Moms are blessed, aren’t they? And, today, we honor our moms … while bringing glory to God through the reading of his word. Listen to today’s scripture, but let me set it up first: As I understand it, this was probably Paul’s last correspondence of his life. He was imprisoned for a second time in Rome, counting on this young pastor—Timothy—to take over leadership of the Christian churches he’d planted by this time, so he encourages him in this way…
Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. 5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. – 2 Timothy 1:3-8a (NLT)
A mother’s influence on her children is far greater than even she may realize…
Back when I was doing full-time youth ministry, I would periodically hold “Pit-Stops” (Parent Information Time). In those gatherings, I not only would inform the parents of what was going on in youth group, asking for their support and prayers, but I would also use that as a time to encourage parents in their roles in the spiritual upbringing of their children. For many, they wouldn’t receive encouragement from their own families or even friends, so I felt strongly the Church should be that encouragement for parents…
One of the things parents often failed to realize was just how much of an influence they continued to be on their children … even when they became teenagers! Here’s what a recent youth ministry article has to say on the subject: Mark Jenkins, the Student Ministry Associate at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL shares this:
We’ve all had students in our ministry that just seem to “get it.” Spiritual things just seem to click with them and they truly value Christ. It’s always encouraging to watch these students grow.
On the other hand, if we’re honest, we’ve all had the students that cause us to want to bang our heads against the wall. They don’t get it and no matter how much knowledge they have, they don’t value Christ. I think all of us want to figure out what it is that separates these groups of students; what makes some of them “get it” and others to totally ignore it?
This smacked me in the face recently as I was thinking about a particular group of guy students in our ministry. They all go to the same school, have the same group of friends, have the same teachers, play the same sports with the same coaches, are in the same small group class, come to the same Wednesday night services, and are in the same discipleship group. Notice a pattern here? They have tons of the same influences, get the same teaching at school and church, and are exposed to the same things in their group of friends.
So, the question has to be asked: Why are some of them growing spiritually and others drying up quicker than you could imagine?
As I started to think about each one of these guys, one thing started to stand out to me: their relationship with their parents. I’m not just talking about whether or not their parents are divorced or if their parents are generally good folks or not. I’m talking about the level of spiritual involvement their parents have in their lives. The ones whose parents are actively involved in their spiritual lives are steadily growing in their walks with Christ, whereas the ones who don’t communicate about spiritual things with their parents are as dry as can be.
As I was thinking about this, I started thinking about other students in our ministry and in the majority of cases, the same thing held true. I know there are exceptions, but the most of teenagers who communicate with their parents about their spiritual lives are more likely to grow consistently in their walks with Christ than a kid who never talks to their parents about these things.
My point in all this is to say this: It’s the parents’ job to be the primary disciplers of their children, not ours. It can be tough because all parents aren’t doing this, but that’s no excuse for us to ignore it. If we truly care about our students, we’ll get down and dirty helping equip their parents to learn how to disciple them. After all, teenagers’ relationship with their parents is one that will last long after we’re out of the picture.
This is why we held “PIT-Stop” meetings with parents… It was always important to encourage parents; they need to be the primary disciplers of their children, but they need equipping and encouraging in the process! Why is this important? Because, whether they know it or not, parents are still a significant influence on their children—even when they don’t want you to think you are…
Apparently, Timothy’s mother and grandmother took the job of ‘discipler’ very seriously. For in today’s Bible story, Paul shares of their incredible gift to Timothy that he was then to continue to pass on to others—the gift of faith. And for everyone present today, we need to be aware of this incredible gift … and for many of us, it came from our moms!
YOU HAVE A FAITH THAT COMES FROM MOTHERS… Verse 5, again, records Paul saying to Timothy, “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” It’s as if Paul is saying, “Here is the source of what drives you, Timothy!” And here is the source of what should drive us today, too… Look at it this way: When others look at your family, what family traits do they see? For Timothy’s family, FAITH was a huge part of what people remembered…
Paul goes on to tell Timothy to … remember to fan the flames of the gift of faith God’s given you… It’s important to see here that Paul wasn’t saying that Timothy needed new gifts or revelations for his current situation; he simply needed to ‘fan the flames’ of the gift that he already possessed—through his mother & grandmother. Then, we also need to know (moms, especially, today)…
NEVER BE AFRAID TO SHARE THIS FAITH WITH YOUR CHILDREN! Verse 7 tells us clearly, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” God has not given us a spirit of fear and of timidity!
With that in mind, here’s a truth we should all be aware of: Did you know that when we allow people to intimidate us, we then neutralize our effectiveness for God! And, folks, that’s the Enemy’s plan sometimes. The more ‘sold-out Christians’ he can neutralize, the less effective they will be for God’s Kingdom… Folks, God has not given us a spirit of fear and of timidity! Instead, the gift of faith … offers us something that looks more like this: Through our moms & grandmas, God gives us this kind of Faith…
- A Spirit of Power…
We are not helpless when it comes to the strength it takes to move ahead, follow God’s leadings, and be the people whom God is calling us to be (Love God, Love People, and Serve God by Serving Others)! God’s power is at our disposal to do just that…
- A Spirit of Love…
There’s the power that will change the world; the power to love those who are unlovable is a part of the faith that God gives! Lives will change if enough of God’s people are willing to stand up and say to a world that doesn’t know about the love of God, “I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it!” That’s the love of a mom…
- A Spirit of Self-discipline…
It’s the power to actually live the life we say we believe in—not just give it lip service, but actually love the way God has asked us to love in this world… There is no greater gift that we can pass on to our kids, moms!
A woman was calling on a friend whose children were brought in. The caller said, evidently with no thought of the meaning of her words, “Oh, I’d give my life to have two such children,” to which the mother replied without hesitation, “It’s funny you should say that, because … that’s exactly what it costs.”
That, folks, is the LOVE of a mother that we celebrate today… It’s a love that gives their very lives to prepare their children not just for what’s ahead in this world … but for eternity! It’s a love that knows that sharing their FAITH is the greatest gift they can give—the greatest way to do just that…
Moms, what an incredible gift you are to us! On behalf of all of us, today, let me just say … THANK-YOU! Thank you for being a daughter of the King; thank you for being a servant of the Son! Thanks for sharing the Greatest Gift—FAITH—with all of us…