? [It Is Writ?
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>: It has stood 
the test of time.
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God's book,  the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's  complex world.
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It Is Written, 
sharing hope around the globe.
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JB: This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw, 
thanks for joining me.
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There's a special day that
comes  around once every year.
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Mother's Day.
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And none of us would be
here  without our mother.
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It's not a stretch at all to say
 that every personal life owes
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his or her existence
to  his or her mother.
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Now, obviously the same could
be  said about your father, but
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we'll say that on another day.
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I think I can say with
some  certainty that I have the
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world's best mother, with
the  possible exception of your
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mother, of course.
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Any woman who could have endured
 raising my four brothers and I,
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and our two sisters who I'm sure
 were angels and were never a
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problem, is obviously a
special  person on the strength
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of that alone.
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But the fact that I'm able to
 say I have a wonderful mother
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is a blessing in itself.
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Thankfully,  most
people can say that.
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Not all, but most.
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And that's the
way  God set it up.
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Childbirth and child raising and
 nurture and a mother's love are
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not accidents, despite
what some  might say about
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Darwinian evolution 
and the randomness of life.
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God specifically designed that
 we have mothers, and part of
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that is because a mother
and a  mother's love show us
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an important part 
of the character of God.
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Now, the Bible
presents God  as decidedly male.
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I'm not suggesting otherwise.
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But in God we see a father's
 love and a mother's love.
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The Bible says in Isaiah 49:15,
 "Can a woman forget her nursing
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child and not have compassion
on  the son of her womb?
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Surely they may forget, 
yet I will not forget you."
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The love of God is compared to 
the love of a mother, except, of
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course, God says His
love  exceeds a mother's love,
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which is quite a thing.
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In Matthew 23:37, Jesus
said,  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
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the one who kills the
prophets  and stones those
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who are sent to her.
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How often I wanted to
gather  your children together,
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as a hen gathers her
chicks  under her wings,
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but you were not willing."
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Now, again, I'm not trying to
 say God is a female, but it's
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clear, the creator embodies the
 characteristics, the strengths,
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the love, of both a
father  and a mother.
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What the Bible is making clear
 is that a mother's love reveals
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something powerful about the 
love of God, and that makes the
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role of a mother 
incredibly important.
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Now, when you think of mothers 
in the Bible, who comes to mind?
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I would guess the obvious ones
 would be Mary, the mother of
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Jesus; and then, well, who?
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You might say Elizabeth,
the  mother of John the Baptist.
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You could think about
Jochabid,  the mother of Moses.
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Now there's a story.
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Timothy's mother, Eunice, and 
his grandmother, Lois, are both
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mentioned by name, 
by Paul in the Bible,
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because of their great faith.
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Sarah was the mother of
Isaac,  so she was special;
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Rebecca was told 
that she'd be the mother
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of thousands of
millions,  which is an honor.
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And then think about the
 Shunamite woman, the one
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promised a son by Elisha.
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The boy spends a day in
the  field helping his father.
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He ends up with something
that  could most likely be heat
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stroke, and he dies.
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The child dies.
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So what does Mom do?
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His mother gets a servant, they
 grab a donkey, she tells him to
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ride as fast as he can 
to Elisha at Mt. Carmel;
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when she gets there she 
dismisses Gahazi, Elisha's
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servant, she charges into 
Elisha's presence, basically
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rebukes him for promising
her  a son in the first place,
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saying to him, "Didn't
I say,  don't deceive me?"
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When Elisha tells his servant
to  go and check on the boy, the
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mother isn't having any of it.
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She says to Elisha, "I'm not
 going anywhere without you."
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Well, what could Elisha do?
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When Gahazi gets back, Elisha
 goes himself to the woman's
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house, and the boy,  the
boy is brought back to life.
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A mother receives her son again.
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There could simply
have been  a funeral,
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but this mother
wouldn't take no  for an answer.
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This was her child.
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And what she did for her little
 boy was responsible for the
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little boy coming back to life.
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She saved his life.
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Mothers are heroes, really.
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The modern idea of a hero
is  usually pretty hollow, but
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mothers truly are heroes.
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Heroines, if you'd rather.
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Most of the time their
heroism  goes unnoticed.
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Up all night with sick children,
 and whoever knows about it?
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Not even the child in
question  will even remember
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what was done.
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Mothers of young children are up
 all night, every night, often,
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and often for months and
months,  feeding children.
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Now, I remember when
our  children were young,
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they'd cry in the night 
and we knew what it would mean.
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It meant Melissa would get
out  of bed and feed the child.
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Now, me?
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I slept.
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There was no point in both of us
 being exhausted the next day,
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was there?
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At 2 a.m.
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I had nothing those
kids wanted,  or 4:30 a.m.,
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or whenever it might have been.
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Now, with one of them it was
 midnight, then 2, then 4:30.
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And today, who would even know?
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The children don't remember.
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But you know, that's a selfless,
 heroic act that's performed
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every day by millions of women,
 usually without anyone knowing,
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anywhere.
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Kids skin their knees and
they  come running to mother.
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They're tired at the mall, and
 who picks them up and carries
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them around all day long?
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I'm not trying to stereotype the
 situation, I know dads aren't
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entirely useless for these 
things, but we know, both of us
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that most of the time it's Mom
 who does the heavy lifting, the
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really important stuff, dealing
 with the physical needs and the
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emotional needs of kids.
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Shaping children into
what  they'll be later in life.
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In many cases, shaping children
 into followers of God who will
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spend eternity in
an earth made  new.
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It's simply impossible to 
overstate the importance of what
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a mother does.
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Mothers are called to give
of  themselves, and they do.
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Every single one of them.
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It starts with pregnancy.
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And I'll be honest with you, I'm
 not sorry that's women's work.
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If men had to carry babies
for  280 days, the human race
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probably would have died
out  thousands of years ago.
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But mothers do what
they do  because, well,
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because that's what they do.
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It's because it's
what needs  to be done.
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When it comes to being
a mother,  a mother does
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what a mother needs to do.
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I'm going to give you an
example  of this from the Bible.
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Now, if you're expecting it
to  be a neat and tidy example
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you're going to be disappointed.
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What we're going to look at
is  the gritty reality of life.
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A mother doing what has
to be  done, simply because
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she's a mother.
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And, well, 
that's what mothers do.
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More in just a moment.
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[music]  >: You are watching the
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JB: This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me.
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When you think about mothers
in  the Bible, there's a list of
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remarkable women 
you might think of.
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Mary, the mother of
Jesus,  Elizabeth, Hannah.
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We could talk a
lot  about Hannah.
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Sarah, Rebecca.
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But there's another mother who 
hardly ever makes it onto any of
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the lists of the
great mothers  in the Bible.
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What she did isn't remembered by
 many people at all, but she was
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a truly heroic mother.
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Let's talk about
her for a  moment.
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The story takes place in the 
Bible, in 2 Samuel chapter 20.
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Israel is in a mess.
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David the king has been
forced  out of Jerusalem by his
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rebellious son, Absalom.
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Then after a messy war, 
Absalom is killed and David
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returns to reclaim his kingdom.
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Except, it wasn't
going to be  that simple.
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A man named Sheba, the son
of  Bickri, from the tribe of
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Benjamin and therefore someone
 who was sympathetic to King
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Saul, who lost the
kingdom to  David, rebelled.
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Second Samuel verse 1 
sees Sheba saying this:
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"We have no part in David.
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Neither have we inheritance
in  the son of Jesse.
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Every man to his
tents,  O Israel."
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This wasn't looking good; 
in fact, it was an absolute
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crisis in the making.
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David feared Sheba would
do more  damage to Israel
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than Absalom did, 
and he ordered his men
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to pursue Sheba  and
put down the insurrection.
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He said to Abishai in verse
6,  "Now Sheba the son of Bickri
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will do us more
harm than  Absalom.
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Take your lord's servants
and  pursue him lest he find for
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himself fortified
cities  and escape us."
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But Abishai, along with his 
ruthless brother Joab weren't
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able to capture Sheba.
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They cornered him, but
they  weren't able to take him.
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So what would happen?
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They pursued Sheba to a city
 called Abel in Bethmaachah.
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Sheba hid himself there, and
so  Joab's men intended to force
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their way into the city and 
destroy everything in their path
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on their way to killing Sheba.
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Now, it says this in verse 15.
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Then "they came and besieged
him  in Abel of Bethmaachah."
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And they cast up a
siege mound  against the city,
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and it stood by the rampart.
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And all the people who were
with  Joab battered the wall
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to throw it down; 
which is when a wise woman,
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and it's interesting 
the Bible calls her wise,
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called out to Joab.
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She said, please say to Joab,
 come nearby that I may speak
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with you.
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Now, that was bold.
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This woman was engaging Joab, 
and he had proven time and again
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that he wasn't anybody
you'd  want to mess with.
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So, she said to Joab, I am among
 the peaceable and faithful
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in Israel.
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You seek to destroy a
city  and a mother in Israel.
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Why would you swallow up
the  inheritance of the Lord?
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Joab protested.
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He said, that is not so.
00:12:04.92\00:12:07.29
But a man from the mountains of 
Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bickri
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by name, has raised his hand 
against the king, against David.
00:12:10.83\00:12:14.50
Deliver him only and I
will  depart from the city.
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All I want is Sheba.
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If I get him, 
I'll leave in peace.
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Now, the inference was
clear:  If I don't get this guy
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some other way, 
I'll bulldoze my way into
00:12:25.87\00:12:29.11
the city and destroy whatever
 gets in my way until I find
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Sheba and end his life.
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So here's a mother in Israel.
00:12:37.32\00:12:38.89
Wise, according to the Bible.
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Now, we need to keep in mind,
 this was a different time,
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a different era.
00:12:44.89\00:12:47.10
But this mother in
Israel  realized that her life
00:12:47.10\00:12:49.40
was in danger.
00:12:49.40\00:12:50.63
Her city was in jeopardy and 
therefore, her own children were
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facing an uncertain future.
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What do you do when
your  children are in danger?
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This mother, like most mothers
 would, decided that she'd do
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whatever it was  she had to do.
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And so, she said, watch.
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His head will be
thrown to you  over the wall.
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Now, that's grim, I know.
00:13:13.99\00:13:16.06
But think about what had to
have  gone through her mind.
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This Sheba is a scoundrel, 
and he's endangering us all.
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And the only way we're going
to  turn this thing around is by
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convincing Joab 
that the man is dead.
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And we won't be able to convince
 him of that without proof.
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And so that means -
 You can imagine her
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thinking this through, 
and she realized how awful
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this was going to have to be.
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Mothers give life,
 they don't take it.
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For anyone to take a life, 
you've got to cross some pretty
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significant mental and emotional
 bridges in order to make that
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happen.
00:13:52.63\00:13:54.06
This wasn't a warrior in
Israel  or a solider in Israel.
00:13:54.06\00:13:59.30
She was a mother in Israel.
00:13:59.30\00:14:02.17
But her people were in danger,
 her children were in danger.
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So what did she do?
00:14:06.61\00:14:08.54
She did what she had to,
 because she was a mother.
00:14:08.54\00:14:14.18
Now, notice how 2 Samuel 
chapter 20, verse 22, puts it:
00:14:14.18\00:14:18.85
"Then the woman, in her wisdom,
 went to all the people."
00:14:18.85\00:14:22.69
So as hard as this might be to
 really understand, what she did
00:14:22.69\00:14:25.83
is described by God as wise.
00:14:25.83\00:14:28.93
The details aren't recorded in
 bible, but the end result was.
00:14:28.93\00:14:34.40
"And they cut off the head
of  Sheba the son of Bickri and
00:14:34.40\00:14:38.37
threw it out to Joab."
00:14:38.37\00:14:41.18
We're not told how she 
communicated this to the people
00:14:41.18\00:14:43.51
and convinced them
about what  they had to do.
00:14:43.51\00:14:46.11
It might not have taken 
too much convincing, actually,
00:14:46.11\00:14:48.75
I don't know.
00:14:48.75\00:14:50.05
But what we do know is that by
 the time this episode was over,
00:14:50.05\00:14:54.19
Sheba has met  with
a very unfortunate end.
00:14:54.19\00:14:58.93
And after all this?
00:14:58.93\00:15:00.40
Abel of Bethmaachah was safe.
00:15:00.40\00:15:03.03
Joab didn't come
inside,  and the people there,
00:15:03.03\00:15:05.53
including the
children,  were left in peace.
00:15:05.53\00:15:11.37
That was a tough call, and very
 obviously, I'm not recommending
00:15:11.37\00:15:15.34
anybody think about
imitating  what this woman did.
00:15:15.34\00:15:18.15
But this was a desperate time
 and it called for desperate
00:15:18.15\00:15:20.05
measures.
00:15:20.05\00:15:21.35
And it was a mother in Israel
 who was wise enough to step
00:15:21.35\00:15:24.55
forward and say,  we
have to preserve our people,
00:15:24.55\00:15:28.29
our children, and I'll do
 whatever needs to be done
00:15:28.29\00:15:31.49
in order to make that happen.
00:15:31.49\00:15:33.80
That's what mothers do.
00:15:33.80\00:15:35.40
They nurture their children
in a  thousand different ways.
00:15:35.40\00:15:38.70
They give and give
and give of  themselves.
00:15:38.70\00:15:41.57
They're aren't paid for what
 they do as mothers and they
00:15:41.57\00:15:43.77
work, more often
than not,  unrecognized.
00:15:43.77\00:15:47.38
They're the glue that keeps 
thousands of school committees
00:15:47.38\00:15:50.25
and volunteer organizations and
 children's groups and sports
00:15:50.25\00:15:53.52
clubs and who knows
what else  held together.
00:15:53.52\00:15:56.58
When often, they don't have the
 time and they could be doing
00:15:56.58\00:15:58.89
other things or
pursuing other  interests.
00:15:58.89\00:16:01.19
But mothers do what
they  do because, well,
00:16:01.19\00:16:04.43
because they're mothers.
00:16:04.43\00:16:05.89
That's what mothers do.
00:16:05.89\00:16:07.40
That's what God has
placed  in their hearts.
00:16:07.40\00:16:11.40
And so we recognize mothers.
00:16:11.40\00:16:13.90
A day a year.
00:16:13.90\00:16:15.64
Come on, kids, and dads, 
can't we do better than that?
00:16:15.64\00:16:19.91
Surely we can.
00:16:19.91\00:16:21.54
Along with buying flowers or 
cooking breakfast or taking Mom
00:16:21.54\00:16:24.31
out to dinner or whatever
it  might be on Mother's Day,
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.75
make sure that's  not
the only time you do it.
00:16:27.75\00:16:31.02
And, you do it for them, why?
00:16:31.02\00:16:33.62
Well, tell them.
00:16:33.62\00:16:34.72
Because we love you, and we 
appreciate you, and because we
00:16:34.72\00:16:37.23
don't say thank
you  often enough.
00:16:37.23\00:16:40.96
So, mothers, which mother in the
 Bible do you aspire to be like?
00:16:40.96\00:16:45.37
Or which Bible mother
do you  most identify with?
00:16:45.37\00:16:48.27
What a question!
00:16:48.27\00:16:49.57
Now, that's one that will
put on  the pressure, isn't it?
00:16:49.57\00:16:51.91
If there's one you'd like to be
 like, maybe that would be Mary
00:16:51.91\00:16:55.41
or Hannah or, who do you think?
00:16:55.41\00:16:59.91
But you know what I think?
00:16:59.91\00:17:01.75
I think that, honestly,
most  mothers probably don't see
00:17:01.75\00:17:06.42
themselves as Mary, the nearest
 we have to a perfect mother.
00:17:06.42\00:17:10.16
Although we'll come back
to that  in just a moment.
00:17:10.16\00:17:12.26
Most mothers, most likely, don't
 see themselves as being like
00:17:12.26\00:17:15.80
Elizabeth or Hannah, these model
 mothers who seem to have all
00:17:15.80\00:17:20.50
the answers and an endless
supply of  spiritual wisdom and
00:17:20.50\00:17:24.81
obedience and faithfulness.
00:17:24.81\00:17:26.94
And that's okay, I think.
00:17:26.94\00:17:28.71
Because when you look 
into the Bible, you see a
00:17:28.71\00:17:30.45
lot of mothers who blew it.
00:17:30.45\00:17:34.02
Let's look at some of them.
00:17:34.02\00:17:35.52
Followers of Jesus
strive for  Christlikeness,
00:17:35.52\00:17:39.32
or at least they should.
00:17:39.32\00:17:40.06
That's the aim.
00:17:40.06\00:17:41.22
Our experience as Christians
 ought to see more and more of
00:17:41.22\00:17:43.96
Jesus being seen in us, and less
 and less of our selfish selves
00:17:43.96\00:17:48.26
seen in us.
00:17:48.26\00:17:49.76
But there's not a single redwood
 tree in the forest that didn't
00:17:49.76\00:17:52.60
start out as a tiny seedling.
00:17:52.60\00:17:55.64
And on the way
from  this to this,
00:17:55.64\00:17:58.74
there were a lot of tough days.
00:17:58.74\00:18:00.21
Hot days, freezing cold days, 
strong winds that blew the tree
00:18:00.21\00:18:04.01
this way and that and
maybe even  almost over.
00:18:04.01\00:18:07.28
I've seen magnificent sequoias
 up close, and some of them have
00:18:07.28\00:18:10.32
been ravaged by fire and they're
 scarred and they're damaged,
00:18:10.32\00:18:14.89
but they're resilient, and
the  experts will tell you that
00:18:14.89\00:18:17.83
those fires are
actually good  for the forest.
00:18:17.83\00:18:21.73
It sounds to me a little more 
like the reality of motherhood.
00:18:21.73\00:18:26.07
Rough days, good days, 
but rough days, stormy days,
00:18:26.07\00:18:31.57
scars, damage.
00:18:31.57\00:18:35.38
But motherhood, parenthood for
 that matter, isn't only about
00:18:35.38\00:18:38.68
the moment.
00:18:38.68\00:18:39.81
It's more about the journey, the
 destination, and that's what I
00:18:39.81\00:18:43.52
believe we see in the Bible.
00:18:43.52\00:18:46.62
So let's look at a couple
of  case studies of mothers and
00:18:46.62\00:18:49.56
mothering in the Bible.
00:18:49.56\00:18:51.99
Did the mothers in the
Bible  always get it right?
00:18:51.99\00:18:55.63
Well,  first
let's consider Sarah.
00:18:55.63\00:18:58.97
Ah, now there's a great mother, 
the mother of Isaac, the wife of
00:18:58.97\00:19:04.21
Abraham the great man of faith.
00:19:04.21\00:19:06.71
Wonderful Sarah, who lacked 
faith, didn't believe God and
00:19:06.71\00:19:12.31
actually recommended to her 
husband that he father a child
00:19:12.31\00:19:16.42
by another woman.
00:19:16.42\00:19:17.82
And we know how that turned out.
00:19:17.82\00:19:19.29
She was then cruel to the woman
 in question, and that union
00:19:19.29\00:19:23.02
between her husband and the 
other woman, the union she put
00:19:23.02\00:19:26.43
her husband up to, has
had  historically catastrophic
00:19:26.43\00:19:30.83
consequences.
00:19:30.83\00:19:32.83
And Sarah lied.
00:19:32.83\00:19:34.34
You remember that?
00:19:34.34\00:19:35.34
Not only did she lie,
 but Sarah lied to God.
00:19:35.34\00:19:40.78
She's 90 or so years old when
 God stops by to visit Abraham.
00:19:40.78\00:19:44.55
They prepare a meal, and
the  Lord says in Genesis
00:19:44.55\00:19:49.45
chapter 18, verse
10,  "Sara, your wife,
00:19:49.45\00:19:53.15
shall have a son."
00:19:53.15\00:19:54.56
That's what God told Abraham.
00:19:54.56\00:19:56.06
And Sarah hears this, because
 she's at the door of the tent,
00:19:56.06\00:19:58.46
and she laughed and she says to
 herself, "Am I going to have a
00:19:58.46\00:20:01.46
child at my age?"
00:20:01.46\00:20:03.30
And the Lord said to
Abraham,  "Why did Sarah laugh?"
00:20:03.30\00:20:08.07
In Genesis 18:15, the Bible says
 this: "But Sarah denied it,
00:20:08.07\00:20:12.87
saying 'I did not
laugh.'  For she was afraid."
00:20:12.87\00:20:15.94
And He said, now that's
God,  "No, but you did laugh."
00:20:15.94\00:20:19.58
God told her off.
00:20:19.58\00:20:21.88
Sarah,  this woman
was far from perfect.
00:20:21.88\00:20:26.65
And then you've got Rebecca,
 encouraging Jacob to lie to
00:20:26.65\00:20:29.36
Isaac, which caused all kinds of
 strife including that she never
00:20:29.36\00:20:33.19
saw her son again after he fled.
00:20:33.19\00:20:36.06
And how hard 
must that have been?
00:20:36.06\00:20:38.97
But in spite of this failing,
 their not insignificant
00:20:38.97\00:20:42.40
failings, how did it turn out?
00:20:42.40\00:20:45.67
How did it turn out for Sarah?
00:20:45.67\00:20:48.51
Sarah is one of only two women
 to be mentioned by name in the
00:20:48.51\00:20:52.01
faith chapter, Hebrews 11.
00:20:52.01\00:20:54.32
In spite of her failings, which 
were not trivial, Sarah is named
00:20:54.32\00:20:59.15
by God as a giant of faith.
00:20:59.15\00:21:03.76
Isn't that something?
00:21:03.76\00:21:05.09
Mothers can't
always get it  right.
00:21:05.09\00:21:08.13
It's the toughest job
in the  world to master.
00:21:08.13\00:21:11.27
At least that's what I think.
00:21:11.27\00:21:12.60
Mothers are nurses, doctors,
 counselors, psychologists,
00:21:12.60\00:21:17.17
a mother is a chef, a tailor,
 a decorator, an event planner,
00:21:17.17\00:21:19.94
a teacher,  an
emergency room physician,
00:21:19.94\00:21:22.44
a negotiator, a provider.
00:21:22.44\00:21:24.95
Then you've got to balance
all  of that with the demands of
00:21:24.95\00:21:26.82
work, the demands of being a 
wife and a daughter and a friend
00:21:26.82\00:21:29.32
and a thousand other things.
00:21:29.32\00:21:32.22
God understands that.
00:21:32.22\00:21:34.02
Sarah is in the faith hall of
 fame, and she did some stuff I
00:21:34.02\00:21:39.23
hope you would never do.
00:21:39.23\00:21:42.43
It's a journey, isn't it?
00:21:42.43\00:21:43.93
And the question isn't how many
 potholes you hit along the way,
00:21:43.93\00:21:46.63
or whether or not you have
the  occasional fender bender.
00:21:46.63\00:21:49.44
The question is: who do you
lean  on, when you need support?
00:21:49.44\00:21:53.54
Who do you trust your heart to?
00:21:53.54\00:21:56.04
Who's in control of you, even if
 you don't always feel as though
00:21:56.04\00:21:59.28
you're in control.
00:21:59.28\00:22:01.05
You see, God is gracious.
00:22:01.05\00:22:04.79
And if anyone needs grace and
 help for the journey, it's a
00:22:04.79\00:22:07.42
mother, because there is no more
 important job in the world.
00:22:07.42\00:22:12.06
And God knows that.
00:22:12.06\00:22:13.93
And if you're a
mother,  He's with you in this.
00:22:13.93\00:22:17.77
Wouldn't it be nice if
all  mothers were perfect,
00:22:17.77\00:22:20.74
all the time?
00:22:20.74\00:22:22.37
Well, they're not.
00:22:22.37\00:22:23.74
Let me give you another example.
00:22:23.74\00:22:25.07
Maybe one you're not expecting.
00:22:25.07\00:22:26.64
Let's think
about Mary,  shall we?
00:22:26.64\00:22:29.21
Yes, Mary, the mother of Jesus.
00:22:29.21\00:22:33.28
I think it's fair
to bring this  up.
00:22:33.28\00:22:34.88
Jesus was 12 years old.
00:22:34.88\00:22:37.79
They go to Jerusalem
to observe  the Passover.
00:22:37.79\00:22:40.12
Look at this, it's in the
Gospel  of Luke, chapter 2,
00:22:40.12\00:22:43.49
verses 43 and 44.
00:22:43.49\00:22:46.26
"When they had finished the 
days, as they returned the boy
00:22:46.26\00:22:49.66
Jesus lingered
behind  in Jerusalem.
00:22:49.66\00:22:52.30
And Joseph and his
mother did  not know it.
00:22:52.30\00:22:55.17
But supposing him to have been
 in the company, they went a
00:22:55.17\00:22:57.37
day's journey and sought
him  among their relatives and
00:22:57.37\00:23:00.48
acquaintances."
00:23:00.48\00:23:01.91
Walk through this.
00:23:01.91\00:23:03.21
Somehow, Jesus is
allowed to  linger in Jerusalem.
00:23:03.21\00:23:07.78
He's 12 years old.
00:23:07.78\00:23:09.85
Now sure, it might have been a
 safer society than we have now.
00:23:09.85\00:23:13.05
I had a whole lot more freedom 
at 12 than either of my children
00:23:13.05\00:23:15.69
had.
00:23:15.69\00:23:17.33
Times have changed.
00:23:17.33\00:23:18.93
But even so, the Bible
says  Joseph and Jesus' mother
00:23:18.93\00:23:23.87
did not know it.
00:23:23.87\00:23:25.50
They didn't know Jesus had 
remained behind in Jerusalem.
00:23:25.50\00:23:30.81
How do you now know?
00:23:30.81\00:23:32.51
They supposed he was in the
 company, the group of people
00:23:32.51\00:23:35.01
traveling together.
00:23:35.01\00:23:37.71
Supposed?
00:23:37.71\00:23:39.08
A mother "supposes"
her son is  in the group,
00:23:39.08\00:23:41.92
but she doesn't know?
00:23:41.92\00:23:43.79
They traveled for a whole
day  and they didn't know Jesus
00:23:43.79\00:23:47.92
wasn't with them.
00:23:47.92\00:23:49.99
And they didn't
find him  for three days.
00:23:49.99\00:23:53.76
Who'd been taking care of him?
00:23:53.76\00:23:55.23
Who fed him?
00:23:55.23\00:23:56.16
Who tucked him in at night?
00:23:56.16\00:23:57.77
Who prayed with him
before he  went to sleep?
00:23:57.77\00:24:00.14
Not his parents, 
not his mother, Mary.
00:24:00.14\00:24:03.34
She "supposed" Jesus was in the
 group, and she supposed wrong.
00:24:03.34\00:24:11.05
Now, I don't want you to
stone  me for saying this,
00:24:11.05\00:24:13.78
but you could say
easily,  Mary was negligent.
00:24:13.78\00:24:17.89
If this happened in modern-day
 America, she and Joseph would
00:24:17.89\00:24:20.19
get a visit from
child  protective services.
00:24:20.19\00:24:22.76
She lost her son, because
you  could say she was careless.
00:24:22.76\00:24:28.40
It's not like he snuck off.
00:24:28.40\00:24:30.57
Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem
 without making sure they knew
00:24:30.57\00:24:34.04
where their boy was.
00:24:34.04\00:24:37.04
So, I say this to say this:
 If you're not perfect, well,
00:24:37.04\00:24:42.74
the truth is not even
Mary  was always perfect.
00:24:42.74\00:24:47.12
I hate to put it like
that, as  she was obviously
00:24:47.12\00:24:49.45
an incredible mother.
00:24:49.45\00:24:50.15
Don't get me wrong.
00:24:50.15\00:24:51.32
She was blessed among women, 
chosen by God, raised her son in
00:24:51.32\00:24:54.82
Nazareth, and he
still  turned out perfectly.
00:24:54.82\00:24:59.16
But you know, mistakes happen.
00:24:59.16\00:25:01.93
And that's not to say they're
 okay, it's to say that we are
00:25:01.93\00:25:03.93
human.
00:25:03.93\00:25:06.17
Mothers are human, too.
00:25:06.17\00:25:08.80
In spite of Sarah lying to God,
 in spite of Rebecca messing up
00:25:08.80\00:25:12.94
her family, in spite of Mary
 losing Jesus for three days,
00:25:12.94\00:25:18.05
it turned out well enough.
00:25:18.05\00:25:19.68
Love makes the difference.
00:25:19.68\00:25:21.95
And love is what
affects  a child most.
00:25:21.95\00:25:25.32
If you can love your child and
 lean on God, then that's what
00:25:25.32\00:25:28.86
you need to be a
truly  great mother.
00:25:28.86\00:25:31.79
God's grace
makes the  difference.
00:25:31.79\00:25:34.36
And if you're a mother who's 
ever made a mistake, I want you
00:25:34.36\00:25:37.43
to remember today 
that God is gracious.
00:25:37.43\00:25:42.44
And God cares, and God loves
 mothers, and God is with you,
00:25:42.64\00:25:47.88
and God knows a mother's heart.
00:25:47.88\00:25:50.71
Today, I want to offer you
this  special free book on the
00:25:52.25\00:25:55.45
subject of God's promises.
00:25:55.45\00:25:57.52
You'll find it very encouraging.
00:25:57.52\00:25:59.19
It's called "God's Promises."
00:25:59.19\00:26:01.16
Dozens of promises from the Word
 of God with encouragement for
00:26:01.16\00:26:03.86
you to know God
and  grow in His grace.
00:26:03.86\00:26:07.06
Just call or write and
I'll send  you "God's Promises."
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There's no cost or obligation,
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00:26:10.93\00:26:13.94
Just call this
number  1 (800) 253-3000,
00:26:13.94\00:26:18.31
and ask for "God's Promises."
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If the lines are busy, 
please just keep on trying.
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Or write to It Is Written, 
Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401,
00:26:23.51\00:26:29.98
and we'll mail a copy to
your  address in North America.
00:26:29.98\00:26:33.56
Please note, this free book is
 limited to the supply on hand.
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can  download a free electronic
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 Promises" from our website
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Thank you for your
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00:26:45.50\00:26:47.64
Our toll-free number is 1 (800) 
253-3000, and our web address is
00:26:47.64\00:26:52.47
ItIsWritten.com.
00:26:52.47\00:26:55.18
Let's take a
moment  to pray together.
00:26:57.61\00:26:59.68
Our Father in heaven, I think 
You that in Your infinite wisdom
00:26:59.68\00:27:02.22
you gave all of us a mother.
00:27:02.22\00:27:04.89
I not only thank You, but I
 praise You for Your perfect
00:27:04.89\00:27:07.12
plan, and I want to
pray  especially for mothers.
00:27:07.12\00:27:10.93
That they would know Your 
presence, that they would know
00:27:10.93\00:27:13.63
how much You appreciate them, 
that they would be appreciated,
00:27:13.63\00:27:16.83
and that they would be
given  great grace for that most
00:27:16.83\00:27:20.44
important job in the whole
 world, that blessed role of
00:27:20.44\00:27:25.11
being a mother.
00:27:25.11\00:27:27.58
It's a role full of joys
but it  has its challenges.
00:27:27.58\00:27:30.55
But with You, the
challenge of  even motherhood
00:27:30.55\00:27:33.65
is not too great.
00:27:33.65\00:27:34.82
Bless and keep us all, I pray.
00:27:34.82\00:27:37.15
We thank You in
Jesus' name,  amen.
00:27:37.15\00:27:43.12
[music] I want to thank you
for  joining me today, and I'm
00:27:46.26\00:27:48.10
looking forward to
seeing you  again next time.
00:27:48.10\00:27:49.66
Until then,
remember:  It Is Written:
00:27:49.66\00:27:52.87
Man shall not
live  by bread alone,
00:27:52.87\00:27:55.54
but by every word  that proceeds
00:27:55.54\00:27:58.51
from the mouth of God.
00:27:58.51\00:28:02.31