Mothers are a gift from God

Mother’s Day is upon us! This weekend we celebrate the mothers in our lives. I recently spent a week with my mother and father in Wisconsin. My mother is 77 years old. Every day spent with her is a great privilege.

We rightly honor our mothers. We often say, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” God has much to say about mothers. The Book of Proverbs teaches how to please God in the details of life. Proverbs teaches living that honors God.

Proverbs 31:30 says that there are three common approaches to life. Women (and men) often live for three distinct purposes. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”

First, some live for personal charm. A charming person is persuasive and attractive. This person is often popular. Yet the Bible says, “...charm is deceitful…” A person may be attractive on the outside but not on the inside.

Second, some women (and men) live for physical beauty. “…beauty is vain…” Physical beauty eventually ends. The beautiful time of a person’s life is short (Psalms 90:5-6)!

Third, the highest priority is to please God. “…but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” The Proverbs 31 woman is praised by godly people even 3,000 years after this proverb was written. But most importantly this woman is praised by God Himself. Fearing God or honoring God is the best approach to life.

My mother raised four children. We lived in South Carolina, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Connecticut, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama. In all of the moves and different locations my mother encouraged us to fear God or to honor God.

What does it mean to honor God? Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Fearing God involves two foundational priorities.

First, God’s Word is the ultimate authority (verse 5). We don’t lean on our own understanding. We trust in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord means that the Word of God is true. God has spoken.

Recently in Wisconsin my mother showed me the old family Bibles. She carefully took the old Bibles down from the bookshelf. Each was published in the early 1800’s. She said, “Ethan, these are our old family Bibles. The Word of God is precious. Our family for many generations has treasured God’s Word.”

Second, the ultimate priority is obeying the Word of God (verse 6). “In all your ways acknowledge Him” means to obey God’s truth. Straight paths are in contrast to crooked paths. Crooked paths deviate from Scripture. Straight paths follow God’s ways as prescribed in the Good Book.

This weekend let’s honor our mothers. Let’s also honor our mothers by becoming the people our mothers want us to be! Let’s not live for personal charm or physical beauty. Let’s live to fear God. The Bible is the ultimate authority. Obeying God’s Word must be our ultimate priority. Thank God for our mothers!

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.