Three Crosses

Mark 15:25-32; Matthew 27:44; Luke 23:39-43

Over the years of my journey with Christ, I’ve had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with people from many different backgrounds, in many different settings and at many different stages of their lives.

By the Gospel, I mean the good news that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again so that we can be forgiven, receive the gift of eternal life, and enter into a relationship with the God of Heaven.

I have shared the Gospel at weddings, in homes, at church services, over the phone, at funerals, during rounds of golf, at the hospital, with the homeless, while travelling, with strangers and friends, over the internet, in public prayers, in emails and handwritten messages, with criminals, with those of political power, in restaurants, at church, etc., etc.

On several occasions I have even shared the Gospel at the hospital with people who were in an unconscious state. I remember one specific incident I had with a man that had never made a decision to turn to Christ for eternal salvation. His family was deeply concerned for his soul and wanted him to have one more opportunity to hear about the love of God before he slipped into eternity. I’m told that a person in an unconscious state can sometimes hear what you are saying and may well remember it when/if he wakes up. On this specific occasion we knew that this man wasn’t going to recover, but we all felt he needed one more opportunity to hear the truth that could change his eternal destiny. As carefully as I could, I shared with him the love of God and how he could receive God’s forgiveness. Of course, none of us will know until eternity whether he responded to Christ or not. But, I pray that he called out to the Lord in the closing moments of his life with us.

Please don’t let stories of this nature suggest to you that it’s okay to wait until the last moment to seize the opportunity to receive Christ. Actually, waiting in this fashion is the worst decision you can ever make because it places your soul in peril of being separated from God forever. To leave this world without knowing you are right with God is the gravest error anyone could ever make in life. In addition to the horrifying reality that those who die without Christ suffer the eternal consequences of their sins, procrastinators also leave their families with a terrible sense of hopelessness because they don’t know about their loved ones’ final destiny. That burden forced on your family by your stubborn indecision leaves them without the consolation of knowing there’s a reunion day coming.

I think it’s fair to ask the questions, “Are such ‘deathbed’ experiences really genuine?  Isn’t it unrealistic to believe that a person could come to Christ in the final moments of his/her life?” However, to answer these questions we need to review at least one such “deathbed” experience recorded for us in scripture.

At the time Jesus was crucified, he wasn’t suffering alone on Calvary’s hill outside the Jerusalem walls. There were also two thieves crucified with Him, one on either side of Jesus. Their story speaks volumes about the patience of God and His desire to show mercy and grace to all mankind...even in the final moments their lives.

Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. (Mark 15:25-32)

Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. (Matthew 27:44)

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

It’s important to note, at this point, that Jesus being numbered with these “transgressors” was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy concerning Him (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 22:37). This was no mere man, nor was He dying for the sins He had committed, but for those of all mankind!

We know very little about the other two men crucified with Christ except what these three passages tell us about them. Clearly, they had been convicted of crimes against their fellow man and were paying the ultimate price that society could exact for their transgressions. And, sadly, even these crucified criminals joined in the mockery that was heaped on Jesus by the other people who had gathered to watch Him die.

Mark uses the plural, imperfect tense of the verb translated “reviled” (15:32) to indicate that these two thieves “continued to reproach him” with the same kind of repetitious hatred everyone else spewed at Him. Matthew adds the phrase, “with the same thing” (27:44), reminding us that these two criminals said similar, vile things as the chief priests, scribes and passersby vocalized.This whole account makes you wonder what was going on in the minds of these two fellow-sufferers that would cause them to speak such ill of Jesus. After all, they (not Jesus) were undeniably guilty of the crimes for which they were being punished.

On this crucifixion day, what we see is Jesus being mocked as Prophet (Mark 15:29), Saviour (Mark 15:31), and King (Mark 15:32). There are also at least four groups of people that join in the reproach of Christ: those that were passing by (Mark 15:29), the religious leaders of the day (Mark 15:31), the two criminals on either side of Jesus (Mark 15:32), and the Roman soldiers (Luke 23:36). The picture that the Gospel writers draw for us is of One who is utterly forsaken, rejected and alone as He faces His impending death.

But, something changed for one of these two thieves that caused Him to see Jesus as the true Messiah. We can only conjecture as to what brought about this change of heart, since the scripture doesn’t specifically tell us. But, after hanging on the cross for a period of time and joining in the reviling of Christ himself, he had a total transformation that even caused him to rebuke the other criminal for his continued angry insults toward Christ.

Sometime after he had been crucified next to Christ, this thief had come to the conclusion that Jesus was no criminal at all. Actually, he acknowledged that He was innocent, called Him “Lord,” and declared that He ruled over His eternal Kingdom. It’s as dramatic a change as you will ever find anywhere in scripture and it happened in the final hours of this man’s life. He had no opportunity to make amends for the wrongs he had done. He wasn’t able to be ritually washed, offer a sacrifice to God, or restore anything to those he had wronged. All he could do was entrust the safekeeping of his eternal soul to the One that was paying his sin penalty for him.

What could have effected such change in this man after previously participating in the reviling of Jesus?

While it’s impossible to know for certain the answer to that question, there are some possibilities that are worthy of consideration.

• Maybe it was seeing the sign above Jesus’ head that read, “The King of the Jews” that made him realize this was no ordinary man and that He was the Messiah.
• Maybe it was looking into the eyes of Jesus and seeing the compassion He expressed toward those crucifying Him that convinced him Jesus was the Savior.
• Maybe it was because he feared eternity and the just punishment he would receive for his sins that turned him to his final and only hope.
• Maybe it was the words Jesus spoke from the cross when He said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34) that convinced him that Christ alone could offer him forgiveness.
• Maybe it was being alone while he hung there suffering and dying without any other person that cared about his life. With Jesus that day were some unnamed women, along with the mother of our Lord and her sister; and two other women who are named, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. The beloved disciple (John) was also present. But, as far as we know, there was no one with either of the two criminals. Perhaps it was at the moment Jesus spoke to His mother (John 19:26) that the thief realized he was going into eternity alone and his mind changed about Christ.
• Maybe it was the calm and majestic way in which Jesus conducted Himself as He suffered this horrendous crucifixion. Only an innocent man on a mission would be willing to die this death without defending Himself or crying out in anger.
• Maybe it was the words mockingly spoken by Christ’s enemies, “He saved others” that convinced him that Christ alone could save him. The thief may have reasoned, “If He saved others, then He can save me!” (What they taunt him for not doing, saving himself, is precisely because he is doing what they ridicule, saving others. He cannot save Himself and save others.) Wouldn’t that be the ultimate irony for Christ’s enemies.
• Maybe it was just the realization that Jesus was enduring an unjust sentence that finally convinced him that Jesus was Whom He claimed to be.

Whatever the reason, this man who had been blaspheming Jesus a few minutes earlier has been drawn by the Holy Spirit to recognize Him as the innocent One Who is the “Lord” and now desires to enter His Kingdom with Him.

If there was ever a testimony to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is in receiving this repentant sinner in the final moments of his life. This thief placed his entire eternal destiny in the promise of the One being crucified next to him and was assured that he would be with Christ in “paradise.” Such an amazing privilege was offered to a person that most people would have considered among the most unworthy. By simple faith, he received the promise of forgiveness and life everlasting found alone in Jesus Christ.

The word "paradise" is a Persian word meaning "a walled garden." When a Persian king wished to give one of his subjects a special honor, he made him a “companion of the garden” and chose him to walk in the royal garden with the king. What Jesus promised this former thief was forgiveness and the honored place of a “companion of the garden” in the courts of Heaven. That’s what Jesus promises all His children...that they will be with Him in the beautiful courtyards of Heaven (John 14:3).

This same thing still happens today whenever anyone comes to Jesus to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation. The fact is that no matter what you’ve done or how late it is in your life right now, if you’ll trust Jesus as your Savior, you will spend eternity with Him in Heaven, too.

What lessons can we learn from the thief that turned to Jesus in the final moments of his life?

1. Jesus never forces anyone to come to Him for salvation, always leaving the choice to each individual.

Jesus is the greatest evangelist Who ever lived, but He didn’t use any miracle this day to convince either thief to trust Him as Savior. Jesus simply allowed both men to make the decision for themselves about Him. He came to seek and to save the lost, but only those that willingly respond to His loving pursuit experience His forgiveness and abundant life.

Careful readers of Mark’s Gospel will know from 8:11–13 that the statement made by the religious leaders that they must “see and believe” (i.e., a sign-15:32) is always evidence of unbelief.

2. A lifetime of bad choices can be forgiven by one right choice to receive Christ as your Savior.

These thieves were not hanging on these crosses because they had made a singular bad decision. They were there because the pattern of their lives for years had been transgression, which brought them to this place of punishment. However, one right choice by one of the thieves erased forever a multitude of bad choices that he had previously made.

3. Every choice you make in life draws you to someone/something and drives you away from someone/something else.

These two thieves were alike in so many ways, even to reviling Jesus together from their crosses. But, one of them made a choice that separated him from the other thief and brought him to Jesus. The choice to believe on Christ means that some of our acquaintances might be distanced from us by that choice.

4. No one is ever so far gone in sin that the grace of God cannot reach him.

These men were criminals dying for the crimes they had committed, but they were not beyond the reach of the Savior. Where sin abounds grace does much more abound (Romans 5:20)! Let no one despair thinking they are too bad to be saved. As the hymn writer put it, "the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives."

5. Salvation is wholly the work of God apart from any human merit or assistance!

This man couldn’t participate in religious services, ceremonial rituals, good works or any other type of human contribution. All he could do was respond in faith to the one that was paying his sin debt on the center cross. There was no time or opportunity for this man to do anything that could have been misconstrued as him contributing to his own salvation.

6. If you can understand the implications of the Gospel, it is never too early or too late to receive Christ as your own Savior.

From the earliest moment that a person understands the Gospel, until that person draws his final breath, the way is always open for anyone to come to Christ. If Christ is speaking to your heart, now is the time to respond to His call.

7. As long as a person has the mind and will to choose eternal life over separation from God, it is never too late to proclaim the Gospel that can open his/her heart to the saving grace of God.

Just remember, on the center cross Jesus died for your sins. On one of the other crosses a sinner died in his sins. And, on the third cross a sinner died to his sins. Which sinner are you? The repentant one or the rebellious one? Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance today!!

Unlock: The Secret to the Spiritual Life

John 15:1-8

Most people carry a set of keys with them on a daily basis. But, if you are like me you have another key ring (or two) at home that is filled with keys you rarely use. They may be important keys, but not the essential ones to your daily life. The essential keys are the ones in your pocket/pocketbook right now, which you never leave behind.

In a similar fashion, there are many important keys to the spiritual life, but some are essential to your daily walk with Christ. Those keys are the ones you need to keep with you at all times and which you will utilize frequently.

1. For instance, we all need the “key” of sound doctrine. I know that many people think of doctrinal studies as being boring, but they are actually the foundation of your spiritual life. If your foundation isn’t sound, nothing you build on that foundation with be sound, either.
2. We all need the “key” of corporate worship as we exalt the Lord and learn His Word together. Worship lifts our spiritual eyes above the mundane and temporal matters of this world to see that God rules in everything.
3. We all need the “key” of Bible reading and prayer. These are the moments when we privately commune with God and learn His truths for ourselves that guide our choices and give us direction in life.
4. We also need the “key” of spiritual community. It’s in these small groups that we get to be transparent, learn from others as they walk with Jesus, and find the kind of friendships that encourage us to continue toward spiritual maturity.

In addition to these, there is another essential “key” that too rarely gets discussed and is sometimes totally left out. It is, in fact, the “secret” to most of the other “keys” that we need in following Jesus.

By a “secret,” I don’t mean that I have discovered some new truth that has never been known before. Actually, If you meet someone that says he’s/she’s discovered something that 2000 years of church history has never known...don’t listen to him/her.

The key of which I speak is the “secret” to the spiritual life primarily because it is the one “key” that releases the power of God in us to do all that He commands us to do. If you don’t realize and utilize this “key” you will forever be limited in the depth and breadth of your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. Without this “key” you will miss out on the divine enablement that is promised to you apart from which you cannot fully live the Christian life in a manner that honors Christ.

What is this “key,” you ask? It is the secret (as I call it) found in John 15:1-8, which is “abiding in Christ.”

In this pericope (John 14-16), Christ is in the Upper Room reminding His disciples that though His crucifixion is looming, they will continue to have His presence with them. It is this divine presence (the indwelling Holy Spirit) that will enable them to be “fruitful” in their lives and ministries. They will not be left alone to do the best they can in maintaining a life something like Christ’s life. Instead, He will be in them and work through them to accomplish all He wants from them.

There are significant differences between a person being “fruitful” and a person being successful (as it is commonly defined). Success is too often something that can be manufactured and/or manipulated. It is usually the result of strenuous self-effort expended over long periods of time. Almost anyone can be successful, if he is willing to work hard enough at it.

However, “fruitfulness” is altogether different! “Fruitfulness” is the natural process resulting from the inner flow from an organic source. You will never see a fruit tree struggling to bear fruit. It just does what fruit trees do naturally.

In a similar fashion, God has placed within each of us, who are His children, the divine life that enables true spirituality...the Holy Spirit. It is as we learn to live (“abide”) in the Spirit that we find an organically produced “fruitfulness” and a sense of true fulfillment in life.

No apple tree ever says, “I wish I was a peach tree.” The apple tree is happy to produce apples and the peach tree is happy to produce peaches. When the believer begins to live His life in the fullness of God’s Spirit, he/she will find fulfillment in the “fruit” that is born from his/her life.

John wants us to know definitively that when we are “fruitful” (not necessarily successful), we bring glory to God through our lives (John 15:8).

In addition to drawing on the life source placed within us at conversion, He also provides the external care (lifts us up-15:2a & prunes us-15:2b) that enables us to maximize “fruitfulness” in our lives. Notice carefully in the text the progression of ever-increasing “fruitfulness” in our lives (15:2, 5, 8, 16).

Trying to live the spiritual life in the strength of our flesh is like the severed branch of an apple tree trying to produce apples on its own. For the branch to produce fruit it must “abide” (draw it’s life from) in the tree so that it can experience the inner life source of the tree.

The Greek word for “abide” is used 12 times in this one (John 15) chapter. John uses it 41 times in his gospel and another 26 times in his epistles. It is a key word for him that unlocks the secret of the spiritual life.

This word is translated in other texts as: remain, stay, dwell, live, continue, and endure.

Distinguished professor and author, Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, writes poignantly about the idea of “abiding.” He says, “The word abide has in it the idea of drawing from something that which sustains life. The plant is abiding in the ground when it is so related to its environment, the ground, that it is drawing from the ground that which nurtures and sustains the life of the plant. The fish is abiding in the sea, not when it is afloat upside down in the ocean, but when it is so related to its environment that it is drawing from that environment sustenance for life. The bird is abiding in the air when it is drawing from its environment that which sustains its peculiar kind of life. When there is a break between that living thing and its environment so that it is not being sustained by it, it is no longer abiding. A believer is abiding in Christ when his life is being nurtured and sustained by Jesus Christ...”

Another way of speaking about this matter of abiding in Christ is to say that we live by the divine life within us. This is not about the strength we can muster to follow God and obey His commands. This is about the divine life of Christ through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit flowing through us so that we can do what we never thought we could do and what we cannot maintain in the energy of the flesh.

Why do we think that we can live the Christian life apart from Christ’s enabling help? If Christ acknowledged that He could do nothing apart from His Father (John 5:30), we must concede that we can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5)!

Christ repeatedly says in John 14-16 that the Holy Spirit is going to be in us where He can enable us to to be “fruitful” followers of Him. We have to learn to depend on Christ’s inner presence to live “fruitful” Christian lives that bring glory to Him and demonstrate that we are His disciples.

Maybe an analogy will help us further understand what this “abiding” life is really like.

Let’s suppose one day that you are driving down the highway and you see a man standing next to his car parked beside the road. Out of the kindness of your heart you stop and ask if you can help him. What you discover is that his car is out of gas, but you happen to have a tow-rope in your trunk, so you offer to tow his car to the next gas station where he can fill up. After arriving at the gas station and his car now filled with gas, the man tells you, with great embarrassment, that he just realized he has no money or even a credit card with which to pay. Again, out of the generosity of your heart, you pay the bill. In other words, you pay a debt you did not owe because he owes a debt he cannot pay.

After you pay for the man’s gas, he thanks you profusely, and you turn and walk away. As you get into your own car, you look back to wave good-bye. and to your astonishment you see the man straining behind his car, pushing it.

As crazy as that man with a filled tank of gas seems to us, that is how many of us try to “power” our Christian lives. When you received Christ as Savior, He gives us the fullness and power of His resurrection through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In essence, He gives us a car with a full tank of gas for which He paid the price because we could not pay it ourselves. Many times, however, instead of using the power deposited into our lives we try to push our spiritual lives along in the strength of our flesh...by sheer willpower. How foolish!!

God has provided to every believer all that is needed for “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) so that we might live in all the fullness and fruitfulness He can produce!

Living this kind of life means accepting five things that will unlock the secret to our spiritual lives.

1. We must be born again to become part of the life-giving vine. There is no other way to experience this fulfillment and “fruitfulness” than through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

2. We must believe that we are indwelt by the presence of the Godhead! (Romans 8:9-11) Such incredible power dwells within us and is available to us...the very power that raised up Jesus from the dead.

3. We must depend on this truth of His indwelling presence in our lives. Paul says we are to “set our minds on” (Romans 8:5) this wonderful fact. To “set your mind on” means that you keep giving serious consideration to, you let your mind dwell on, fix your attention on, and keep thinking about this truth. At different moments in our daily lives, let’s stop and remind ourselves that He is with us, in us and enabling us!

4. You have to die to yourself and your own self-effort in order to fully experience the life of Christ within you. We cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit by surrendering ourselves to Him and getting out of the way of what He wants to do in and through us!

5. We must fill our minds and hearts with His eternal Word by which He guides and enables us. Being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the scripture are parallel ideas in Paul’s writings (Ephesians 5:18 & Colossians 3:16; cf. John 15:7).

Seven Life Lessons I learned From My Mother

2 Timothy 1:3-5

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Timothy 1:3-5)

On this Mother’s Day we want all our mothers to know that they are deeply loved and appreciated for the myriad of sacrifices they make and all the love they give. There is no possible way to fully measure the impact of a godly mom on her children until we reach eternity and the Lord reveals all that they have done for us. I think it goes without saying that a mother who is spiritually healthy and nurturing her children according to scripture has the greatest influence on her children for God and for good. And, there is no higher calling in this life than the one given to moms in shaping the next generation. If I could challenge mother’s today with one thought it would be for them not to cede their role in their children’s lives to anyone else. Make whatever sacrifices are necessary to be with your children and to raise them for the glory of God. They will remember your love and what you teach them more than any other lessons they may learn elsewhere in life.

Recently, I read an article that pointed out some funny things children learn from their moms. For instance…

1. My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
2. My mother taught me LOGIC. "Because I said so, that's why."
3. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. “If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
4. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
5. My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."
6. My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
7. My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."
8. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
9. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
10. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."
11. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."
12. My mother taught me HUMOUR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
13. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
14. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
15. My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

That list caused me to think about some of the life lessons I learned from my mother while I was growing up. She is 91 years of age this past January and she still goes to work one day a week at my brother-in-law’s company. She is the strongest, bravest and most faith-filled lady I have ever known. Throughout the years she has been the “rock” in our family. Whenever our world was turned upside down by some life trauma or event, we always went to our mother for help. She inevitably knew what to do in any given situation and if she couldn’t solve the problem, she always encouraged us to face our struggles with grace and faith in God. She has survived serious health reversals, polio, family deaths, the passing of my father (her husband of 68 years), the general aches and pains you increasingly experience with the aging process, and a myriad of other things I probably don’t even know. But, what I will always remember most about her is her undying faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. She modeled for my sisters and me the true meaning of being a follower of Jesus and she has faithfully honored Him her entire life.

There are too many life lessons I learned from her for me to mention them all, but I want to highlight seven that shaped my life profoundly and should be shaping all of our lives. Maybe these will challenge all our moms to think about how your children will remember you when they are grown and the lasting impression you make on them.  

My mother taught me...

1. Whatever you do, do it well.

I can’t tell you how many times my mother told me as a child that I should always do my best. She was insistent that I learn the lesson that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. She never expected me to do things I was incapable of doing, but she always encouraged me to give my best in every endeavor I undertook. She was my greatest cheerleader and the chief encourager in my life. She knew my limitations as a kid better than anyone else, but she always pushed me to excel in the areas that were important for life and where I had apparent abilities.

One of my most difficult struggles as an early elementary student was with reading, as well as with comprehension of the material. I had fallen behind the rest of my class in this area and my mother was determined to help me improve. She believed that I could do better, even if I couldn’t do what all the other kids could do. Consequently, for a few summers, I went one day a week to a classroom at Tony Elementary School where I spent time working on my reading skills. All the other kids were out having a good time for the summer, but there I was stuck in a classroom reading line after line, trying to catch up to the other kids. To be honest, I hated every minute of it and I probably made her life miserable with all the complaining I did about it. But, all these years later I thank God that she didn’t let me quit and pushed me to do my very best.

While I was still in elementary school, I also had a job during the summer of cutting my grandfather’s grass. I’m sure my mother arranged it for me to make some extra spending money, but I was excited about getting started. After cutting the grass the first time I was ready to leave. When my mother checked my work, a common occurrence in all my early endeavors, she quickly pointed out that though the lawn was mown, I had not trimmed around the house or swept off the sidewalk, driveway and patio. She proceeded to explain to me that I wasn’t through until ALL the yard work was finished. So, for another hour or so I trimmed and swept until the job was totally complete. I might mention that due to the type of grass in my grandfather’s yard and the slope of it from front to back, cutting the grass was no easy task. Thankfully, my mother didn’t just tell me to complete the job, she worked to assist me with these details I had overlooked and to show me how it should be done.

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men… (Colossians 3:23)

2. Treat senior adults with respect and honor.

There are many ways for parents to teach their children to respect their elders, but one that was common in the south was by having your children to address adults with “yes ma'am,” “no ma'am,” “yes sir,” “no sir” and to always refer to adults as Mr. or Mrs. I don’t ever remember calling ANY adult by his or her first name.

I realize that these traditions didn’t always mean that the attitudes of the kids were respectful, but it was one of several ways that my mother taught me to honor my elders. I was never, as a child or teen, allowed to speak disrespectfully to any adult, nor show attitudes that reflected the same. I was taught to view these senior adults as men and women of wisdom and experience. I was taught that I needed them in my life because they could help me better myself by listening to them and being around them.

One of the things my mother did when I was growing up was visit elderly people, often ones that lived alone. I have personally made many visits with her to see these friends as she would spend time encouraging them and filling their loneliness with conversation and laughter. One of the ladies I most remember was a lady by the name of Mrs. Bobo. She lived in the Forest Park area of Atlanta and about once every week or two my mother would take me with her to see this dear lady that had been widowed. She lived in a modest home with a fenced in back yard where I would occasionally go play while she and my mother talked together. Many times, however, I stayed inside and listened to the conversation.  

What grew in my heart during those visits, and others like them, was a respect for seniors and a compassion for the struggles they have to endure in their lives. When I was a teenager I had some of the same rebellious tendencies teens have today, but I rarely spoke ill of senior adults. I had learned that doing so was disrespectful not only to the people in view, but it was dishonoring to the things my mother taught me during these many visits. It wasn’t until I matured a bit that I began to realize the importance of this life lesson she had taught me. I know now that what I learned from her has deeply impacted my life and ministry to this day.

I can still hear my dad say in his later years of life, “When you get older, people push you aside as if you don’t matter.” My mother taught me that everyone matters, even those that are past their prime in life and what they have to give may be the most important gift you will ever receive.

Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:32)

3. Stay close with your family.

God has blessed me with a good family that has stayed together throughout their entire lives. We’ve not known the pain of divorce or angry division, as some families have experienced. I don’t mean to add any guilt or pain to those that have had a different family experience to mine. For you, this life lesson might look different than it looks for us, but there is still the possibility of you practicing it, too.

One of the most important things my mother taught me growing up was to love, respect and honor my dad. To this day, I believe he was the wisest man I have ever known. And, though my sisters and I argued like all children growing up in a house together, I love them both beyond what I could ever hope to express publicly.

One of the things my mother has been intent on teaching all of us is that we should never let ourselves drift apart from each other. As a matter of fact, if any of us wants to know what’s going on in the lives of our siblings we need only call our mother to get the latest inside scoop. She is constantly reminding us to stay connected to each other as we go through the joys and struggles of life.

As my mother has advanced in years she has told us numerous times that when she is gone to Heaven that she expects her three children and their families to continue calling one another, getting together at various times, and loving each other till we all meet her over there.

Every once in awhile my sisters and I will disagree on some matter while we are visiting together on vacation. (Imagine that!!) It used to scare my wife because as an only child the only person she had to convince of her opinion was herself. However, though my sisters and I share most viewpoints in common, we still have different ideas and opinions about some matters in life. During one of our family “discussions” while at the beach my mother stopped us in the middle of the conversation to remind us that no matter whether we agreed or not on the issue, we still had to love each other and follow her instructions to stay close as a family. Of course, we all laughed and agreed that nothing would ever keep us apart or diminish the love we have among ourselves. Then...we continued our “discussion.”

Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise. (Proverbs 11:29 NLT)

4. Patience is a virtue.

If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand of times in my lifetime, “David, patience is a virtue!” For my mother, patience meant endurance and never giving up no matter how hard the situation is at the time. I’ve always had a tendency to get frustrated when things aren’t going as smoothly as planned. On more than one occasion as a child I have wanted to quit something because it got too hard for me, I thought. Or, during my teens and adult years I’ve dealt with things that would make me want to throw up my hands and do something different. However, I can always hear my mother whispering in the back of my mind saying, “Don’t forget what I’ve always told you, patience is a virtue.” And her advice has saved me from making some bad mistakes.

I know that I'm a person of average intelligence and average ability. I don’t have any exceptional qualities or gifts that propel me into the limelight of recognition or favorability. My personality has never been described as “charismatic” or overly winsome. I have no great leadership skills that enable me to navigate the challenges life throws at me. However, the one thing I trust I have learned is something my mother drilled into my head over and over again, “Be patient and don't quit.”

What a pleasant surprise it was to learn many years later that the one quality God is most looking for in His people is faithfulness. No one will ever prove to be faithful if they aren’t patient.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:4)

5. Church services are your priority.

I didn’t come to know the Lord personally until I was 16 years of age, but that is no fault of my parents. From the earliest days of my life I was taken to church whenever the church was gathering for worship. We only missed services when we were sick or on vacation. At no time were we allowed to prioritize anything that took us away from Sunday worship. When I was old enough to work a job as a teenager, I wasn’t allowed to take a job that required me to work on Sunday. After all, having insurance for your car wasn’t as important as obeying the command of God to gather for worship at church. I was never permitted to play in a golf tournament or in baseball games that required me to miss Sunday services. The reason I was in church on the Wednesday night I received Christ as my Savior is because I had no other option. My mother insisted that I be there and thank God she did!!

I’ve heard parents argue that their children’s absence from worship services is the same as if a person’s job requires them to work on Sundays. So, what you are saying is that your children now “work” for the leagues, pageants, schools, etc. How much do they make? How does that affect their amateur status? Do they pay taxes? You are saying that your child being away from church on Sundays is the means by which you feed your family and put a roof over your heads? There is NO parallel between Sunday sports, leagues, pageants, school events, etc., to a paying job necessary to sustaining a family income.

OK! Now that I’ve made that point, let me be sure to explain that I am not saying your child should never miss any Sunday except for sickness or vacation. I am saying, however, that because my mother prioritized church services I met Christ as my Savior, was called to the ministry and still prioritize Sunday worship today.

Some children have no idea what faithful attendance at church looks like. They’ve spent so many weekends in various competitions and on trips away that they have little or no interest in being committed to God’s work. They’ve missed the friendships, music, sermons, lessons and worship that might have unlocked their greatest potential and their greatest joy that comes from knowing and serving Jesus. My mother knew that we were only going to do more of what we learned to do as children and she made sure we learned the importance of church services.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

6. Don’t borrow trouble.

I wish this lesson I learned from my mother had been better mastered in the course of my life. My shortcomings in this area aren’t due to her lack of effort in teaching me this truth. It is due to my own failure to apply it effectively to my life. To this day she reminds me to trust God and rely on HIm!

My mother faced some pretty difficult trials in her life where trusting God was the only thing she could do. Recently, I called her to ask about how a specific medical test turned out, since I hadn’t heard any results. At the time she hadn’t heard anything either and her response, “It will be ok. God is taking care of me!” Just in the past few weeks tornado warnings were issued for the area where she lives and I asked her about her emergency plan. After explaining what she had in place in the event of a storm, she said for me not to worry, she is trusting God to get her through it safely (and He did). On another occasion I asked about the health of one of my sisters. After she told me the information I wanted to know she said, “I’ve prayed about it and believe God is going to take care of it.” When my dad died a few years ago and I was worried about her staying alone at the house, she reminded me that God was her protector and provider. That is just a sampling of the kinds of things my mother has repeatedly told me during some of the most difficult experiences you can imagine. I don’t know of a time when my mother worried about “tomorrow.” She always seemed to trust that God would take care of her tomorrows when she got there and committed them to Him in prayer.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

7. Spend quality time with God.

The most important thing my mother taught me concerns my relationship with God and spending quality time with Him. My mother prayed for my eternal soul regularly and that I would awaken to the truth of God’s love. I have watched her as she sat in our house with her Bible open reading God’s Word for herself and sometimes reading it to us as kids. I have been in church services as a child and she had her Bible open on her lap following as the preacher brought the message. I have witnessed her in my dad’s Sunday school class with her Bible open following the lesson for that day. I have heard her claim the promises in the scripture and listen to her quote the text on which her faith rested.

I have seen in my mother what it really means to have a living, loving relationship with Jesus. It was her faith, more than anyone else's, that influenced my life for God. She has served the Lord with all her heart. She has honored Him throughout her life. I don’t know where I’d be today if not for the godly mother He gave me who was committed to investing in my life the kind of life lessons that really matter for eternity.

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6)

Conclusion:

• Mom’s, what kind of life lessons are you investing in your children?
• How will your children remember you when they are grown adults?
• What eternal truths are you implanting in your children’s hearts that will shape the rest of their lives?
• Will your children love God more than you when it’s all said and done?

This is a BIG and IMPORTANT job committed to every mother. Don’t let anyone tell you that being a mom is not the most important role you play in life!!