As usual, I've added a few more gemstones and my comments are in green.
The child you pamper today will tamper with your peace tomorrow. ~ Bishop David Oyedepo – this is another way of interpreting Proverbs 29:17, which says: Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad. (NLT)
Teach your children to do what is right not what they like. ~ Bishop David Oyedepo – does this sound like Proverbs 19:18**, Proverbs 22:6***, Proverbs 29:15**** all rolled up in one? Sure does to me.
The mother's heart is the child's school-room. ~Henry Ward Beecher So what’s in your heart? Remember to guard yours with all diligence because all the issues of life flow out of it. (Proverbs 4:23*****)
I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln This is a personal challenge for me, obviously he saw his mother’s prayer life and felt the energy and love emitted from it...I must do the same starting today.
Endnotes:
To watch the message I referred to, go to: http://davidoyedepoministries.org/archived-media-center and choose services on May 9th, 2010.
* Jeremiah 20:9b
** Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your children while you still have the chance; indulging them destroys them. (The Message)
*** Proverbs 22:6 Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right. (Contemporary English Version)
**** Proverbs 29: 15 - Wise discipline imparts wisdom; spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents. (The Message)
***** Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (New Living Translation)
Hi,I logged on to share a friend's comments with you on "What does the Bible say about Christian mothers?" ; only to read your message about Mother's Day sermon by Bishop Oyedepo so I knew God must have planned it.
ReplyDelete"Being a mother is a very important role that the Lord chooses to give to many women.
* A Christian mother is told to love her children (Titus 2:4-5), in part so that she does not bring reproach on the Lord and on the Savior whose name she bears.
* Children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5). In Titus 2:4, the Greek word philoteknos appears in reference to mothers loving their children. This word represents a special kind of “mother love.” The idea that flows out of this word is that of caring for our children, nurturing them, affectionately embracing them, meeting their needs, and tenderly befriending each one as a unique gift from the hand of God.
* Several things are commanded of Christian mothers in God’s Word:
Availability – morning, noon, and night (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
Involvement – interacting, discussing, thinking, and processing life together (Ephesians 6:4)
Teaching – the Scriptures and a biblical worldview (Psalm 78:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:10; Ephesians 6:4)
Training – helping a child to develop skills and discover his/her strengths (Proverbs 22:6) and spiritual gifts (Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12)
Discipline – teaching the fear of the Lord, drawing the line consistently, lovingly, firmly (Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15-17)
Nurture – providing an environment of constant verbal support, freedom to fail, acceptance, affection, unconditional love (Titus 2:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 4:29-32; 5:1-2; Galatians 5:22; 1Peter 3:8-9)
Modeling with Integrity – living what you say, being a model from which a child can learn by “catching” the essence of godly living
(Deuteronomy 4:9, 15, 23; Proverbs 10:9; 11:3; Psalm 37:18,37).
The Bible never states that every woman should be a mother.
However, it does say that those whom the Lord blesses to be mothers should take the responsibility seriously.
* Mothers have a unique and crucial role in the lives of their children.
* Motherhood is not a chore or unpleasant task. Just as a mother bears a child during pregnancy, and just as a mother feeds and cares for a child during infancy, so mothers also play an ongoing role in the lives of their children, whether they are adolescents, teenagers, young adults, or even adults with children of their own.
* While the role of motherhood must change and develop, the love, care, nurture, and encouragement a mother gives should never cease."
Longer than I planned but I hope it encourages someone to enjoy motherhood