Deaf Devotion 5/8/2010

“Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor.” (Matthew 20:20 NLT)

Mothers are teachers. Mothers give out correction. Mothers are cleaning ladies. Some mothers are gardeners and some will mow the lawn. And most mothers understand that baking cookies is more important than washing windows, too.

Mothers are nurses, doctors, psychologists, counselors, drivers, and coaches. Mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, and shapers of attitudes. Mothers are soft voices saying, "I love you." And mothers are a link to God, a child’s first impression of God’s love.

Mothers are all of these things & much, much more.

We might very well criticize the mother of James and John for her pride. But since this is Mother’s Day weekend, maybe we ought to think for a few moments concerning some positive things. We need also to recognize that when she came to Jesus, while Jesus did not grant her request, neither did he deny it. He simply reminded her of the cost of being seated on the right or left and then told her that only God decides who will be seated there.

Now, what are some of the good things about James and John’s mother? First of all, she came to the Lord, praying that her sons might be a part of His Kingdom. This really is the most important task of motherhood. That is to seek to make sure that children are a part of the Kingdom of God.

Many mothers pray. We would hope that most mothers pray. Sometimes they pray out of need. Sometimes they pray because motherhood is not easy, but extremely difficult.

Being a parent is not easy. Sometimes it is filled with joy and sometimes with sadness. Sometimes children make a mom so proud she can’t stop talking about her children. At other times she can’t find enough Kleenex to dry her tears.

What good is it if our children are successful in making money, driving fine automobiles, and living in good neighborhoods, but they don’t know God? What does it matter if they gain the whole world, but lose their souls?

Secondly, not only did their mother pray that her children would be a part of Jesus’ kingdom, but she prayed that they would be actively involved in the work of His kingdom.

Maybe it is not enough just to be saved. Churches are full of people content just to fill a pew on Sunday mornings. There are plenty of people willing to sit back & receive the blessings, but seldom do they get involved in doing any of the real work of the church.

But where does the spirit of service begin? It begins at home, with mothers & fathers setting the example & praying that their sons and daughters might be involved in the work of the kingdom as teachers and leaders. That they might be the ones going out into the world, finding the lost, and to seeing that the church continues on until Jesus comes again.

Thirdly, Mom had had big expectations for her two sons. She didn’t just pray. She didn’t just pray that her boys would be involved in the work of the Kingdom. She also wanted them on the right hand and left hand of Jesus.

When working in a kingdom, there are no higher positions than those on the right and left of the King himself. That’s what she wanted for her sons.

We may consider this mother to be thoughtless and rude think only about this for her own children. But we also want to admire her boldness. Too often we have settled for something less than the best in the church. For too long we have been content with just barely making it through the door. For too long we have been content to sit back and let things happen.

It is time for some of us to take our positions of leadership molding and fashioning the outreach of the church, encouraging others to make sure the message of Christ goes into the entire world.

It is time to strive for excellence and to reach for the very best there is. There is nothing better than Jesus Christ.

That is why Mother’s Day is always very special. It is because we recognize that a mother’s love is probably the closest example we have to God’s love. It is a love that goes through the valley of the shadow of death to bring life into being. It is a love that sacrifices itself over and over again and would even dare to lay down its life.

Mothers, God Bless You. This is your day. If you have felt that you have had to walk through that valley alone so many times, that you will recognize that there is a hand reaching out to you, saying, "There is nothing to be afraid of. I’ll go with you." You will recognize that that one has already gone through the valley of the shadow for you, and made it possible for you to live forever.

God extends His loving invitation in much the same way that a mother opens the doors of home and invites her children to come back again. God invites all His kids to come home by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. But sometimes we need to humble ourselves, bow before Jesus and ask a favor.