Introduction: Do we take our mothers for granted 364 days out of the year? How do we treat them on the days that it isn't Mother's Day? Maybe we don't take them for granted on all of those 364 days, but we certainly do much of the time. I don't think many of us can deny this. Ever since childhood, we have relied on our moms so much we wouldn't know what to do without them. Has anything like this ever happened in your house? ...a teenage boy came running into the house and found his mom in bed. He asked if she were sick or something. He was truly concerned. Mom replied that, as a matter of fact, she didn't feel too well. The son replied, "Well, don't worry a bit about dinner. I'll be happy to carry you down to the stove." There is no question we depend on our moms!

Mothers' Day is a wonderful custom, and it is a great opportunity for us to show our love and thanks to our dear mothers. As phone company statistics, card store sales, and the long lines forming at the breakfast buffets tell us, most of us make sure we show some sort of thanks to Mom on this day. But what about the rest of the days? Do we show the same love and thankfulness? After dinner on Mothers' Day, a mother was washing the dishes when her teenage daughter wandered into the kitchen. Horrified to see her mother at the sink, she exclaimed, "Oh, Mom, you shouldn't have to do dishes on Mother's Day." The mother was touched by this seeming thoughtfulness and was about to take off her apron and give it to her daughter when the daughter added, "They'll keep till tomorrow."

Mother's Day certainly gives us a wonderful opportunity to show our moms how much we love them by giving some of their love back, but shame on you and shame on me if it is the only day that we take advantage of this opportunity!! Our text tells us of the blessings the Lord has given us through our mothers.He has also given us the opportunity every day to thank them and thank Him for them in our prayers. Praise the Lord for blessing our God-fearing mothers, and praise the Lord for blessing us through them!

Part I. The Lord has Blessed Them

First of all, the Lord has blessed our mothers. He has blessed them with a family. He has blessed them with a husband and with children. Motherhood is a wonderful blessing and gift of God! As with anything in this sinful world, it has its joys and sorrows, its happiness and hardships, but you cannot hide the smile of the mother with her newborn baby, nor can you hide the joy of the mother whose children have done her proud in school. There are many blessings and privileges in having a family, and that is one reason why this noble woman's husband and children call her "blessed." God had many good purposes for establishing the family as He did. The only reason that there are any hardships there is because sin entered the world and broke down that wonderful relationship.

Which brings us to the much greater reason that this particular mother's family calls her blessed. The Lord has blessed her by making her one of His children! She has the "fear of the Lord." That is the greatest blessing a person could ever have. She has faith that Jesus died on the cross for her sins as well. And now, because she has been given this blessing of new life in Christ, she is now able to express her Christian love in ways that will benefit her family immensely. By loving and taking care of her family, she glorifies God and is showing her thanks to Christ for giving His life for her.

Appropriation: Scripture goes on in length and great detail about the blessings that anyone has if they are a child of God through faith. Psalm 1 tells us in a beautiful way how the Lord will watch over His righteous children, and how they will flourish like trees planted next to a stream. In Romans, we hear that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," and "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

No wonder the children of this God-fearing woman in Proverbs call her "blessed"! There could be no greater blessing in her life than the peace which she has with her Lord through faith. An unbeliever has no peace. An unbeliever lives in uncertainty! An unbeliever faces condemnation, eternal death! This is what every sinner deserves. But Christ has given his life for us on the cross so we would not have to fear these things, but instead, look forward to his promise of eternal life! A child of God simply believes this promise, with the faith that the Holy Spirit gives. And to this blessing of faith, or the fear of the Lord, He adds many blessings: forgiveness, life, salvation, peace, joy, and hope! The fear of the Lord is not only the greatest blessing any mother could have, but that any sinner could have! We deserved eternal death, but our Savior has given us eternal life.

Transition: But why do we celebrate Mother's Day? Because she is blessed? Partly, but I think the main reason we celebrate Mother's Day is because the Lord blessed us through our Mother!

Part II. The Lord Blesses Us Through Them

Earlier in the book of Proverbs, we are told, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord." The main purpose of Proverbs is to lead believers to know and trust God's wisdom in living a God-pleasing life. And this final section sums it all up by telling us about the perfect wife and mother, a woman who is putting all of God's wisdom into practice as she is living her life in thanks to her Savior. And anyone who finds a wife like this will certainly "receive favor," or be blessed greatly! They will be a family well taken care of with many earthly blessings.

We heard the whole section in our OT reading earlier about the "Wife of noble character." What a busy woman she is! If it sounds impossible to be this woman, that is because it is. She is the perfect example of what every God-fearing mother will strive to live like to show her thanks to God for blessing her in so many ways. She has an ideal marriage, is supportive of and encouraging to her husband. Her family has trust and confidence in her. And she shows an incredible amount of love to her family with all she does for them. She provides for them, is a good business-woman, she clothes them, works around the clock, and her husband is given respect just because she is his wife! She is happy, energetic, optimistic, and involved. She passes on wisdom and faithful instruction to her family. And her work is certainly not limited to the home. She reminds us of when the little girl saw her parents' wedding picture, and asked her father, "Dad, is that the day you got Mom to come and work for us?"

The reason that reading through this section will make any Christian mother say, "I don't measure up to this woman!" is that we are still dealing with sin here on this earth. Though we will strive to please God in this way, our sinful nature will keep us from being perfect. And that is where the blessing of forgiveness comes in! The child of God knows that it is Christ's perfection that has saved us! You see, it doesn't matter how many of these qualities a mother possesses - if she does not have the fear of the Lord! a woman could do every one of these things perfectly, but if she had no faith in her Savior, none of them would please God. That is why this woman's husband praises her in this way: "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." It doesn't matter how noble a woman is, how beautiful she is on the outside, or what a charming personality she has. The Lord looks inside at the heart, and what matters is a woman who expresses her faith in Christ with these deeds of unselfish love.

That brings us to the greatest of blessings that a God-fearing mother can give to her family: spiritual blessings. She not only clothes them on the outside, but also clothes them with inner qualities. She gives them faithful instruction in God's Word. She shows them how important that is. She also models a Christian lifestyle, so that her family can see what the love of the Savior means to her. And finally, when her children make mistakes, she shares the good news with them that Jesus has forgiven them of all of their sins, and in this way gives them the only true comfort there is.

Application: God had a special purpose for mothers, and special reasons for setting up a home just the way He did. After blessing a woman with children, he really blesses those children through their mother! He gives them a good upbringing and all they need in life. But most importantly, He gives them direction and guidance through their mother. And the greatest guidance and direction that a mother could give is spiritual guidance. There is no way we could find statistics to tell us how much influence a mother has on the spiritual lives of her children as she reads them Bible stories, takes them to Sunday School, insists on family devotions, models Christian love in the home, and even disciplines them when it is needed.

Unfortunately, we could find plenty of statistics that tell us what happens in a family where there isn't a God-fearing mother. Our society is full of so many people that desperately needed a mother who shared the love of Jesus Christ with them, a mother who assured those children that Jesus died for their sins. But most likely, their mothers didn't have mothers that shared the story of Jesus' love with them either. This is the dreadful way that the Devil works in our world, as he tries to smash the family system that God set up to bring children up in the knowledge of His Word.

God had very wisely intended our mothers to take a leading and important role in our Christian upbringing. And for those of us who have mothers that made sure we were baptized as God's children, and have mothers who kept us close to God's Word, in which our faith was strengthened, we have been blessed in ways that we could never entirely comprehend! So thank your mothers! Don't ever take them for granted! Praise them for the wonderful Christian upbringing they have given you and the many ways that God has blessed you through them! "a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!"

Don't just do this on Mother's Day! Don't tell them that the dishes will keep until tomorrow! Thank them daily and willingly by giving back to them the love that they have shown to you. Return their love. That is what is meant in our text when it says "Give her the reward she has earned." Give them back what they have given you. That is their reward. a God-fearing mother does not need to demand praise. Her love speaks for itself! Our Savior's love, the same love that compels our mothers to love us, also compels us to love them back.

Many of us don't have the opportunity to personally thank our mothers every day. Many of us have moved out of the home and have our own families now. Some of our mothers have gone home to live with their Savior. But we do have the chance every day to give thanks where thanks is due! Praise the Lord for your God-fearing mother! Do this in your prayers: Ask Him to continue to bless her, and thank Him for the blessings that He has given you through her. Thank Him for making you one of His own children. Ask Him for the strength to give these same blessings to your own children, so that you also can bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord! Amen.

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