Transcription
Today is Mother's Day, and we celebrate all our mothers in the house. Something kept on resonating in the spirit realm yesterday through this morning, and the Spirit of God is speaking to us and is speaking to all our teens and children. Just one sentence: Do your parents make your parents proud?
Let us do things that will bring great joy and honor to our parents as we move forward in this journey of life. Let us avoid things that could bring dishonor, shame, stress, or pain to our parents. Let's do things that will make your family proud, that will bring honor to your family. And sometimes, the scope of this honor could be worldwide. Could be worldwide. You can make your family name have such a good reputation, good will that will open doors in so many places for everyone that will bear that name. Take note that women are going to marry sons from your family. So be among those that will build the brand of your family name.
Let us make our parents proud of us. So many ways we can do this. One is by obedience to them, and be more conscious of this as we'll advance in age, as we advance in whatever path we choose in life. Let us intentionally cooperate with our parents. Let's support them. Let's go the extra mile to do this. Also, our parents make so much sacrifice to ensure we attend good schools. Let us be very serious with our schoolwork. Let us not just settle for any average result that brings no special honor. Let us always aim for results that will win special prizes and honor because on the day of prize-giving, either at the secondary school, at the primary school, and the university, it is your family name that will be announced, and not just your parents will celebrate it. When such things happen, it brings honor to your cousins, your uncles, and aunties.
And there are things that you can do as a son, as a daughter that can provoke your parents positively. We have seen parents sell a house to sponsor a child, a child that never asked them to do so. There's a way you can, by your conduct and the kind of things you are doing, there's a way you can touch the heart of your parents, and they will decide to do something extraordinary, to do much more for you in your journey. Let us do our parents proud. Let's make them happy. Let's make them proud of us by the way we conduct ourselves that anytime we have information from your school, let it be good news, good news. That anytime parents gather in our children's school, the family name will be announced for something very good that everyone present will clap for. So I pray that we will bring joy to our parents and honor them that way for so much that they do.
So today, we share on attributes of a mother that other women can learn from. Attributes of a mother that other women can learn from. We take our text from Titus chapter 2, verse 2, verse 3-5. The voice, it says, "And here's what I want you to teach the older women. Be respectful. Stay clear of gossip or drinking too much so that you can teach what is good to young women. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children." I like you to take note of the way the Holy Spirit placed it there. It's intentional. Children never come first before husband in a godly environment. You never place a child above the father, above the husband, in a godly home, in a godly setting. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children, and teaching them to control themselves in every way and to be pure. Train them to manage the household, to be kind, to be submissive to their husbands, all of which honor the word of God.
Today is Mother's Day. Mother's Day is a day to recognize, to appreciate, and honor those who have exhibited the attributes and functions of a mother. And we need to have a good understanding of this father's day, Mother's Day thing because in the journey of life, based on different circumstances, what many will experience will be a mother figure that is not a biological mother. And some biological mothers, if in the process of time, would eventually go and be with the Lord. And God will still raise mother figures for such persons who have lost their biological mothers. And let us be sincere. Let us be sincere with ourselves. There is the mystery of what is called a soft spot, and we share this number of times. It is one of the deepest dimensions of love that can flow from the heart of anyone towards you in life. And we have found out that there are certain persons that God could raise as a mother figure who would sincerely love you deeply. They will have a soft spot for you. And all those benefits that come from someone who has a soft spot for you, you'll observe it will always flow from that kind of mother figure. Any godly woman above 40 must also be appreciated on Mother's Day. And the higher they have advanced in the journey of life, the greater the respect and honor we should accord them. So, Mother's Day is a day to recognize, appreciate, and honor those who have exhibited the attributes of and functions of a mother over a period of time or at a particular time of your life. Please take note of that. There are those who will play this role for a time when you were in secondary school, when certain matrons have played an excellent role. So we are celebrating on a day like these biological mothers, matrons, aunties, sisters, a God-sent woman. These are women who take exceptional care and interest in the lives and well-being of other people.
Mother's Day is not a day to celebrate only women who have biological children. That would be one of the most insensitive things to do. It's a day to celebrate mother figures and biological mothers. It's a day to appreciate and celebrate those who have played the role, the role of a mother in our lives.
One of the reasons why the Lord will want you to be the head and not the tail is that he wants you to be a good role model that others can learn from. A role model is a person whose behavior, character can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. A person whose attitude, whose values can be emulated by others. A role mother is a person whose principles, whose habits, examples, and success story can also be emulated by others, especially the younger ones. Role mothers are those that set the right example that others can follow, that others can follow. A role model is a person that other people look up to in order to help determine appropriate behavior. Appropriate behavior. Those people that portray values and virtues that should be imitated. And you know, role models are very influential. The younger ones tend to copy what their admired stars or heroes do and how they do it. How they do it? Show me any common fashion trend. It is being copied. It is being copied. Why are so many people this way? It is being copied. People copy how their role models, role models will dress, the way they dress, the way they look, the way they behave, their mannerisms and accent. And for you to know how much people are watching you, observing you, let us ask your children or members of your household to come and do a play for 15 minutes. And that play will be that drama will be centered on showing us the way you conduct yourself in the house. That day you would understand how you are seen and perceived. So please, as we go far and go more, go further, sorry, in this journey of life, let us intentionally avoid certain things because of the damage or negative impression it could leave in the people, in the minds of people who are watching us as a good example. People tend to copy what they see or hear from their role models.
There are 10 attributes of a good mother, and we'll continue to emphasize them. You hear this somewhere, read this somewhere. It may not be exactly the same 10, but you will see obviously clear similarities and consistencies. And one of the best scriptural foundations for describing a good mother is Proverbs 31, verse 10 to 31. So quickly, 10. What are these 10 attributes of a good mother?
One, she has the fear of God and draws her family closer to God. She has the fear of God and draws her family closer to God. She is spiritually inclined. Every good mother who is observant will know that this journey of life is complex. Things happen. So if your family is not spiritually covered and fortified, avoidable damage will happen. So every wise good mother is spiritual. Every wise good mother is a spiritually inclined woman. She's spiritually inclined and draws her family, draws her husband, draws the children. Many adults today can quote certain scriptures. And how did it begin? There's a mother that compelled them when they were children to always memorize certain scriptures. And now they are adults, and they can still clearly remember each of those scriptures and declare them in appropriate situations. She's spiritually inclined and she draws her family closer to God. That, that we need mothers that will pull husbands closer to God, draw the man closer to God. She intercedes for her family every day. Her mindset is different from that of ungodly women. Her values are different from that of ungodly women. The things that give her joy and fulfillment are different from that of ungodly women.
Number two, she believes strongly in the importance of the marriage institution. A good mother from God's perspective is a woman who believes strongly in the importance of the marriage institution. She may not be married as are today, but she believes strongly in the importance of the marriage institution. This is very, very key. Because her influence over her children, her influence over those she's a mother figure to, could be positive based on this factor or negative if she's one of those who does not believe in the importance or relevance of the marriage institution. So because she believes in the marriage institution, she's a positive influence on her friends as well as her children on how to conduct themselves in marriage.
Number three, she places high value on the family. She places high value on the family, and that of course includes her own family. So as such, she can make a lot of sacrifice, a lot of sacrifice to keep the family together. She sacrifices her time for her family. A good mother loves children and babies. She loves to spend time with her children.
Number four, she places high value on her husband. She recognizes the spiritual importance of a father. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 2. The Holy Scripture says, "Honor thy father and mother." It is deliberate, and that is why you see the same pattern everywhere in scripture, the father and mother. So which is the first commandment with a promise? Rebecca in Genesis 27:1-10. She knew she could not substitute the father's blessing with the mother's blessing. She makes her children, her family, and friends to love her husband. Take note, things happen in the process of the journey of life. Someone could have been a widow, lost the husband, and she remarried. You have a responsibility to make sure your children from your late husband respect and love your husband, that husband that is now in your life. You have to influence your children, influence your family, influence your friends to love and respect that man in your life today. She trains her children to appreciate and honor her husband. You have to teach them the way to greet, teach them the way to relate. And when they do it in a wrong way, correct them. Correct them quickly and correct them sufficiently.
Number five, she has a caring heart. She has a caring heart. She's a nurse to her husband and children. So when a daughter has been, is watching these things going on, seeing how her mother is operating in this fashion, she has already been groomed. She has been trained. She, she, she knows what to do. So when that kind of daughter grows up and marries, she knows how to treat and relate well with both the husband and the children based on what she observed from her mom.
Number six, she is very patient with members of her family. She's very patient with members of her family, that is her husband and her children. She's very patient with them. Be quick to correct, but be very, very slow to taking ultimate decisions. It's better to keep on correcting than to hastily take the ultimate decision when it comes to discipline or punishment. A good mother is patient with the husband, patient with the children.
Number seven, she's a teacher to her children. She teaches her children the right values and the right attitude to exhibit. She makes sure her children are brought up correctly, correctly. She teaches her children how to cook intentionally. She exercises discipline and firm correction on the children when necessary.
And number eight, she's diligent and hardworking. A good mother is diligent. She's hardworking.
And number nine, she's a prudent manager of resources. She's a prudent manager of resources. She's financially responsible. You can leave money with her. You can leave money in her hands. She's financially responsible.
Number 10, that's the last one. She's a role model to her children. She's a role model to her children. So you find out that, you know, over and over, the children continuously will do certain things because of the way mama does it, the way mom does it. They, they are fully convinced that that is the right and best way to do it, the way mom does it. So she's a role model not just to the daughters, she's a role model to her sons in many ways.
So in closing, the last word is: How does God expect you to relate with your mother? Seven duties.
One, love and compassion. Love and compassion. Do this consistently.
Number two, respect and obedience. Respect and obedience.
Number three, care and support. Care and support.
Number four, provision. Provision.
Number five, protection. You have a responsibility to ensure that your mom is being protected and safe wherever she is at any point in time, not just from external threats, but also from within wherever she's living.
Number six, consistent oversight of their health and safety. One of the ways you will know a child that loves his or her parent is their concern and response to the health of that parent. So consistent oversight of their health is not enough to provide medications for your parent, your mom. Is she taking them? Is she using them? The real goal is to ensure that our health improves. So it goes beyond just providing money. You have to confirm that everything that ought to be done has been done. Consistent oversight of their health and safety. And health also affects, includes their mental health. Their mental health. There could be someone that is stressing your mom. There could be someone that is stressing your wife. And many times that mom, that wife may not voice it out. So you, you have to be sure you are aware of what is really happening with your mom or your wife.
And number seven, appreciate and honor them. And there is no limit to what you can do. Appreciate and honor them. This has to be intentional. It has to be intentional. You have to also let people know that you highly respect, you highly appreciate, and honor the mother or mother figure in your life.
As we celebrate Mother's Day today, we want to say a big thank you to the intense care, love, covering, good advice that our mothers have provided for us from the beginning, even on to this day.