Save America Ministries

Chuck Crismier: This is Viewpoint with attorney and author Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is a one-hour talk show confronting the issues of America's heart and home. And now with today's edition of Viewpoint, here is Chuck Crismier. A Jewish proverb says that God could not be everywhere. So, he made mothers. Abraham Lincoln said, "No man is poor who has a godly mother." And I believe that's true. Honor your father and your mother, the first commandment with promise. And today we talk about the faith of our mothers and why motherhood is essential. Mothers matter. Mothers matter. I think back about my own mother. My own mother had to raise five children. And she had raised them in a pastor's home, where in those days there were no mega churches. Every church was small, almost every church was small, and they moved their pastors about every two years because the belief was that a pastor should not be in a particular domain for more than two years, otherwise you might become too familiar with the people. Also, pastors were not allowed to own homes. And so, they lived in parsonages. So, there was never a fixed place for a pastor. And my mother raised five children in that environment. I give her a great deal of honor, a lot of kudos, because in those days, it was an interesting proverb, coming from people in the churches, Lord, you keep him humble, and we'll keep him poor. And so, we lived in a state of relative poverty, not actual debased poverty, but certainly at the bottom of the rung in terms of the middle class. And my mother did a fantastic job. She found a way to make everything work. She found a way to stretch a dollar, to stretch a dime, even a penny. She made our clothes. She washed our clothes. Yes, even before there were automated washers. She worked. And a woman's work, a mother's work is never done. She doesn't get days off because she's always a mother. And that makes her a very responsible person. An irresponsible mother is a devastation not only to her family but to the nation. But a godly mother is a blessing to a nation, to her family and to the Kingdom of God. Mothers matter. So, I welcome you to Viewpoint. I'm Chuck Crismier. This conversation with ever increasing conviction, talk that transforms, and I trust that today will be no exception. It's important for us not only to focus on the faith of our fathers, but on, shall we say, the faith of our mothers. There's something about motherhood that is radically different than fatherhood. Fatherhood, fathers provide the seed of life. Mothers bring forth the fruit of life. Kind of like a tree, somebody has to plant the tree, but then once the tree is planted, the tree has to bring forth its fruit in due season. A mother brings forth her fruit in due season, nine months usually. And then when she brings forth the fruit, she cares for the fruit, makes sure it matures and is cared for, is nurtured and cared for, until it's time for, well, a turn of another family and the development of another mother. Mothers are female parents, yes, there are female parents, who play a vital role in nurturing their kids, providing emotional security, shaping the moral foundation of families. They're considered key to developing a child's capacity for empathy, for compassion, and motherhood is recognized through biological, adoptive, step, or foster relationships. It is a unique role. Healthy motherhood and mothering love provides unconditional support that differs from fatherhood, is critical to a child's mental health and emotional security, just as fathers are critical to a child's emotional health and security, and spiritual health. Mothers are crucial in teaching children how to think, to distinguish right from wrong and persevere, shaping the future generation. Mothers are essential to a nation. They're essential to the Kingdom of God. In fact, if you were to go back and look at much of the history of Israel, you would hear this phrase, "a mother in Israel." A mother in Israel. Now, what did that mean, a mother in Israel? Well, it meant that a mother who distinguished herself because of her, the way she raised her sons or daughters, and the way she prepared them for service in the nation, in the Kingdom of God, she became revered as a mother in Israel, renowned, a mother in Israel. Question, for you who are ladies listening to the program here today, are you a mother in Israel? Would you be perceived to be? I know you're not technically Jewish, you're not technically an Israelite in that sense, but the Apostle Paul says, "they are not Israel, that be Israel, but they are Israel which are circumcised in the heart and not only in the flesh." So the question is, ladies, are you a mother in Israel? Are you fulfilling that kind of a role so that when God looks at your life and your responsibility, and your faithfulness to the calling of motherhood, would he look at you as a mother in Israel? I don't mean just a mother because you produced children. I mean, a mother in Israel, one who is faithful, seriously faithful, and has a vision for raising her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And fulfilling the vision that father, particularly Father God, has instilled for you and for your family. Mothers are absolutely mandatory in Israel, in the Kingdom of God. And so, we talk about mothers here today and, uh, interestingly, as is the mother, so is the daughter. Did you know that that's in the book of Ezekiel chapter 16? As the mother is, so is her daughter. In other words, moms, you are becoming the mirror image, your daughter is becoming the mirror image of who you are. And don't take that too lightly. Now, it doesn't mean that all daughters turn out just like their mothers, but in reality, there is so much truth in this saying, that it needs to be seriously understood. As is the mother, so is her daughter. You could also say, "as is the father, so is the son." And there's a lot of truth in that as well. And so, we want to make sure, moms, you want to make sure that your life, your purposes, the investment of your time, your talents, your treasure, your vision, your practices, the emphasis of your life is such as it is literally artistically drawing the future of your daughter. Mother's love is like God's love. So, what is your love like? We'll be right back. Motherhoods are mandatory. Once upon a time, children could pray and read their Bibles in school. Divorces were practically unknown, as was child abuse. In our once great America, virginity and chastity were popular virtues, and homosexuality was an abomination. So, what happened in just one generation? Hi, I'm Chuck Crismier, and I urge you to join me daily on Viewpoint where we discuss the most challenging issues touching our hearts and homes. Could America's moral slide relate to the fourth commandment? Listen to Viewpoint on this radio station or anytime at saveus.org. Why mothers matter. That's really what we're talking about here today on Viewpoint. And by the way, moms, here's what you should save for a rainy day. Patience. That's what you should save for a rainy day. And the quickest way for a mom to get her children's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Yes, you say, "I resemble that remark." Mother's Day. How did it get started? How did Mother's Day get started? Well, it was celebrated, it's been celebrated on the second Sunday in May, in the United States. It was founded by Anna Jarvis in 1908 in honor of her mother's legacy and the sacrifices that mothers make. And it became an official national holiday in 1914 after Miss Jarvis campaigned for a day of personal gratitude, though she later fought against its rapid commercialization. Isn't that interesting? In the 1850s, Ann Reeves Jarvis, the mother, organized Mother's Work Clubs to improve sanitary conditions, reduce child mortality mortality, and support local mothers. During the Civil War, she organized Mother's Friendship Day to unite families from both sides. Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother's Day, following her mother's death in 1905, sought to fulfill her mother's dream of a dedicated memorial day. So, she held the first official Mother's Day service at Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10th, 1908. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe issued a Mother's Day proclamation calling for peace. And in 1887, Mary Towles Sassin began promoting Mother's Day in schools. By 1910, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother's Day. And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day, a national holiday to honor mothers. That gives us the understanding, and it's important, just as Father's Day is important, so Mother's Day is important because fathers can't do it all and neither can moms. In fact, as we opened the program, the Jewish proverb says, "God could not be everywhere, so he made mothers." Charles Dickens made an interesting statement. He said, "I think it must be somewhere written that the virtues of mothers shall be visited on their children as well as the sins of their fathers." Moms sometimes sometimes have to make up for the deficiency of fathers and dads. Likewise, men, fathers sometimes have to make up for the deficiency of moms. But the reality is that each one of us, whether moms or dads, need to fulfill our calling and our responsibility from God's viewpoint, because that's the only viewpoint that matters. God's viewpoint is the only viewpoint that that matters. So, throughout the ages, no nation ever had a better friend than the mother who taught her children to pray. Throughout the ages, no nation ever had a better friend than a mother who taught her children to pray. And I have to admit that even though my father was a pastor all my life, my mother is the one who basically taught us to pray. Not only did she teach us to pray, but she also taught us the word of God. Interestingly, it was not my father that taught us the word of God in our household, it was my mother. Now, I don't think that was necessarily correct. I did not model after my father in that regard and became the primary teacher of the word of God in our home. My wife has come through and supported that and encouraged that. I think that's the better approach. Fathers should take the lead in the spiritual development and teaching of the word because that's where authority comes from. Authority ultimately comes from the father as the head of the home. But where fathers are absent or do not see that vision, it becomes incumbent upon mothers then to do the best they can to institute that love of the scriptures in the children. And my mother did that. My mother taught us specific passages in the scripture, had us memorize them. And to this very day, those passages are well known to me. I use them, repeat them. For instance, Psalm 8, "Oh, Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth." Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd," and so on. All of these were taught by my mother in a pastor's household. So, I give a whole lot of kudos to my mother for taking the lead in that regard. But that's not all she did. In fact, she never had a vacation, not really, because even when the family went on vacation, which was rarely, she still had her motherly duties and responsibilities, which she never shirked. A mother's work is never done. There are numerous women in the Bible who stand out as mothers. We're going to take a look at some of those, but one of the women that stands out in the history of the Western world, particularly the Christian world, is a woman by the name of Susanna Wesley. Her famous sons, John Wesley and Charles Wesley, were also in the era of George Whitfield, for whom the recent movie, The Awakening, was created, and Charles and John Wesley are seen there in that movie. Susanna Wesley was the mother of those two sons, Charles and John Wesley. John Wesley became the founder of Methodism. Charles Wesley became the author of probably hundreds of hymns and songs that are commonly sung even to this day. Tremendous influence, Susanna Wesley. She selected the Bible as the very first book her children would ever read. It wasn't just interested in all kinds of little children's stories. She was interested in more substance. She wanted her children to be developed not for childhood, but for adulthood. By the way, that is ultimately what fathers and mothers should be after, not eternal childhood. So, she developed the Bible, she selected the Bible as the very first book her kids would read. Susanna, who herself has studied Greek, Latin, and French logic and metaphysics herself, taught her ten children, by the way, she bore 19 kids, but only ten survived infancy. So, you could imagine the pain, the emotional pain and so on of losing nine children, moms, you can understand that. But ten survived. And all of that was while running an orderly household. Now, how did she do that? My mom had her challenges with five. I'm not sure to what extent I was a challenge, but I was her first child out of five. When my father, who as I said was a pastor for my lifetime, during my life, decided that he wanted to go into evangelistic work and travel. For 14 years after I left the home at 18 years of age to go to college, my mother became the sole parent in the household for months on end while my father was traveling, speaking all over the country. It was an extremely hard time for my mom. And I do believe that my brothers and sisters suffered to a certain extent because of that because there was no father in the home at that time. He was only home perhaps for a month, two or three, maybe a month every two or three months out of the year. And so, my mother had the primary responsibility and it was very tough, raising four kids then, who were teenagers for the most part, through that period of time. I have to give great deal of kudos to my mom for her faithfulness, very, very challenging in those times. And she was not one of these people you would call a tough mom. Oh, she was tough in the sense that she established order and did not allow confusion. But she, her personality was not, you know, like general mother, so to speak. But Susanna Wesley would take each child into the schoolroom once he reached the age of five and patiently teach him the alphabet. Notice, she was the premier teacher for the kids, Susanna Wesley. From five years old and upward, she took the taught him the alphabet, and from there the child plunged into reading the Bible, starting with Genesis 1:1. Susanna Wesley functioned as a teacher from 9:00 AM to noon, and from 2:00 PM to 5:00 every day. And she tolerated no interruptions in her teaching schedule. She would listen patiently while each child spelled out the verses word for word. In other words, she had expectations. Expectations. So, any mother who decides consciously to educate her child brings to the task something no other paid educator could offer. It's a real investment with the pupil and conviction that the child will prosper under her tutelage. She knows she can't quit. She can't go home at the end of the day. Her feelings about her child keep her giving, believing, and teaching constantly. Do you know the name of a fellow by the name of Thomas, Thomas Edison? The guy who gave us the electric light bulb. He was educated at home also by an intelligent and sympathetic mother after she learned that his teachers felt he had inferior ability. He said, "My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt that I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint." Amazing. They didn't think he could, he could learn. But his mother did. Another mother, not in the Bible, Sarah Edwards. She really had an interest in her kids' development and it had a lasting impact. She was married to the famous pastor and theologian, Jonathan Edwards. She was mother of 11 children. They really believed in what Jesus, what God had said, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." Motherhood has changed dramatically since birth control in the 1960s, hasn't it? Dramatically. Mother's primary job was to be fruitful and multiply. And then train up the children in the way they should go. Today, it seems like a mother's job, a mother's desire is something elseward for many moms. And it's changed the complexity of, the complex of the nation. It's changed the values of America. Maybe, just maybe, a restoration for motherhood would be part of a spiritual awakening. What do you think? Because mothers matter. Well, Sarah Edwards, the mother of 11 kids, also had a very strong marriage. Writing about the Edwards family, an author, Elizabeth Dodds, said very plainly, the way children turn out is always a reflection on their mother. Then she chronicles the prolific social contribution that streamed from the Edwards children and their descendants. Now, I think this had something to do with their father, Jonathan Edwards. But it also had a lot to do with their mother. So, there was a study done in 1900 that lists some of the accomplishments of the 1400 Edwards descendants. And I'm going to share those with you when we get back. What the Edwards family produced. It's amazing. Utterly amazing. And it has a lot to do, not just with Jonathan Edwards and his sermons, sinners in the hands of an angry God. But with their mother, Sarah Edwards. We'll be right back. There is so much more about Chuck Crismier and Save America Ministries on our website, saveus.org. For example, under the Marriage section, God has marriage on his mind. Chuck has some great resources to strengthen your marriage. First off, a fact sheet on the state of the marital union. A fact sheet on the state of ministry marriage and morals, saveus.org. Marriage, divorce, and remarriage. What does the Bible really teach about this? Find all of this at saveus.org. Also, a letter to pastors, the Hosea Project, saveus.org. And many more resources to strengthen your marriage. It's all on Chuck's website, saveus.org. Again, you can listen to Chuck's Viewpoint broadcast live and archived, Save America Ministries' website at saveus.org. Again, I welcome you back to Viewpoint. We're talking today about why mothers matter and they do. Mothers matter big time. And, uh, we should give honor to our mothers. Are you, ladies, are you a mother in Israel? Israel referring now to, uh, the church, referring to the Kingdom of God, referring to the Israel of God, comprised of both Jew and Gentile who have embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Are you truly a mother in Israel? It's a rhetorical question that kind of hovers over our program here today. Why mothers matter? If we go back into the scriptures, we find the very first mother being Eve. First, God created Adam in his image. And then he said it was not good for Adam to be alone, so he created Eve out of Adam, presented Eve to Adam and performed the first marriage and united them together. So, now that there was the Father God, and Adam and Eve, a Trinity in the earth, God, Adam, and Eve. And only then, in Genesis chapter 3, verse 1, did sin enter the camp through Eve. Sin entered the camp through the first woman, the first mother. Now, what impact do you think that had on their family? Well, we know what impact it had. The first thing it, and you say, "Well, what do you mean, uh, sin entered through Eve?" Because she was tempted, tested by Satan, the serpent, he went first for her because of her emotional makeup, I'm sure. She was more easily caught because of her feelings. And he asked her the question, "Hath God said?" And she equivocated with what God said. So, I want to ask you, moms, do you equivocate with what God has said? Because you want your, your feelings are your lord. That when it comes to a conflict, the truth of the word is set aside and you go with the Lordship of her feelings. If you do that, you're setting that example for your kids. And especially for your daughters. When men do that, they're setting the example for their kids, but especially for their sons. As mother, like daughter. As father, like son. So, Eve succumbed, did not pass the test, the very simple test of what God had said. She equivocated with it, led Adam, her husband, into going along with her. Eve was deceived, but Adam was not deceived because he had been given the word specifically from God. Eve had received it from her husband. Eve did not follow the example of her husband's words. And therefore, she took someone else's advice, the serpent, as the Lordship for her life and decision. Then she applied Adam with the thing that had moved her, her feelings, and how great the fruit looked and how they're going to be like God, and so on. And the rest is history. So, what happened? They had two kids. Cain and Abel. Cain rose up because of the Lordship of his feelings and killed his brother, Abel. You say the Lordship of his feelings? Yeah, because he saw that Abel's sacrifice to God seemed to be received, and Cain was unhappy about it, his feelings were hurt, and so he killed his brother. Through jealousy. And so, we see how this pattern has gone on through history. That was not a good example. The mother of all did not pass the test. So, were there any that did pass the test? Well, yes. For instance, we go on and we find in the book of Exodus, a woman by the name of Jochebed. She was caught in a situation of no control of hers. She was in Egypt. Her family and ancestors had been in Egypt now for almost 400 years. And what turned out originally to be a good thing, ended up being a very, very bad thing, and they were in slavery. And under terrible bondage. And in that context, the pharaoh, who was analogous to, shall we say, a type of antichrist. Also a type of Herod in the New Testament that ordered all the little boy babies of Bethlehem to be killed so that Jesus couldn't be born. So, Pharaoh ordered that all the little boy babies that were coming out from their mothers be thrown into the Nile River. Only the women, the females would survive. When that message came through to Jochebed, she had a little son. She had called his name, well, he was, he is ultimately called Moses, named by Pharaoh's daughter. Because she drew him out of the water because his mother had the faith to put him in a basket in the water, trusting that somehow God through that would save him. And indeed, that's what happened. God used that mother's faith and trust in the most horrific of circumstances. She essentially gave up her motherhood in order to serve Pharaoh's daughter to raise Moses' own for Moses' mother to raise a son for Pharaoh's daughter. Talk about the love of a mother. She's to be honored for what she did. And as a result, God raised up Moses in Pharaoh's household for 40 years. So, he had all the training that was going to be necessary for him to be able to develop the kind of strength and understanding of Pharaoh and his household to be able to bring deliverance to all of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and it took Jochebed, his mom, to set the stage for that to happen. And by the time her son was of age, I daresay she had already passed from this life. Not to see the ultimate results of what a God had done as a result of her love and faithfulness for that son. We have others, like Hannah in the Old Testament. She didn't have a son, and she cried out to God. Oh, it was, can you imagine, a lot of ladies today say they don't want any children. Fathers too, don't want any kids. They just want their own happiness. They all, they always want freedom, and whatever they want to do, they want to do, travel the world and whatever. And they don't want to procreate. They don't want to bear fruit. They don't want to, uh, do what God said, to, uh, replenish the earth. Bring forth fruit. But Hannah longed for that privilege, and she had no children. She cried out to the Lord desperately, and he gave her a son. She called his name Samuel. And she promised God, she says, "Look, if you'll give me a son and honor me with that responsibility and that privilege as a mom, I will then give my son, I will lend him to the Lord then," to accomplish his purposes for that young man. And that's exactly what she did. After he was weaned, Samuel, the first prophet of Israel, after Moses, the first prophet of Israel, during the time of the Judges, first was raised in the home of Eli, the high priest. And then ultimately became one of the most revered prophets in the Old Testament, and actually ended up anointing David as the king, upon whose throne the Messiah would ultimately reign. All because a woman by the name of Hannah, longing for a child, was willing to give him, give her a remembrance and privilege throughout the earth that goes to this very day until the return of the Lord, when Jesus comes to rule and reign on the throne of David. There are others in the Old Testament, but moving on to the New Testament, we think of Elizabeth. In her old age, she didn't have a child. She cried out for a child. Her father, her husband's name was Zacharias, a priest, and ultimately she was given a child. And the father threw nine months of a very trying experience where his tongue was tied by the Holy Spirit itself. They named that child John, who became known as John the Baptist, who would be raised in the wilderness, not in his mommy's home, but originally in his mother's home. In answer to his mother's cry, and God used him to introduce the Messiah. Wow. And then ultimately there was Mary. A young girl, probably in her teens, became pregnant of the Holy Spirit. She didn't have a clue what was happening, couldn't understand it, but the angel came to her and said, "What is born of you and conceived in you is of the Holy Spirit. Don't be afraid." And she said, "Be it unto me according to your word." Ladies, that's exactly what God is looking for among women, who would say, "Be it unto me even according to thy word." And as a result of that, she brought forth a child. God said, "You should call his name Jesus. Yeshua, for he shall save his people from their sins." His name also will be called Emmanuel, which means, "God with us." And so, when he was weaned and she brought him to the temple, and he was blessed of a very ancient man by the name of Simeon, and another woman by the name of Anna. And there they proclaimed what would happen. As a result of Mary's faithfulness and holiness, raising up this son, by faith, seeing, in fact, that this was a child like no other child, how am I going to handle this situation? But she did. And she was one of the few there at the cross, when he said, "It is finished." Wow. Can you imagine the mother's anguish? But the mother's purity and holiness and faithfulness had preserved her and her son for the ultimate salvation of all humankind. Mothers matter. So, do you. Thanks for joining us here on Viewpoint. Become a partner, friends. Send your gifts by faith to Save America Ministries. Do it today. Don't delay. God bless. And blessed motherhood. Viewpoint with Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is supported by the faithful gifts of our listeners. Let me urge you to become a partner with Chuck as a voice to the church declaring vision for the nation. Join us again next time on Viewpoint as we confront the issues of America's heart and home.