Good morning on this Saturday, May 7th. Happy Mother's Day to all of our moms. Thank God most of us have had mothers who loved us, cared about us, and taught us good things. But some mothers mentioned in the Bible provided a decisive negative influence upon their children. For instance, after the death of King Jehoram, the inhabitants of Jerusalem chose his son, Ahaziah, to be their next king. 2 Chronicles 22:2 tells us that King Ahaziah's mother was a woman named Athalieh and 22:3 mentions, "He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly." His mother's wicked counsel led to disastrous consequences because Scripture says, "He did evil in the sight of the Lord" (22:4). Another example of a wicked mother's terrible advice is related to the death of John the Baptist in the time of Christ. John was the one chosen by God to prepare the way for the Savior through his preaching of the message of repentance. John had publicly condemned King Herod because he was living with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Herodias' hatred for John led her to direct her daughter to demand Herod to behead John after Herod had promised her daughter to do whatever she asked following an apparent sensual dance during Herod's birthday celebration (Matthew 14:1-11). The vast majority of Biblical narratives about mothers extols the positive influence of mothers upon their children, but the overall message is that mothers can influence their children positively or negatively, for good or bad. Thank God for Godly mothers! If you have or had one, thank God for her; if you didn't, promise God that you will do all you can to be one to your children. Your influence can make the difference for time and eternity in your children's lives.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, What God Has To Say To Mothers. I hope you'll be able to celebrate Mother's Day at Edgewood with us tomorrow.
Mel Brown