Large crowds followed Jesus, not because they recognized His majesty or craved His life-altering words, but first because His signs amazed them (John 6:2), and then because He fed them (John 6:26).
The signs were to lead them to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, which would lead them to eternal life (John 20:30, 31). The bread in their bellies should have opened their hearts to the food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27, 35, 41, 48, 51). In their eyes, Jesus was great because He helped them. When the food ran out or the miracles finished, their service ceased.
Are we that much different?
Ask yourself these questions: Why do I serve God? Why do I praise him? Why do I love Jesus? Do I serve God because of what He gives or because of who He is?
I posit that our motivation for service matters. It is possible to serve the right God in the right way for the wrong reasons.
God is not great because of what He gives. God is great because of who He is. God gives because He is great, and what God gives is great because He is great.
It is natural for us to be drawn to God because of what He has done. Faith is informed, not blind. One must know to believe. And God reveals himself, at least in part, through His gifts.
 
​Those seven signs recorded in John were bigger than the acts themselves. Healing a lame man was not just for the physical benefit of one man. Raising Lazarus was more than just restoring temporal life to a friend.
These acts were accomplished to draw people to Jesus  — without the signs, Jesus wouldn’t have the crowds. But more than that, these signs were designed to show people who Jesus was. His nature, His power, His mercy, His love, His character should be seen in these acts.
What happens when the gifts of God are not what we expect or seem to vanish altogether? What happens when our perception of God’s gifts change? Do we still serve Him? What happened to many of Jesus’ followers when He didn’t feed them and they became disillusioned with what He preached? They followed Him no longer (John 6:60, 66).
Abraham received a promised child from God (Genesis 21:1-3), and then was willing to give Him up (Genesis 22:1-18). If we serve the blessing, we would be tempted to question God, to refuse His request, to blame Him for our loss. Abraham served the Blesser.
Paul experienced hardship, persecution, and rejection. He learned contentment (Philippians 4:11, 12). He served the Giver not the gifts.
It is natural for us to begin our journey by loving and serving God because of what He gives. The challenge is to grow in our faith as Abraham did (Romans 4:16-25), so that we are not moved when challenges arise.
While He gives great gifts, our God is great not because of the blessings He bestows, but because of the character He possesses.
Do you have faith in the gifts or the Giver, in the blessings or the Blesser? It is a distinction that can make all the difference.
   -Lee Parish
 

How often do we want to blame what happens to us on someone else? It isn’t our fault that this happened! Growing up in the United States this was called “passing the buck”; we wanted to blame someone – or something – for our predicament. It surely couldn’t be us! 
This seems to have been going on since God created humans. Even Adam in the garden blamed Eve, who in turn blamed the serpent when they sinned. But it isn’t a matter of assigning blame; it is about what we do and changing our lives. The Israelites at the time of Ezekiel had the same problem.
“The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying what mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?” (Ezekiel 18:1-2 KJV.)
In other words, the problems they were facing in being in exile wasn’t their fault – it was what their ancestors had done. They were the ones who had sinned and as a result the people ended up in exile – or so they reasoned. God through Ezekiel dealt with this type of reasoning decisively.
First there was a man who is righteous: he lived a good life, refrained from doing what was wrong, and obeyed God. This man was righteous and as a result would live; God wouldn’t punish him.
But he had a son. The son was not a good man but did everything he could that was wrong including worshipping idols. “ Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.”(Ezekiel 18:13). Just because his father was a good, righteous man that did not mean that the son would be accepted by God no matter what he did. Because of the way he lived – what he did – he would be responsible for his rejection by God.
This man in turn had a son. He observed his father’s life and decided that he did not want to live this way. Perhaps he also observed his grandfather’s life and was impressed by what he saw. He decided to live a righteous life, doing what was right, and following God. He would not be held accountable for his father’s sins. Because he lived a faithful life he would surely live.
Notice as well that the wicked father would not be spared because he had a righteous son. “As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity” (Ezekiel 18:18).
What is the point in all of this? We are each responsible before God for what we do. We can’t “pass the buck”. God put it this way:
“ The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20).
But there is hope for the wicked person. If he were to change his life, turn away from the sin he was involved in, become obedient to God, then he could change the outcome: “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ezekiel 18:21).
Of course the opposite is true as well. If the righteous man turns to sin, he will be held accountable for the sins he is now involved in. It is about what we do, how we live our lives.
 “”Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye” (Ezekiel 18:30-32) .                                                                  
                                                                                           -Jon Galloway
 

Most people live as though they cannot disobey God, or that it doesn't make any difference if they do. There are at least five ways people disobey God:
 
1. By doing what is specifically forbidden. Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree (Genesis 1:16-17; 3:6). Lot's wife looked back to the city of Sodom (Genesis 19:17, 26). Ananias and Sapphira lied to God (Acts 5:1-11). There are many sins that are forbidden in the Bible (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Romans 1:18-32; Colossians 3:5-9).
 
2. By refusing to do what God has commanded. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). God commanded King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, but he spared their king along with sheep and oxen. He sinned in refusing to do what God commanded (1 Samuel 15:22).
 
By adding to what the Bible says. God has never allowed men to add to His word (Revelation 22:18; 3. Deuteronomy 4:2). Men today add to God's word when they refer to themselves by man-made names not found in the Bible. When men add: mechanical instruments of music, burning of candles/incense, creeds and manuals, etc., they go beyond that which is written (1 Corinthians 4:6) and bring upon themselves God's judgment.
 
4. By taking away from what the Bible says. God has never allowed man to do so (Revelation 22:19; Deuteronomy 12:32). Denominational churches take away the name of the church (Romans 16:16), the first day of the week observance of the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7), water baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 22:16), and scriptural giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
 
5. By substituting something else for what God commanded. Nadab and Abihu died because they substituted a different fire for what God commanded (Leviticus 10:1-2). Denominations today substitute "fund raisers" in place of the first day collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), sprinkling instead of immersion (Colossians 2:12), entertainment and recreation instead of gospel preaching (1 Corinthians 1:18-21). There is no end to men substituting for God's divine arrangement.
 
Love, respect, and obey what God says.
 
You will not be saved any other way (John 12:48; Rom. 1:16).
 
(from Banner of Truth, via The Reminder, Cleveland, Tennessee

​God’s grace is truly marvelous and measureless. Man’s greatest problem is sin (Rom.3:23), and his greatest need is the forgiveness of sins through the grace of Almighty God (Rom.6:23). It is by grace that we are saved, as we respond in the obedience of faith (Eph.2:8). Just as faith must be active in order to be effectual (James 2:26), grace is active in behalf of those who are willing to abide by the parameters God has placed upon it. How does grace act in our behalf?
 
Grace reaches. Through grace God has reached out to every sinner. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). By the offering of His only begotten Son, Jehovah extended the hand of fellowship and reconciliation to the whole world (John 3:16). Justice demands that we should die for our sins, but by His grace God intervened on our behalf and offered His Son in our stead (Rom.3:23-25). Truly, as we sometimes sing, “His grace reaches me.”
 
Grace teaches. God’s grace demands certain things of us (Titus 2:12). Grace instructs us that there are behaviors that must be avoided. We are to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. It was because we gave into worldly lusts that we were estranged from our God in the first place (Isa.59:1-2; James 1:13-15). Grace demands that we get out of the sinning business (Rom.6:1-2). It only makes sense that one parameter of grace is to avoid the very things that caused fellowship to be severed. Grace also teaches us to embrace sobriety, godliness, and righteousness. We must learn to think properly and act appropriately.
 
Grace beseeches. God entreats us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom.12:1). After all that God has done for us, especially in the offering of His Son, it is only logical (“reasonable”, KJV) that we serve God by giving our lives in His service. God implores us to be united in the same mind and judgment, and that there be no divisions among us (1 Cor.1:10). Jesus prayed for the unity of believers, so that the world might come to believe on him (John 17:20-21). Our Father pleads with us to be reconciled unto Him (2 Cor.5:20). Jesus makes it possible for us to be made friends with God again. The Almighty begs that we walk worthy of the vocation with which we are called (Eph.4:1).
 
Christianity is our job (vocation); everything else is just an avocation. God entreats us that we receive not His grace in vain (2 Cor.6:1). It is possible to frustrate the grace of God (Gal.2:21). It is possible to fail of the grace of God, having once known it (Heb.12:15). We must abide by the parameters of grace that God has set so that we may continue in the riches of His grace (Acts 13:43).
 
- Patrick Morrison
 

Please understand that clinical depression is a very real malady. However, the depressions people often feel have underlying emotional and spiritual causes. In such circumstances, the Great Physician (cf. Mark 2:17) can “heal the brokenhearted…” (Luke 4:18). Consider God’s prescription for depression.
 
Find some one to serve. A sure way to improve mental health is to turn our focus upon service. Is it not odd that Paul, a man imprisoned for his faith and who confesses having poured himself out in sacrifice and Service, could say, “I joy, and rejoice…” (Philippians 2:17). This flies in the face of the world’s conventional wisdom. Expending precious time and energy on someone else brings joy and happiness? That is antonymous to depression. Look for ways to encourage others, to brighten and cheer the sick, the unfaithful, or those you know in adverse circumstances. When you do, your efforts will have a double effect. You will be helping not only the struggler, but also yourself.
 
Find some time to meditate. Many of the people with whom I speak who are suffering from depression admit to being distant from God. They typically do not read and study the Bible regularly, nor do they consistently pray to Him. When doing both more faithfully is suggested, they often discount or dismiss the value of both in aiding their state of mind. Yet, “the proof is in the pudding.” Diligent Bible students are given promises and reassurances of God’s help and power that they see fulfilled in their daily lives. Comfort and peace are side effects of regular Bible reading. Through prayer, one gets the Sense that there is One who is listening, who sympathizes and who cares. Faithful prayer coupled with faithful living yields confidence and coping ability. Meditation works! Delight follows meditation (Psalm 119:15). Strength follows meditation (Psalm 119:27-28). Depression may be defeated by saying, with our deeds, what David wrote, “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD” (Psalm 104:34).
 
Find some thing to eliminate. It may be doubt. All doubt, including self-doubt, ultimately points to a lack of faith in God. We may doubt that our circumstances will improve. We may doubt our own abilities. We may doubt God’s existence or ability to help. Such negative thinking must be reprogrammed. Remember, the Christian “can” (Philippians 4:13). It may be dread. Fear of future events, of social, economic, or emotional stress, or of interpersonal conflict all cause feelings of anxiety. Jesus says, “Don’t do this” (Matthew 6:25ff). Again, faith and trust in God is imperative. It may be disobedience to God. It is hard for one who believes in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit to feel good about willfully continuing in a life of sin. Depression many times results [from continuing in sin, DR]. The solution is not killing the conscience, but amputating the sin problem. Guilt is a first cousin of depression, and guilt is a spiritual consequence of sinning. Failure to do what we know we should and committing what we know we should not causes all kinds of turmoil, including depression (cf. Romans 7:19-24).
 
Many years ago a young Midwestern lawyer suffered from such deep depression that his friends thought it best to keep all knives and razors out of his reach. He questioned his life’s calling and the prudence of even attempting to follow it through. During this time he wrote, “I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not.” But somehow, from somewhere, Abraham Lincoln received the encouragement he needed, and the achievements of his life thoroughly vindicated his bout with discouragement.
So far as we know, Mr. Lincoln was not a Christian. Thus, those of us locked in the dungeon beneath the castle of despair have the key to the door of depression. His name is Christ (John 14:27)!
 
(Editor’s Note: There is a story that Lincoln was baptized into Christ during his presidency; there is no “hard” evidence, although the circumstances certainly indicate that the story may be true.)
 

The church of the New Testament assembled together each Sunday to remember the cross and to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7). It was on these occasions that they also worshiped the Lord in other authorized ways. There was singing and prayer, public Bible reading, and preaching. There was also a collection for the ongoing work of the church (1 Cor. 16:2). But after the Sunday public assembly, the Bible gives no absolutes as to when the church is to come together. If we modeled ourselves completely after the original Jerusalem church, it could be argued that they met in some capacity every day, but probably not all at the same time in the same place (Acts2:42-47).
Any other meeting besides the Sunday assembly is left up to the leadership in each individual church. Over the years, it has been customary to meet on Sunday nights for a second worship service. Perhaps the main idea, in the beginning, was to provide those who were unable to attend the first assembly to have a second opportunity – specifically for the purpose of partaking of the communion. Somewhere in the middle of the week, many churches also meet for Bible study. Each congregation has the freedom to choose, after the Sunday assembly, exactly what it wants to do with regard to further meetings. The church could meet any other time of the week, on any day, as many or as few times as is desired.
Once the decision has been made by the leadership of the church, the rest of the church should obey and support that decision. Local members of the body of Christ are expected to observe and obey the expedient measures decided upon by the eldership (Heb. 13:17). Christians are commanded not to forsake the assembly (Heb. 10:24-25). If, therefore, the elders  have chosen to call the church together at another specific time, then each local member should make every effort they can to gather together for worship and study as a family of believers on each and every one of these occasions.
Every church model is different with regard to circumstances which dictate further assemblies. Some churches only meet once on Sunday afternoon because it might be difficult for their members to come twice. It was customary years ago for folks to ride in a wagon to the church house on Sunday morning, bring their lunch for after services to eat on the grounds, and then assemble one more time to worship before the long ride back to the farm before dark. It seems that this example also led to the tradition of Sunday night worship, especially in rural communities.
Whatever the case, further assemblies of the Lord’s church should be viewed by Christians as the most important spiritual opportunities of the week. Those who love the Lord would never view these extra meetings as a burden (1 John 5:3). True converts will only anticipate more assembling. They will want to meet in homes and in public places and, instead of looking for excuses not to assemble with the saints, they will look for excuses to get out of work, ball games, and other activities so that they will never have to miss an assembly.
For me personally, I can’t wait to be at every public assembly of the church. It would be wonderful to meet with the brethren every day of the week. In a sense, as a preacher, I get to do that. If not for the blessings of being with the church, I would not be so spiritually blessed. I could list 1,000 reasons why I love Sunday nights and Wednesday nights. But the supreme reasons are simple. I love God. I love Jesus and what He did for me at Calvary. And I love what the Holy Spirit teaches me in the word!
 
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” –  Psalm 27:4                    
                                                                   -Jeremiah Tatum
 

The work of the church is unique. The New Testament authorizes the church to work in three areas: 1) Evangelism — teaching and preaching the Gospel (Mark 16:15-16), 2) Edification — teaching and instructing its members (1 Thess. 5:11; Col. 3:16) and 3) Benevolence — helping those in need of the necessities of life (James 1:27; Gal. 6:10).
     To do the work God has commanded the church to do requires money (the funds necessary to carry out the work). God has given instruction “where” and “how” the church gets its money to do its work. It is by the free-will offering of its members. The Scriptures authorize a collection to be taken up each first day of the week. In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 we read, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him....” A famine had made many destitute of the necessary things of life. Churches of Christ everywhere were instructed to help the needy. This passage tells them how to do it.
    In the New Testament, you never read of the church of Christ having chariot washes, bake sales, rummage sales, 10K walks, etc., etc. to raise money for its work. There is no Scripture that authorizes the church to solicit (request, seek, beg) money, food, clothes (material goods) from non-members (the general public).
     Therefore, you should never see the church of Christ soliciting material things from those who are not members of the church in order to help the church do the work God has commanded the church to do.
 
I Never Intended to Quit!

by: Gus Nichols
    
         A man who had not attended one service of the church in four years told me he had never thought of "quitting" the church.  I reminded him that he had:
1) Withdrawn his presence from the worship services.  He had failed to sing, pray with fellow Christians, to partake of the Lord=s memorial supper and the fellowship of the saints.
2) Refused to give his moral support to the activities of the congregation.
3) Withdrawn his financial support, for he had not given one dime to help carry on the Lord's work.
Then I asked, "What else would you have to do in order to 'quit' the church?  In case you ever decide that you no longer desire to be a member, what other steps will be necessary to 'quit' the church?"
     As the true status dawned upon him, his expression reflected his sober thoughts.  He replied, "Why, Brother Nichols, I have quit already, haven't I?  Well, I surely didn’t mean to!  And I don't know when I did it...but I've quit the Lord and His church!  I'll tell you right now...I'm coming back."  He did, too.  At the next service, he was restored and three years later, he was still faithful.
     Dear reader, how about you?  Have you quit the Lord and His church without resolving to do so?  Perhaps no one deliberately decides to quit, but many carelessly drift into backsliding.
     If you quit attending services, quit boosting the program of activities planned by the elders and quit giving as God has prospered you to enable the congregation to meet its budget, you need to be restored.
 
"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 10:25)
 

Paul takes us into God’s war room. If we grasp his message we’ll more clearly perceive why the Christian lifestyle is significant. We’ll also realize there is a battle for our hearts.
Perhaps the place to start is by appreciating that Ephesians was written against a bleak background (Ephesians 2:1-3). Evil in all of its forms dominates and subdues humanity. Filled with insatiable fleshly cravings people plunge into pursuing life as they think best oblivious to their spiritual ruin.
Yet there is hope. Evil offers no contest to God’s power. Furthermore from the very beginning, God has had a plan. Paul longed to enlighten those caught in the thick of the battle to know God’s power for his people and the goal toward which God is working (Eph. 1:17-19).
To achieve this the apostle flung open the doors into God’s command center revealing God’s strategic plan. Beholding his plan causes Paul to break forth in praise. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
Our eyes fall upon a plan predating creation that determined what would happen. God would achieve spiritual unity by rescuing people from darkness through adopting them as his own.
What is unexpected is that this adoption would be made possible through God graciously purchasing sinful people by the blood of his beloved Son. Moreover God seals those he redeems with the Holy Spirit as a downpayment of the inheritance that awaits them!
 Having outlined God’s plan for achieving unity between heaven and earth through Christ, Paul impressed upon those caught in the battle for their hearts about the nature of God’s power. God can transform those who are spiritually dead into becoming alive with Christ. However, this does not exhaust God’s plan.
The plan also calls for uniting spiritually diverse peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles. And once again the blood of Jesus makes this possible. God creates one new unified community in whom God dwells by the Spirit! Complete unity!
The evil that would separate people from God as well as people from other peoples must melt away before God’s power. Unity within the light dispels the divisive darkness. There is no contest.
While God’s power and working evoke praise, the Lord’s people also have a role to play. God’s plan calls for rescued souls to live worthily of who God has made them to be. They are to live in ways that will further his purposes, step closer to that inheritance awaiting them and preserve the unity of the Spirit which God has achieved.
Thus they are to banish sinful ways from their lives. The devil is not to be granted any footholds in their life. To continue living in ways of darkness would work against God’s purposes thus grieving the Spirit who has marked them for inheritance. Instead, these people purchased by Christ are to exemplify godly  characteristics in whatever societal roles they might find themselves.
There is a war raging between God’s light and evil’s darkness. The redeemed need to be aware of this and who their true enemy is. They need to put on the whole armor of God that they might stand against the devil’s schemes.
God’s power creates beachheads of light within the darkness. To be aware of the goals toward which God is working, how God desires us who have been redeemed to maintain the unity he has created, as well as how to be prepared to stand against the adversary’s schemes underscores the significance of living daily for Christ.
 

    “And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them. 8When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14:7-11
Humility. So easy to see yet so difficult to practice.
What is humility? Here is a dictionary definition: “the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance” (Oxford Dictionary of English). I think we can understand that. Humility is when we realize that we are not the most important person and we act accordingly.
What Jesus observed at a dinner he attended was the opposite of humility. At these dinners, and at many formal dinners today, there was a seating order and a place of honour. The place of honour was to be sitting beside the host. What Jesus observed was that many were seating themselves in the place of honour without being invited to do so. Can you imagine at a wedding dinner someone deciding that he would sit at the head table in place of the bridal party or the couple’s family?
Jesus warned against taking the place of honour. The problem is that this distinguished seat may have been reserved for someone more important than you. Then what would happen? You would be asked to take a lower seat and by that time the only seat that may be left is the least important place. You would be humiliated. 
Instead Jesus advised that when you come into a dinner to take the least important seat automatically. Perhaps then the host would see you and ask you to move to a better seat. In this way you would be honoured by all present.
Those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Such a true statement which we still see being played out in our society today. How many people automatically assume that the best is for them? Or that they are the most important? And how often are they humiliated when someone more important is there?
Perhaps in many ways this is a human trait shared by everyone. All people, generally, like to be recognized. And there is nothing wrong with receiving recognition for something that we have done well. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” the apostle wrote to Christians in Rome (Romans 12:10). But notice that idea here: it isn’t about trying to get others to honour us but it is our being devoted to others to the extent that we are ‘eager’ to honour them.
If we could learn this way of thinking different, of thinking like Jesus, everyone would be receiving the recognition they deserved.
So who is it that we need to recognize for the service they have given to us or to someone else? Be seeking ways to honour them rather than seeking the honour for ourselves. This is worth thinking about.
 

 

When we stop to think about a mother’s worth …
In recent years women have made important gains in the workplace. Some take jobs out of necessity, but many who don’t necessarily need the income choose to do so. As a result, those who make the choice to be stay-at-home moms are sometimes disparaged. “What’s wrong with you?” others seem to say. “Why don’t you want to work?”

I learned long ago to carefully phrase my questions. Instead of asking a woman, “Do you work?”, I know it’s better to ask, “Do you work outside the home?” Mothers, whether they work only in the home or also at the workplace, are worthy of great respect when they fulfill their motherhood tasks well.
Salary.com provides an interesting tool for calculating a mother’s financial worth. I entered the pertinent data for my daughter-in-law, a mother of two preschool children. According to the calculator, the median income for the area in which she lives, doing the work that she does as a stay-at-home mom, is $111,853. If you wonder why that figure is so high, consider some of the hats a mother wears, according to that site: housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, janitor, van driver, psychologist, nutritionist, staff nurse, etc. (Now you’re beginning to think mothers are undervalued?)
 
Long ago King Lemuel mused on this very subject. He didn’t have access to Salary.com’s calculator, but he arrived at a similar conclusion about the worth of a godly woman. “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10, NKJV). He also points to some of the  many hats such a wife and mother wears: seamstress (vv. 13,19), purchasing agent (v. 14), cook (v. 15), business manager (v. 16a), gardener (v. 16b), benefactress (v. 20), wardrobe manager (v. 21), and teacher (v. 26).

The conclusion naturally follows upon consideration of all that a godly mother does: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her … a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:28,30). Not all mothers are worthy of such praise, for not all fear the Lord. But there are many of us who can say, “My mother is described well by this beautiful passage.”

Let us not take for granted the gifts God has given us. On Mothers’ Day 2021, may we do our own calculations and praise those women whose words and deeds have taught us to follow the Lord.

“‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth'” (Ephesians 6:2,3).