Are you a stay-at-home mom who always wanted to go out into the mission field, record a Christian hit song, or be a great Bible teacher? Instead, you find yourself cooking and cleaning and teaching Bible verses to preschoolers. Or maybe you had a career you loved but you have chosen to set it aside for a season to raise your children.
What does God have to say about stay-at-home moms and God’s blessings? What does He have to say about mothering, in general? Is it possible we are all mothers whether we have biological children or not? And is there a calling on women that is bigger than we might know?
Today’s Readings:
1 Kings 1 & 2
Psalm 68.11-14
Proverbs 17.7-9
John 9.24-41
Stay-at-Home Moms & Motherhood as a Verb
Psalm 68.11-14:
She Who Remains at Home
Psalm 68 is a psalm of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God for His care for His people and for giving them victory. It may have been written when David brought the ark back from the house of Obed-Edom. It’s a beautiful psalm and worth reading slowly in its entirety.
But I do want to point out a sweet phrase tucked into verse 12. It says, “and she who remains at home divides the spoil.”
In biblical times, the fighting men went to war. It was their job. And when they were victorious in battle unless God had forbidden it, the spoils of war were theirs for the taking. But the spoils were not just for them.
In Numbers 31 after the Israelites experienced victory over the Midianites, God said this:
25 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 26 “Count up the plunder that was taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; 27 and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.
Those who stayed behind, women and children, the elderly, and perhaps those who took care of other jobs that needed to be done while the army was off in battle were seen to be just as valuable.
God Sees
If you’re a stay-at-home mom, do you ever wonder if anyone sees and appreciates what you do? God does.
And I know there are single moms and other working moms, who work just as hard at being a mom as they do at any outside job.
God sees motherhood as one of the most important jobs in the world. Titus 2 tells us:
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
When we don’t “mother” in God-honoring ways, we risk blaspheming the word of God. But when we seek to do it in ways that please Him, even in our weakness and imperfection, that passage goes on to say, we “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Tit. 2.10).
Gloria Furman in the introduction to her book, Missional Motherhood, says:
Missional motherhood is a strategic ministry designed by God to call people to worship the One who is seated on the throne in heaven.
It doesn’t get more important than that.
All Called to Mothering
But it turns out that as women we are all called to mothering. Again quoting Gloria:
Have you ever asked a temper-tantruming toddler to ‘use their words’? Me too. When we talk about theology and motherhood, we not only need to use our words; we need to use the right words. We need to be intentional when we use our words, especially words about who Jesus is and what he is doing. But we also need to be intentional when we use words for motherhood. When I say ‘mother,’ I want you to think of it as a verb too. When you read the word nurture, I want you to remember everything that it involves: discipling, serving, caregiving, mothering, teaching, showing hospitality, and more.
Mothering (or nurturing) is a calling not just for women who have biological or adopted children. Mothering is a calling for all women. Every Christian women is called to the spiritual motherhood of making disciples of all nations. Our nurturing is, by nature, missional (ch. 1, p.24)
So whether you are a sleep-deprived mother of an infant, mothering toddlers through the preschool years, navigating the challenges of the teen years, teaching the gospel to a rowdy Sunday school class, mentoring a new believer, opening your home to college students who are far from home or a million other ways we nurture and care for others, you are accumulating eternal rewards.
Today’s Other Readings:
1 Kings 1 & 2:
Solomon Becomes King
In Chapter 1, King David is dying. (Those of us who are married and getting older can be thankful for electric blankets, none of that “virgin heating” for our husbands! If you haven’t already, you’ll just have to read the passage in 1 Kings 1.1-4!)
David’s oldest son, Adonijah tries to take control of the throne before his father is even dead. It’s obvious he knows that Solomon is the one who is to be king because he conveniently neglects to invite him to the “coronation.” But God in His sovereignty sees to it that his plan is revealed. Instead, Solomon is crowned king while his father is still alive (1 Kings 1).
A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps (Prov. 16.9).
A New King in Town
Before he died David warned Solomon of some people to watch out for and gave him some last-minute instructions, but Solomon, immediately, demonstrates a new style of leadership beginning with his response to his brother Adonijah (1 Kings 2).
Adonijah had committed treason and, even today, treason can result in the death penalty. But Solomon showed mercy. When his brother submitted to his authority and appeared to repent, Solomon sent him home. I’m sure he had his suspicions about Adonijah’s motives, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt.
1 Corinthians 13 says, “… love believes the best …”
Love chooses to believe the best until facts prove otherwise. In this case, Adonijah’s motives were soon revealed. He attempted to deceive Bathsheba into helping him regain power by allowing him to marry Abishag, the young woman who cared for David when he was dying. Had he married someone that close to the king, it would have given him a claim to the throne. And once his true motives were revealed, Solomon acted quickly and decisively.
Shimei
Then with Shimei, another of those his father warned him against, Solomon showed restraint. Instead of having him killed for his treason against David, he placed him under house arrest, telling him he could never leave Jerusalem. Perhaps that enabled Solomon to keep an eye on him. Shimei agreed until it prevented him from taking revenge on two of his slaves. Then he revealed himself as a man who ultimately would do what was expedient for him, rather than submitting to Solomon’s authority.
God puts a high priority on submission to authority because it reveals the heart. Even when we think authority is being misused or we’re being treated unfairly, God expects us to willingly submit (unless we’re being asked to sin) and trust Him with the outcome. Something Shimei wasn’t willing to do.
But as I said yesterday, submission to authority does not mean, we always ignore the other person’s sin. And it certainly does not mean we must stay in an abusive relationship. If that’s you, please read yesterday’s post.
Proverbs 17.7-9:
Gossip Separates Friends
He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends (v. 9).
Over and over God’s Word condemns gossip. The next time a “friend” comes to you and tells you something “because you should know,” remember this proverb.
John 9.24-41:
Don’t Be Surprised by Attacks
This passage continues the story of the man born blind from yesterday’s reading. The religious leaders call him in and question him, trying to get him to discredit Jesus. When they cannot, they turn from the facts to a personal attack. Verse 34:
They answered and said to him, ‘You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?’ And they cast him out.
Don’t be surprised when people do the same to you when you witness or share your testimony. Don’t get defensive or upset. Remember you’re in good company.
What About You? Questions to Ponder or Journal:
What stood out to you from today’s reading? A command to obey? A principle to remember? Or a promise to stand on?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about knowing the voice of God, whether we can lose our salvation, how fools don’t have any desire for wisdom, co-signing loans, and the dangers wealth and education can pose.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
You might also like to check out this short series:
How Psychology Affects the Spread of the Gospel – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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