In America we celebrate moms in many different ways; but there is a list of mothers that God has honored in a most unusual way.

None of the women--of all the women of the Bible--are more special than the five who actually open the pages of the New Testament. Who are they? They are the five precious wives and mothers tucked away in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Why would God place them there in that usually "men only" genealogical section? You will see, as you read this chapter, encouraging applications these women offer as a testimony from their lives:

• Their lives give hope to those who have failed, and feel that it is impossible to ever go on and please God.
• Their lives give comfort to those who ache with pain from wounds, sorrows, and hurts that God has allowed to invade their lives.
• Their lives are an incredible source of strength to those who have a long struggle ahead. Knowing that God helped them, sustained them, and kept them going fosters confidence that no struggle will ever exceed His grace and power to uphold.

Each of these women was stained either by her own sin, the sins of another, or the scandalous plots of others. Only one word can adequately describe what God did in their cases--grace!  

If you are like most mothers, there have probably been times in your parenting when you have felt ready to quit!

Whenever that type of emotional tidal wave happens to sweep over you, remember these five incredible mothers who overcame great obstacles to shine through the centuries like the rare and precious jewels they are in God's sight!  

None of these five special women deserved to be a woman of grace. None of them deserved for God to use them. All of them were women with a mark against them, and most were unqualified to serve in such a manner. Yet, God lifted up each of these special ladies as an example of His fathomless grace! Through their life experiences, women for all time can learn that: 

• Tamar: No pain is too great to be healed.
• Rahab: No past is too bad to be forgiven.
• Ruth: No problem is too big to be solved through Christ.
• Bathsheba: No stain is too deep to be cleansed through Christ's blood.
• Mary: No task is too great for God's enablement.

Have you personally ever been defiled by sin? Defeated? Defrauded? Despised? The good news is that "God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may have abundance for every good work." Regardless of your present circumstances, there is hope in Christ for the future! By God's grace, you can partake of "The Promise." You can trust Him, your Savior, to wash away whatever sin has been dragging you down--as far as the east is from the west-so that He can look upon you in the righteousness of Christ!

Will you, then, as each of these five special mothers did, determine that by His grace you too will be energized by hope? What do I mean by that? Every child you bear, Mother, is marked by sin. All of them are already defiled. All of them, because they are sinners, are already defrauded out of the inheritance God wanted to give them. Every one of them is despised. Every one is defeated at birth by sin. But today, like the "Mothers of the Promise," you can point your children to Christ; your life can be a portrait of God's grace to them--a portrait of hope!

Will it be easy? No. Will it be worth it? Absolutely! And as long as you trust Christ to be your strength, you will never walk alone!

To read more about these five women that God chose to honor, please click here.