Mothers, Be strong and courageous.
Notes
Transcript
Courage or Fear?
Courage or Fear?
As we step into the various arena’s of life we will often make a choice, whether conscious or unconscious, to enter in with courage or fear. Sometimes we use up all of our courage just to take that first step into one of life’s challenges and each step requires new resolve.
As we celebrate mother’s day today, I wanted to look at a passage that spoke to the underlying challenge that mother’s face. This challenge is one of dependence on God and a commitment to face with courage anything that comes their way.
When our children are born we have hopes that they will be less imperfect than other children. I don’t think we believe they will be perfect but we have high hopes for our children and a touch of pride in our own abilities. It only takes a few years to realize that as wonderful as children are, they are not perfect, they are not easy, and they will find ways to challenge you with things you could never imagine. Each phase of life brings new challenges from all of the health decisions made to keep our babies growing and developing to launching adults with as much wisdom and experience as we can provide. Each step requires mother’s to provide wisdom, discipline, and direction. All the while, they are battling their own insecurities, wondering if they are getting it right, and praying with earnest that they won’t mess up their kids.
Today’s message is one of encouragement for us all. How do step into all that God has called us to and come out the other side victorious.
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
God has chosen you.
God has chosen you.
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
We are created to walk in the good works God has prepared for us.
We are created to walk in the good works God has prepared for us.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are to pass on what we have learned.
We are to pass on what we have learned.
1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
God has promised you.
God has promised you.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
God has promised us love and victory.
God has promised us love and victory.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He has promised to give us the Holy Spirit.
He has promised to give us the Holy Spirit.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
By what measure are you judging yourself? I think of how often mother’s are fighting for their children on the outside but the real battle is going on inside. They are judging their own value based on the external or worldly success of their children. They are frustrated, stressed, and anxious. To any mother, I want to encourage you to step back and look for the Spirit’s work in your life. They greatest success you can have for your children is to walk in the Spirit. Stop measuring your self worth based on actions of your children. Look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit to come out of you. Trust that as you draw close to God and walk with Him, He will help you guide your children in way that leads them to live a life like yours. A life where growing in Godly character is far more important than worldly success. Then, as character grows, our children will learn to depend on God and will become good stewards of the gifts and talents they have been given. So, yes! work hard and train up your children but measure your own success, not in your children’s abilities or behavior but in the fruit of the Spirit being displayed in you as you train them up.
God has strengthened you.
God has strengthened you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Our means of success
Our means of success
Personal commitment to be strong and courageous
Obey the Word of God
Meditate on God’s Word morning and night
Do not give into fear but trust in God.