Encouraging Truth for Moms and Dads

"1 Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain. 2 In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves. 3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord , children, a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them. Such men will never be put to shame when they speak with their enemies at the city gate . 1 How happy is everyone who fears the Lord , who walks in His ways!" 

-Psalm 127-128:1

This past week was Mother's Day, and I preached a message that would encourage our mothers. I would like to share three truths from Psalm 127- 128 that would encourage mothers and fathers everywhere. Psalm 127 was usually read at the celebration after a birth. It is considered to be a wisdom psalm, that teaches how to live rightly.

1. Replace your Self Confidence as a parent with God Confidence. (Psalm 127:1-2)

Note how the author depends on God in the above verses, "Unless the LORD builds" and "Unless the LORD watches." We must realize that we cannot build our houses on our own. God wants to undermine our self confidence and replace it with faith in God confidence. Please remember being a good mother or father does not depend on our work, effort, labor, getting it right, strength and ability, but it depends on the grace of God. Remember the times you got it right as a parent? please remember that it was God who enabled those moments to happen. God gave you the ability to sacrifice, comfort, celebrate and discipline correctly. Remember we have a sin nature that is very self centered with fierce appetites. Without God's common grace that He gives to everyone, we would all constantly mess up parenting.

2. See your Children for Who and What they really are. (Psalm 127:3-5)

We are all vulnerable to lies about our children and parenthood. Many in our world are not welcoming to children and children are viewed as disposable. Or the other extreme, children are idolized and worshiped, as extension of their parents. The Word says that children are a "gift" or an "inheritance." In addition to this, children are described as "arrows." Please note that we don't just want to create straight arrows, that is arrows that keep their nose clean and pay their taxes on time. We want to create arrows that hit the targets that God has laid out in His Word. We want arrows that will sink deep into the heart of the enemies of God. We are raising Children who will be pastors, missionaries, deacons, teachers, evangelist, and faithful followers of Christ no matter their vocation.

3. Build your motherhood/parenthood around a healthy fear of God.

Early on in my faith, the idea of the fear of God was very confusing to me. Since then I have come to see that true fear of God is a childlike fear. Fear of God is a holy respect and growing love. Scriptures teaches that fear and love of God are companion emotions. We need to run to God in total dependence. Fearing God reflects a life of submission to God's will. When it comes to our life as a parent, we must not build it around the opinions of others, our reputation, our comfort and ease, avoiding failure, but we must orient our parenting around the fear of God.