Hello, my friends. Blessed Mother's Day. Like many of you, I had a great mother who prayed for me. And I am so privileged to know many wonderful moms. And that is why today's message on The Marvelous Mom is going to be an encouragement to all moms, but also to all the children who appreciate and are blessed by great moms.
So I want you to stay tuned. Proverbs 31. Will you turn to it with me please and follow it? Because in these 22 verses, the Word of God clearly describes all of the marvelous moms that have been, are, and will come. With very, very, very, very few exceptions, most of us, if not all of us, can testify to how marvelous our moms are. Some time ago, someone said that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
And I couldn't agree more. For I can stand here and I can tell you, and I've told you through the years, of the great moms that produced some great men from St. Augustine to John Wesley and Charles Wesley's mom, Susanna Wesley. Marvelous mothers through the years and through the history.
But I want us to look at the scripture. I want us to examine the scripture and look at how the scripture describes the marvelous mom. Here are the 10 things that I want to share with you about marvelous moms. First of all, in verse 10, she is marvelous in her worth.
Solomon, King Solomon, who messed up royally, I mean really royally messed up in compromise, in disobedience to God. The Holy Spirit, right in the midst of his own failure, guides him to the great qualities of the marvelous mom. She is marvelous in her worth.
Look at verse 10 with me. A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth more than rubies.
This actually can read also, fortunate or blessed is the man who can find her. She is priceless. See, Solomon looks at his moral failure and his moral compromise and he contrasts it to godly women. He said that the strength of her moral character and moral qualities is priceless.
There is no price he can name next to that. Most likely, Solomon was thinking of his great, great grandmother, Ruth. There is no doubt in my mind that this is whom he was thinking of. Because of her sterling qualities, Ruth was called in the Bible, a virtuous woman. And the most important thing about this is that she was a Gentile, not a Jew.
She was not a Jewish woman, she was a Gentile woman. Ruth, the Moabite, drank deeply from the teaching of her mother-in-law, Naomi, about the God of Israel. She learned so much from her mother-in-law about who is this God of Israel. And she came to believe in him. She came to be faithful like he is. She came to trust him wholeheartedly and you see it throughout her life. She came to try to imitate his faithfulness by being faithful to her mother-in-law and thus God privileged her to be the great grandmother of King David. She is marvelous in her worth. Secondly, she is marvelous in her wholeness.
Look at verses 11 and 12. Now please, please, please, please, ladies, do not mistake wholeness with perfection. Are you with me? Ladies, none of us will attain perfection before heaven. We're not going to attain perfection in this lifetime. Perfection belongs to God alone. Perfection is unattainable in this lifetime.
I am absolutely convinced, just listen to me, I am absolutely convinced that the sooner we all grasp this fact, the less stressful life will be. Amen belongs here. Wholeness is that quality that all marvelous moms have. They anticipate our needs and meet them before we do.
They finish our sentences for us. They are so dependable in every way. They're always building up their family and not tearing them down. They always say the right thing at the right time, which remind me of that marvelous mom when her son was so discouraged, depressed and he came home and he said, mom, everyone in the world hates me.
She said, son, not everyone in the world had the privilege of meeting you. That is a marvelous mom. She is marvelous in her worth. She is marvelous in her wholeness. Amen. Now, she is marvelous in her workmanship.
Look at verses 13, 14 and 15. Marvelous mom is never idle. Marvelous moms are not spending their time looking for the next adventure. Marvelous moms are forever occupied of meeting her family's needs.
That is physical needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs. And here Solomon talks about wool and flax. Well, of course today, the modern generation of women do not knit like they used to in the old days. After all, the garments are so cheap now. They used to do it because it was expensive.
They couldn't get them already made. But let me tell you, I have watched how many moms today are going nonstop. I mean, most moms today are logging more miles in their cars than the average taxi driver. I mean, in addition to cooking and tutoring and sewing and mending and cheerleading of her kids and counseling her kids and being a nurse and all of that.
After all of that work, some of them even try to get part-time job to help with little extra expenses. If I have a word of counsel to young dads from this grandfather, it would be this. Be very sure to give your wife a break.
Be sure to give your wife a break. Amen. She is marvelous in her worth. She is marvelous in her wholeness. She is marvelous in her workmanship. And then she is marvelous in her wealth management. Some of you are cringing and said, what wealth are you talking about? Are you kidding me?
Have you seen my credit card bill? Well, the only reason I had to come up with that, because I was looking for a word that starts with W, so it doesn't break the flow of my outline. I couldn't come up with a better one.
Amen. But marvelous moms stretch a dollar further than a rubber band. They are super shoppers. They are coupon clippers. They are forever finding bargains and low prices.
A friend of mine told me something years and years and years and years ago. I have never forgotten it. He said, my wife, if she sees something cost $10, she thinks it's outrageous price.
But if it's $9.95, it's a bargain. She is marvelous in her worth. She is marvelous in her wholeness. She is marvelous in her workmanship. She is marvelous in her wealth management. And number five, she is marvelous in her willingness to serve.
Look at verse 20. She opened her arms to the poor and extend her hands to the needy. Some women in this church who serve inside and outside of the church, who are so faithfully give themselves in service. It is so overwhelming at times when I see this and I see and I know more than they think I do. And yet, they never want anybody to know about it.
They do all of the ministry behind the scenes knowing that only God can reward them properly. As I was growing up, I watched how my mother gave of herself so generously. Not just our family but to lots of people in our towns.
Too many to number. In fact, she was known as a go-to woman in our town in times of crisis and in times of need. And yet, she permitted no one to speak of what she does, especially in her presence would not allow any of us to talk about it. Her anonymity was so important to her because she realized that her reward is in heaven and it's in God and not in the praise of people.
So I'll never forget the day of her funeral back in 1964. The pastor who 16 years earlier literally asked her to risk her life and to have me when all the doctors said she shouldn't. That same pastor preached at her funeral and he said something again I'll never forget to the day I die.
He said today a very expensive bottle of perfume has been broken and all of us can experience its beautiful aroma. He said that while she was living, she permitted no one to speak of her serving and of her giving of herself but now she's in heaven. We can freely speak of her act of kindness and mercy to everyone. Marvelous moms are able to change the world without anyone even knowing their names.
Indeed their investments, their serving ministry extends to many generations to come. And so let me remind you again she is marvelous in her worth. She is marvelous in her wholeness. She is marvelous in her workmanship. She is marvelous in her wealth management and number five she is marvelous in her willingness to serve. Number six she is marvelous in her watchfulness.
Look at verse 21 with me please. When it snows she has no fear for her household for all of them are closed and scollared. During Solomon's time and even to this day in that part of the world it doesn't snow very often.
It's a rare occurrence but it would every now and again it would snow in Mount Hermon but not necessarily in the valley. But even so rare as this is why does Solomon talk about her not being taken by surprise in those rare days when it snows. He is telling us that she anticipated the need even if it is a rare occurrence. I think that we all can testify to how marvelous moms when you forget something she remembers.
When you don't think it's done. She plans ahead and bails you out of a jam over and over and over again. You don't believe me? Just look at their purses. I mean you'll be absolutely amazed what you're going to find there. Can openers.
I mean it is amazing letter openers paper and pen maps. Today everything you need is on mom's iPhone and now the kids go to it. Anticipates the need of the family because the marvelous mom she's marvelous in her worth she's marvelous in her wholeness she's marvelous in her workmanship she's marvelous in her wealth management she's marvelous in her willingness to serve she is marvelous in her watchfulness and number seven she is marvelous in her wisdom.
Look at verses 22 all the way to 25. She takes pride in her family not only outward appearance but inward appearance as well. She takes pride in the character developments in her children and she takes pride when she sees them making right choices. She takes pride in her husband's successes.
She's not competing with him she's completing him. She takes pride in her husband being respected in the community that's what sitting at the gate means. She takes pride in the fact that she is God's instrument for his success.
She takes pride when her children are praised for the good and godly character. She is closed with strength and dignity and she can laugh at the days to come. What does that mean? Listen carefully. It means that she is optimistic about the future.
Why? Because while she does not know what the future holds she knows who holds the future. She knows the Lord because she knows that God is in control regardless of what the circumstances bring and she knows that God is in control and she's not. That God is in control of her life that God is in control of her family life and so she faces the future with optimism.
She laughs that's what he means here. No fear but faith. She is marvelous number eight in her wholesome speech.
Look at 26 and 27. Her speech assaulted with salt. She knows when a word of rebuke is needed. She knows when a word of kindness is needed. She knows when a word of encouragement is needed. She knows when there's a word of conviction is needed.
Look at verse 26. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction on her tongue. What does that mean? It means that she's not griping and complaining all the time. That she's not forever whining about everything. That she's not forever gossiping or slandering.
No sir she is a marvelous mom. She controls her tongue and speaks a word of wisdom in due season. In fact Solomon is saying that those who speak with kindness they are actually teachers of kindness.
You say how come? Because their example rubs off on everybody that comes across them and beloved let me tell you other than my own mother and my own wife the two women that I've studied very closely both Monica the mother of son Augustine and Susanna Wesley. I want to give you an example of that incredible wisdom that this woman was renowned for. When John Wesley went to Oxford University just like going even today going to university is a shock to the system.
I mean he was like everybody else got to Oxford and he saw the students there were drinking excessively even back then. So he was literally shell-shocked and he wrote his mother Susanna he wrote her a note telling her about this and ask her for her wisdom. Here's her reply listen carefully my son remember that anything that increases the authority of the body over the mind is an evil thing. I mean just few words packed with wisdom. Oh yes marvelous moms have wisdom and wholesome words to speak in due season for she is marvelous in her worth marvelous in her wholeness marvelous in her workmanship marvelous in her wealth management marvelous in her willingness to serve marvelous in her watchfulness marvelous in her wisdom marvelous in her wholesome speech. Number nine she is marvelous in her worthiness of praise verse 28 her children arise and call her blessed her husband also. You know I've talked to enough people in the ordained ministry to know that the greatest reward and I know I speak for the majority not for everybody but if I understood women as I have ministered through the years they not looking for this big shiny stuff and expensive things what they're looking for is gratitude from their family thankfulness recognition of their selfless giving of themselves as a story told about G Campbell Morgan G Campbell Morgan had four sons all of them were preachers and so they had a family reunion and as you know you can control the family you have one of those scallywags you know a member of the family kind of looked at the Morgan family and he said of all five preachers in the Morgan family who is the best preacher of course the boys kind of politely look toward their father at that moment Mr. Morgan said let me stop you right here and tell you that the best preacher in the Morgan household is Mrs. Morgan amen that can be said of my own wife I can tell you that marvelous moms do their fair share of preaching even not always using words and it's no wonder that their preaching is lasting it's enduring because it is lived out day in and day out finally marvelous mom is a worshiping mom look with me please at verse 29 30 and 31 mom is deceptive beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised well you can substitute fear the Lord for worshiping the Lord fear for worship a worshipper of the Lord is to be praised and Isaiah 49 God trying to explain his enduring love for his people even though they doubted it in using human language he said can a mother forget her baby at her breast and then he goes to the impossibility even in some very very strenuous circumstances they may forget but I will never forget you there may be someone here today who's been tempted that God has forgotten you or thinking that God had forsaken you that God has abandoned you that God has forgotten about you well think of the love of a marvelous mom think of how a mom can never abandon her child and then multiply her love million times and you get close to comprehending the love of the father he can never forget you know forsake you it is not in his nature the very sacrificial nature of moms makes us look at the cross lifts our eyes to see the cross of Jesus and when you look at the cross you can quickly be jolted of how much your heavenly father loves you and that he loved you so much that he gave his only one begotten son on that cross for you how can you doubt the love of someone who has done so much dr. Michael Yusef focusing your attention on marvelous mums in your life in fact dr. Yusef returns in just a moment to share a word or two that will give a little more depth than meaning to today's teaching first though think about how privileged you are this weekend you'll gather at your church you won't have any concern about the government interrupting enforcing how you worship unlike many places in the world you see in some locations Christians cannot gather because of fear freedom to teach about Jesus has been removed but leading the way is thankful to carry the message of the gospel to assist with discipleship when possible via local teams and trusted partner ministries even in these difficult areas so we hope that you will stand with leading the way knowing that as you support dr. Yusef with your generosity you are helping to reach people who live in fear you're part of sharing Jesus through radio through satellite television and other media along with as mentioned local teams right there encouraging Christians in their faith community through support and discipleship here's our phone number call us and learn more at 866-626-4356 and online at ltw.org ltw.org now as mentioned here is dr. Michael Yusef with a final word for today's episode years ago a young mom was making her way across the hills of South Wales in England she was carrying a little baby in her arms but she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard she never reached her destination when the blizzard subsided her baby was found by the searcher under a mound of snow here's what they discovered as they dug that mound that before her death mom has taken her outer garments and she wrapped it around her baby when the rescuer unwrapped the child to their utter amazement and joy the baby was alive and well she not only wrapped the baby with her outer garments she mounted her own body over his in effect giving her life for her son she proved the depth of a mother's love by giving up hers now beloved this is what the son of God did for us in redeeming us eternally in saving us not just for this life and in this life but for eternity forever and ever and ever on the cross Jesus paid the wages of my sin and your sin and the sin of everyone who acknowledges their sin and receive the payment on the cross to be for their sins and to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord and repent of their sins that's the price the pure sinless blood of Jesus was put out on the cross for you some sources have said that this young boy grew up to be one of England's fine prime ministers be that as it may comprehending the love of God can move you to do great and mighty things for God there is a person here today who have never comprehended the indescribable love of Christ dying on the cross for you you can do that today you can say Lord Jesus you died for me sinless for a sinner pure for a renegade and because you want me to know that you love me father your word says that you do not leave yourself without a witness thank you that you have chosen a mother's love to remind every one of us that you loved us beyond measure this program is furnished by leading the way with dr Michael Yusef passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth around the world pin it further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform including youtube facebook acts previously called twitter instagram and more
