By Pastor Jeff Hanson
Happy Mothers Day!
Mothers have always been important part of the family structure and in society today many have become the MOST important as one of the fastest growing families are ones with a single mother.
47% of single mothers are black, 25% Hispanic, 14% white, and 8% Asian.
63% of black children live in single parent homes who mostly are in their 30’s and 40’s and half have never been married.
75% of single mothers work fulltime but the poverty rate for single mothers is much higher than single fathers or married mothers and less that 25% of single mothers receive any support.
1Ti 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
Mothers are worth their weight in gold and we celebrate them today!
We see many mothers mentioned in the word of God, from Eve who sadly was the first mother to bury a child. And we also remember our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was born of the virgin Mary who also experienced the heartache of seeing her child crucified for us, Luke 1:30-31, “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”
Luk 24:1-6, “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,”
Luk 24:10, “It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.”
We remember the mother of Moses, Jochebed, who had the faith to put her son in a basket to be saved by pharaohs daughter.
We can think of Abrahams wife Sarah have her son Issac at the age of 90. Hannah the mother of Samuel, 1Samuel 1:10-11, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.”
1Sa 1:24, “And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.”
In the NT we have in Paul’s salutation to Timothy 2Ti 1:3, “thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”
That brings me to the account of Naomi and Ruth when Elimelech and Naomi leave Bethlehem because of a famine and with their two sons Mahlon and Chilian reside in the land of Moab.
The two sons marry Moab woman Oprah and Ruth, the father dies and then the two sons die which prompts Naomi to return home,
Ruth 1:6, “Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.”
Rth 1:7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
Ruth 1:8, “And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.”
Ruth 1:14, “And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”
It didn’t take long for Ruth to get noticed by Boaz
Ruth 2:10, “Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.”
and Naomi of course encouraged Ruth to pursue Boaz and with a little wrangling with a closer relative to Naomi the impossible happened, Ruth 4:13, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.”
Now by itself this is a fantastic Mother Days story of the faithfulness of a mother-in-law and the love of her daughter in law but it doesn’t end there!
Ruth 4:14, “And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
Through these two mothers the blood line of our savior was continued and the love is recorded in history forever…Happy Mothers Day!
Janesville Apostolic Ministries 
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