The imagery of a nursing mother is inherently one of self-sacrifice. A mother gives of herself physically and emotionally to nurture her child. Similarly, Paul's use of this metaphor suggests a ministry characterized by self-giving love and sacrifice. He implies that their work among the Thessalonians was not burdensome or self-serving but was done out of a selfless desire to see the believers grow and thrive in their faith.
[00:00:00] Let us pray, pray together on our knees
[00:00:07] Let us pray, pray together on our knees
[00:00:14] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun
[00:00:21] Oh Lord, never see all the need
[00:00:27] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock
[00:00:30] The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of Harvest International
[00:00:33] Our prayer is that the Bible Speaks will encourage you in your study of God's word
[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast
[00:00:44] And now, here's Elgin
[00:00:46] And I will bless her and give thee a son also of her
[00:00:51] Today I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations
[00:00:56] Kings of people shall be of her
[00:01:00] Genesis 17, verse 16
[00:01:04] Brothers and sisters, I wish you a happy Mother's Day
[00:01:08] And thank you for joining us for the Bible Speaks
[00:01:12] And today I have the distinct pleasure of having as my co-host
[00:01:20] My lovely wife of 38 years
[00:01:25] And mother of my children, Judy Carelock
[00:01:29] And today we are going to speak on the subject of a mother's love
[00:01:37] And the spiritual inspiration comes from 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 7 through 8
[00:01:47] And reading from the English Standard Version, it reads
[00:01:51] But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children
[00:01:58] So being affectionately desirous of you
[00:02:02] We were ready to share with you not only the Gospel of God
[00:02:06] But also our own selves because you had become very dear to us
[00:02:12] As mothers, we want to take care of our children and give them everything good in life
[00:02:18] And that should especially include the Gospel of Jesus Christ
[00:02:23] Jesus is the best gift we could ever give our children
[00:02:27] Caring, nurturing, and guidance all come from love and God is love
[00:02:34] The Bible reflects on strength, compassion, and indispensable presence of a mother's love
[00:02:42] It is portrayed as a reflection of God's own love
[00:02:46] Comforting, protective, wise, and self-sacrificial
[00:02:51] These depictions serve to honor the role of mothers
[00:02:55] And elevate the importance of their love in the nurturing and shaping of lives
[00:03:02] The Bible tells us of the sacrifices a mother makes
[00:03:06] Some that I can't imagine the strength it took to do what they did
[00:03:11] One of the first that comes to mind is Josia Bed, Moses' mother
[00:03:17] First there was the fear of Pharaoh ordering all Hebrew boy babies to be killed
[00:03:24] And how she was going to hide him
[00:03:27] But then realizing there was no way to hide him and having the faith to put him in a vessel
[00:03:34] And cast him on the water
[00:03:37] Judy, will you share with me your thoughts on how Josia Bed must have felt releasing Moses?
[00:03:44] And then about God's faithfulness and having Pharaoh's daughter choose her to nurse him
[00:03:51] It had to be the most difficult thing she ever had to do
[00:03:56] Not knowing where he would end up or with who or how they would treat him
[00:04:02] That's the mother's biggest nightmare is having someone not care for love
[00:04:08] And nurture their child the way they would
[00:04:11] But she put her faith and trust in God, she released him
[00:04:16] And he was picked up by Pharaoh's daughter who treated him as if he were her own
[00:04:23] And that took a huge amount of faith to allow her to do that
[00:04:28] And trust that God was going to put him in the right place with the right people
[00:04:33] Amen
[00:04:34] Another mother that comes to mind is Hannah
[00:04:38] Hannah's decision to dedicate her son Samuel to the service of the Lord
[00:04:43] Represented an extraordinary act of faith and devotion
[00:04:48] In the years of enduring a deep personal anguish of childlessness and fervent prayer for a child
[00:04:55] Hannah promised God that if he granted her a son she would give him back to serve all the days of his life
[00:05:04] When her prayers were answered with the birth of Samuel, Hannah faithfully upheld her vow
[00:05:12] After weaning him, which typically occurred around the age of three
[00:05:17] She took Samuel to the temple and entrusted him to Eli the priest
[00:05:22] Committing her cherished son to a lifetime of religious service
[00:05:28] This poignant act of giving up her long desired and dearly loved child
[00:05:33] Was not only a personal sacrifice but also a significant offering to God
[00:05:40] Using her deep trust in his goodness and her commitment to honoring her word
[00:05:47] And we couldn't have a discussion about mother's love without including Mary
[00:05:52] Found in Luke 1, 26 through 38
[00:05:58] If you consider Mary as a teenager and to have an angel of the Lord appear number one
[00:06:05] And to be told of an immaculate conception number two
[00:06:10] She had to process a lot but yet she remained faithful to God and Jesus was born
[00:06:18] A story that I remember, I was fortunate enough when my children were young
[00:06:24] To be able to work on the weekend and I was home money through Friday
[00:06:29] So I was the primary caregiver for them from the time they were born until they started school
[00:06:36] I remember taking them to preschool for the first time
[00:06:41] Now having spent that much time with them every day
[00:06:45] Taking them to preschool and letting them go was very difficult
[00:06:50] I knew they were ready, I knew it's what they needed
[00:06:53] It was an experience that they needed but it was very difficult to let them go
[00:06:58] And you have to love your children enough to let them have the experiences that they need to grow
[00:07:05] Amen, amen
[00:07:08] You know one of the ten commandments directly addresses the treatment of parents
[00:07:13] It says honor your mother and your father in Exodus 20 verse 12
[00:07:18] This commandment underscores the respect and reverence that children should have for their mothers
[00:07:24] Acknowledging their role and contributions
[00:07:27] This honor is not only a duty but also linked to the promise of a long and prosperous life in the land that God provides
[00:07:36] In Isaiah 66 verse 13, God compares his comfort to that of a mother
[00:07:44] It reads as a mother comforts her child so will I comfort you
[00:07:49] And you will be comforted over Jerusalem
[00:07:52] This illustrates the deep and nurturing comfort mothers typically provide
[00:07:58] Liking it to the divine consolation offered by God
[00:08:03] The New Testament gives examples of influential mothers and their roles in the early Christian community
[00:08:10] For instance, Eunice and Lois, the mother and grandmother of Timothy are noted for their genuine faith
[00:08:17] In the early spiritual training they provided to Timothy
[00:08:21] Which Paul acknowledges as foundational to his ministry in 2 Timothy 1-5
[00:08:28] Paul's statement, but we were gentle among you like a nursing mother taking care of her own children
[00:08:36] Powerfully conveys the qualities of his ministry among the Thessalonians
[00:08:41] Marked by gentleness, affection, self-sacrifice and a deep commitment to nurturing the believers
[00:08:48] This approach not only facilitated effective ministry but also deeply bonded the apostle with the believers
[00:08:55] Reflecting the profound relational nature of Christian discipleship and leadership
[00:09:02] Brothers and sisters, the imagery of a nursing mother is inherently one of self-sacrifice
[00:09:10] A mother gives of herself physically and emotionally to nurture her children
[00:09:16] Similarly, Paul's use of this metaphor suggests a ministry characterized by a self-giving love and sacrifice
[00:09:25] He implies that their work among the Thessalonians was not burdensome or self-serving
[00:09:31] But was done out of a selfless desire to see the believers grow and thrive in their faith
[00:09:39] We wish a happy Mother's Day to all the mothers that are under the sound of our voice
[00:09:46] Happy Mother's Day, ladies
[00:09:48] And we thank you for spending this time with us and we look forward to our time together on tomorrow
[00:09:55] Until then, God bless
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[00:10:16] We look forward to hearing from you and invite you to write us at Harvest International
[00:10:21] Post Office Box 6690 Ocala, Florida 34478
[00:10:27] Again, that's Harvest International, Post Office Box 6690 Ocala, Florida 34478
[00:10:36] Coming home, coming home, never wrong