Today we celebrate Mother’s Day.  As I remember my mom and the influence she made in the lives of her children; I give thanks to her, “thanks mom, you did good”.  She was amazing.  She worked hard to provide a home where love reigned.  And she did it well.  Every child everywhere learns many valuable lessons from their mother.  What good memories do you have how your mom?

Then my thoughts turned to the Mother of Jesus; what a special lady she had to be to raise the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Savior of the World, the very Son of God.  Let’s look at the lessons learned from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

There are many attributes we can learn from her but let’s start with these three. 

First, she was highly favored by God. (Luke 1:27)

Secondly, she was submissive to the call and assignment God had for her. (Luke 1:38)

Thirdly, she praised and rejoiced in the God her Savior. (Luke 1:46-55)

FAVOR:

What does that even mean, to be favored by God.  Well, favor has several meanings. According to the dictionary, approval is one of them. It also means to sustain, to endure, special privilege and support.

I believe that it was Mary’s love for God, and the kind of life she lived, that gained her the favor of God.  She trusted God and believed in the Savior He would someday send (not knowing He would come through her). It was her belief in God’s Word that gave her approval. Like her, we also, in and of ourselves, are not approved material without a Savior, BUT with Jesus as our Savior His righteousness brings to us the favor of God.

God knew that Mary would endure what laid before her in accepting the motherhood of His Son. Mary had the privilege of raising the Son of God and having the support of God throughout those years. We too are privileged when we accepted Jesus as our Savior, which brings us into the family of God and positions us to receive God’s support.

This isn’t to mean that God doesn’t love those who don’t believe in Him, it just means that probably they are missing out on a lot of His blessings because it is the sons and daughters of a family who get the inheritance.

Submission:

Mary gave herself to the will of God and even though there would be danger in that assignment, she trusted God from the very beginning.  Ask yourself, “Do I trust God enough to accept His assignment and calling on my life”?  I think that in this day and age submission is thought to mean being weak. However, submission to God brings us into the realm of His power; giving us authority to resist the devil.  (James 4:7)

PRAISE:

Mary praised the God of her Salvation. Recognizing her lowly state of a maidservant, she magnifies the Lord and His grace toward her.  (Luke 1:46-55) We may also think that our part in the Kingdom of God in small or even insignificant but I assure you that God views every person as being significant. He has specific assignments for each of us.  Let us not despise His calling or regulate it as of no account.  As Mary’s life has influenced many throughout generations, I challenge the rest of us to also put forth the work to raise children in the admonition of the Lord and influence our future generations.

So, a big thanks to all mothers for their love and wonderful good teaching in our lives; the world is a better place because of good mothers.