By W. Frank Walton
We are commanded to “honor your…mother”
(Eph 6:2). This imaginary classified ad for a mother
illustrates the great work that good and godly mothers do
day in and day out.
IMMEDIATE OPENING: There is a need for
a Christian woman who has a well-rounded personality to
help nurture children, with the help of an adult male, and
thereby shape the next generation. She must be loving,
patient and understanding, especially with a Christ-like
demeanor. She must demonstrate strength of character and
perseverance under various stressful conditions. This work
requires stamina, involving long hours around the clock.
Applicant must have management skills to multi-task
various demands without going crazy. She must posses
practical nursing skills, dietary expertise, wisdom in
counseling, a knowledge of etiquette, cooking and
custodial ability. The ability to drive is a must in the
transport of children, but no taxi license is required.
She must have some basic knowledge of how to do homework.
Most importantly, she must have the ability to instill
godly virtues, by word and example, into the hearts of
impressionable children. No written test is required.
There is no salary, but the rewards are heavenly.
Mothering is a great work of nurturing
the next generation. “What a mother sings to the cradle
goes all the way down to the coffin” (H. W. Beecher). I
remember a USA Today report several years ago about
crack-drug houses in Chicago, where homeless people lived
like a commune in abandoned buildings. Several police
officers investigated the scene and a little 9 year old
girl ran up and grabbed a female police officer and said,
“Will you be my mommy??”
How touching! There is, in each child,
an inbuilt need for a mother’s love.
For mothers, God’s wants older women to
“admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love
their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good,
obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may
not be blasphemed’ (Titus 2:4-5). Let’s be thankful and
appreciative of the great work these good mothers do.
These queens of the home make it a well-managed haven of
love and virtue (1 Tim 2:14, 5:14).
Proverbs 31 is God’s advertisement for
a worthy mother: “A worthy woman, who can find? For her
worth is far above jewels. Her children rise up and call
her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…’Charm
is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears
the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her
hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates’”
(Prov 31:10,28-31). Abraham Lincoln said, “No man is poor
who had a godly mother.”
- via The Contender, the
weekly bulletin published by the Walnut Grove Church of
Christ in Benton, KY. Kevin Williams preaches for
the congregation. He may be contacted through the
church's website: http://walnutgrovechurchofchrist.org/
By R. W. McAlister
Mrs. Zebedee, the mother
of James & John, was aware of the teachings of
Jesus about His kingdom. She was also
very aware of the fact that her sons, James &
John, were close to Him. She was certain that when the
Lord formed His kingdom that they would have
positions of responsibility & authority.
So when the opportunity
arose (Matt 20), she came to the Lord. Matthew
says that she bowed before Him & made
this request (Mt. 20:21), “Grant that these my two
sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on
the left, in thy kingdom.”
We might very well
criticize Mrs. Zebedee for her presumptuousness,
but I think there are some valuable lessons we can
learn from her in these verses.
We also need to
recognize that when she came to Jesus, while Jesus
did not grant her request, neither did He deny it.
He simply reminded her of the cost of being seated
on the right or left & then told her that it is the
Father who determines who will be seated there.
Now, what are some of
the good things we can observe from Mrs. Zebedee?
First, it was her
heart’s desire that her sons might be part of the
kingdom, and she came to the Lord with this concern.
I can think of no more important task of
motherhood than that - to do all you can to ensure that your
children are a part of the Kingdom of God. That
should be your prayer.
I know that many mothers
pray. Sometimes they pray out of necessity.
Sometimes they pray because motherhood is
not easy, but extremely difficult. God wants us to
pray. The inspired Peter wrote in I Peter 5:6-7,
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand
of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Never
make the mistake of thinking you can handle
everything in life alone, especially if you’re a
mother. Humble yourself and ask for God’s help, knowing that He
cares for you.
Secondly, not only did
Mrs. Zebedee pray that her children would be a
part of His kingdom, but she prayed that they
would be actively involved in the work of His
kingdom.
It’s not enough just to
“show up.” Churches are full of people content
just to fill a pew on Sunday mornings, so
where does the spirit of service begin? It begins
at home, with mothers & fathers setting the example
& praying that their sons & daughters
might be involved in the work of the kingdom. That’s the way a child
should go, mother, for Solomon wrote, “Train up a
child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he
will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). Train your
children to serve. If you have boys, encourage them to
be Christians – yes – but also preachers, deacons,
and elders. Train your daughters to teach Bible
class and talk to others individually.
Third, Mrs. Zebedee had
great expectations. She didn’t just pray that her
children would be doorkeepers. Granted,
she didn’t understand how these positions would be
attained, but she wanted her sons on the right hand
& left hand of Jesus.
When you’re working in a
kingdom, there are no higher positions than those
on the right & left of the King himself,
& that’s what she wanted for her sons.
We may consider Mrs.
Zebedee brash & presumptuous, and that’s not
wrong, but I admire her boldness. Too often we
have settled for mediocrity in the church. For too
long we’ve been content with just barely making it
through the door. For too long we’ve been content
to sit back & let things happen.
It’s time to strive for
excellence - to reach for the very best there is.
The Lord calls us to be His disciples, & to be
effective workers in His kingdom (Matt. 9:37-38).
Mothers: have great expectations of your children in the
Lord’s kingdom. Help them “be all they can be” in
the Lord’s army!
- R. W. McAlister preaches for the Anna Church of
Christ in Anna, IL.He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.annachurchofchrist.com/
By Alan Smith
John Gordon was a respected general for
the South in the Civil War. After the war, he was
running for the United States Senate, but a man who had
served under him in the war, angry over some political
incident, was determined to see him defeated. Everyone
knew this man would fight Gordon's bid to become a senator.
During the convention, he angrily stamped
down the aisle with his anti-Gordon vote in hand. As
he saw Gordon sitting on the platform, he noticed how his
once handsome face was disfigured with the scars of battle
-- marks of his willingness to suffer and bleed for a cause
he believed in.
The old soldier was stricken with
remorse. Overcome with emotion, he exclaimed, "It's no
use; I can't do it. Here's my vote for John Gordon."
Then, turning to the general, he said, "Forgive me,
General. I had forgotten the scars."
What a difference it makes in our lives
when we remember the scars! With so many things to
distract us, we don't often take time each day to reflect on
what Jesus went through on the cross for us. But, when
we are tempted to stray, it is a remembrance of Christ's
sacrifice that has the power to draw us back to him.
"He was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our
peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed."
(Isaiah 53:5)
May I encourage you this morning to take
a moment to pause and "remember the scars".
Have a great day!
- Alan Smith, author of the popular "Thought For Today," and
minister for the Fayetteville Church of Christ in
Fayetteville, NC, may be contacted at
alansmith.servant@gmail.com
By David Smith
1. Your attitude about computing and the Internet is 90% of
the battle. If you look at the computing world as "nothing
but evil," you will not deter your child's use of the Net,
but will succeed in driving them underground. Similarly, if
you see the Net as just a big playground where nothing
really bad can happen to you or yours, then don't be
surprised when your children find themselves caught up in
some darkness you never dreamed would enter their life.
There is plenty of good attitude road to
drive on between the ditches of "it's all bad" and "nothing
bad can happen." Computers are like any other powerful
instrument or tool - when used correctly and with care, they
can be very useful and productive; when used unwisely or
without training, someone can get hurt. Grow a "I can use
this wisely" attitude and foster that sort of thinking in
your children.
2. Remember that as a parent, you set the bar and the
example for your child's computing. Practice what you
preach. If you want your child to have a cautious, critical
eye toward all they encounter on the Net, then have a
critical eye toward yourself. Do not own or use any
'pirated' software. Do not pass along e-mails that speak of
things falsely. Refuse to pass along questionable material.
Do not be guilty of practicing promiscuous surfing (clicking
on ads, going to just any ol' site that is suggested to you,
etc.).
3. Your mere presence on the Net sends a message and makes a
difference. If your child is Internet-minded, you cannot
afford not to be. If you know your child regularly surfs
certain websites, you need to become familiar with those
sites yourself. If your child has a Facebook account,
you should have a Facebook account and make active use of
it, etc.
4. Model the behavior you want to see in your children by
doing as much of your computing as possible in a totally
open fashion. When you are online, do so where anyone can
walk in at anytime and see what you're doing. Make your
computing habits transparent and expect the same of every
member of your family.
5. Read up and stay current on what's happening in the
computing world. You need to know what's going on in this
ever-changing, technology-centered world your children are
immersed in. Find helpful articles in the Houston Chronicle
(www.chron.com/news/science ).
Subscribe to a free computing newsletter
like those put out by Kim Komando (www.komando.com ). Refuse
to be content with being clueless.
6. Keep some simple software helps in place on all your
family's computers and show your family how to make good use
of them. For example, install McAfee's free SiteAdvisor
(www.siteadvisor.com ). SiteAdvisor color-codes the websites
you search for – before you click on them – as to whether
they have been tested and verified to be free of malware or
if they are known sites that traffic in shady practices.
7. Lawn care experts will tell you the best way to grow a
healthy lawn is not to spend your time fighting weeds, but
to do all you can to grow good grass. The same holds true
for your family's computing habits. Consistently planting
good stuff and nurturing it helps push the bad stuff out of
the yard. "... whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely,
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things." (Philippians 4:8)Continually steer
your family toward the good, healthy things you find on the
Internet and encourage them to share the good stuff they
find with you.
- via The Family Friend,
a monthly newsletter published by the Calvert City Church of
Christ, Calvert City, KY. It is an excellent resource
for articles relating to the family. To learn more
consult the congregation's website:
http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
By Clovis Chappell
There was not one beyond His
sympathy and His tender compassion. No sin was black
enough to fling its victim beyond the reach of His interest
and of His forgiving love. That was an awful sin that
Peter committed on the night of Christ’s arrest.
Confronted by a servant girl who inquired of his loyalty to
Jesus Christ, he refused to confess that there had ever been
any friendship between them. Worse still, he swore
that he had never met Jesus at all (Lk. 22:57-59). And
this he did, mark you, when his Master stood alone and was
most sorely in need of a friend. But what response did
Jesus make to this contemptible and cowardly denial? Luke
records, “And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter”
(22:61a). There was no disgust when He looked upon
this disciple whose knees had gone weak and whose heart had
utterly failed in the presence of danger. He did not
scorn Peter. There was sorrow, there was compassion
more tender than ever looked out of the eyes of a mother,
but there was no scorn. That is the reason this look
broke Peter’s heart. He went out and wept bitterly
(22:62). The Lord forgave Peter and allowed him to
preach the Gospel on the birthday of the church—less than
two months later (Pentecost, (Acts 2).
One day the Pharisees threw an ugly
piece of human wreckage at the Master’s feet (John
8:1-11). She was a woman of blasted character.
She had walked to that hour through the stench and filth of
a moral swamp. She belonged to that class that in all
ages has been the victim of man’s keenest scorn and
disgust. But Christ was not disgusted with her.
He looked upon her with a tenderness that gave her
hope. John gives us this exchange: “Woman, where are
those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said,
No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I
condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (8:10, 11). He did
not condone her sin, but neither did He condemn a repenting
sinner.
– via House to House/Heart to Heart.
(THE ABOVE ARTICLE states well the purpose of Jesus coming
to earth. It was more than to give us an example to
show how we should live. It was more than to be born
in a humble Bethlehem manger so that we could have a
Christmas. It was more than to add to the number of
religions in the world. He came to be the “friend of
sinners” (Matt. 11:19). He came to “seek and to save
that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He came to
“minister (serve) and to give his life a ransom for many”
(Matt. 20:28). He came to be “the Way, the Truth and the
Life”—man’s one access to the Father (John 14:6).
While many at this season of the year honor Jesus’ birth,
all should realize that without His ministry, death and
resurrection, His birth would be without significance.
He entered the world in a manger, and the world ended up
putting Him upon a cross, but it was all designed for the
redemption of sinners. All should always remember His
birth into the world, while never forgetting the purpose of
His coming—to save us from eternal condemnation. In
the words of the apostle Paul, “This is a faithful saying,
and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15). The Bible
declares that “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), and are
therefore sinners. This makes it personal. He
died for me! He died for you! Have you received Him through
faith, repentance and baptism in His name (Mark 16:15, 16;
Acts 2:38)? Are you walking “in the light” of His word,
realizing the continual cleansing power of His blood each
day? (1 John 1:7-9) Only if your answer is “Yes” can
you truly appreciate His birth. – Ron Bartanen)
- via THE SOWER, a
weekly publication of the Arthur Church of Christ, Arthur,
IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be
contacted through the congregation's website:
http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
By Brett
Petrillo
What are you willing to do for
$10,000,000? This was a question asked in a poll back in
1991. The people were given several options and then
instructed to indicate all that they would be
willing to do.
Here were the results:
25% - Would
abandon their entire family.
25% - Would
abandon their church.
23% - Would
become prostitutes for a week or more.
16% - Would
give up their American citizenships.
16% - Would
leave their spouses.
10% - Would
withhold testimony and let a murderer go free.
7% - Would
kill a stranger.
3% - Would put
their children up for adoption.
This poll
revealed that two-thirds (66%) agreed to at least one of
these, and some to several (James Patterson and Peter
Kim, The Day America Told the Truth, 1991). With the
exception of "giving up American citizenship,"
every single one of these is wrong. This poll gives us a
very cold look at people's hearts.
This is exactly what Paul was
trying to warn people about in 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the
love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and
some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs."
I tried to tell myself that this
mostly applies to non-Christians, but I think we all know
better. Christian people are influenced by money
just as much as everyone else. So we must ask again, what
are you willing to do for $10,000,000? Are any
sins on that list? If so, I hope we will take a closer
look at our lives and our hearts. Are they really in the
right place?
Jesus said, "For what will it
profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his
soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his
soul?" (Matthew 16:26).
There is no amount of money, no
reward, and no sin that is worth giving up heaven for.
- via The
Contender, the weekly bulletin published by the
Walnut Grove Church of Christ in Benton, KY. Kevin
Williams preaches for the congregation. He may be
contacted through the church's website:
http://walnutgrovechurchofchrist.org/
In the United States, the second Sunday
in May has been, for a number of years, set aside as a day
to honor mothers. While this is a special time for us to be
able to remember our mothers, this should not be the only
time of the year that we remember them. For some of us all
we have are precious memories of our mother. Other still
have their mothers that they can call or visit while the
younger ones among us are still living at home with their
parents. The following are placed here in the bulletin today
to remind us of mothers and how important they are in our
lives.
A Tribute to Mother
Being a mother is a mission, a calling, a
profession given to the first woman along with her name.
"Mother" means different things to different people; and who
they are and what they look like changes in our minds as we
pass milestones in our life. The following are thumbnail
sketches of different periods of motherhood:
MOTHER is a young, vivacious girl. She
can hardly be more than 20 years old, perhaps less. She is
wide-eyed with marvel at the squirming bundle of softness in
her arms.
MOTHER is a sort of middle-aged,
nondescript lady whose anatomical proportions have undergone
slight rearrangements in the two or three decades since she
held her first child. She is watching teary eyed as her own
children marry. She is wondering if she was ever so young,
so naive, so inexperienced. Good ol' steady, dependable Mom.
MOTHER is that beautiful gray headed lady
who doesn't walk so well any more. She is a bit stooped. She
hears a little less distinctly, sees a bit more dimly and
forgets a lot more easily; but all the grandkids think that
she is the greatest and don't all the kids still say; no one
cooks like mom? And Dad - well, he thought he loved her 45
years ago when they got married, but the truth is he hardly
had any idea what love was all about. Now he knows love as
only a select few in this world have been privileged to
know.
MOTHER is that delicate little lady with
the frail body living out the last days of her life under
the tender care of her children and grandchildren. The hands
of the clock have turned full cycle. As she served her
mother before, now it is her turn to be served. Her hair is
thin and white; her body is no longer able to perform the
tasks her mind commands. It is then, or so it seems, that
our God of love and mercy steps in and creates a special
world for mother. Whatever else she may achieve in this
world, regardless of what other profession she may have
pursued, nothing so honors her or ties her so dearly to our
hearts as the simple fact that she is mother!
-- Author Unknown
- via the Belvedere
Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere Church
of Christ, Belvedere, SC. Ken Chumbley preaches for
this congregation, and he may be contacted at their website:
http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org
