World Harvest Church Blog

The Love of a Mother

Today is Mother's Day, and throughout the world, sons, daughters and husbands will do what they should be doing already - honoring their mothers and the mother of their children. It is estimated that Americans alone will spend nearly $5 billion dollars on flowers, jewelry, gifts, dinners and cards to say "I love you" to our moms.

Did you know that this year Mother's Day in the United States is exactly 100 years old? Julia Ward Howe (who also wrote the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" wrote the first Mother's Day proclamation in 1870, but she was not successful in her effort to get official recognition for the holiday. The first Mother's Day in the U.S. was on May 10, 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia.

Seems like everything and everybody now has their own day. We set aside days to honor our parents, our grandparents, our bosses, our secretaries, our public servants... the list seems to go on and on. It would be easy to be cynical and dismiss all of these days as a conspiracy by Florists, greeting card companies and restaurants to make more money.

But we would be missing out on a great opportunity to not only bring happiness to our moms, but to be obedient to God's word.

There is a Bible stud principle known as the law of multiple mentions. In essence this says that if God says something over and over again, it must be pretty important! Such is the case with the principle of honoring our parents. It is the fifth of the Ten Commandments and is the only one with a promise attached to it: "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12, NKJV) We are then reminded of that principle repeatedly throughout the Bible. In Ephesians 6, Paul says, "Children, honor your father and mother for this is right" and then he repeats the fifth commandment and reminds them of the promise - "that you may enjoy long life upon the earth."

Mothers are a wonderful, precious gift from God. It was in our mother's arms that we first learned about safety, security, and above all, love. We can easily begin to understand God's unconditional love for us, because we saw that love modeled for us by our mothers, who loved us no matter how badly we messed up.

When we think of our mothers, somehow, "thank you" seems so shallow... so trite compared to what they have done for us. Some of our best and brightest wordsmiths have attempted to find the words to express what is in our hearts. Like Abraham Lincoln who said, "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." Or Edgar Allen Poe, known for writing many dark and frightening tales wrote, "The angels, whispering to one another can find, among their burning terms of love, none so devotional as that of 'Mother.'"

Or how about the old Jewish proverb that simply says, "God could not be everywhere and therefore He made mothers." Or the Irish proverb, "A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest."

Perhaps the best and most eloquent was that great philosopher Calvin... not the theologian, the one from the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" who said: "Nobody knows how to pamper like a mom."

Let me add my feeble, inadequate words to theirs by simply saying, Happy Mother's Day, Mom... I love you more than words could ever express.

Honoring Your Parents

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise...) Ephesians 6:1-2 (KJV)

What is the promise that comes along with honoring your father and mother? It will be well with you, and you will live long on the earth. The Amplified translation says it this way: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord [as his representatives], for this is just and right. Honor (esteem, and value as precious) your father and mother..."

He did not say to honor them if they were right. Nor did it say to honor, esteem, and value your parents if they were perfect. God said, honor, esteem and value as precious your father and your mother. This is the first commandment with a promise.

To honor your parents is to love them. And God's love is unconditional. The kind of love He expects us to exhibit as His children, as believers, is unconditional love even if we had parents who were terrible. Why is this? It is for your own preservation. Verse 3 says, "That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." In other words, your prosperity in the earth is tied to how you treat your parents.

When your parents need help, and when they get old, they should not be thrown away like an old shoe in case they get in the way of your life. This is one reason why God expects you not to get into debt. When your parents get old you should be willing to assist them. The Bible said, as a man sows that shall he also reap. You do not know, if Jesus tarries, that you will be old one day and you may need assistance from your children.

People wonder why they do what the Bible says, and do not get the blessing. It is because they have not accepted all of the Bible. They picked up certain portions they wanted to pick up. They liked the mo ney cometh part, but not the take care of the parents' part. You have to accept all of God's word.

If you will live godly, God will bless your seed and your seed's seed. It says to honor your parents. Obey your parents. If you are a young person, it does not matter whether or not mama understands, do what she tells you to do. Do what your parents tell you to do and honor them, and you will live long and see good days on the earth.

Scripture References: Psalm 103:17; Proverbs 13:22; Galatians 6:7

Somebody is Praying for You

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3 (KJV)

We need to give credit where credit is due. You may be very blessed. And if you are, know this: it is not you that caused it. You are blessed because God blessed you. That is the opinion you ought to have of yourself. Realize that your blessings did not start and end with you. They started and ended with God. Somebody has been praying for you, and it was their prayers that brought you through.

The way God does things sometimes astonishes me. With God, it does not matter how much you learned in school. It does not matter how good you can scheme and maneuver the business deal. It does not matter how eloquent your speech is. That is not what's putting you over. What's putting you over is that God has blessed you in spite of yourself. Somebody who has gone on before you prayed for you to be blessed.

Some of us had mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers that prayed for God's mercy to be extended toward us. Some of us are still living off the prayers and blessings of great-grandparents that we have never even met.

To think soberly is being aware that God has somebody praying for you right now in the midnight hour. They are praying and interceding for you so that mercy could come your way. So, when you fall down and hit your face on the pavement of life, God has somebody praying for you.

When you keep everything in proper perspective, you can think soberly, understanding that God and only God gets the glory for all the good in your life. God is good all the time. Give glory to His holy name!

Scripture Reference: Romans 13:7; Matthew 22:21

The Tenacity of a Single Mother

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of the widow in II Kings 4:1-7. It tells of a woman who is faced with a very common challenge of single mothers today. The father of her children, her husband, has died, left her financially bankrupt and jeopardized the future of her children.

It really doesn't matter if you conceived your children out of wedlock, a marriage which ended in divorce, or like this woman, your husband has died. Ultimately, when the relationship ends, it can feel like you are experiencing a death. While in the midst of grieving her loss, experiencing her hurt and deep disappointment, she now must contend with the reality of being solely responsible for her home, her children and their financial future. Many single moms are disillusioned in this process. Oftentimes going through the motions of survival all awhile wondering how she ended in this place.

This widow woman immediately reminds Elisha of her husband's relationship with God. She recognized she had a right to be sustained by the Lord because her husband "did fear the Lord". How right she was. Because of your covenant relationship with God, you have a right to be sustained by the Lord. Perhaps, like this woman, the creditors are seeking you out; attempting to compromise the financial stability of your children's future. Your child's father may no longer be in your home contributing to your provision, maybe withholds child support or perhaps he died with no life insurance, Jehovah-jireh, your provider, is YOUR insurance. Like never before, you have to trust God to do what you cannot and know that he is a good provider.

God's answer to changing her situation began with a plan spoken through Elisha. I believe it is applicable to all of us.

1. He begins by asking her what is in her house; or what does she already possess. God will plan your future with what you already have now. Not a man, or the lottery, but something you possess in your house (or your temple) right now. Begin by writing down your God given talents, gifts or skills.


2. He sent her out to borrow vessels. I imagine she was probably ashamed. Having to ask for help would require her to be venerable. Perhaps her neighbors would gossip after her request, or pretend they didn't hear her knocking at the door. She had to look her fear in the face, swallow her pride and do this in spite of her embarrassment because her children depended on her to succeed. You too, may have discovered that there are things you've had to do which required you to swallow your pride, face your fears and maybe even suffer embarrassment.


3. He then instructs her to come into the house and shut the door behind herself and her sons. I find this text so interesting. Elisha does not want the neighbors to see what God is about to do. God may share something with us and we want to tell everyone. But here, God instructs the woman to protect this process. Everyone cannot handle your journey. Everyone does not see what you see. They may unknowingly attempt to talk you out of your faith, discourage you, make you feel inadequate or like you're crazy. You must protect God's plan for your life by knowing when to speak and when to be silent.


4. He gave her instructions concerning pouring the oil in the vessels. She included her sons in this process. It is so important as you are fulfilling God's plan of action that your children not only see your obedience but also are a participant. In doing this, they gain a sense of success as contributors to God's plan.


5. Elisha told the woman to sell the oil, pay her debt and live off of the rest. God's desire is not to meet the need of our emergency, but make provision for our future. It requires faithfulness. Single moms, like none other, must perfect their faithfulness in financial stewardship. What if this woman in her excitement, paid off her debt and squandered the rest? She certainly would not have been able to abide in rest for the length of her days as Elisha instructed. Rather, she would have been forced to work by the sweat of her brow for the remainder of her days.

Single moms have a multitude of unique challenges before them. Pity parties sometime seem enticing to simply have an opportunity to talk about the difficulties of this journey. But seek the party, which the Bridegroom has prepared for you. Prepare your life to sit at His banquet table. You and your children can live the abundant life the scriptures promise. It's not too late. Begin by examining the very special gifts God has placed in you. It is what you possess right now that will bring greater fulfillment to you and your children for years to come.