Women
The Test of True Love
As a woman created by God, great measure of love is expected from you towards all that God has entrusted into your hands, because you are divinely mandated to love your husband, children, relations, friends, neighbors, colleagues and be a good home maker. Your love will bring peace and togetherness to the members of your family and community. Your selfless sacrificial services will make members of your family always remember you anywhere and anytime. They will always desire to come close to you. Your children will love God and serve Him faithfully. Titus 2:5
The scripture in Psalm 139:14 that you are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him for the purpose of bring up family men and women in the fear of God. This type of love will only come true in you when you have totally surrendered your life to Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. Allowing Him to control you in and out, recognizing yourself as a spiritual pillar of your family. John 1:12; 3:16.
Beloved, I want you also to know that the wonderful love of God in your heart must face tests to proof its genuineness in you. The following tests will come as a challenge in your life. But God is always there to help you overcome all odds and come out victoriously. Your total dependent on God's help and trusting Him will determine your victory over these challenges else you are bound to crash. John 15:1-5.
- Test of Caring
- Test of Giving
- Test of Querrel
- Test of Consideration
- Test of Admiration
- Test of Sacrifice
- Test of Crisis
Test of Caring:
Proverb chapter 31 verses 14 and 15 opens our eye to know that the virtuous woman owns it as a responsibility to go out and get the food, prepare it and set it on the table for the family whether she provides the money or not. Even if she has helpers, her supervisory role will not be taken for granted. Her caring ability makes the home comfortable for her husband and children including strangers. The bible said, she goes out and get the food from afar off. She goes out early for the best. She is not lazy but hard working, making sure that there is food on the table at the proper time. She also cares for her maids and visitors not starving them.
Caring also has to do with the neatness of the house. You must have a good maintenance culture. This will reflect on repairs of damaged properties, replacing of those that are beyond repairs. Changing of your husbands and children wears, putting of new blinds, new bed spreads and new kitchen utensils. Sometimes you may not be appreciated; your children may be careless or reckless. Keep caring for every body. God is your good rewarder.
Test of Giving:
Prov. 31:20 and prov. 11:24-25. John 3:16. God first of all showed us example on how to give. He gave his son for our redemption and salvation. His love for us made Him not to withhold His son Jesus Christ from dying on the cross for us. The love of God in your heart will propel you to give always even when it is difficult to give. Prov. 22:9. Giving to the poor and less privileged attracts God's blessing to you. Your love will move you to buy gifts to your husband and children, widows, orphans on their memorable days. Dorcas so gave that her gift spoke for her when the cold hand of death visited her. Acts. 9:36-43 You can give your food, time, money, cloths even employment, whatever you have to sustain lives to the glory of God. I want you to know that what God has given to you in terms of wealth is not for you only but for you to reach and bless others positively for the kingdom of God. Givers never lack.
The more you give to those in need, the more God uses others higher than you to meet your needs.
Test of Querrel:
Prov. 11:12. This shows your ability to forgive and keep relating with people around you. In every relationship there is room for quarrel or misunderstanding on issues of which you are expected to make peace bringing in forgiveness and acceptance. When someone you love offends you, God expects you to forgive even when the person rejects your efforts to make peace. Matt. 18:21-22. At this point, it means that forgiveness has become part of your life. Love brings disagreement to perfect agreement.
Remember that the flesh always like to retaliate and finds it difficult to endure insults. Jesus said you should forgive whether you are the cause of the quarrel or not. The love of Christ in you brings solutions to unhealthy environment and coarse relationship.
Test of Consideration:
This is an act of giving others more preference than yourself. Serving others first. Consider the meaning of JOY. J = JESUS; O = OTHERS and Y = YOURSELF. If you base your life on these words, selfsentardness and selfishness will not be found in you. In John 3:16 God considered our salvation paramount that He gave He best � His Son for our redemption and salvation.
Test of Admiration:
This is an act of praising others and encouraging hard work. Appreciating abilities and good efforts in other people. Admiration of the beauty of nature. Always appreciate the goodness of God in people around you. Be an encourager of good efforts and behaviors. Do not always see the negative sides of your husband and children, try to find out that good gifts God has put in them. Be humorous � creating a happy atmosphere � making people around you to laugh and be joyous. Prov. 11:16
Test of Sacrifice:
In the book of 1st Kings Chapter 17:8-24. Elijah asked the woman to make for him first the only meal in the house. The Zarephath woman did not find it funny. Her love and obedience to God made her to obey the man of God which changed her destiny. Be ready to serve others even when it is impossible, for with God all things are possible. Both good and bad experiences are working out good for you.
In Prov. 31 :10-31, the bible says that the virtuous woman goes out very early in the morning and she is the last to go to bed and sleep for the love she has for her husband and children. She never gets discouraged and never gives up.
In Prov. 31 :10-31, the bible says that the virtuous woman goes out very early in the morning and she is the last to go to bed and sleep for the love she has for her husband and children. She never gets discouraged and never gives up.
Test of Crisis:
As a child of God, you must be able to cope in times of challenges caused by death, barrenness, sickness, loss of job, and loss of wealth � tragedy. Sometimes, loss of job or death of loved one may cause you to have a rethink of continuing loving God and members or your family. You should not stop doing good. You must not stop going to church, reading your bible or praying. God is your comforter. 2nd Cor. 1:2-11
Conclusion:
Abraham's love was tested but he did not fail God nor give up his wife. Gen 12:10-20; 13:1-18; 14:1-24; 18:1-33; 20:1-18; 22:1-19. Hannah's love was tested with barrenness and sacrificial given of her only son for the work of God. She was faithful to God and her husband 1st Sam. 1:1-28; 2:1-11.
Mary the mother of our Lord Jesus did not give up even when her son hangs on the cross. Dorcas was remembered for her love. Mary and Matter did not give up even when their brother was in the grave. Why must you give up when your love is tested? God has promised and will not go back. Heb.13:5-6. Why must you throw in the towel just because there is no food on the table or you have suffered so much in taking him or her from one hospital to the other yet no improvement with all money spent? The wife of Job got it wrong and she was rebuked for failing to love in times of sickness, difficulties, loss of wealth and death of children. Show a good example as an instrument of righteousness in GOD's hand. We are sojourners. John 14:1-2 tells us that our mansions are there waiting for us. One day we will be there never to part again for ever.
Women That Move The Hands of God
Titus 2: 3-5: admonish the old women to be reverence in behavior, not, slanderers nor given to much wine, teaching of good things, young women to love their husbands and to love their children.
Be discreet, chaste, home-masters, good, and obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5: Teach the older women to be quiet and respectful in everything they do. They must not go around speaking of evil of others and must not be heavy drinkers but should be teachers of goodness.
The old women must train the younger women to live quietly, to love their husbands and their children and to be sensible and clean-minded, spending their time in their homes, being kind and obedient to their husbands so that the Christian faith won't be spoken against by those who know them.
1 Timothy 2:15: So God sent pain and suffering to women when their children are born, but he will save their souls if they trust in him, living quietly, being good and loves lives. 1 Timothy 2:15: Nevertheless she will be saved in child bearing if they continue in faith, love and holiness with self-control. Discreet: Careful or showing good judgment in what one says or does. Chaste: Not having sex except with your husband you are married to. Absenting yourself from outside sex. Be pure and decent in behavior and speech.
From the scriptures above, you will discover that for you as a woman to move the hands of God to work in your life, in your husband, in your children and entire family, you must first of all love the Lord with all your heart.
You will take a step of faith by surrounding your life to Jesus Christ, accepting him as your Lord and personal Savior. There must be a transformation in your life. You surrender your life to Jesus Christ, your sins will be forgiven and your past life washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says anyone who is in Christ is a new creature, old life style is passed away and now your present life is new. Living and working according to the directions of the Holy Spirit establishing relationship with God's people, reaching your bible, attending fellowship, praying and fasting, praising God and caring for others.
Remember as far as you are a woman whether single or married, a widow or a single mother, God is expecting that degree of holiness and relationship from you. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that whatever class you belong, that there is a witness. You have no excuse not to serve God because he died and shed his blood on the cross of Calvary for you. As far as there is life in you, you have the opportunity to take this important decision in your heart, ask Jesus to come in.
Be determined to leave your old life that glorified the devil and hand over totally to Jesus to control, fill and direct. Do not be ashamed, yes they will laugh and mock at you but it does not matter, you are in for eternal value. God will give you peace of heart and faith to serve him. He will fill you with the Holy Spirit and your life will never be the same. God will prepare you for his second coming when all the genuine believers will be taken to heaven 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; John 14:1-2.
The new life will be seen by your husband, friends, parents, children, colleague and the people all around you. Matthew 5:15-16. Having done this, you have positioned yourself for greatness that god is first in your life.
Now we are going to look into your relationship with your husband, children, and others one by one that will make you a virtuous woman. To be Continued...
For All The Wives
"...but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." Genesis 2:20b-22
God brought the woman to the man because the man needed a help meet. So often the world will tell us that a man is what we need to make us happy. Being the help meet is what truly makes us happy. God tells us that we, as women, are made for the man. When God gives us to a man to be his wife, our purpose is to help him and not harm him.
It is so easy to get caught up in wanting to have our own needs met, but our purpose is to meet the needs of our husbands. In doing this we find true fulfillment because that is what our divine purpose really is.
When we are a true help meet to our husbands, there are great rewards. It produces appreciation, love and commitment from the person being served. Jesus is our example of being a servant (one who helps). He was never in a rush, always taking the time to listen and to meet the needs of each one who came to him for help. How often do we get in a hurry and push our husbands to do something instead of patiently waiting and being kind? How often do we "half" listen to them when they are talking about something that doesn't interest us, instead of really hearing them? If we don't give them the attention they need, there is always another woman out in the world who will listen to them.
Proverbs 31:12 says, "She (the wife) will do him (the husband) good and not evil all the days of her life." We need to pray every day for God to show us ways to do good to our husbands. Not only will this please our husbands, but God will be pleased also.
