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Words of Encouragement &
Exhortation to Moms in Our Church |
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(And Some Advice to Their Husbands) |
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Let me
express my deep admiration & appreciation for the godly Mothers in
our church. You are doing
an excellent job with your kids. In honor of Mother’s Day, please
permit me to use this newsletter to
provide a little encouragement & exhortation to you from God’s Word.
Abide In Christ: [John 15:1-11]
Having watched Sherrie deal with the rigors and
responsibilities of raising our children, I appreciate that
mothering involves hard work and sacrifice.There is no way moms can
handle their jobs in their own strength. Moms, remember to abide in
Christ. Like a branch taking in the sap from the vine, let His
strength, love and life flow through you as a personal resource and
a blessing to your children. Fight for your hard-to-come-by time in
prayer and God’s Word. Consciously lean on Him moment by moment.
Advice to Husbands: Take over the
chores of your wives to allow them special time to get away and be
with the Lord for spiritual renewal and refreshment.
Put Your Ultimate Confidence In God, Not Your Husband: Ps 61 & 62]
No husband can
provide moms with the security and spiritual protection that they
need to flourish. Husbands are made of "clay" and fail frequently.
Wives, if your primary dependency is on your husband, you are headed
for frequent
disappointments. It is fine to lean on your husband providing that
you are placing your utmost reliance upon Christ. Put your
confidence in the Lord. He alone is our rock and refuge.
Be A Wife First, Then A Mom: [Gen 2:15-24]
Eve was given to Adam as his
completer. The Hebrew word often translated "helpmate" is more
correctly translated complement or completer. Eve was given to
complete Adam. This was God’s plan for Adam even before the fall.
Adam had a perfect relationship with God, yet he was designed by his
Maker to need completion in and through his relationship with his
wife.
Correspondingly, Eve was designed to find great satisfaction and
fulfillment as her husband’s complement.
Mothering is a demanding job. But don’t let the constant needs of
your children prevent you from being your husband’s wife. You have
been designed by God to experience great satisfaction in your
marriage. Joy and fulfillment in your role as a wife will make you a
stronger mother.
Advice
To Husbands:
Let’s make sure that we take our wives out from their
roles as moms. We need to give them a
break from mothering. We should
regularly create situations where they are
reminded of their importance as our wives. When you gather the
family together for prayer, remember to pray for them in their role
as wives. Praise God for the specific things your wives do to bless
you. Date nights are helpful to give them a break from the kids.
Notes of encouragement to them as your beloved are very encouraging.
Don’t forget affection. Hold their hand. Remember the gentle
embrace. Help them be your wife first, and then mom.
Display God’s Glory To Your Children By Honoring Your Husbands: [Eph
5:22-24] God has
designed the family structure with diversity of function and
authority. Children are to submit to their parents. Wives are to
submit to their husbands. Husbands are to submit to Christ as the
Head [1 Cor 11:3].
Submission is not inequality. Even the Lord of
Lords surrendered Himself to the Father’s will while ministering to
our needs [Phil 2:5-11]. One of the most powerful things that
a mother can do is to model submission to her children by honoring
her husband. This will strengthen your husband. It will also
stimulate your children to honor and respect mom, dad and the Lord.
Become
An Expert In The Instruction And Discipline Of Your Children But
Stay In A Secondary Role To Your Husband: We live in an evil day
[Eph 5:15-17]. The pull of sin on our
children is strong. Peer pressurecan be deadly. You must redeem the
time. Become an expert on Biblicaldiscipline. Master the parenting
program provided through our church. Saturate your children with
God’s Word [Deut 6:6-10]. But do not major role in
this. Scripture puts the primary responsibility on your husband
[Eph 6:4]. Excel in this area along with your husband [Prov
6:20]. Stand next to him with gentle encouragement. If you and
your husband need help, let us know.
Balance Yourself Between Relationships With Your Children And
Managing Your Household: Are you a "Martha" or a "Mary?"
If you are naturally attracted toward management
of the household, make sure you balance your mothering by spending
extensive, quality time nurturing your relationship with each of
your children [Titus 2:4]. If you tend to excel in
relationships but are a poor manager of the home, take steps to
strengthen your management skills [Titus 2:5; 1 Tim 5:14].
Make
Our Church’s Discipleship Ministry For Women A High
Priority: Titus
2:1-5].
We want to provide consistent Discipleship for the women in our
Church. The importance of this ministry cannot be overstated. The
strength of our church in large part is based on the ladies of our
church serving effectively in their distinctive roles as older
women, younger women, wives, mothers, widows and singles. Our goal
is to equip ladies in their God ordained assignments to build and
strengthen the body. I want to thank you
for
your help in this critical ministry and urge you to maintain your
support and involvement.
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