Thursday, February 21, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Okay, I'm a little behind on posting the chapters but I will try to condense the last two sections here:
Chapters seven & eight: the "older" women are to be teachers of good things...to the younger women. So far we've learned the things that we should or shouldn't do as Christian women. Now God is telling us to pass those on, whether we are physically older than another woman or spiritually older.
John McArthur states "When godly Christian women do not infuse the younger generation with the things of God, the church comes to dire straits." And isn't this true.
We as women are to teach our children (boys and girls, nieces, granddaughters, etc) and to be teachers of younger women in the church. It is a God-given role.
We are to teach these women (both our children and the women of our church), how to love their husbands, their childre, to be sensible, to be pure, to be homemakers, to be kind and to follow their husband's leadership. Most of this can be done just by our example but other times it requires verbal direction.
Why are we to do this? To encourage the younger women. How I have been encouraged when someone older than me shares something they went through that I can say, wow, I thought I was the only one to deal with that...and then to learn how they handled it.
Elizabeth and Mary is a good example of this. When Mary found out she was pregnant, she went to be with Elizabeth for two months. During that time, they shared a lot. The Bible doesn't say what specifically but imagine two women together for two months. Elizabeth encouraged Mary spiritually through example, through sharing devotions together, by teaching her to be a mother...even though at that time she was in the same place that Mary was - first time mom. This made me realize that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, she didn't know Elizabeth was pregnant - but she went to her anyway needing a strong woman to lean on. Just because someone hasn't been through the issue we are going through, doesn't mean that we can't ask for their direction and prayer support.
We must be in a grow and show mode. We should always be seeking God's direction - growing and then taking that to teach those around us - show. If you are not growing, that needs to be your first priority. Then once you are growing, then you are better off to show.
Titus 2:3-5 gives us the basis for what we should teach. But over all and through all we teach, one consistent element needs to be in all encounters – spiritual life/devotional life. We are to teach that, yes, we as older godly woman are here for encouragement but to get the true answers, we need to seek the Lord. And hold them accountable.
Why? They could turn to so many other sources for practical advice. What you as a godly woman could pass on about marriage, family and home life, is spiritual instruction.
We are all older than someone. When I started this study, I thought about my younger women as those in their 20s and early 30s...but God doesn't limit it to that...he says younger women...which for me starts with the little girls in the nursery, my nieces and the little girls at church, the teen girls, the newly married, almost married and the 20s and 30s. Most of my reach with them will be in the way I live but God gives me a chance with each of them to make a difference by word of mouth - working in the nursery to teach them to respect their fathers, working with the young girls and teens to talk to them about purity, talking to those who are about to be married/just married on what it means to respect your husband and then there are the older women than me that are newer Christians than me that I can also have an impact on.
Think of who is older and younger than you and seek them out to either teach them or ask for ways to be taught...watch them and learn from them.
Chapters nine and ten: admonish the young women to love their husbands.
I was glad this fell on the week of Valentine's day. Then the day before sharing it with my group, we were asked to join in the visitation emphasis that evening. So, I printed out this weeks lesson and passed it out to all the women who came into the church that night and even emailed it to a few. I felt like this was an important lesson for every married women and those who's husband's have left them (one way or another) because this is a lesson for us to live and then also to share. This is #1 on God's list of things to do.
Our role as a wife is to help our husband - Woman was created after man, from man, for the man, & for a purpose – to help him (Gen 2:18). This means that the man needed a companion, a helper, someone to complete him; to follow our husband - Follow or Submit is a military term portraying the voluntary lining up of one person under the authority of another, to willingly rank oneself under another. It is a choice. We are not only to submit to our husbands because it is God’s will but also because God’s Word would be ridiculed if the watching world were to see a disobedient wife. When we fail to follow our husband, the word of God is dishonored; to respect our husband - Ephesians 5:33 – Actively demonstrating & showing high regard for him in ways that all can see. Your admiration should be always on display, so no one can miss it; and love our husband.
This love was not to meant as a romantic love but as a friendship love - greek word is philandros. A willing and determined love. When you think of friendship love, you think of your best girlfriend. What do you do for her? Pray for her? Call her? Check on how she's doing? Ask her to lunch? Now traslate that to your husband. It is obvious, it is demonstrated, it is communicated by how we act toward him. In the manner in which we take care of him. In the way we speak to him. In the way we speak about him. In the things we do for him.
Love is a choice. Yes, we all know there are days that we have to will ourselves to love our husbands. Then, because we repeatedly choose to be loving and devoted, our devotion grows into friendship that is solid and lasting and deeply ingrained. We are to love our husband as a best friend, as someone we enjoy and enjoy being with. To spoil him. To think of him. To pray for him. To encourage him. To welcome him. To nurture a deep friendship with him.
Choose to be like the Shulamite woman was with King Solomon - she couldnt' stop talking about him to others and to him. (Song of Solomon 5)
Three practices for your marriage: 1. Pray for him. What a great gift. Think of all the things about him: his job, his coworkers, his projects, his role as a husband, provider, father, his roles at church, etc and choose to pray for him each day in each of these areas and any others that come to mind. 2. Praise him. To others and directly to him. For some men, it may be hard to find something to praise about. But begin looking and you will be amazed at how many things you find to praise him about. 3. Pamper him. Yes, men like to be pampered too. One lady mentioned that she brings her husband tea every afternoon when he gets home. Another bakes her husband cookies each night before bed (she makes the dough up ahead of time and puts the balls of dough in the freezer so she can pull them out as she needs them). What does your husband like...figure it out and do it...daily.
These are little things – but they are little things that deliver a loud and a large message!
Think of ways that you can start helping your husband today. Think of ways to start following your husband today. Think of ways to start respecting your husband today and ways to love your husband today.
And now think of this as being the older woman...what an impact you can have on the younger women by making this area a priority and a visual example to them.
Not married yet - watch other women who are and seek out those who are living their life out this way.
Husband deceased or divorced - you still can have an impact on the younger women by the way you talk about your husband and by sharing things that you learned when you were married. Everyone can make an impact on someone else.
Next week...A high calling to your family.
Chapters seven & eight: the "older" women are to be teachers of good things...to the younger women. So far we've learned the things that we should or shouldn't do as Christian women. Now God is telling us to pass those on, whether we are physically older than another woman or spiritually older.
John McArthur states "When godly Christian women do not infuse the younger generation with the things of God, the church comes to dire straits." And isn't this true.
We as women are to teach our children (boys and girls, nieces, granddaughters, etc) and to be teachers of younger women in the church. It is a God-given role.
We are to teach these women (both our children and the women of our church), how to love their husbands, their childre, to be sensible, to be pure, to be homemakers, to be kind and to follow their husband's leadership. Most of this can be done just by our example but other times it requires verbal direction.
Why are we to do this? To encourage the younger women. How I have been encouraged when someone older than me shares something they went through that I can say, wow, I thought I was the only one to deal with that...and then to learn how they handled it.
Elizabeth and Mary is a good example of this. When Mary found out she was pregnant, she went to be with Elizabeth for two months. During that time, they shared a lot. The Bible doesn't say what specifically but imagine two women together for two months. Elizabeth encouraged Mary spiritually through example, through sharing devotions together, by teaching her to be a mother...even though at that time she was in the same place that Mary was - first time mom. This made me realize that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, she didn't know Elizabeth was pregnant - but she went to her anyway needing a strong woman to lean on. Just because someone hasn't been through the issue we are going through, doesn't mean that we can't ask for their direction and prayer support.
We must be in a grow and show mode. We should always be seeking God's direction - growing and then taking that to teach those around us - show. If you are not growing, that needs to be your first priority. Then once you are growing, then you are better off to show.
Titus 2:3-5 gives us the basis for what we should teach. But over all and through all we teach, one consistent element needs to be in all encounters – spiritual life/devotional life. We are to teach that, yes, we as older godly woman are here for encouragement but to get the true answers, we need to seek the Lord. And hold them accountable.
Why? They could turn to so many other sources for practical advice. What you as a godly woman could pass on about marriage, family and home life, is spiritual instruction.
We are all older than someone. When I started this study, I thought about my younger women as those in their 20s and early 30s...but God doesn't limit it to that...he says younger women...which for me starts with the little girls in the nursery, my nieces and the little girls at church, the teen girls, the newly married, almost married and the 20s and 30s. Most of my reach with them will be in the way I live but God gives me a chance with each of them to make a difference by word of mouth - working in the nursery to teach them to respect their fathers, working with the young girls and teens to talk to them about purity, talking to those who are about to be married/just married on what it means to respect your husband and then there are the older women than me that are newer Christians than me that I can also have an impact on.
Think of who is older and younger than you and seek them out to either teach them or ask for ways to be taught...watch them and learn from them.
Chapters nine and ten: admonish the young women to love their husbands.
I was glad this fell on the week of Valentine's day. Then the day before sharing it with my group, we were asked to join in the visitation emphasis that evening. So, I printed out this weeks lesson and passed it out to all the women who came into the church that night and even emailed it to a few. I felt like this was an important lesson for every married women and those who's husband's have left them (one way or another) because this is a lesson for us to live and then also to share. This is #1 on God's list of things to do.
Our role as a wife is to help our husband - Woman was created after man, from man, for the man, & for a purpose – to help him (Gen 2:18). This means that the man needed a companion, a helper, someone to complete him; to follow our husband - Follow or Submit is a military term portraying the voluntary lining up of one person under the authority of another, to willingly rank oneself under another. It is a choice. We are not only to submit to our husbands because it is God’s will but also because God’s Word would be ridiculed if the watching world were to see a disobedient wife. When we fail to follow our husband, the word of God is dishonored; to respect our husband - Ephesians 5:33 – Actively demonstrating & showing high regard for him in ways that all can see. Your admiration should be always on display, so no one can miss it; and love our husband.
This love was not to meant as a romantic love but as a friendship love - greek word is philandros. A willing and determined love. When you think of friendship love, you think of your best girlfriend. What do you do for her? Pray for her? Call her? Check on how she's doing? Ask her to lunch? Now traslate that to your husband. It is obvious, it is demonstrated, it is communicated by how we act toward him. In the manner in which we take care of him. In the way we speak to him. In the way we speak about him. In the things we do for him.
Love is a choice. Yes, we all know there are days that we have to will ourselves to love our husbands. Then, because we repeatedly choose to be loving and devoted, our devotion grows into friendship that is solid and lasting and deeply ingrained. We are to love our husband as a best friend, as someone we enjoy and enjoy being with. To spoil him. To think of him. To pray for him. To encourage him. To welcome him. To nurture a deep friendship with him.
Choose to be like the Shulamite woman was with King Solomon - she couldnt' stop talking about him to others and to him. (Song of Solomon 5)
Three practices for your marriage: 1. Pray for him. What a great gift. Think of all the things about him: his job, his coworkers, his projects, his role as a husband, provider, father, his roles at church, etc and choose to pray for him each day in each of these areas and any others that come to mind. 2. Praise him. To others and directly to him. For some men, it may be hard to find something to praise about. But begin looking and you will be amazed at how many things you find to praise him about. 3. Pamper him. Yes, men like to be pampered too. One lady mentioned that she brings her husband tea every afternoon when he gets home. Another bakes her husband cookies each night before bed (she makes the dough up ahead of time and puts the balls of dough in the freezer so she can pull them out as she needs them). What does your husband like...figure it out and do it...daily.
These are little things – but they are little things that deliver a loud and a large message!
Think of ways that you can start helping your husband today. Think of ways to start following your husband today. Think of ways to start respecting your husband today and ways to love your husband today.
And now think of this as being the older woman...what an impact you can have on the younger women by making this area a priority and a visual example to them.
Not married yet - watch other women who are and seek out those who are living their life out this way.
Husband deceased or divorced - you still can have an impact on the younger women by the way you talk about your husband and by sharing things that you learned when you were married. Everyone can make an impact on someone else.
Next week...A high calling to your family.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Okay, so the Amy's have made me think about the fact that just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't do something to prepare myself to lose weight after the baby. So, I'm throwing it out there for ideas. I know the traditional walking and doing video tapes to help but any other ideas? I have to watch that I don't necessarily lose weight because I am already struggling to gain the weight that I should for this baby - I wish that was the case when I'm not pregnant. Things to do at my desk, to do with Will, to do when the weather is bad, things that take 5 minutes at a time, any ideas welcome. I'm trying to encourage Todd with exercising as well so I don't want to be sitting on the couch but at the same time expecting him to do something. Watching the Biggest Loser has helped both of us with general motivation but now I need specific ideas. Thanks.
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