MOTIVATE

Mother’s Day – superpowers of moms

• Multi-tasking: Moms can know every child’s calendar, spouse’s schedule, and their own activities. They can cook dinner, assist with multiple children’s hw, create excel spreadsheets, sew a button, read a kindle book, while singing all at the same time.
• Ocular: Moms have x-ray vision to see through walls for when a child is misbehaving or about to hurt themselves.
• Thinking: Mom’s have special intuition to look at child’s face and know exactly what they’re thinking and is needed to respond, whether it’s with wise words, hugs, extra cookies, or whatever.
• Healing: Moms are the best at fixing boo-boos. Their healing power is in their hugs and kisses.
• Ears: Moms have special hearing to recognize their child’s cry or sassy talk in a room filled with countless other children.
• Rescue: Mom’s have ability to find lost items in the house or car. Whether something needs found or fixed, moms are always right there to rescue the moment.
• Sustaining Influence: Even when mom isn’t near or no longer present, she has an ongoing impact with faith, hope, and love.

Today’s topic on In The Ring: Nurturing.  In this message we will both declare God’s word from Psalm 131 and display God’s message through the testimony of 3 individuals. In a moment, our panel of mothers will come up to discuss their faith story and relevance for how to encourage others in the faith journey. So, let’s turn our attention to Psalm 131 as an introduction to two realities for spiritual champion families.

EXAMINE               Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹ O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. ² But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. ³ O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

Spiritual champion families nurture humility and hope.

This Psalm starts with an inscription: a song of David. One of the most renown characters in the Bible had much reason to boast:

• Chosen as young teen by God to become king.
• Conqueror of Israel’s enemy and Philistine giant Goliath.
• Champion warrior king to expand Israel’s boundaries with many military exploits.
• Classic example of a worshiper.
  • Yet, David prays with a humble heart: my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
  • Faith delivers us from our biggest problem: a proud self-will[1] that attempts to do life alone and look down on others. When our self-will is at work, we become noisy inside, busy with activity, comparison, and satisfying our needs with stuff that promise to please but fail to fulfill. 

The way to nurture humility is found in 131:2 I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Weaning is not an easy process. The Hebrew word means to “ripen.” ^[2] Spiritual maturity occurs through learning the lessons of loss to gain something better. Our soul will ache with the series of troubles and suffering to understand Jesus is our only sustaining strength and eternal hope.

Before we are sustained with eternal hope we must start with present humility. The psalmist says, ³ from this time forth and forevermore.

• When was the “this time forth” in your life?
• How does the concept of forever shape your daily life?

These sorts of ideas & questions will be shared by today’s panel. May something in their life story and faith testimony encourage you toward faith in Christ.

APPLY/THINK

Panel: Beverly Danton, Tracy Howard, Christine Wasnesky.

1. Introduce yourself, salvation testimony, and how long been part of SPBC family.

• What Bible verse or passage has profoundly shaped your life? Explain why.

• What is your favorite hymn / worship song? Explain why.

• How would you define a godly woman/mother?
  Share 1-3 characteristics.

• What are 1-2 challenges that women face and how does the Bible address them?

• Who has been a role model (to help you deal with challenges) for you as a woman / wife/ mom? How do you seek to be a role model for other young women? How can we do this better as a church?

• What would you say to someone who doesn’t know Jesus as Savior & Lord yet?

We close not by walking away merely saying, “those are nice stories.” We close by reflecting on our own story.

• For what are you grateful? This is certainly a day to express gratitude to mothers, surrogate moms, mentors, and family.
  
  
• How are you growing and giving faith, hope, and love to others? God wants to use you. The impact of a mother and influence of a woman is too important to keep silent. Ladies, I want to encourage you to commit to family as your primary ministry and mission field. That does not mean embrace previous generation stereotypes, but it does call for you to discern and prioritize based on eternal value not earthly success.

A prayer:

Father,

Thank you for these ladies and the way You have worked grace and good in their life. We ask that their story would encourage others toward humility and hope in the Lord. As the psalmist prayed, might we calm and quiet our soul like a weaned child with its mother. May we experience contentment in our soul by knowing that Jesus Christ is sufficient to save us from pride and is worthy of steadfast hope.

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[1] See David Powlison, “Peace Be Still: Learning Psalm 131 By Heart,” in The Journal Of Biblical Counseling 18, no 3 (Spring 2000): p.3, ff.  https://www.ccef.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Peace-be-still-Learning-Psalm-131-by-Heart.pdf

^[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Exultant, 1st ed., “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004), 174.