We all have one. No one could be here without one. Some are better than others. But, we all need one. Of course I'm talking about our mothers. Dads are not needed, see Jesus' birth! But, moms are indispensable. We couldn't be born without our moms going through nearly nine months of pain and torture!
Most moms, however, have never reminded us of all they went through. Rarely would a mom tell a child of the excruciating pain she endured in the birth process. In fact, I'm reminded of the words of Jesus in John 16:21, "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world." Jesus points out that we can so grateful for our moms in light of what they tolerated just so we could have a life.
I realize some reading this may not have had a loving and caring mom. She may have been abusive and mean. Yet, even at that, she did give you birth. And, it is up to us to respond in a loving way even to those who hurt us. This year, if she is still alive, order her some flowers and call her to tell her you love her and that the Lord loves her.
For those of us who have loving and caring moms it is imperative on us to let our moms know how much we appreciate all they have done for us. Long days and long nights were part of their lives. They fed us, changed our diapers, and kissed our scraped knees. They washed our clothes, took us wherever we needed to be, and rarely complained. These moms live out Jesus' words.
On Sunday, if your mom is still alive you MUST call her to tell her how grateful you are for her love. If you can, either take her out to eat or fix lunch at home and YOU do the dishes. Then, even when it isn't Mother's Day, show her you love her.
Mothers, fathers, children; where would we be without them? All of us reading this have a father and a mother. No one, except Jesus Christ, enters the world without benefit of a mom and a dad. Some of our moms or dads may not have been a good role model, but we could not be alive today without them. The Bible says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord.” Children are precious gifts to many married couples from our Heavenly Father. Yet, He chooses some couples to not have children. His wisdom is always best, even in these situations. But, to most of us, we have been blessed with children.
Today, some couples are getting married with the express desire to go through all of married life without children. Some do it for medical reasons. However, some simply decide that they do not want the responsibility of raising a child. They might blame the condition of the world or economic issues. But, they are robbing themselves of one of the greatest blessings God has given to married couples. Even in the difficult times, children are a blessing.
Sunday we will move forward in our study of the Book of Ephesians to chapter six verses one to four. In this section the Apostle Paul tells us how Spirit-filled children, parents and fathers will look and act like. He will lay down a number of principles for each one to demonstrate in their lives to show the world the grace of God in action. He will impress upon us how to imitate the relationship between the Son of God and His Father.
Do you know when the first Mother’s Day was celebrated in America? 1908. Do you know hen the first Father’s Day was celebrated in America? 1910. Now, do you know when the first Children’s Day was celebrated in America? 1925? NO! 1950? NO! Actually, the first Children’s Day was celebrated over 40 years before the first Mother’s Day; 1867! Before Ann Jarvis began to petition for a day to remember mothers, churches were setting aside a day to remember children. Without children a society dies. Without obedient children a society falls apart. Children are truly the future of any community of people.
Strong Christian families are needed today. Mothers are needed who love and serve the Lord and are Spirit-filled in living for Him. Fathers are needed who love and serve the Lord and are Spirit-filled in living for Him. And, children are needed who love and serve the Lord and are Spirit-filled in living for Him. The Apostle Paul will give instruction on how this can happen.
Sunday I will share 10 reasons we often raise “angry” children. Do you wonder why more and more children are going up mad at the world around them? I will list what I believe to be 10 causes for this phenomenon. This list is not inspired not exhaustive. Still, it will give us food for thought as to what we can do set our children on a course to love and serve the Lord.
What is our purpose? What is our role? What is our function? Is this simply three ways to ask the same question? Is our purpose the same as our role which is the same as our function? Is it related to how the words are used in a particular context? Let’s see.
When we speak of a role our minds will often interpret this as in the role an actor plays. The part, or role, he or she plays is not their real life or their real job or their real family. They are given a part to play and they say woods given to them to say. People who play the role of a smart person may or may not be as smart as they appear. An actor or actress play the part, let’s say, of a doctor may perform that role extremely Well. But, I for one, will not call upon them when I need surgery!
Purpose has become an overly used word in our day. It seems everyone from Rick Warren to Dr. Phil uses this word! Of course a legitimate use of it is fine. But any word or thought that is overused loses its significance. What our most important purpose on earth do is to glorify God.
But, I want to think about function. How we function is part of doing what God has called us to do. Each of us functions in many different capacities. For instance, each of us functions as a producer. That is, we function as a worker. Some of us function as a parent. Everyone has a parent, but not all of us will be parents. Another function some of us will take on is that of a partner. Not as a partner in a company, but functioning as a partner in marriage. Every husband and wife have certain functions that are more related them them than to the other. In the coming weeks we will be looking into these functions in relationship of the biblical family.
Though I will use these three words somewhat interchangeably, I want to try to focus on the thought of function. I don’t want us to just be “playing a role.” I don’t want us to just know what our purpose is to be. Rather, I want us to function in way God has called us to function. If husbands and wives, moms, dad, and children would do this, Christian homes would better reflect Jesus Christ.
So, how’s your function quotient. In mathematics the term function is used of inputs and outputs. A home will only put out what is being put into it. Let’s commit to functioning well.
