"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" Psalm 42:2
A Wife's Servant Heart
As Christian Wives God wants us to focus our energy and efforts on our husband--- on his tasks, his goals, his responsibilities, his ministry. This can be a struggle because our sin nature cries out, "Me first!" Mature Christian women who are daily seeking the Will of the Father to walk in Faith will lay down their own desires and make their husbands and family a priority. The starting point for developing a servant heart begins in our will. We must choose to have a servant heart. God will not force us to do anything; He has given us a will to choose to follow Him and live by His Word. We must choose willing to be a servant of the Most High God and we must choose to willingly submit to and serve our husband.
A sign of Christian maturity is that we no longer depend on others to meet all our needs,
but we are balanced in receiving from others and in giving, serving, and helping others.
To fulfill God's original design for us as virtuous women/wives, companion helpmates and mothers will mean freely submitting our will to the Lord every day to be all that He has called us to be. This will involve seeking God in ways we can be that virtuous woman, wife, companion, and mother. In order to serve our husband and be a Godly helper we need to know on a daily basis the areas where our husband may need our help. We need to be flexible and plan our homemaking duties around any personal duties our husband may need our help with. We must have an open heart toward our husband because most likely his need of our help will change from day to day and this means that we may have to set aside our personal plans and agenda. Ladies, let pray daily that God will give us spirit eyes to discern the needs of our husband and for a heart that is pure and submissive to those needs.
* Does your husband need your spiritual encouragement because of some personal struggle in his life?
* Could he use listening ear or your counsel concerning a difficult decision at work or a home issue?
* Is your husband in need of your help with organizing chores around the home, running errands, or making phone calls? You are the one who has knowledge about things that need to be repaired around the house. You can make lists for him and even assist him in doing some of these repairs if he asks for your help.
I'd like to pause here and speak from my heart! At one time in my life, if there was a dish out of place or a speck of dust anywhere, I would jump up and remove them. Let me be frank; I have come a long way! Over the past 10 years I have had many health issues (some serious), and in the course of each day I have learned that I simply cannot not do what I was able to do in the past. Father God (and yes, my dear husband) remind me often that having a spic and span house is not the most important issue of the day in my life. Don’t misunderstand me, I believe the Bible teaches that a Virtuous Woman is to be disciplined, organized and orderly in all that she does.
The most important lesson we must learn in our journey of becoming that Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31 is that our relationship with Jesus, our husband, children, and others in the Body of Christ are eternally our first priority over having a white glove house.
An important thing that we can do each day is provide and maintain an atmosphere of peace where the husband can freely obey God by fulfilling His dominion mandate as the husband, head of the home, father and spiritual leader. A man needs a peaceful and quiet abode where he can study the Word, pray and grow spiritually in the Ways of the Lord as a Christian man, husband, father, and as a witness to others in the church and community. We are to help our husband serve the Lord in his daily life! (Ephesians 2:10).
God wants you and me to be submissive and obedient to our husbands, but not from a legalistic position of duty. Serving is a heart issue. Anyone can learn homemaking skills and perform them well, but God is calling us to a higher calling---to serve God with all our heart, mind and body. It is the inward attitude of the heart that we are to allow God to perfect. When love is shed abroad in our heart then all that we do in the physical realm will give God Glory and our husband will indeed rise up and call us "blessed". Proverbs 31
"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8
Is it your desire to be a servant in your home? If it is then lovingly submit your heart to God and serve your husband where ever you're asked to help (Gal. 5:13). As you do, your home will be filled with peace, love and happiness.
Titus 2:3-5 clearly spells out God’s will for my life and yours as Christian women. We never have to wonder what it is God wants us to do or be. He has declared it in His Love Letter (Bible). The important role that has priority over other things is our relationship with our Heavenly Father and to be a virtuous wife, companion, helpmate and keeper of our home and importantly a godly mother to our children.
When our focus is first of all on our spiritual needs (our relationship with Father God), and the needs of the people (husband, children) in our home (place) we have our priorities in line with God and His Word.
Jesus in speaking to the man who asked what he had to do to enter the Kingdom told him to go and obey all the commandments. The Master then goes on to explain that ALL the Law of God hangs on love. Does this mean we are not to obey God's Commands? Of course not! It means that obeying God, serving our husband, our children and those in the local church is to be performed from a heart of love. Being obedient to God Word becomes easy when it is obeyed out of a heart of love.
This could not be more true than in our home. To submit, obey, respect and honor our husband we must begin by loving him. The commandments of God are not burdensome when they are written in our heart by the Finger of God....they come from HIM who is LOVE and they produce life to that one who obeys in love. And so it is regarding our duties as wives, mothers and keepers of the home; they are not burdensome when we perform them in love!
If we have the proper view of who we are in Christ Jesus and what our divine destiny is our number one priority will be to create an atmosphere of love and peace in the home that reaches out and touches the lives of every member of the family. When we fully accept and understand that we are the queen of our castle, our view of being a Homemaker drastically changes. It becomes a privilege to take charge of and manage our castle. The wise woman will set about the business of making their house a home... a castle fit for their king. (Proverbs 9:1 and 14:1).
I pray this teaching on servanthood will bless, encourage, and draw you by the Spirit to search your heart for better ways to be a servant of God and to humbly serve your husband, children and others in the Body of Christ Jesus. May the following song be a rich blessing to you each as you mediate upon this teaching on being a servant of God.
Just some interesting reading today from an email devotional I received from Vessels of Honor.
No comments:
Post a Comment