In Proverbs 31, you don't have to turn there. I'm just going to read some things here with you this morning. And in Proverbs 31, these words it says in verse 10, a wife of noble character who can find. She is worth far more than rubies, and her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. And then it goes on to say in verse twenty-seven, she watches over the affairs of her household, and she does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise and call her blessed, and her husband also, and he praises her. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. This is an incredible passage of scripture that talks about the virtuous woman, as we all know. Well, nothing can nothing can bandage a cut, nothing can dry a tear, nothing can cure a cold like the love and the care of a gentle mother. Mothers are givers by nature, and many spend their entire lives ministering to and giving to the needs of their husbands and children. When there's an emergency, who's the first to arrive? The mom. Who's most likely to accompany someone to a hospital room? The Haywoods, the Haywoods, I they amaze me. They amaze me. Angie, when Danny's in the hospital, he's had numerous, numerous hospitalizations in the last 22 years since he's had the auto accident. But his mom is always there for him day and night in the hospital when he's there. So a mom will do that sort of thing. When there's a need for a prom dress or a new pair of shoes, mom is often the one who makes sure that need is met. However, the greatest gift that a mother can give her child is not material, it's not physical, but it is your gift of faith in Jesus Christ. Children who grow up hearing of God's goodness and God's faithfulness and God's love at an early age learn how to face life's ups and downs with a sense of peace and security and tranquility. They know that no matter what happens, no matter what happens, God is in control, that He is sovereign. Even if a child strays from God, the testimony of a godly mother will remain hidden in his or her heart as their child. You see, a godly foundation is hard to erase, and in time it will yield its reward. You know what Proverbs 22 6 says. Train up a child in the way that they should go, and when they're old, they'll not depart from that. Abe Lincoln said these words. He said, All that I am and all that I shall be, I owe to my mother. One of the reasons our society has become so self-seeking is because children lack a sense of true identity. When we give our children the gift of our faith, we help them gain God's perspective of things. And they learn at an early age that they are important to God, that they're precious to God, that they're a treasure of God's, not because of their performance, not because of what they do, but because of who they are. The child of God, because of who lives inside of them. Galatians 2 20 says, Paul says, I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who lives, but rather Christ lives in me. In 2 Timothy 1 5 and 6, the Apostle Paul writes a young pastor, his name is Timothy, and he says this, he says, I am mindful of the sincere faith that is within you. Notice he says, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and he says, I am sure that it is in you as well, and for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you. God desires to pass down values and faith from generation to generation. And you know, sometimes, have you noticed that there's some resemblance, a resemblance of a parent appearance, or a resemblance of the nature of the way you carry yourself from a parent to a child, from a parent to a child. Years ago, it's probably 25 years ago, I was at the Speedway down in Nashville. I was in there paying my bill, and there was a teenager gal there. She was probably a high schooler. And uh anyhow, I was I was talking to her, and I'd never seen her before, she'd never seen me before. But she said to me as I was there, she said, Are you Mark Miller's father? Well, yeah, I think I am. Uh there's some resemblance that she determined there. When Mark was going, uh planning to go to pharmacy school, uh, he was over working at Walgreens, had an internship at Walgreens in Martinsville, and he was working over there. And I walked in one day with Mark side by side, and we walked up, and his co-workers thought we were brothers. That made my day. Don't know what it did for him. But it made my day. You know, in Ephesians 5, verse 1, it says this that we are to imitate God. Imitate God. Let's say those two words together. Imitate God. Therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children, we are to imitate God because we're his children. We don't imitate God to become his child. We imitate God because we are his child. So we take on the characteristics of our heavenly Father. Characteristics like gentleness and love and patience and that sort of thing. We become like him. Now Paul is near the end of his life. His days of ministry are numbered, and he's looking for a young man to pass the torch to, to pass the baton to. And he knew Timothy had a firm foundation. He was a capable minister because he had a solid foundation of faith that he received from his grandmother and his mother as well. And the task that Paul gave Timothy to do was an incredible task. Paul was two years in Ephesus. Paul didn't spend very long anywhere, but he spent two years in Ephesus building a church, and he built a strong church in the midst of Ephesus there. And it was a pagan city, a very pagan city. It was a city entrapped by the false goddess of Diana. And Paul knew when the going got tough that Timothy would cling to his faith and not give up. And this was the gift that Eunice gave her son, Timothy. And in this illustration of Timothy, we see some help for single moms. You might be a single mom, and you're frustrated, and you might be frightened, and you might even be fearful over the burden of raising your children alone. Or perhaps your husband is not a believer, and you're left alone to carry the burdens of spiritual guidance for your family. Timothy's father was a Greek. He was a pagan Greek, a heathen Greek. He did not have a meaningful impact on Timothy's spiritual growth or development. And no doubt she felt frustration. Timothy's mom felt frustration while trying to raise her son to worship and to honor God in the midst of an environment of pagan influence like that. But it was obvious from birth. Obvious from birth, Eunice intended to raise her son Timothy in the ways of God because that was reflected in the name that she gave her son, who newborn son, Timothy. Timothy means one who honors God. One who honors God. Let's say that together. One who honors God. I was a sophomore in high school, and I got a phone call saying that a little baby brother had been dropped into our family, 16 years younger than I, and uh we were at uh a laboratory in a biology class, and the conversation came up that my mom was having a baby. That was the last conversation in all the world that I wanted to creep up, pop up there in that classroom lab. Well, mom named that little baby Timothy. Timothy, one who honors God. About 50 years ago, I wrote to my little 10-year-old brother Tim that his name, Timothy, one who honors God, is something that is important to live up to. I told him, I encouraged him in his faith in the Lord, and uh wrote that letter. I found that letter just accidentally here about a month ago, and I made a copy of it and sent it back to him to remind him what I had said to him 50 years ago. And Timothy is one that honors God, my brother. So Paul tells Timothy, when things are rough as they often were in Ephesus, don't give up. Never give up. Think back on the truths that you've learned from your mother and your grandmother. And when people hate you and people seek to hurt you, remember the faith that you learned as a child, and kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you. Now, some people today are more concerned about giving their children material things, cars, clothes, money, and education, rather than giving them a rich spiritual heritage in Christ. Vance Havner, I don't know if you've ever remember the uh ever heard of Vance Havner. Anybody heard of Vance Havner? Several of you have. Vance Havner was an old mountain preacher from the mountains of North Carolina, and he had a way of saying things. He had these quips and quotes that were just, I mean, you you hung on to him, and he said a wealth of information in his messages. I think he was a 1920s or 29 graduate of Moody Bible Institute. He's been around for a long time. Well, he's long gone, but I'd I'd go see him speak wherever he was in the Chattanooga area, and uh loved hearing him. But he often talked about the fact when he would talk to parents, he'd ask them, How are your kids doing? And a lot of parents would say, Oh, they're doing well, they're making uh an incredible salary, they live in a wonderful house, and and uh and uh God's blessing them in a uh many ways. But anyhow, he would say to them, Well, well, I don't care if your son or daughter has a house, a mansion, and I don't care if it has a swimming pool as so big that a herd of elephants could swim in it. But he says, If you're not rich towards God, you are poor. You have nothing whatsoever at all. And he had a way of doing that in his own in his own uh style as he preached uh there uh throughout the South. Well, God has a lot to say about leaving your children a solid spiritual legacy. As a grandparent, you might think that your days are over, your responsibility as a godly influence is over, but there's always need for prayer and spiritual counsel as well. Grandparents very often have a life-changing influence on the lives of their grandchildren. And there are several building blocks, several important things that mothers can do to build a godly foundation for their children. Number one, number one, moms need to be alert to any danger signs that their children may show. Moms, be alert to any danger signs their children may show. If you sense a problem, take time to find out what that problem is, and then go to God in prayer and ask him how to solve that problem. Help your children learn that God is not up in heaven judging everything that happens on earth with an iron rod, but that God is a loving God, that he's a gentle God, he's a caring God, he's understanding, uh, an understanding Heavenly Father, and once they grasp this, they will want to trust Him and learn more about Him. And number two, teach your children principles from the Word of God. Teach them principles from the Word of God. Children can ask question after question about life and the reason that things happen the way that they do, but each time we can go to God's Word and show them what He says about a certain issue. And we help them learn a little more about the love and the faithfulness of God. And that's so important for parents to do is to be able to be able to introduce them to who God is and to tell them about his nature and his faithfulness and his love as well. Richard Miles, he says this that the Christian home is the master's workshop. It's the master's workshop where the processes of character molding are silently, lovingly, and faithfully and successfully carried on. Someone said the most important work that you will ever do is inside the four walls of your own home. And that is so true. Most important work you will ever do, moms, dads, is inside the four walls of your own home. So number two, teach your children the word of God. Teach them the principles of the word as well. And number three, establish a pattern in your life that reflects the life of Jesus Christ. Establish a pattern in your life that reflects the life of Jesus Christ. Once again, Galatians 2.20. I have been crucified with Christ. And it's no longer I who lives, but rather Christ lives in me. Children will learn how to handle life by watching and listening to you as parents. They will. If you react in faith, guess what? They're going to react in faith. If you respond in fear, guess what? They're going to respond in fear as well. I have a little poem here. It's called Children Learn What They Live. And it goes this way. If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. And if a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. And if a child lives with encouragement, they learn confidence. And if a child lives with praise, they learn to appreciate. If a child lives with parents with fairness, if a child lives with fairness, they learn justice. If a child lives with security, they learn to have faith. And if a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in this world. Well, children will learn how to handle life by watching their parents. And then pray for your children and grandchildren. Talk to them about how to make decisions based upon God's word. And if you and your child find yourselves in a perplexing situation, just tell him or her we're just going to have to trust the Lord here. Just going to have to trust the Lord here. Establish in them a confidence and a faith that God is good and that God is to be trusted as well. And that no matter what you face, no matter what you face, they see you as trusting in God. And if you've blown it, if you've blown it, ask for forgiveness. And we do blow it sometimes, don't we, as parents? Admit you were wrong. You know, that's one of the hardest things it seems like for parents to do is to admit that they were wrong. But that needs to be admitted sometimes. And admit that you were overreacting. You know, I tell young couples when they're getting married that there's uh several things you can do to uh to put fire put water on a fire. Conflict, to get rid of conflict is to say nine words. I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me. I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me. Let's say those words together. I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me. It's never inappropriate to do that. When your children see you displaying a humble heart, guess what? They will carry on that nature as well and become humble themselves. And number four, teach your children to be persistent in their faith. Teach children right and wrong based upon God's word. If you have a rebellious team, stick to your guns. Do it lovingly and affectionately and with great compassion. And no matter how stubborn they are, stand strong in your convictions upon God's word. And when you stand firm, your children will eventually appreciate your firmness, and they will feel safe about the boundaries that you have for them, and they'll feel secured and loved. And don't worry if they think that you're old-fashioned, because that's one of the best compliments they could ever pay you. And number five, participate in your child's life. Participate in your child's life. If you and I are going to build a foundation of faith, we must get to their level of interest. We must show them that they are important, to show them what they're involved in is important to us as well. Go to their games, go to their activities. I remember uh when our kids were little, we have five boys and um about two years apart. And we were going to ball games all the time, all the time. And we were in a conference that you had to travel quite a ways to as well to go to those conference games, but we were always going to ball games. And one of the things that we did uh when when the kids were playing baseball, uh, I would announce the games down at the high school. And and uh one time um a Brown County player came out of the dugout to go up to the batter's box, and I introduced him as Tanner Freshour. And um anyhow, uh I could tell that was Tanner just walking out there, so I didn't even look at his number. And um he got up to bat and he hit a nice solid drive all the way to the fence and he got a stand-up double on it. And Kathy whispered to me, she was sitting next to me, and she was the scorekeeper, and she said, that was not in her flush. She said, That was David Miller, you're son. And I didn't even know my own kid. So get to know your kids. Support them in their activities, listen to what dreams and hopes they have for the future, and guard against giving only negative feedback. Children need to know that they can try certain things without mom and dad telling them, it's just not gonna work. You're just wasting your time. I never like that, and you'll never like that either. They don't need that. Give your children room to express themselves, to create their own uh abilities to do things and to have their own choices and their own decisions, and uh develop a healthy self-esteem for that child as well. And they need to know that mom is on their side. And then number six, learn to praise your children for the good things they do. Praise your children for the good things they do. I'll tell you a negative story. This is not a good story, but we were we were uh at a at a ball game in Bloomington South, and they were playing Brown County, Brown County in Bloomington South. I was sitting on the bleachers there, and there was a lady I overheard her talking. She went to a church in Bloomington that if I mentioned the name, you all would recognize it immediately. Her son was playing in that game, and her son came up to the bleachers, and her mom, the son's mom was late in getting there, and the son had a nice hit earlier in the game. So the son came up to to express that to his mom, and uh, he said, Mom, I had a good game, I had a great hit, and you know what the mom said? She said, Son, it's only rock that you're playing. Now that just took the air out of his sails there. And I thought, oh boy, I'd like to give mom a black eye. But I didn't want to be on the front page of the Herald Telephone, contain myself, but learn to pray. Your children for the good things they do. Be light on criticism and be heavy on praise. The greatest motivator we have as parents is that term praise, to praise our children, to commend them, to compliment them. You know, I often tell this to couples that are getting married too as well, that it's important to compliment your mate, to commend them, to affirm them, and um that for every negative criticism, if you criticize one time your mate, you have to come back with 40 some positive compliments for them to forget that negative criticism that you had shared with them. So it's important, it's so important to compliment and to commend, not to criticize. And we're raising a generation of children that seemed like they're angry. They're angry and they're ripped and they're ridiculed by their peers at school, and it almost seemed like they're in a war zone. But parents affirm your kids because few others will do. Some kids would radically change if they heard a compliment for them. There was a preacher. He had a wonderful church, and uh and uh he had his family and his son, his son was a wayward son. His son was always in the principal's office and and was getting bad grades, terrible grades, and he just, the pastor, the father, didn't know what to do. And so one day he was reading in the gospels and he found out that that the only words that God the Father said of God the Son were commending words, you know, words that this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased, uh, hear ye him, you know, and so so he thought, well, maybe that's something that I ought to try. I ought to try just to commend my son, not criticize him, not say anything negative to him, just just to just to affirm him. And so he started doing that. And it wasn't any time at all that that boy became very respectful and and his grades picked up, and he he just uh his behavior changed completely because dad was now commending him. And so it's important. Moms, are you commending your husbands and your kids and husbands? Are you commending your wife and your kids as well? This is one of the greatest deficiencies of the human race is praise. A little praise goes a long way in teaching your child the principles of God's love and grace. And then number seven, pray for and with your children. Pray for and with your children. When you pray for your children, you lay a godly foundation in their lives that can never be shaken. And prayer is this. You know what prayer is, it's communication between you and God, and your child being part of that is is a bonding thing that that will that will develop a bond that cannot be replaced by anything else. So pray together, pray together. In fact, I tell couples getting married as well that that half of all couples will uh end up in divorce and sadly end up in divorce. And if a husband and wife pray together regularly, less than one percent of them will end up in divorce. Less than one percent. Prayer together doesn't cost a thing. Doesn't cost a thing, but it can minimize difficulty in marriage, so much to the point that less than 1% of those who pray together will end up in divorce. And so that's something that we can do. Timothy's faith carried him through difficult times there in Ephesus, and it was his mother's and grandmother's persistence and participation, their praise and their prayers, and that laid a foundation that was immovable, and and it was a foundation of faith within his life. And what type of faith are you passing on to your children and your grandchildren? And there's many things that shape and affect our lives, but the love and the care of a godly mother can never, ever, ever be replaced. Moms, you have a very important task to do. And I'm gonna close today with uh Chuck Swindah's Someday When the Kids Are Grown. This might be a little difficult for some of us who are older to read this, and anyhow, um, but uh but but I think you'll appreciate it and you'll enjoy it as well. Someday when the kids are grown, things are gonna be a whole lot different. Ever said that when the kids were little and they were growing? Someday when the kids are grown, the kitchen will be incredibly neat. And the sink will stay free of sticky dishes, and the garbage disposal won't get choked up on rubber bands and paper cups. And the refrigerator won't be clogged with nine bottles of milk, and we won't lose tops of jars, jelly jars, ketchup bottles, peanut butter, the margarine and the mustard. The water jar won't be put back empty, but the ice and the ice trays won't be left out overnight. The blender won't stand for six hours coated with the remains of a midnight malt, and the honey will stay inside the container. Someday, when the kids are grown, the instrument called the telephone. Now, this is back in written back in the days, I think in the 70s, Chuck Smidal wrote this. Back in the 70s, they didn't have smartphones back then or cell phones back then. What did they have? Yeah, one you pick up. Crank one on the wall. Yeah. No, no, no. No, they had they had the dial phones that you had, and so you pick them up. And so he says, someday when the kids are grown, the instrument called a telephone will actually be available. It won't look like it's growing from a teenager's ear. It will simply hang there, silently and amazingly available. It will be free of lipstick, human saliva, mayonnaise, corn chip crumbs, and toothpicks stuck in those little holes. Someday, when the kids are grown, I'll be able to see through the car windows. Fingerprints, tongue licks, sneaker footprints, and dog tracks. Nobody knows how will be conspicuous by their absence. The back seat won't be a disaster area. We won't sit on jacks or crayons anymore, and the tank will not always be somewhere between empty and fumes. And glory to God, I won't have to clean up dog messes another time. Someday when the kids are grown, we won't run out of toilet tissue. And my wife won't lose her keys. We won't forget to shut the refrigerator door, and I won't have to dream up new ways of diverting attention from the gumball machine, or have to answer. Daddy? Daddy, is it a sin that you're driving 47 in a 30 mile an hour zone? I won't have to promise to kiss the rabbit good night. I won't have to wait up forever until they get home from dates or have to take a number to get a word in at the supper table. Yes, someday when the kids are grown, things are going to be a lot different. One by one, they'll leave our nest, and the place will begin to resemble order and maybe even a touch of elegance. The click of china and silver will be heard on occasion, and the crackling of the fireplaces will echo through the hallway, and the phone will be strangely silent, and the house will be quiet and calm and always clean and empty and filled with memories and lonely. And we won't like that at all. And we'll spend our time not looking forward to someday, but looking back to yesterday and thinking, maybe we can babysit the grandkids and get some life back in this place for a change. Could it be that the Apostle Paul had some of this in mind when he wrote, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Maybe so. But then again, chances are good that Paul never had to clean up many dog messes. Someday when the kids are gone. Now we look back to yesterday as well. That speaks, uh kind of breaks your heart sometimes when you think about that. But my point is this let's just enjoy the season of life that we are in. Enjoy the season of life that we are in and have an impact upon those around us. Uh, our kids, our grandkids, our great-grandkids, or this the circle of friends that we have in our lives as well. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the reminder that you've given to us today. As we think about Timothy's life, that his grandmother, uh, Eunice and Lois, grandmother and mother, were uh were wonderfully involved in training him in your ways. And the impact that his mother and grandmother had upon him was so helpful in making him the person that he is. And I'm sure there's many people here that have had wonderful impact by their moms, by their grandmothers as well. And so we just are thankful that uh that you reach us and you you mold us by the people that you put in our lives. And Father, remind us that we are molding others around us into the image of Christ. Help us to imitate yourself, help us to become like you so that others see you living in us and will want you to be a part of their lives. So, Father, just um to use these words, and I just so thankful for the moms in this meeting today, in this church today, that represent uh all the wonderful, beautiful natures and characteristics of a godly mother. And we ask it in Christ's name. Amen.