A Mother's Greatest Gift To Her Children
Introduction
Good mothers want their children to succeed in life. Godly mothers want their children to have eternal life. Eunice gave her son the greatest gift a mother can give her children. She gave him wisdom through the Scripture to know the way of salvation in Christ by faith. Her greatest joy no doubt, has been having Timothy in heaven with her and Jesus these many years.
I. Testimony of His Mother
A. Godly Family.
1. Brief history.
We know very little about the family of Timothy. His father was a Greek and therefore probably was an unbeliever. His grandmother and mother were Jews. They lived in Lystra. Eunice was Timothy’s mother. Her name means “good victory.” The apostle Paul preached the gospel and a man was healed in Lystra. Jews and Greeks in Lystra and Iconium believed and were saved. Among those saved would have been Lois, Timothy’s grandmother.
2. Blessed heritage.
Since Timothy’s mother and grandmother were Jews, they would have been taught of the coming Messiah. His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice believed in Jesus and were converted. Timothy was influenced greatly by these godly women in his life. They probably were the ones who led Timothy to the Lord. At a later time, Paul and Silas returned to Lystra. Paul learned that “Timothy was well reported of the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.”
B. Genuine Faith.
Eunice was a saved mother, for the Bible spoke of the "unfeigned" faith that was in her. She had accepted Christ; then He made all the difference in her life. The word "unfeigned" has the idea of genuineness or sincerity. It has the idea of being without hypocrisy or pretense. While Paul would have been instrumental in training Timothy, it was his godly mother who laid the spiritual foundation in his life.
Mother, your children need to know you have Christ in your life as your Lord and Savior. How blessed to have a mother in which you can see the love of God in her life. If your mother is an unsaved or an ungodly mother, pray for your mother and seek to bring her to Christ.
II. Treasure to His Mother
Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
A mother’s heart is with her children. Her thoughts are toward her children. Her prayers are offered to God for her children. Children are a treasure to their mother. She protects them more than a man would protect his gold. She provides for them before she would provide for herself. Timothy was a treasure to his mother.
A. Love of a Mother.
1. In love a mother corrects her children.
The Bible states: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:6) A godly mother will correct her children because she loves them. She knows the importance of teaching her children the difference between right and wrong. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." (Pr. 13:24)
2. In love a mother consoles her children.
No words from anyone else except a mother can encourage, comfort and sooth the heart of a child. James Dobson said “Countless times each day a mother does what no one else can do quite as well. She wipes away a tear, whispers a word of hope, and eases a child’s fear.”
3. In love a mother cares for her children.
I can remember the care my mother had for me as a child. I can still remember as a young man those talks we had together. I am still amazed at the things she knew without me telling her. A good mother is never too busy to listen to her children.
B. Longing of a Mother.
A godly mother has a longing for her children to be saved. The prayers of a mother are the expressions of her strongest plea for her children to be saved. Eunice desired for Timothy to be saved.
Charles Spurgeon said of his mother: “I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother. I remember her once praying, ‘Now Lord, if my children go on in sin it will not be from ignorance that they perish, and my soul must bear swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold on Christ and claim Him as their personal Savior.’"
III. Taught By His Mother
A. Teaching of Timothy.
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan had 4 sons and they were all preachers. Someone once came into the room when all the family was there. They thought they would see what Howard, one of the sons, was made of so they asked him this question: "Howard, who is the greatest preacher in your family?" Howard had a great admiration for his father and he looked straight across at him, but then without a moment’s hesitation he answered, "Mother." Eunice had such an influence upon her son Timothy.
1. When Timothy was taught
(2 Timothy 3:15)Notice first that Timothy was taught as a child. The word “child” literally means “from infancy.” His godly mother started teaching Timothy about God when he was a small child. Eunice was applying the scriptural principle: “Train up a child in the way he should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Pr. 22:6)
Susannah Wesley's Rules For Raising Children:
a. Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul.
b. Teach him to pray as soon as he can speak.
c. Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely.
d. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed, but never allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed.
e. Commend and reward good behavior.
f. Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.
2. What Timothy was taught
(2 Timothy 3:15)
First, notice that Timothy was taught the Holy Scriptures. His mother Eunice taught him the truths of the Old Testament. She taught him of the God of Israel. She would have told Timothy of the Creator, of His power and His promises. She would have taught him of the coming Messiah.
Secondly, Eunice taught Timothy from Scripture how to be saved. The Scriptures “are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith.” Thirdly, Eunice taught Timothy that Jesus was the Savior and he would have to place his faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. Timothy believed on Jesus and was saved. Timothy could have said what D. L. Moody said of his mother: "All that I have ever accomplished, I owe to my mother!"
It is a blessing to have a saved Mother. Not all of us have had that privilege this morning, but most of you have. It means so much to have a mother who can go back to a time and a place where she met the Lord Jesus and received free pardon and forgiveness of sins.
B. Testimony of Timothy.
On Paul’s second trip to Lystra, he found Timothy following the Lord. In Acts 16:2 we read: “Timothy was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.” Timothy had a good testimony.
One reason why the Word of God had such a profound impact on Timothy’s life was because he had seen the Word of God lived out through His mother’s life. He knew the Word of God was genuine, because of the genuine spiritual life it had produced in Eunice.
Lessons For Life
1. A mother should make it her life’s goal (a) to give her children a biblical foundation for life, (b) to give them the truth of Scriptures to make them “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
2. A godly mother whose life is a living testimony of the saving grace in Christ is a tremendous influence to her children. This is a powerful legacy for a mother to leave with her children.
3. The desire of every godly mother is for her children to be in heaven. Start today investing your time and influence in directing the heart of your child to the Lord. They will be eternally thankful and so will you!
It is said, that after one of the awful battles of the Civil War, a dying
Confederate soldier asked to see the chaplain. When the chaplain came, to his surprise, the first thing the soldier asked was for him to cut off a lock of his hair for his mother. Then, he asked the chaplain to kneel, and thank God. The chaplain asked, "What am I thanking God for?" The wounded soldier replied, "Thank Him for giving me such a godly mother, that so influenced my life, that I’m now save, and ready to meet the Lord!"