The Excellent Wife - Day OneChapter 1 - pages 1-6
The author begins the book by describing how she became a Christian. She explains that she kept reading John 1 over and over again, and by the grace of God, was led directly to Him.
John 1:1-14
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood[a] it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b]
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Reading this passage made me realize yet again that God is God, and I am not. "Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." Amazing. Awesome.
Martha Peace poses a question in the beginning of Chapter 1 that makes me embarrassed because of how I answered it truthfully to myself: Do I want glory for myself or glory for God? Hello- glory for myself! I'm a seriously selfish human being (as most of us are), but have I encountered that human fact and tried to fight it OR just let it be fact and move on with my life. THAT answer needs to change. It needs to be, "Duh! GLORY FOR GOD!" This is a topic that I'm sure will be dealt with over and over in the reading/study of this book and the Scriptures that go along with it. Humbling much?
Now onto what begins "The Excellent Wife" topics.
Proverbs 31:10-31
10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
The author begins to describe what it means to be an excellent wife after reading Proverbs 31. A few things stood out to me as I read.
She wrote, "God's will for every Christian wife is that her most important ministry is to her husband (Gen. 2:18). After a wife's own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else should have greater priority." "Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife's time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day."
THIS has been a toughie for me over the past 3 months. Probably longer when I think about it because the end of my pregnancy was very uncomfortable. I'm sure I was more focused on myself and preparing for AJ, than being focused on my relationship with Christ and on ministering to Gus. I find it harder now because I'm pretty much wasted by the time Gus gets home from work. Some days I feel relieved that I can hand AJ over to Gus and do something else. I'm hardly ever thinking, "Fantastic! You're home, how can I serve you?" That sounds terrible reading it, but I'm being honest, and I'm hoping to change that (obvious) throughout my study of Proverbs 31. I WANT to be an excellent wife, therefore, I must learn how to be and work on it. Being a new mom (or being a seasoned mom- I guess there is no difference) is challenging in all areas of life, but especially in the "time and energy" piece of pie. There is a large part of me that questions how I will be able to do this. The author answers that question for me:
"A wife's responsibility is to learn to put her confidence in the faithfulness of God and His Word- to do what He says." "She can become what He wants her to become if she does what He wants her to do."
And what He wants me to do is to follow Him and obey His commands. It sounds so matter of fact, why is it hard? LIFE. So...I pray this journey is a joyful one! Thanks for reading along!
