Sermons

Mother’s Day 2026

Proverbs 31:1-31

A young mother lived in Detroit, raising two boys on her
own in a world that felt designed to see them fail. She
worked three jobs—cleaning houses and doing
laundry—often leaving before dawn and returning long
after dark.
One day, she noticed her sons’ grades were slipping. She
didn’t just lecture them; she took action.
She limited their television time to just two programs a
week and made a rule: they had to read two books from
the library every week and write a report on them for her.
For years, those boys dutifully handed over their reports.
She would take them, look them over with a serious
expression, and mark them up with checkmarks, offering
“faithful instruction” on their hard work.
It wasn’t until they were much older that they discovered
the truth: their mother couldn’t read.
She had been “clothed in strength and dignity,” managing
her household with such wisdom and discipline that her
lack of formal education didn’t stop her from building a
legacy of excellence in her children.
She saw a “field” of potential in her sons and “planted a
vineyard” of knowledge, working with “eager hands” to
ensure they would one day be “honored at the gates”.

I want to remind you of the context of this passage.
Proverbs was mostly written by Solomon as a guide to his
sons for how to observe the 10 commandments.

Many of the Proverbs describe a wise man, a foolish man
and a simple man. Solomon spends much time teaching
his sons about wisdom and warning them against the
woman of folly or an adulteress woman.

Proverbs 31 is actually an oracle that was told to King
Lemuel by his own mother.

Proverbs 31:1-31

In the first 9 verses Lemuel’s mom gives him two
warnings and a suggestion.

2 Warnings and a Suggestion from Lemuel’s Mother

First she warns her son to
Avoid Promiscuity – this matches what Solomon had
taught in the previous chapters, specifically in Proverbs
5:3-5 “For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and
her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is
bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her
feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to
Sheol;”
God has a specific design for marriage and he wants His
children to live within His plan for marriage.

Avoid Alcohol – she warns Lemuel against alcohol to
protect him against forgetting the law and perverting the
rights of the afflicted. Even though the Bible as a whole
doesn’t forbid drinking alcohol, his mom sees it as wise
to avoid it due to his position. The idea is that if you don’t
take a drink you will never lose your faculties and make a
poor decision. Leadership is a grave responsibility and
mixing alcohol and leadership is not a good idea.
Proverbs 20:1 and Proverbs 23:20-21 also warn of the
dangers of alcohol.

After these two warnings, Lemuel’s mom gives him a
suggestion.

Pursue Righteousness – Lemuel’s mom encouraged
him to take care of the poor and the needy and to judge
rightly. She wanted him to speak up for them and be a
kind king.

Verse 10 reminds us of the context. This mother is
providing a guide for the type of woman she wants her
son to pursue.
This virtuous woman stands in opposition to the
prostitute or adultress, sometimes called a woman of
folly.

7 Characteristics of a Godly Mother

Trustworthy v.11-12

A Godly mother supports and submits to her
husband as he loves and leads according to the way
Christ loved the church.
She will take care of her husband and always have his
back.
He can trust that she is always working for the good of
the family.

Diligent v.13-19,21-24,27
A Godly mother is almost always busy working to take
care of her family. She gets up early and goes to bed
late. She is not lazy, but strives to meet the physical and
spiritual needs of her family. She provides food for her
family and makes sure they have clothes to wear too.
She also is productive in the financial matters of the
home. She works in the garden to provide for her
husband and children.

Generous v. 20
A Godly mother puts the needs of others above her own.
She cares for the poor and needy with compassion and
generosity. Moms do without so their family can have the
things they want and need. And they never complain
about it, because they do it out of love. They recognize
that God has blessed them so richly that they want to
share those riches with others and be a blessing to
others.

Dignified v.25
A Godly mother is dignified, which means worthy of
respect. This is in opposition to the woman of folly that is
mentioned earlier in Proverbs. A Godly mother is more
concerned with her character than she is with her
outward appearance.

Wise and Kind v. 26
A Godly mother is wise, she knows when to speak and
when to remain silent. She teaches her children how to
behave in a way that honors God. She also teaches them
to be kind to others. How many times do you recall your
mom telling you to be kind to others? Kindness is also
one of the fruit of the Spirit so it makes sense that a
Godly woman would teach kindness.

Respected v. 28
A Godly mother is respected by her husband and
children. Even though sometimes it takes a while for
children to recognize the wisdom of their mother,
eventually they do. Husbands also praise their Godly
wives. A Godly wife also helps her husband gain respect
according to v.23.

God-Fearing v.30
A Godly mother should be praised not for her beauty but
because of her fear of the Lord. Beauty is fleeting,
character lasts. A woman who fears the Lord understands
wisdom.

As we know the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom.
This mother is telling her son to seek after a woman who
fears the Lord.

If we keep things in the context of Proverbs we know that
in the early chapters Solomon tells his sons to seek
wisdom.

Proverbs 4:5-9
“Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn
away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

This wisdom also applies to choosing a wife/mother for
his children. Following his father and mother’s advice will
be a wise choice for him.

APPLICATION

Even though this is Mother’s Day and this passage is
about the characteristics of a Godly woman, the Scripture
is applicable for everyone this morning.

Seek Wisdom and Godly Character

The world teaches us to lie to get what we want.
God wants us to be trustworthy. People should be able to
take us at our word.

The world wants us to slack off when no one is looking.
God wants us to remain diligent as if working for the
Lord.

The world says that everyone who is in need is a
scammer.
God wants us to be generous to the poor and needy and
care for them with the resources He has blessed us with.
We should always seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit
and be generous as He leads us.

The world says character doesn’t matter.
God wants us to be dignified, worthy of respect.

The world teaches us to look out for ourselves.
God wants us to be wise and kind to others, treating
them as we would want to be treated.

The world expects us to treat others with contempt.
God wants us to be respected by others.

We should be of good repute among believers and
unbelievers as well.

The world teaches us to intimidate others to get what we
want.
God wants us to fear Him and learn the wisdom that
comes from acknowledging that He is king of the world.

The Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom.
We should start with that and as we grow in wisdom we
will also grow in our Christlikeness.