(Devotional from the shower in next post)......
RECIPE OF THE GODLY WIFE
Sally, it has been so fun to meet you and finally meet who God had planned for Travis as his helpmate! He waited a long time for you and it is such a joy to now be helping with this shower for you and just having this little part in God’s knitting your lives together.
This evening we are having a recipe shower for you to help stock your pantry and provide some good food to nourish your bodies. The bible is God’s recipe book…if you will….. full of recipes and ingredients to nourish your marriage and your soul.
I know that some of the women here tonight, myself included, were not believers when we got married. You are so blessed that you and Travis both have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and can start your married lives together with Him as head of your household. I just remember those first years and how I struggled with wanting my own way…even as a new believer, I fought my husbands leadership and God’s plan as my role as a godly wife.
Now, let’s look together at God’s model of the perfect wife, as told in Proverbs 31: 10-31 from The Message version (a paraphrase bible)
I went back through some notes of a study we did several years ago on these verses and thought I would share them with you this evening.
10 A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.
she is excellent of high moral character other versions read)
11 Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.
She is honest, she lives in such a way that he can trust her with finances and management of the home and children and bills and credit cards. She demonstrates impeccable loyalty to her husband and her thrift and industry will add to their wealth.
12 Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
She does him good and not evil…all the days of her life….she always has his best interest in her heart---seeking to build him up, devoted to him in every area. He can count on her every day, year after year….good days and bad, every week ….every month, every day, year after year.
13 She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing.
14 She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.
15 She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.
16 She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
17 First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
18 She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
19 She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking.
She is enterprising and a good planner and manager, strong and a hard worker and devoted to the needs of her household
20 She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor.
She is very giving, displaying mercy to those around her
21 She doesn't worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
22 She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
She takes good care of herself and her family
23 Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers.
He is known as her husband and his reputation is known throughout the area. Inside the gates of the ancient cities, there would be an area where the elders of the city would get together every day,- and discuss the matters in the city, (like an open court), There they would talk about the issues of the time, and this was where business was carried out. The elders, who were the mature men of the city,- sat in that place and rendered judgement. This man would have a great reputation among the leaders of the city. It is a reputation basically built by his wife. She is so faithful to the duties of her love to him,-- that he is free to be the respected man that he is,- fulfilling his duties as elder. Everyone around them knows that he is the closest person on earth to her….and she is to him.
24 She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
25 Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
Again, these verses show how industrious she was…..
26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.
She thinks before she talks and says it with a kind voice. This reminds me so much of the little saying that words spoken can never be taken back…..This woman would never slam her husband in front of their friends or make him look foolish.
There a so many Proverbs on our speech. …that would be a whole other devotion…..
27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.
28 Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:
29 "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"
30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Her whole goal in life is to please God with all she says and does….
31 Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!
Sally, it has been so fun to meet you and finally meet who God had planned for Travis as his helpmate! He waited a long time for you and it is such a joy to now be helping with this shower for you and just having this little part in God’s knitting your lives together.
This evening we are having a recipe shower for you to help stock your pantry and provide some good food to nourish your bodies. The bible is God’s recipe book…if you will….. full of recipes and ingredients to nourish your marriage and your soul.
I know that some of the women here tonight, myself included, were not believers when we got married. You are so blessed that you and Travis both have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and can start your married lives together with Him as head of your household. I just remember those first years and how I struggled with wanting my own way…even as a new believer, I fought my husbands leadership and God’s plan as my role as a godly wife.
Now, let’s look together at God’s model of the perfect wife, as told in Proverbs 31: 10-31 from The Message version (a paraphrase bible)
I went back through some notes of a study we did several years ago on these verses and thought I would share them with you this evening.
10 A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.
she is excellent of high moral character other versions read)
11 Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.
She is honest, she lives in such a way that he can trust her with finances and management of the home and children and bills and credit cards. She demonstrates impeccable loyalty to her husband and her thrift and industry will add to their wealth.
12 Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
She does him good and not evil…all the days of her life….she always has his best interest in her heart---seeking to build him up, devoted to him in every area. He can count on her every day, year after year….good days and bad, every week ….every month, every day, year after year.
13 She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing.
14 She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.
15 She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.
16 She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
17 First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
18 She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
19 She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking.
She is enterprising and a good planner and manager, strong and a hard worker and devoted to the needs of her household
20 She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor.
She is very giving, displaying mercy to those around her
21 She doesn't worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
22 She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
She takes good care of herself and her family
23 Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers.
He is known as her husband and his reputation is known throughout the area. Inside the gates of the ancient cities, there would be an area where the elders of the city would get together every day,- and discuss the matters in the city, (like an open court), There they would talk about the issues of the time, and this was where business was carried out. The elders, who were the mature men of the city,- sat in that place and rendered judgement. This man would have a great reputation among the leaders of the city. It is a reputation basically built by his wife. She is so faithful to the duties of her love to him,-- that he is free to be the respected man that he is,- fulfilling his duties as elder. Everyone around them knows that he is the closest person on earth to her….and she is to him.
24 She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
25 Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
Again, these verses show how industrious she was…..
26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.
She thinks before she talks and says it with a kind voice. This reminds me so much of the little saying that words spoken can never be taken back…..This woman would never slam her husband in front of their friends or make him look foolish.
There a so many Proverbs on our speech. …that would be a whole other devotion…..
27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.
28 Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:
29 "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"
30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Her whole goal in life is to please God with all she says and does….
31 Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!
In my own personal life, I remember a long time ago, after I became a believer and God was teaching me these verses and others on what it is to be a godly wife. I finally realized my struggle against my husband’s leadership was not only against him, it was against God. I remember it like it was yesterday, …….thanking the Lord for giving me my husband and thanking God for his leadership in our marriage and in our home. I have shared before, that I remember thinking ...simply put...... “I want to be the kind of wife……….if something ever happened to me…he would have a hard time ……finding another me.
……… Proverbs 31 is the “recipe” of a godly wife.
In his book, “Sacred Marriage”, Gary Thomas writes:
Marriage is that special relationship that proclaims God’s love to the world. The man-centered view of marriage tells us we maintain our marriage as long as our earthly comforts, desires and expectations are met.
In a God centered marriage—we preserve our marriage because it brings glory to God and points a sinful world to a reconciling Creator. More than seeing marriage as a mutual comfort, we must see it as a word picture of the most important news humans have ever received---that there is a divine relationship between God and His people. If we believe the primary purpose of marriage is to model God’s love for His church, we will enter this relationship and maintain it with the motivation, to make it our goal to please Him and ask ourselves when doing anything, “Will this be pleasing to Jesus Christ?”
I just wanted to share these verses with you and encourage you to faithfulness to God who equips you for every good work and faithfulness together. Keep the Lord Jesus Christ, as your first love. We look forward to seeing what God is going to do, in and through you and Travis, in the years to come. May God bless your marriage and may He fill you with His joy and may you always seek to glorify Him.
1 comment:
Thanks for this interesting post. I am happy to find these details here. For everyone, finding the chic ideas for such parties is a challenging thing. I too got married at one of the garden San Francisco wedding venues and we both were not able to settle on any theme. If my hubby liked one then I didn’t like it and vice versa but finally we chose the shabby chic theme on a friend’s recommendation.
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