Minister's Blog

The Christian Mother’s Calling
The institutions of marriage and family are two of the greatest earthly blessings bestowed by the Creator. There the glory of God can be seen in the raising of children in the fear and the admonition of the Lord. During May, we remember and celebrate our wives and mothers. Those of us who grew up in homes where the Gospel was central know the blessings of instruction, discipline, and prayers of a Christian mother.
Instruction: According to the order found in scripture, the husband is given headship and the responsibility of spiritual leadership in marriage and family, but the earliest and often most steady instruction in scripture comes from the mother. In my early years, I cannot remember learning “Jesus Loves Me,” “Deep and Wide,” or “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” My mother sang those songs and many more to me even before I could sing along. Very often a child’s first prayers are taught and modelled by their mother. They can almost always spend more intimate time with their children in the earliest years. As a young child, my father was a deacon and sang in the choir. We sat with Mom in the fourth row. She knew how to keep us awake and attentive. She modelled submission and hunger for scriptural truth as she opened her Bible and listened to the sermon. The most powerful instruction she gave was her life of service to the Lord both in the church and at home. She kept her worn brown Bible on her nightstand, and I knew she read it every night.
Discipline: Children need discipline. Proverbs 22:15 states, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a youth; a rod of discipline will separate it from him.” We are surrounded today, in the world and too often in the church, by many who have not had worldly foolishness driven from them through parental discipline. Godly mothers know they are raising little sinners who need to be saved! Fathers may take the lead in disciplining the children, but mothers have such a vital role. They help them see the goodness of God by practicing Godly discipline. Godly discipline, once received and applied, helps us comprehend right and wrong, sin and consequences. The discipline given by a Christian mother also helps us learn about grace, forgiveness, unconditional love, and restoration.
Prayers: The impact of consistent, lifelong, intercession of a mother for her family is immeasurable. I cannot express fully the blessing and significance of knowing my mother has been praying for me, sometimes with tears, before the throne of heaven for the past 46 years. There is no way to list all the ways the Lord has answered those prayers, but He has. Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, was born to his mother, Hannah, after she had travailed in prayer before the Lord. She dedicated Samuel to the Lord, and he began to serve as a young boy in the house of the Lord. In 1 Samuel 1:27-28 she stated, “I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for, I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” Mom, have you entrusted your children to the Lord? There is no better place for them to be, in this life and for eternity.