| From the Pastor’s Desk | ||
| Mother's Day | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Rules the World | Holiday Lesson |
| Activities Manchaca Bible Fellowship |
May 14, 2000 | Bible Lessons Operation Outreach |
"The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World" Several months ago, a mother asked me what I was going to preach about on Mother’s Day. I asked her if she was shopping all the churches’ menus to find the best Mother’s Day buffet. She said that I had preached a sermon on Mother’s Day several years ago that meant much to her, and helped shape her thinking about motherhood. She was wondering if I could preach that sermon again. I said it would be impossible, because sermons are a little like clouds. They may contain the same elements, but different situations and atmospheric conditions often determine what come from those clouds. I told her that I didn’t often take requests, but I would see if I could find the sermon in the archives. This mother told me what the sermon was about and I’ll have to admit, she remembered more of the sermon than I did. As a matter of fact, I didn’t remember giving that type of information as a Mother’s Day lesson. I did remember giving some of the information in the "Child Raising" series, and bits and pieces at other times. Well, I went back and looked, and on an "unlabeled" disk I found the sermon. Don’t laugh! I’m sure none of you have "unlabeled" disks lying around. She was right on! I should have her give the sermon. She remembered far more about it than I did. But if I did that, she would probably want a commission, so I’ll give it myself and keep all the profit. The sermon was first given in 1992. That’s so far back that I can’t even remember if there was a year that year. I read over the sermon, and I said to myself, "Self, that’s pretty good ‘stuff’. I wonder where you got that material?" After finding the sermon and seeing that it had been a couple years shy of a decade since it was given, I thought it would be "OK" to give it again with a few modifications and additions. It’s always important to add something to an old sermon! That shows growth and maturity (or something). There are so many things we could say about mothers - and many things have been said ----
Someone said to me, "I know a woman that was a VERY good house keeper! She’s been married four times and has kept all four houses!" Let me tell you, that’s a good "house keeper"! In this list of foolishness, there are a couple of other things that really depict the essence of true motherhood. 6. The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world. Husbands, that’s more than true in most cases, and I’m sure the percentage should be increased in many of our cases. The list of "endearing" mother-proverbs could go on endlessly. Partly because some of those sayings reflect a measure of reality. Partly because words that express ones true inner feelings are HARD to verbalize. That’s the main reason greeting cards are such BIG business. Greeting card companies pay someone else to say what you thought, but were unable to put in appropriate words. Let’s see what the Bible says about the wife/mother. Different than the trend of today, the Bible assumes that a mother was first a wife. The Hebrew word for "find" is used 450+ times in the OT. That Hebrew word has been translated into 38+ different English words. Some of those 38 English words are: found, finds, finding, here, received, come, catch, presented, bring, suffice, befall, enough, came, sufficient, meet, occasion, hit, delivered, etc. You can see that the context will be very important to our understanding of this subject. Finding a wife does not just happen because you were walking down the street and bumped into this women.., therefore, she became your wife, because you found her. I’m not saying that finding someone to marry could not happen in just such a manner, but we want to see what the Word of God says about this transaction of finding a wife. I’m talking to mothers and wives today, so for the most part, I’ll give the information from the mother’s or wife’s perspective. Although, there will be a few times I will address the men. Right now is "one" of those times. Men, this information is also for you, and you have a VERY important role to play in "finding" a proper wife. Most generally, you will "find" the proper wife in the one you are married to, right now. You see, most of you already have your wife, BUT it may take a life time to "find" and bring out all of those proper qualities that make her your unique wife. Plus, you may find that you will need to make some major changes to be able to MATCH those good qualities found in your wife. Let’s search for some of the Biblical implications of this "finding" a wife. This passage could be misleading to a casual reader. This dove, sent out of the ark by Noah, did not find an appropriate resting place. At the same time or shortly before, Noah ALSO sent out a raven. You remember the story. The dove didn’t find any place to land, so it came back. The raven did not come back. Instead, it went "to and fro" until the waters dried up. The phrase "to and fro" does not mean that the raven was in the air all that time. As a matter of fact, the root of the Hebrew word used here means to "walk" or "wander". Looking at a few other times this phrase is used will help us have a clearer understanding. A drunk may feel like they are up in the air all the time, BUT in reality they are truly on the earth, and sometimes face down on the earth. This phrase is most generally used of someone or something moving from one place to another on the earth. There are a couple of passages that refer to God’s eyes going "to and fro" over the earth. Please look back at Back to our "raven" passage in Gen. The raven would have no qualms about landing on any bit of floating refuge, and then flying on to the next bit of floating material it saw. As a matter of fact, the raven would be delighted to land on, and have a meal of almost any dead floating thing, including bodies. The point we want to see from the raven/dove story is that the dove did not "find" an appropriate landing place. Just "finding" a woman to marry may not be a good thing. The fellow and the gal on the program of "Who Want’s to Marry a Millionaire" found that to be only TOO true. BUT "finding" a wife, in all that the Biblical term implies, is a good thing. Before a man can "find" an appropriate wife, the women must "become" an appropriate type person to be that Biblical wife. As time allows, let’s look at some of the qualifications that a woman needs to be an
appropriate wife/mother. These are things that every little girl needs to learn early, and make them an active part of their living
always. In that way, when they are "found", they will already have the
qualities of a good wife. The word "find", as used in Find is used here in the connotation of finding a certain type. In this case, the "type" being looked for was righteous people. From the account, there seems to have been only "one" righteous person in Sodom. That person was Lot, and he certainly was not righteous in his living, but only through the appropriation from God. There’s a need to be a certain type, also a need to be a proper or appropriate type. There are certain "proper" qualities that should be common to all mothers/wives. Then there are appropriate qualities that are needed because of your particular husband and/or children. It would be impossible to examine all aspect of all the proper or appropriate qualities needed for every wife/mother situation. Therefore, we will limit our remarks to general qualities, that should grace the being of any mother/wife. May I add that many of these qualities are found in many of our mothers at MBF. Far more than the average. If you find any of these qualities in your life, thank God for His grace that allowed you to possess such. If any of these qualities are lacking in your life, then draw on God’s Grace for the strength and wisdom to develop those absent qualities. If there were ever a day when the nation and the world needed "proper mothers", it is TODAY! It is almost impossible to compile statistics on the crumbling conditions of our society. By the time you get a list of "stats", the statisticians have already come out with a NEW list. It is not getting worse by 10% or 20% or even 75%, BUT by 200% or 450% etc. The standard of measure has even been changed from a moral standard, to acceptability by society. That is a real "sliding-scale"!! When questioning people for one of the latest "polls", most of those being interviewed when answering the question of, "What went wrong?" Now say, "We need stronger homes, more parental love and proper role models." But the "Proper Role Model" is hard to find today. God’s Profile of a "Proper Role Model" Just because you are an OLDER woman, DOES NOT mean you have the RIGHT to teach the younger women. Before you should teach the younger women...:
Just because you have logged a few years and have a mouth, does not qualify you as a teacher of younger women. Parents seem to be afraid to "correct" their children, for fear the child will not like them, rebel, or something. Yet, in survey after survey of young people, they say that they want parents to set limits and give direction. We need mothers who are proper models, and will teach and train their children to be the same. I have put together a list of "things" mothers (and fathers) should be.., and that younger (and older) children should be taught. A Biblical mother should..: (1) Have respect of others, and train their children so. We have such a need for models and teachers of this lost art called "RESPECT". Respect of: (1) The property of others (2) The time of others (3) The age of others (4) The reputation of others (5) The person of others (6) Etc., etc., etc., without number. This matter of respect finds it negative aspect in the Biblical subject of "BUSYBODIES". I Peter 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. It is always amazing to me, how and why the Holy Spirit groups certain things together. I’m sure the Holy Spirit was not thinking clearly the day He inspired this passage.., OR possibly it was early in the morning, and He had not had His heavenly "cup of coffee", yet. No! NO!! NO!!! A thousand times NO!!!!!!!! There is a definite reason the Holy Spirit "grouped" these sins together. If you find yourself in the category of the last, you are in some very infamous company. If you are a busybody in other people’s matters......, the best I can say is, "Those are real "NICE" friends you have." (1) Have respect of others, and train their children so. When we have a proper image of God, we will have a proper image of ourselves. As we grow in God’s image and God’s image grows in us.., our "self-image" will be improved greatly. When it comes to giving or demonstrating the Love of God, we MUST not give that love in "preference". Remember folks, I didn’t write the Bible. I only read and expound on what God wrote. Whether it is demonstrating the love of God, or giving church discipline, BOTH must be done with proper and equal respect for all. A matter is NOT to be pre-judged without all the facts, just because of who the person is. It makes no difference if it is the President,
or your child. Boy!! Could we use a little of that today in both the church and the nation! These
two Greek words translated "preference" in (1) Have respect of others, and train their children so. (1) Have respect of others, and train their children so. Listen, my Christian friend - Mother, Fathers, and all the rest-, outside of the "old sin nature, itself, there is nothing that brings more harm and destroys the lives of more Believers than does "bitterness". You CANNOT afford the momentary satisfaction of a little bitterness. It’s cost is enormous beyond description. (1) Have respect of others, and train their children so. There is not enough time to comment on, or follow each of these through the Scripture. Let me point out one of most important marks of leadership. It is the ability to forsake comfort in order to accomplish the purpose. Yes, that is the teaching of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. We can’t have it all, in spite of what some ads imply!! We must, clearly choose between the bad and the good. Many times we must choose between the good and the better. (1) Have respect of others, and train their children so. One of the greatest enemies of Christ and Paul during their lifetimes was the rigid non-Biblical structure of that day. Don’t confuse lack of discipline AS not having a rigid non-biblical structure. Mothers, don’t try to raise a "perfect child"! Do not project to your child or YOURSELF the idea that you or they have reached near perfection, or even that you and yours are of more value than others. BUT do raise godly children by example and word. On the contrary, do not teach "blind acceptance", as to think that the actions and attitudes of others are always good and beneficial.., unless it is clear from the Word of God that those actions and attitudes are Biblical. WE NEED A LITTLE INTOLERANCE OF THOSE IDEAS THAT ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY SCRIPTURE. Teach that God loves the person. Teach that God hates sinful actions and attitudes. Teach that God has provided forgiveness of such sinful actions and attitudes. Teach that God had provided a means by which such sinful actions and attitudes can be abandoned, and replaced with holiness. Teach that actions, when performed often enough, become part of the person. BUT DON’T try to "train the tar" out of your kids!!! There are many "good" things in this 'ol world that can be used for training. Some would try to tell us that unless we use ALL of these training tools, our child will be maladjusted. A few of those so called training tools are: (1) Pre-school You can buy "Flash Cards for the Crib" to do infant tutoring. If you want to get a "jump" on things, there are schools of "Womb Training". I have no idea how much the tuition might be. (3) Little league(s) These can bring such pressure to you children that they might need the next in the "list" of offerings by the world. (5) Stress counseling for pre-schoolers If all of these and many more fail.... there are ALWAYS behavior altering drugs.
When we try to "give" our kids all we "think"
will be good for them,
plus all the things they "want"..,
THE POOR KID WILL WAKE UP SOMEDAY
AT THIRTY-SOMETHING AND ASK,
"WHERE DID MY CHILDHOOD GO?!?!?!?"
Maybe all of that "stuff" has a place.., but if you try to use all or several of the above, you will have very little time with your child, and you child will have very little time to be a child. Your child NEEDS a mother, NOT a coach, or a day-care professional. Your child NEEDS the care, the love, the time, the presence, the voice, etc. of a mother. Don’t try to give your child EVERYTHING you missed. Don’t try to protect your child from EVERYTHING you had to go through. That list (and many more) of "things" are not necessarily morally or Spiritually wrong. However, almost all of these "things" train children in actions and attitudes WITHOUT at least 3 major components: (1) Morality. The world uses "Divertive Control". This type of training goes by many names. The world says, "Change the focus of the child, BUT don’t tell them that what they are doing is wrong. You don’t want to tell the child that what they are doing is wrong, because it might stunt their creativity?!?!????" Let me tell you, some kids NEED their "creativity" stunted. As a matter of fact, for some, if it were stopped all together, it would be better. The Bible teaches "Direct Control", and proper training in the right way. Most of these training programs of the world places the parent as a by-stander, rather than an active participant and the initiator. Mothers, if we had no other evidence (but we do) than simple observation, we could see that: (1) A child is produced through love not legislation, and was brought into this world through birth, not an act of Congress. Your child is YOURS -- Not the government’s -- Not the school’s -- Not the Church’s. Your child is also YOUR responsibility -- Not the government’s -- Not the school’s -- Not the Church’s. (2) God made a baby helpless, and totally dependent on the parents. We ARE to teach and control that child. We MUST make sure our control is Biblical, AND we need to know when to turn loose. We ARE to instill within or teach our children our ideals. YES!! That is the teaching of the Bible. We ARE NOT to allow our children to "discover" their values. We need to make sure that our ideals are the principle of the Word of God. (3) God made the child playful, and their first playmates are to be the parents -- NOT the Day Care, The Coach, The Government, Etc. The child WILL learn many facts through structure. BUT The child WILL learn more about life and love through proper parental play. A child should not, and will not remember a great deal about childhood, BUT their lives should be shaped properly by their childhood. Tragically, most children will come into adulthood saying, "I had no pleasure in the days of my youth." WHAT WILL YOUR CHILD REMEMBER ABOUT THEIR CHILDHOOD???? THAT MEMORY IS THE PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY!!!! Mothers....! The future of your home, the future of your child and the future of the world IS in your control. I don’t know why any woman would want to TRADE control of their children’s, their home’s and the world’s future.., for the insignificant control of a few people in the "work place". I know, some mothers have to work. BUT some want to work so they will have power, and/or will not have to put up with their kids. DEAR MOTHERS, OUTSIDE OF GOD HIMSELF, YOU HOLD WITHIN YOUR CONTROL THE POWER TO MAKE THE GREATEST CHANGE OF ALL. DON’T BLOW IT!!! I thank God for all of our MBF mothers! NONE of you are perfect, yet. But God ain’t through yet, either. |
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| © Clyde White, Austin TX, 2000 | ||