Spiritual Mothers - The Goal is Love

      I haven't been bloggin' as much lately.  Life has been rather crazy but in the midst of the craziness I had a great opportunity to share with the women at my church.  A mother - daughter team took on the adventure of putting on a Mother - Daughter Tea.  I was so bummed at first, being that I am a mother of three boys I didn't think that I would be able to go.  An opportunity presented itself and I was able to take two young ladies who I love spending time with to the tea since their mommies were out of town.  I was asked to share about what it means to be a "SPIRITUAL MOTHER."
       This was really hard for me to prepare.  I felt that I could say so much, but I really wanted to focus and get down to the roots of today's topic, "SPIRITUAL MOTHER."  I will share, what it is, who does it, what it is not, but most of all the main ingredient.  I was not raised in a Christian home so I don't share my faith with my mom, but even though we don't have our faith in common, I've learned a HUGE important thing from her.....LOVE!!!
    Love will be our theme today.  LOVE is why Christ was to be born! LOVE is what drove Him to the cross! LOVE is why He is alive and LOVE is why we live our lives for Him.  LOVE!  If love is what motivates Christ for everything He has done, than it should be our motivating force in all that we do as well.

I Timothy 1:5

"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, and a good conscience

and a sincere faith."

John MacArthur comments on this verse, "This is the love of choice and the will, characterized by self denial and self sacrifice for the benefit of others."

   God calls us to LOVE.  To love Him and to love others.  That is God's will for us, right?

Titus 2: 3-5

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious, gossips nor

enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women

to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home,

kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the Word of God will not be dishonored."

There is that word again, LOVE! I am suppose to do that, LOVE! It's everywhere in God's Word, LOVE! I know that I was asked to speak to you and convince you, I am sure to persuade you and to encourage you to be SPIRITUAL MOTHERS, but in the same breath I have to ask you, do you love? What do you love? Who do you love? Why do you love? What is it that you love?

What's the answer? Is it Jesus? Are you in love with Jesus?

Women, if you want to attract other women to disciple, be in love with Jesus!

If you want to be attractive to your husbands, be in love with Jesus!

If you want to be admired and loved by your children, be in love with Jesus!

If you want to be a witness to the world, be in love with Jesus!

I am not going to give you a "to-do" list on how to be a SPIRITUAL MOTHER - DISCIPLER, I am going to ask you what's on your love list?

When the things we love or what we are holding so tightly to are loosened from our grips by trials, we are challenged to ask....what do you love? Who do you love? Why do you love? Is it Jesus?

Life and our loves become very crystal clear in the light of eternity, can you take what you love with you?

You are probably sitting there asking yourself "what does this have to do with being a "SPIRITUAL MOTHER?" EVERYTHING!!!  If the love of Christ isn't what motivates us in every aspect of our life, how are we any different than any other religion?

the goal of our instruction is LOVE - from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith

Our goal in our instruction is LOVE....we teach so the goal is LOVE, because LOVE produces a love for God which produces a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.  If anyone wants to spend time with me, is it because I love JESUS?  That should be the only reason!

I Cor 13:1 " If I speak with tongues of men and of angels but do not have love,

 I have become a noisygong or a clangy cymbal."

A noisy gong or a clanging cymbal? Is that what I sound like when I speak?

Young women, why do you want to spend time with older woman? Well, she has really obedient children and a really nice home.  There is no recipe, just one ingredient - IS SHE IN LOVE WITH JESUS?

Older woman, why do you want to spend time with that younger woman? Well, she really needs to learn how to be modest.  Someone needs to talk to her about her clothes.  Older woman, IS SHE IN LOVE WITH JESUS?  Go after her heart not her clothes. 

the goal of our instruction is LOVE from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith

If I am in love with Jesus, than I will be modest.  If I am in love with Jesus I will be a lover of my husband.  If I am in love with Jesus, I will love and instruct my children.  Younger women pursue older women who are in love with Jesus! Older women show and be examples to the younger what it is to be in love with Jesus!

I know that I've shared this story before with you.  There was a young woman who came back to our church and I just had this desire to get to know her.  (Ladies, if you get that urge, listen to it)  I asked her to coffee.  We went to coffee right away.  We spent a couple of hours together talking and getting to know one another.  I asked a lot of questions and she told me what she had been up to the last few years.   A month later or so, this same young woman was in my small group at our yearly women's prayer retreat.  After our first session, this young woman wanted to share her heart with the group.  She wanted to say how much she appreciated the fact that when I took her to coffee I actually got to know her and spend time with her.  In uncontrollable tears, she said, "that was the first time an older woman ever took her to coffee without having a list of all the things she was doing wrong." 

When I die and my faith becomes sight, Jesus is not going to say to me, "you can't come in. you have a feather in your hair!" Remember ladies, its not what we do, its what we love!  Are we in love with Jesus?

What does it look like?  It could be a weekly meeting and going through a book.  Sharing a meal.  Having coffee and talking.  Encouraging one another to love and good deeds.  Texting, writing, or emailing Scripture to one another.  Praying for one another.  Just hanging out in each other's homes. Living side by side.  Listening, loving, crying, hugging, grace, mercy, gentleness, patience.  It's getting a phone call from a younger woman in tears, so many she can barely speak.  You tell her to come over.  I am making dinner for my family, but we'll talk.  You get dinner on the table and than go for a walk with her and you listen.  You encourage with God's Word, you love on her, and you point her to Christ. 

Still today I have "older women" in my life that I have had formal times with, but my most favorite are our informal times....when I watch them from sometimes even from a distance.  These are just some of the things I've learned from the "Spiritual Mothers" in my life.  One thing they all share, they're in LOVE with JESUS.

- when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep - PRAY!

- when I don't have money to give, open my home and share a meal.

- my home is for ministry

- always wear something soft & silky to bed

- that I can be a strong woman, but still be a submissive woman

- I can have a sense of humor and even snort when I laugh

Let's end with John 21:15-17

"So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John,

do you love Me more than these?'  He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love you.'  He said to him, 'Tend My lambs.'  He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John,

do you love me?'  He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love you.'  He said to him,

'Shepherd My sheep.'  He said to him, the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'

Peter was grieved because He said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.'  Jesus said to him, 'Tend My sheep.'

John MacArthur's commentary states, "When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, he used a word for love that signified total commitment.  Peter responded with a word for love that signified his love for Jesus, but not necessarily his total commitment.  This was not because he was reluctant to express that greater love, but because he had been disobedient and denied the Lord in the past.  He was, perhaps, now reluctant to make a claim of supreme devotion when, in the past, his life did not support such a claim.  Jesus pressed home to Peter the need for unswerving devotion by repeatedly asking Peter if he loved Him supremely.  The essential message here is that Jesus demands total commitment from His followers.  Their love for Him must place Him above their love for all else.  Jesus confronted Peter with love because He wanted Peter to lead the apostles, but in order for Peter to be an effective shepherd, his overwhelming drive must exemplify supreme love for his Lord."

I think the coolest thing ever, other than Christ returning, would be this:  I walk into Starbucks.  I order my drink and as I'm waiting for my coffee I over hear two women talking.....

Have you ever visited FCF?  Well let me tell you, all those women there at that church are in love with Jesus! The talk of our town would be that the women of FCF are in love with Jesus! Every single one of us, madly in love with JESUS!