Nuggets for Mother’s Day
Today, it is my prayer that today’s message will encourage you in every area of
your life as you struggle to become closer to God read his word. May you find a
blessing in a nugget given today.
For today’s message I would like to share a few Notes (Nuggets) from Book
entitled “A well-watered woman” Written by Gretchen Saffles
* Nugget #1: “The Bible isn’t just a formula, a quick fix or a self-help strategy
plan. It is a life transforming love letter from the heart of God to you and me.”
An example was given that I can definitely identify with:
I have plants in our sunroom…sometimes I forget to water the plants in the mist
of my busy days. At the sign of seeing brown leaves and leaves falling over. I’m
quickly reminded of the neglect. Wilting leaves. Sometimes we feel that way.
Shriveling and dried up wilting. “The plants reminded me that a well-watered Life
doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t happen overnight. A well-watered Life
must be faithfully invested in and tended to with love. It’s the kind of life we were
created to live in. The kind of life that Jesus came to live.”
* Nugget #2: -“You don’t have to be blooming to be growing. You may be filled
with weeds, pruning watering and cultivating, but not getting many blooms. God
can grow you in the midst of a non-blooming season by instructing you through
his word”
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will
stand forever. “A soul anchored to the hope found in the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ will always bloom where it is planted. That is my
hope. There will be rocky hills, hardships, foggy paths…. It’s a slow moving
journey. I am a witness …Christ will meet you in the midst of your mess.
• Nugget #3: “If you expect your life to be perfect, You, will be let down every
time. Embrace the struggle, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, Surrender to Christ,
and find in him the perfection you are longing for. God is working in your waiting”
• Nugget #4: “With every ending comes a new beginning. When you get to the
end, you get an opportunity to a new beginning. It’s when you are dried up,
shriveling up and at the end, that’s when the weeds come. It’s when life is
lifeless. When you are spiritually dead. That’s when you can realize where the
real life comes from. Listen carefully…. It’s when you come to the end of
yourself and you can commit fully to Christ and you can be made new and set
free.
Every ending in my life brought about a new beginning. The new beginnings
would’ve been possible without the closing of a previous chapter. “It’s in the
endings that new life begins.”
• Nugget #5 – “Bring your empty cup”
Isaiah 58:11 the Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs in a sun
scorched land. He will strengthen your frame. You would never be like a well-
watered garden like a spring, whose water is never failed. That verse comes in
the context of God calling the Israelites from a dry up life to a life of obedience
and abundance in him.
• “If your cup is empty, then you are in the right place. Revelation: You have to
know that you’re thirsty before you can drink from the well. A well that always
satisfies and never runs dry. You can’t just fill your empty cup from just
anywhere. If your thirst is temporarily satisfied it may be by water from a polluted
source, and you won’t grow. You won’t flourish, even if the soul is wet. A well-
watered woman could not exist apart from God‘s grace. No matter how to how
hard you try it won’t be enough. You could put your energy into being like by
others, but you’ll never be satisfied. You could crave what the world has to offer,
but it will never provide your peace.” It’s only when you look to Jesus that you
can find the satisfaction that you belong for. Plant the gospel in your life daily
In closing, I would like to share a section from the book The Well-Watered
Woman Rooted in Truth, growing in Grace, Flourishing in Faith written by
Gretchen Saffles.
The author characterized the well-watered woman, as “the well” “the word” and
“the way”
“The Well”- The well is the starting point. The gospel is planted in your life and
your roots take hold in the truth. It is here with your identity becomes grounded
in the gospel. Will you begin the grass who God is in the reality of who you are in
him?
“The Word”- the word represents growth in Christ. The well-watered woman is
always growing changing and being transformed into Jesus likeness. Jesus who
is the word is our source for growth. You discovered what it means to put the
word before the world to disturb your affections for Jesus and to preach truth with
a capital T in your heart.
“The Way” The way represents blooming and flourishing in Christ. Obedience
and the Love for Jesus affects the way we think, act, and go about our daily life.
Jesus came to offer us abundant life in him. We must find hope in him.
I have 5 gifts that you can give your mother for Mother’s Day. They all start
with the letter A.
The first gift is affirmation
1-Affirmation- Tell your mother that you love her. Say it and mean it.
An affirmation is a positive statement used to influence one's thoughts and
actions, often with the belief that repeated affirmation will lead to positive change.
It can be a statement about something desired, a belief, or a reminder of one's
positive qualities
2-Affection - symbolized security, comfort and approval. Shows you are
important to me. A phone call, conversation. Behold thy mother. This is the basis
of relationship. We all have become the family of God, the family of the
redeemed.
The church is not in the four walls. The word of God shall be birthed from the
outside in Jesus is looking for those of you that will love him, take care of the
orphan and the lost. We are joint heirs in Christ. We are soldiers on the
battlefield.
3-Acknowledgment
An acknowledgment is a way of recognizing and acknowledging something, often
expressing gratitude or appreciation. It can be a written statement, a letter, or a
message confirming receipt of something, or it can be a more general form of
recognition or affirmation. I’ve always been a fan of the hand made cards with
the hearts and everything colored in.
Gift number 4- attention
/ə-tĕn′shən/. Noun
The act of close or careful observing or listening.
You'll learn more if you pay attention in class.”
The ability or power to keep the mind on something; the ability to concentrate.
We turned our attention to the poems last stanza.
Notice or observation. “The billboard caught our attention.
We miss God, 1000 times a day. You should enjoy your life or it will pass you by.
The final gift today is number 5.
5-appreciation
/ə-prē″shē-ā′shən/. Noun
Recognition of the quality, value, significance, or magnitude of people and
things.
An expression of gratitude. One word, say thank you. Say, Thank You
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, enter his courts with praise.
My mother, expected the best. She loved children. She taught elementary
children for over 30 years. She was so proud of me. When company would
come to the house she always wanted me to play the piano. The gift that she
saw in me still carries on today. You won’t see her name in the lights or the
history books. She is in my heart, mind and soul. On her dying bed, she kept
saying, “I’m alright” She didn’t want me to worry.
One of the last things that she asked for me to do was to read the Lord’s Prayer.
Would you say it it’s me:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will
be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive
us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, forever. Amen.
The prayer can be found in the Christian Bible in both Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke
11:2-4.
We may not feel like we’ve done enough as parent, or that we didn’t raise our
children the right way, there comes a point where we have to believe and trust in
God. But even more importantly, we must turn back to God. We must confess
our sins and repent, that is, we need to turn from the world’s way and back to
God, and God will honor that effort. And I truly believe that when we trust in and
honor God that God will honor us.
Conclusion
Let me end with this promise given by God.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace
and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
No matter what you are going through, no matter what you may be feeling,
please know that God isn’t finished with you. He has great plans and purposes
for your life. Therefore, God has a purpose beyond our present understanding.
The Lord cares for us so He can do something great through us and through our
situation.
So, moms and dads, don’t despair and don’t give up. God’s got you, and He
won’t let you fall when you place the whole of your life and the life of your family
in His hands.