HAPPY MOTHERS DAY:

Today is that wonderful Sunday we call Mother’s Day. It is a day when we typically celebrate our moms and the priceless role they play in family and society. In this crazy busy world we currently live in with it's ever-changing tide of moral standards it’s never been harder to be a godly parent.
   
I'm sure there are days when mothers wish they could put their resignation letter in and quit. I remember when my boys were young, there happened to be days harder then others and Debby would end the day with, "I quit, don't anyone call the name of mom any more today." But Debby, like most moms, knew she had to be hand's on,  ready to stand firm, and willing to fight the good fight.

Debby knew that the souls of our children and the quality of the lives they lived depended a lot on her faithfulness. In those days I worked long hours and seldom got to spend a lot of time with the kids during the week, so she hard to shoulder the load.  She knew that our boys were too precious of a gift from God for her to do anything else but persevere even when it was hard.

Parenting is crucial and God has called us as moms and dads to do certain things and to do them right. Therefore, I do want to share some truths from Scripture about raising children. Though this is Mother’s Day, this message can be targeted to both moms and dads. 

(Psalms 78:1 ESV) A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

(Psalms 78:2 ESV) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,

(Psalms 78:3 ESV) things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

(Psalms 78:4 ESV) We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

(Psalms 78:5 ESV) He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

(Psalms 78:6 ESV) that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

(Psalms 78:7 ESV) so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

(Psalms 78:8 ESV) and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

What does Psalms 78 teach? It’s a hymn for the home. That is, this psalm reminds us to teach our children, to teach the next generation. This has been a great breakdown in our current society. The number one responsibility of each parent or grandparent is that our kids and grandchildren know God’s Word. They need to understand that the key to success is to know the Lord, to love Him, and to be obedient to Him.

1.  We Need To Teach Our Children the Greatness of God: (Ps.78:1–4) 

When I hear a lot of testimonies they always seen to include a praying mother or grandmother. Many include a mother or grandmother who made sure the children and grandchildren where in Sunday School and Church Service on Sunday morning. 

The Psalm begins by encouraging us to continue the tradition of passing on the record of God’s marvelous works from one generation to another. In verse 1 the Psalmist asks for our attention. It was like he was shouting, “Don’t touch that dial! Pay attention! This is important stuff!” 

Verse 2 is quoted by Matthew to show that Jesus’ speaking in parables was a means of uncovering things long hidden by God.  This is the purpose of the Ps.78: to clarify the riddle of the past so that it becomes a lesson for the present and the future for families.

Verse 3 sums up the best learning that lives and history have to offer the future. “Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.”

God’s people, especially moms, typically have always made a commitment to bringing up the next generation in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Throughout the Old Testament there is continual exhortation for parents to teach the faith to their children.

We speak a lot about church life however the original institution for teaching children about God has been the home. As parents had received from their fathers, so now the present generation would pass the history of God’s working on to their children with greater understanding. Parents learn from the Lord who reveals Himself and pass their knowledge on to their children.

In verse 4 the first principle that we are to pass on to the next generation emphasizes God’s greatness. To neglect to teach our children the Word of God is to deprive them of God’s precious truths. In God's Word we learn the truth about God, truth about life, and the truth about ourselves.  We need to provide our children with every opportunity to come to know God through the revealing of Him through His divine revelation.

The practice of passing from one generation to the next the testimony of God’s great works is a key part of our parental duty. Notice that we are to tell of His praiseworthy deeds and the awesome things God has done. We are to tell of His power which is far above all other powers. We are to teach our children about God's wonders, for He is a God of miracles. 

There is more I can say about Psalms 78 however I want to close. I want to applaud you mothers who take the task seriously of making a spiritual impact in the lives of your children.

(Proverbs 31:28 ESV) Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Thank you Moms. Happy Mother’s Day.

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