Family Bonds: Mothers

2 Timothy 1:5-7 & 3:14-17 reveals a process through which our mothers (certainly Timothy's mother!) can deeply impact our lives! Paul writes to Timothy, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline...¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The process we hear Paul describing goes like this:

1. Our mothers pass on a "sincere faith" to us.

It's important to note that whether you were parented well by your mother or not, this process is her dream for you. She was made in the image of God and, like God, she longs for this process to be lived out in your life! Timothy's grandmother and mother were so influential in his sincere faith that God chose to single them out through the writings of the Apostle Paul!

2. That sincere faith leads to salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Paul refers to "the gift of God which is in you". This refers both to the spiritual gifts and calling that Timothy received, but also to the ultimate gift of God...Himself! His Holy Spirit is the gift in us that will bloom and produce all the good we will every know or do in our lives!

3. The Holy Spirit enables us to understand and apply God's Word.

Paul goes on to tell Timothy that through his mother "from infancy" he was taught the Holy Scriptures. He then details how that knowledge will bless Timothy and those he is called to teach, lead and reach!

4. The we are equipped through the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God's Word to serve the world and accomplish the mission God created us for.

The point of this entire process is not just to bless us, or honor our mothers, or make much of us in any way! The point of this process is to lead all of God's children to acts of service that will lead others to know and follow Him! Paul said, "so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work"! This is the product...the payoff...the sum total of all the time, energy and effort that our mothers poured into us! God uses our mothers to prepare us to SERVE THE WORLD!

What a blessing mothers are! I know my mom was a key factor in the development of my own "sincere faith". And now I'm blessed with a wife who is blessing her own children in the same ways! Take the time to thank God not only for your mom, but for the ways in which He has used her to prepare you to serve Him well! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

In His Grip,

Pastor John