I look forward to preaching on the Proverbs 31 woman for Mother’s Day. In prepping for the message, I realized that in nearly 40 years of ministry, I have never taught on Proverbs 31. As they say, the Bible is a big book!

Some women complain that no one could ever measure up to the Proverbs 31 woman. And what about the men? The women may have the Proverbs 31 woman, but the men have the Ephesians 5 man: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). Measuring up to Jesus is no small task either.

Here is the outline I am working on for Sunday. I will update this post with a link to the full message sometime next week after preaching. Happy Mother’s Day!

Update: Click here for the full message on The Noble Mother.
 
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“Proverbs 31 – The Noble Mother”

I. Her value (10-12)
   A. Worth more than rubies (10)
   B. Trusted and faithful (11)
   C. Brings good, not harm (12)

II. Her work (13-18)
   A. A willing and hard worker (13-14)
   B. Disciplined and discerning (15-16)
   C. Strong and productive (17-18)

III. Her sacrifice (19-24)
   A. Cares for the poor (19-20)
   B. Provides for her family (21-22)
   C. Helps and supports her husband (23-24)

IV. Her character (25-29)
   A. Strength and honor (25)
   B. Wisdom and kindness (26)
   C. Good reputation at home (27-29)

V. Her defining trait – she fears the Lord (30-31)
 
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Note: this message is part of the Famous Mothers in the Bible series.
 
Click here for Volume One.
 

 
Click here for all books in the Understanding God’s Word series.
 

If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day gift for that special person in your life, I would like to suggest my latest book: Famous Mothers in the Bible.

The book contains twelve Mother’s Day messages I have preached over the years. Each year around Mother’s Day we work our way forward through the Bible focusing on various mothers to see what principles we can learn from their lives and experiences.

This would make a great gift for the reader in your family! You can order it at Amazon here: Famous Mothers in the Bible.
 

 
Click here for all books in the Understanding God’s Word series.
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Sunday was a message about dealing with the pain of infertility looking at the story of Rachel in the Bible. In the message we talked about issues such as infertility, IVF, surrogacy, foster-parenting and adoption. This was the next message in the Famous Mothers in the Bible series. The message was called Rachel – The Desperate Mother, taken from Genesis 30:1-24 and Genesis 35:16-20. Here is a brief outline of the message:

Dealing with the pain of infertility:

I. Be careful not to blame each other (Genesis 30:1-2)
   A. Anger and blame will only harm your relationship
      – Genesis 3:12; Psalm 37:8
   B. Bring your deepest hurts and desires to God
      – Psalm 62:8; Proverbs 30:15-16

II. Be careful with your options (Genesis 30:3-13)
   A. Be cautious with modern technologies (IVF, surrogacy, etc.)
      – Psalm 139:13-14
   B. Be open to fostering or adoption
      – Psalm 68:5-6; Ephesians 1:5; James 1:27

III. Be careful not to compromise (Genesis 30:14-21)
   A. God takes the sexual relationship very seriously
      – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6
   B. Know there can be long-term consequences to your actions
      – Galatians 6:7-8

IV. Trust God’s timing and plan (Genesis 30:22-24, 35:16-20)
   A. Trust God to provide for your family in his way and in his time
      – Philippians 4:19
   B. Every child is a precious gift from God
      – Matthew 18:10

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
 

Sunday’s message was a Mother’s Day sermon from the Famous Mothers in the Bible series. The message was called Leah – The Unloved Mother, taken from Genesis 24:19-35. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Don’t put all your emphasis on physical appearance (Genesis 29:14-20)
   A. Godly character is more important than physical beauty
      – Proverbs 31:30; 1 Peter 3:3-4
   B. Man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart
      – 1 Samuel 16:7

II. Don’t let anything interfere with the marital bond (Genesis 29:21-30)
   A. Husband and wife share a one-flesh relationship
      – Genesis 2:24
   B. The husband should love his wife as he loves his own body
      – Ephesians 5:28

III. Don’t base your identity on your children (Genesis 29:31-35)
   A. Children are a gift from the Lord, not a means to an end
      – Psalm 127:3
   B. Find your identity in Christ alone
      – Philippians 1:21
   C. Trust God’s sovereignty and praise his name
      – Genesis 29:35; Job 1:21

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
 

Sunday’s message was a Mother’s Day sermon from the Famous Mothers in the Bible series. The message was called Rebekah – The Conniving Mother, taken from Genesis 25 and 27. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Favoritism leads to rivalries (Genesis 25:21-34)
   A. Be careful to preserve marital unity
      – Genesis 25:21-28
   B. Be careful not to provoke sibling rivalry
      – Genesis 25:29-34, 37:3-4; Ephesians 6:4

II. Manipulation disrespects relationships (Genesis 27:1-17)
      – Ephesians 5:33
   A. Don’t try to manipulate people or situations around you
      – 2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:3-5
   B. Trust God to fulfill his plans in his way and in his time
      – Proverbs 3:5-6

III. Dishonesty prevents people from working out best solutions together (Genesis 27:41-46; Proverbs 15:22)
   A. Deception is just as bad as lying
      – Proverbs 12:22; Acts 5:1-4
   B. Commit to speaking the truth at all times
      – Ephesians 4:25; Galatians 6:7

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
 

Here is a poem by Ruth Bell Graham for Mother’s Day. Read out loud to catch the rhyming scheme which keeps shifting from stanza to stanza. Enjoy!

“Had I Been Joseph’s Mother” by Ruth Bell Graham

Had I been Joseph’s mother
I’d have prayed
protection from his brothers:
“God keep him safe;
he is so young,
so different from
the others.”
Mercifully she never knew
there would be slavery
and prison, too.

Had I been Moses’ mother
I’d have wept
to keep my little son;
praying she might forget
the babe drawn from the water
of the Nile,
had I not kept
him for her
nursing him the while?
Was he not mine
and she
but Pharaoh’s daughter?

Had I been Daniel’s mother
I should have pled
“Give victory!
This Babylonian horde –
godless and cruel –
don’t let them take him captive
– better dead,
Almighty Lord!”

Had I been Mary –
Oh, had I been she,
I would have cried
as never a mother cried,
“…Anything, O God,
anything …
but crucified!”

With such prayers
importunate
my finite wisdom
would assail
Infinite Wisdom;
God, how fortunate
Infinite Wisdom
should prevail!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sunday’s message was a Mother’s Day sermon from the Famous Mothers in the Bible series. The message was called Hagar – The Crying Mother, taken from Genesis 16 and 21. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. God sees you in your pain (Genesis 16:1-16)
   A. When you feel like you have no control over your life (1-3)
   B. When others mistreat you (4-6)
   C. God sees your pain and intervenes (16:7-16)
      – Psalm 34:15,18

II. God hears you in your distress (Genesis 21:8-21)
   A. When your children cause you distress (8-13)
   B. When your distress brings you to tears (14-16)
   C. God hears your crying and intervenes (17-21)
      – Psalm 116:1-2

III. God loves you and has a plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11)
   A. God knows the plans he has for you
      – Proverbs 3:5-6
   B. God will give you hope and a future
      – Romans 8:28

“God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
 

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant to his mother in his MVP acceptance speech on May 6, 2014:

We weren’t supposed to be here. You made us believe, you kept us off the street, put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP.

Happy Mother’s Day Moms! I agree – you are the real MVPs!

Yesterday’s message for Mother’s Day was called Eve – The Mother of All the Living, taken from Genesis 3:20. Here is a brief outline of the message:

  I. Eve is the mother of all the physically living (Genesis 1:28; Genesis 3:16)

  II. Eve is the mother of all the spiritually living (Genesis 3:15a)

  III. Eve is the mother of Christ the Savior (Genesis 3:15b)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

Ann Voskamp offers this thoughtful reflection on a mother’s work and God:

All work is sacred work, worthy of the diligence, the effort. I pick up lost legos, dry the pots, whish the toilets and this serves God. For if I can’t meet God in my work, where do I meet Him? If I don’t serve Him here, where do I serve Him? Are we not called to serve God in the work – not merely in some imagined, mirage place outside of work?

In a model of Christian work, we live one-piece lives, all weaving together into a sacred cloth as unto the Lord with no false seams between God and our days.

And in our work, sacred work because there is no such thing as secular work, we first serve God. I’ll put away the laundry, sweep the crumbs, polish the windows not to serve my family primarily, but to serve God.

If you are a mother, or even if you are not, I encourage you to go to Ann’s site, read the whole article, and enjoy the music and pictures.

Click here for more pictures of animal moms and their babies.

This poem is a good reminder of a mother’s influence in her child’s life.

I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved and yielded at my will.

I came again when days were past;
The bit of clay was hard at last,
The form I gave it still it bore,
But I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded with my power and art
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.

I came again when days were gone;
It was a man I looked upon;
That early impress still he wore,
And I could change it never more.

(Author Unknown)

Related post: The Magic Dresser (A Poem for Mother’s Day)