Super Moms

Rev Jasmine Ooi

Happy mothers day to all mothers, spiritual mums and everyone who honours mothers.

• This is a day set aside to appreciate mothers for all their love and sacrifices. Motherhood is a high calling from God but we often forget due to the stress of caring for our household.  From dawn to setting sun, a mother’s work is never done.
• A busy mother’s psalm goes like this ..the lord is my shepherd. He invites me to lie down but I cant because my laundry basket is running over. My daughter made this mothers day for me which humorously describes the things mothers do

Super Mum has:

• A stomach to eat leftovers (to save money for family)
• Brains to resolve family conflicts, to think what to cook
• Ears to listen to children’s problems and needs
• Shoulder to cry on, carry the weight of the family
• Knees to kneel to pray for family

My daughter Joy sent me this

• It takes so many different people to replace the roles mothers play
• Its easy to see why mothers can get stressed and forget their high calling from God.

Because Motherhood is a high calling from God:

• He calls us to Honor your Father & Mother, which is the first commandment with a promise: that it will go well with you and you will live long (Eph. 6:2)

How to honour mothers?

• to pay attention to her words
• to speak to her kindly
• and respectfully,

What it means to Honour?

• to speak positively about her to others
• tell her whenever you see in her a virtue/quality that speaks of God’s love
• Let me give you an example of what I mean in a mothers day card I received from my son, Joshua

A Mother’s day card from Josh, my son

• I likened you to be a mirror of God’s love
• showing me the true heart of a servant who took what her master invested in her…and unselfishly gave and invested back into His eternal kingdom by serving me and those who need Him…
• “Of all the things I could thank you for, it would be for giving me a  glimpse of how much Jesus loves and cares so sacrificially for me…

If not for your “Jesus loves you”, there won’t be this love I have for the world and for you.

• now that I am physically pulled apart from that spiritual umbilical cord, I have learnt to kneel on my own knees and worship Him…
• My daughter in law recently posted on her Facebook how grateful she was to God for such a loving husband who took care of the kids even while he was busy writing his research paper which was recently published in a top Science journal in the world. I told her how proud I was. And she replied I should be prouder that I have raised a good man, a great husband and father.

Joshua’s PhD Graduation - A Story of a Mother’s Prayer & God’s Provision

• When Josh wanted to pursue his bio medical studies in Australia, he said that he had faith God will provide the finances because he has seen how we had prayed as a family and how has provided for us since he was very young. Thank God for giving Josh a full scholarship to complete his PhD in medicine.
• Whenever josh gets discouraged in his experiments, he would call home to talk to me and ask me to pray for him. I was the one encouraged when he said he knows that God is building his character.

1. A Mother’s Purpose

1. To be fruitful and multiply what? (Gen. 1:27,28)

• To multiply Godly seeds/offspring – (Mal. 2:15).
• How does she do that?
• By being a role model of God’s love
2. A loving Mother Reflects God
• “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66: 13)
• God gives us children so we can understand the capacity of His heart to love, to give, to sacrifice, to teach, to discipline us, …to reproduce all His goodness and love in us, His godly seed

2. A Mother’s Priorities

• Example: Mothers of Moses and Samuel
• Only a few years with them but they were smart to make use of the opportunity to train them to know and love God
• Crucial foundation
• Character-training years
• “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6)

Importance of Spiritual Training in the Early Years

• Researcher George Barna:
• Children age 5 -13 have a 32% probability of accepting Christ as their Savior.
• The rate drops dramatically to 4%, for kids age 14 -18.
• Timothy’s grandmother and mother passed down their sincere faith to Timothy…
  (2 Tim. 1: 5)
• Grandmothers too have a vital role to play. I love to share my testimonies to my grandchildren. “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done..so the next generation would remember His deeds, put their trust in God, keep his commandments… and they in turn would tell their children.(Psalm 78:4-7)

Chloe praising God

• What are some things we can teach our children and grandchildren
• I love to see my children lift their hands when I say “Praise the Lord”
• Chloe sharing her food
• Chloe thanking God for her food

3. A Mother’s Problem

• Meet Eve…the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20)
• And Satan..the father of lies (John 8: 42-47)
• What was she thinking when she bought the devil’s lies? Gen.3:1-7
• Mothers beware cos Satan is still seducing us today that
• “I or my children must know everything”
• “My life/my children must be perfect”
• “I’m my own god-I call the shots”
• “If it looks good, get it”
• Woman (2 Cor. 11: 3; 1 Tim. 2: 14)
• Prone to fall prey to his lies
• Influence the men around us to sin
• Set a pattern for subsequent generations

As a result of Believing Satan’s Lie

• Adam and Eve – loss of esteem, disconnection with their Source 

Meet Mrs. Zebedee

• Matthew 19: 28,29; 20: 20
• What did she do? She tried to pull strings with Jesus to put her sons next to him in position/prestige
• How did she feel? Insecure cos of competition
• What was she thinking? Of her own security, self-esteem, significance
• Matt. 20: 22 “You don’t know what you are asking”?
• What do you want for your children?
• What is being great to you?
• Jesus said if u want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all

“Supermom” Today

• Raising children has become an aggressive competition.
• The compulsive woman-have to mentality
• Caught in a performance trap. How many As did u get?

Leah was unloved  (Gen. 29: 16 – 30)
She longed to be esteemed

1. A Mother’s Focus

• Leah named her first son “Rueben”
• It is because the Lord has seen my misery (Gen. 29: 32)
• Leah focused on God

2. A Mother’s Peace

• Leah named her second son “Simeon”
• “The Lord hears” (Gen. 29:33)
• The Lord is near…
• Do not be anxious (Phil.4: 5-6)

A Peaceful & Powerful Mum

• The Lord is near…I do not fret or worry about anything, but in everything and in every circumstance, by prayer with thanksgiving, I let God know my wants. And God’s peace shall guard my minds in Christ (Phil. 4: 5-7)
• I Fix my mind on whatever is true, lovely and worthy of praise…
• I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me = I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me.
• Think= what is true according to God, e.g my children must have straight As to have a secure future? (Phil. 4:8)
•  Feel =Peaceful (God of peace will be with you v.9)
• Do =I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength (v. 13). I am not depressed/anxious

3. A Mother’s Security

• Leah called her third son, Levi=attached, priestly line
• Needs for attachment and security
• To be met in God first 

4. A Mother’s Choice

• 4th son- Judah- this time I will praise the Lord
• Turn your pain to praise, worry to worship
• Judah = kingly line of
• David and Jesus
• Leah became the matriarch of the tribes of Israel.
• She was finally honoured by being buried next to Abraham and Sarah. Jacob asked to be buried next to Leah.

5. A Mother’s Reward & Honour

• 5th son = Issachar = Reward
• 6th son = Zebulun = Honour
• God has presented me with a precious gift (Gen. 30:20)
• An honour to raise child up to please God. We obtain our honour and reward from God.

A Mother’s Reward

• Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. (Prov. 31:28)
• Arise = help to lift up, strengthen

6. A Mother’s Strength & Beauty (Prov. 31)

• She has strength and dignity because of her desire to please God
• Free of worry
• Speaks wisely
• Faithfully instructs

Thank God that all my children are serving God in their church. Ps. 116: 16 “ O Lord I am your servant, I will serve you as my mother served you”

Conclusion: What does God want you to know?

• Motherhood = high calling
• You as a mom reflect God’s character to your kids. Love them unconditionally, not based on their performance but let them know they are loved, accepted and secure in God.

A Mother’s Prayer

Our loving heavenly Father,

We sometimes get so bogged down in the daily battles that we lose sight of where we’re going.

Help & empower us to make the most of opportunities today to love and teach our children.

Yet we feel so inadequate. It’s frightening to realize how much our own example will influence our children in what they do, and what they believe about you.

But we take comfort in knowing that you only expect us to do the best we can with the Spirit’s help..

Thank you for the positive examples you have given us and for the eternal guiding wisdom from your Word.

We pray most of all that our family circle will remain unbroken when we gather to celebrate and praise your name in heaven.

Thank you for the children You have given us.

In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Amen

Arise & Bless your Wife and Mother

• Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. (Prov. 31:28)
• Arise = help to lift up, stir up, strengthen

Please note that these notes are extracted from the PowerPoint presentation used.