The month of May and it is finally beginning to really resemble spring-time here in our area. After all, as the old saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers." But that is not all that May brings, it also brings "Mother's Day." The modern American holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia. Due to the campaign efforts of Anna Jarvis, several states officially recognized Mother's Day, the first in 1910 being West Virginia, Jarvis" home state. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation creating Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.
"Mother's Day" will be observed this year on Sunday, May 10, 2015. I do enjoy the celebration of Mother's Day because I believe that good godly mothers ought to be honored and respected. After all, God said in His word: "'He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD" (Proverbs 18:22); "Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD" (Proverbs 19:14); "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himseff for her" (Ephesians 5:25); and "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1st Peter 3:7).
I suppose you have concluded by now that God tells us that a woman should be a wife before she ever becomes a mother!!! This is not some archaic, barbaric, mean-spirited, ancient, chauvinistic teaching of men in order to lord over women! This is God's heart, love, respect, and desire for the women He has created in His own image to be loved and treated properly with honor and respect. Our society has obliterated the will of God and His teaching concerning marriage, family, and motherhood. But God hasn't changed His mind one bit about this matter! The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus with these instructions: "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in iove, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." (Titus 2:1-5)
How can the will of God be carried out in this matter if there are no godly women left who honor marriage, the sanctity of God's Word, and their God-given role as mothers and leaders of the younger women? "Mother's Day" is a wonderful time for the mothers and for the church to honor motherhood. I just want to be certain that we remember to understand that we must honor marriage and teach our women that marriage must come first before motherhood in order to be pleasing God! Brethren, let's honor our mothers on Mother's Day"!
As important as my relationship is with Deena above all-others, and my mother, Colleen Eldridge, right behind, along with my daughters Mindy and Bethany, my grandchildren, and so on, the GREATEST of all relationships must be the one we have with God, in Christ, FIRST above all others!!! Jesus said this: '"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). In contrast, Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). Lastly, Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
In His Loving Service, Vernon