loving way to look out for your children? She prayed fervently for her sons the Scriptures use the word “worshipped him”. Would prayer be a part of your discipline for your loved ones? It should be if you want the favor of the Lord. The fastest way to advance your family is by going to your knees in loving prayer to the Lord for their needs! It must have been a thoughtful child who wrote, “Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.”

-05-09-2012 Dr. Timothy W. Jackson, Pastor

Community Baptist Church Lansing, MI