Saturday 18 May 2013

A Mother Called Wisdom

Written by Jack Hayford

A Mother Called Wisdom


Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding; for I give you good doctrine: do not forsake my law. When I was my father’s son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me:

“Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. - Proverbs 4:1-13

The writer of the Book of Proverbs personified wisdom in the feminine form saying, “Exalt her...embrace her...” At the same time, he wrote, “My father spoke to me when I was tender and the only one in the sight of my mother” (4:3). That so reminds me of the way most parenting is done. Fathers give directives, while mothers massage those things into a child’s understanding.

My mother, Dolores Hayford, instilled lasting wisdom in my life. And no less than all she imparted to me in early years, an incident that happened near the end of her life represents a deeply significant moment in my 63 years of walking beside her as a son.

It was the spring of 1997. My mother was 81 years of age and dying of a very painful cancer. I had returned home from visiting her in the hospital, and bowed to pray. “Lord, You know Mamma is ready to go home and be with You. Her heart is humble and righteous before You, and she loves Your Son Jesus. Lord, release her from this pain and take her home.” Take my Mamma home.

I labored over that, not trying to dictate to God but imploring Him with the passion I felt as a son watching my mother suffer so much. But mid-prayer, the Lord interrupted me. “Child, you do not need to remind Me of My appointment with My daughter Dolores.” I was mindful that Scripture says it is “appointed” for us to die, meaning God knows in advance the time of our homegoing.

“Your task is not to pray for her release,” He said. “Your task is to pray for her healing. It will be up to Me how that healing comes—whether she moves into the realm of eternal health, or to temporal health and a later time of coming into My presence. I will take care of her; I yet have matters to deal with My daughter about.”

A few days later at Mamma’s bedside, I shared that with her. She took my hand and said, “Son, I trust the Lord and whatever He wants to do to shape the image of Jesus in me.”

Called to God’s Purpose... Conformed to His Image

The preoccupying concern in my mother’s life was related to being conformed to God’s image, as stated in Romans 8:29. We love verse 28: “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord...” But the verse continues, “…to those who are called according to His purpose.” And that purpose is defined in verse 29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”

Conformity to the image of Christ does not mean becoming a rigid, pious person. It means having in ourselves the warmth, genuineness, and beauty of Jesus that was so attractive about Him. That value was compulsive to my mother. And yet even when pain wracked her body, she wanted the completion of the Father’s purpose in her more than she wanted to be released from her pain.

Both my wife Anna and I agree that the heritage left to us by our parents was a commitment to the truth of God’s Word, and that the simplicity of life in Jesus Christ works. You don’t have to become “religious.” Simply walking in the truth and love of God will open the way for His power and wholeness to flow. So in honoring what God’s truth meant to her and our family, let me share with you three values instilled in me by my mother’s wisdom.

1. My IDENTITY in Christ, not “church”

“Son, no church has a corner on truth.” After graduation, Anna and I went to visit my folks before heading to our first ministry assignment. In the kitchen one day, Mamma asked me, “Well, son, how do you feel now about the things you’ve learned, and how you are going to minister them?”

It seemed a peculiar question because I thought she knew exactly what our values and goals were in preaching. “What do you mean, Mamma?” I said. She stopped what she was doing, wiped her hands on a dishtowel, and asked me again what I thought about what I believed. I gave her an explanation that included the Word of God and the principles of our Foursquare Church. She nodded. “Son, you know I believe that too. The gospel is the gospel. But remember this. No group of believers has a corner on the truth.”

Having a “corner” on something means that you control the market. Mamma’s words ricocheted through my system. She had agreed that the gospel was the gospel; that the Bible was the authority. “But Mamma,” I asked, “Everything we believe is right, isn’t it?”

“Of course,” she said. “That’s not the issue. It’s the multiple ways in which people see the precious truths of Jesus, and how sadly often believers oppose one another because of differences in their approach to worship styles or focus.”

Even in the Church, where there is agreement that Jesus is Savior, that He died for our sins, and that the Bible is the Word of God, there exists the human disposition to be “more right” than someone else. It creates lovelessness in an atmosphere where love is supposed to dominate. It’s not just theology but yesterday’s arguments that divide people. We may say we’re holding to principles, but really it’s about possessing turf.

While I don’t think I would have ever become a sectarian bigot, that conversation continues to shape my life and leadership to this day. Dolores Hayford taught me how to be a “bridge builder.” The truth of the gospel is not to be dabbled with, but different aspects of the wonderful truths of God’s Word can be understood or received in different ways. I am not called to be arrogant, divisive, or unforgiving toward those who are different. I am called to keep my eyes on Jesus and to love the people around me. My identity is in Him.

2. My ACCOUNTABILITY for my heart before God

“I want to ask you a question, in front of Jesus.” Mamma had a method for confronting the tendency we have to fudge on the truth. Not to outright lie, but to withhold just enough to keep yourself safe.

We lived in a believing home, and we really believed that Jesus lived there with us. Mamma didn’t use this expression all the time; only when asking about a special situation. She would say, “Son, I want to ask you a question, in front of Jesus.” And it was sobering whenever she said that. I knew a profound issue was about to be inquired into, and was reminded that Jesus really was right there. In my mind, it would be as if we were standing before His throne.

When Jesus promises, “Lo, I am with you always,” that includes monitoring our life and guarding us against things that can be destructive. The wisdom of knowing my life is lived in front of Jesus has been central to my character and behavior all these years. I know that I am always accountable for my heart before God.

3. My DUTY to live wisely and fruitfully

“Daughter, it is too late for you to be walking in the barren places.”
I was about 16 years old when, as our family sat down to dinner one evening, my dad said, “Before we pray, your mother has something that I want her to tell us as a result of a dream she had.”

Mamma told of a dream in which she was wandering alone in an exceedingly dark place. The sky was black and void. The hillside was black with soot—as if everything on it had been burnt by fire. She had no idea where she was, and she felt afraid. Then a voice sounded: “My daughter, it is too late for you to be wandering among the barren places.” And the dream was over.

Mamma said that when she woke up, she realized the Lord was correcting her with regard to an issue in her soul. Not a commitment to sin but to things that were wasteful and unproductive. To forgetting that we’re called to live wisely and fruitfully. It was a call to overcome that preoccupying selfishness that will dominate every one of us unto an absence of the fulfillment God has for us at every point and in every season of our life. Even on a death bed, when you wish you could be released from pain. Even then, there could still come fruitfulness. 


The beauty of that word to my mother was not just its summons to the hour, but also to the expectation of fruitfulness by the investment God has made in us. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth” (Eph. 5:7).

In the autumn of 1997, five months after the Lord’s word to me, Mamma went to heaven where the Bible says there is no more pain and no more tears. When it comes to wisdom, Scripture likens it unto the mother who, “when I was tender in her sight,” taught me and helped me. Even if you did not have the benefit of a mother like mine, dear one, the Holy Spirit will do the same thing for you. Live your life in front of Jesus. Let your heart be embracing, correctable, and forgiving. And above all, remember you’ve been called to a Savior who wants to work His image in you—to restore the beauty and wholeness of the image Father God had in mind when He created you.

About Jack Hayford

About Jack Hayford

Jack Hayford knows the awesome power of God firsthand. When he was a baby, he was gripped by a life-threatening illness. But as a result of the earnest prayers of friends and family, he was miraculously healed. The doctors had no other explanation except that the grace of God snatched him back from the brink of death. Several years later, Jack was struck down again by sickness. This time it was polio. The church elders anointed him and prayed for his recovery. God heard their petitions and granted a second miracle. These two extraordinary events ignited in Jack's heart a passion for God and convinced him that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the contemporary church. "Contrary to our preconceptions, God is not economical with healings and miracles. Such wondrous works are frequently attending the proclamation of truth in Jesus' name," asserts Pastor Jack.

Jack Hayford serves as President of The Kings University (formerly The King's College and Seminary) in Los Angeles, which he founded in 1997. From 2004 to 2009, he also served as President of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. He is probably best known, however, as "Pastor Jack," founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California, where he served as senior pastor for more than three decades. A prolific and best-selling writer, Pastor Hayford is the author (or co-author) of more than 100 books and has composed 600 hymns and choruses, including the internationally known and widely recorded "Majesty."

He is an acknowledged "bridge-builder," helping to forge healthy bonds among all segments of the Body of Christ. He is recognized for his balance in preaching the Word, avoiding extremes while not diluting or compromising the demands of truth. Pastor Jack's heart to bring unity across all denominational and racial boundaries has given him an open door to minister in all kinds of settings

Dr. Hayford and his wife, Anna, have four children, eleven grandchildren, and a growing number of great-grandchildren.

http://www.jackhayford.org/teaching/articles/a-mother-called-wisdom/

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