Different cultures have different expectations of both the husband and the wife in marriage. For years it seems that the woman's place was in the home. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, waiting on her husband's every whim.
The pendulum has swung so far to one side that often stay at home moms get a bad wrap in our society.
Stay at home moms today work hard often with little appreciation from their husbands.
But wether you are a stay at home mom or you are out in the work place when you read Proverbs 31 you can see that the wife described there was a very busy woman indeed!
Wives need to be appreciated and loved regardless of what our culture or society expects them to be or do.
Husbands need a lot of love too! Our society expects them to be the wage earner and provider of the family. Many families today however are double income families. It's gotten more expensive it seems to raise a family.
The Lord is less concerned about what you do than who you are. When the prophet Samuel went to Jesse's home to anoint the next King of Israel and he saw Jesse's firstborn son he thought that surely this was the one God had picked because he looked like a king but God told Samuel that he was not the one. He said to Samuel, "Men look on the outside but God looks at the inside."
While our culture may try to impose their ideals on our marriages we must live our lives according to God's Word.
Ultimately it is what God thinks that matters in the end.
"Wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord."
"Husbands love you wives as Christ loved the church, laying down his life for her."
Maybe we should concentrate on what God says to us and quit worrying about our spouse since we cannot change anyone else. We can only change ourselves.
What do you think?
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12 comments:
That is right Pastor. If we are doing our part as the spouse including praying for our spouse then we should have nothing to worry about. God does everything in His perfect timing, and that is what we have to count on. If we listen to what He says and do what the bible says then we know we are doing the right thing. God will take of the rest.
One of my goals in life is to be a Proverbs 31 woman of God, and I am slowly but surly becoming that. Infact it is time I read that chapter again and get it into my mind, body, and spirit!!!
CHENOA
I DO AGREE THAT WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR SELFS IF WE ARE WANTING ANY CHANGES IN OUR HOME. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. BECAUSE WE ALWAYS THINK THAT OUR SPOUSE OR OUR CHILDREN NEED TO MAKE THE CHANGE AND THEY DO BUT I NEED TO BE THE FIRST ONE IF I WANT CHANGES IN MY HOUSE HOLD.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF WIFE SAYING HOME AND ALSO FINDING AWAY TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY FOR THE HOUSE HOLD. I LOVE PROVERBS 31.
SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Yes, I do think we should concentrate on what God says since we can't change anyone else. Honestly, after I read someone's response on yesterday's blog it got my dander up. I know someone was probably trying to be funny but it wasn't making me laugh. Sam replied reminding everyone to read ephesians 5:22-23. After I read that I realized something kind of profound. I can REACT in my flesh to whatever it may be that I don't agree with or I can STOP and think about ephesians 5: 22-23 or think about what God's word says.
Last night after reading that scripture the Lord took every bit of anger from me and replaced it with love and understanding. That truly was an eye opening experience for me and my marriage. I took God's word and applied it rather than react in my flesh.
P.S. anonymous 1...I know who you are and I love you babe.
..open communication is a major part of a marriage. Our own fears of being rejected by our spouse, will keep us from truly dealing with the thing that is trying to distroy our marriages, today.
I agree with the word of God, and that being obedient to it is the only way our marriages will last to eternity. Being willing, with God's help, to make applicable changes in our own lives first, will produce a change in our spouse. We should not put a period, where God put's a comma..
I did buy a new scooter, I did! Thanks Pastor!
I learned a long time ago that trying to turn my spouse into what I wanted him to be did not work. My prayer changed from "Lord change him to Lord turn me into the wife that he needs." Aha! It worked. I want an extraordinary marriage. The Proverbs 31 is my goal but I know that it looks at this woman over a life time. It doesn't happen over night. It is a progression of a life devoted to christ. When that happens it will spill into every area of our lives. I'm not there yet, but I'm living it out. I;m a stay at home mom. The appreciation isn't always there. We do get a bad rap in the world but I stopped caring about what people think a long time ago. The proof is in the pudding. My pudding is my marriage, my children and my ministry. At the end that is all that will matter. My legacy!!!!
I'd like to take a few minutes and thank every person who took the time to add their thoughts to todays blog. I have really learned alot from everyone's experience and I know someone else may have learned something too.
A marriage needs to be a safe haven for both spouses. It needs to be a place where each one can express themselves openly without fear of rebuke, condescension, or not being taken seriously. Unconditional love and acceptance need to expressed at all times in order for each to have the liberty to grow in Christ, as an individual, and as a couple. this allows also for the availability, encouragement, and freedom for one to allow God to have the freedom to make changes in their lives. If there is not freedom within the marriage to change, the freedom we seek in God is sometimes hindered, for example: hindered prayers..... I know as a husband that I need to know my limitations, I need to incorporate my wife in the decisions made in our marriage. I need to humbly admit my mistakes and that I have weaknesses which may be my wife's strong points. Where humility is found, grace and openness abound. Am I perfect? Not at all, ask Lana, my family and friends. This I do know: I know who I am as a child of God and the priest of my home, I am a man in need of God's grace all the time....... Now when I was younger, I used to think that my wife should have immediately been the Proverbs 31 woman either before or as soon as we were married. O, the foolishness of youth! That Proverbs 31 woman happens through the seasons of life. I applaud all the stay at home moms and those working mothers!! I applaud all the hard working husbands who spill their life's energies to pay the bills. Most of all I applaud God for supplying our daily bread and for the wonderful spouses He's given us!! You go God!!!!!
So beautifully said Franknlana.
These are all great comments, but we missed the point. God created man to be strong physically so that he can go out and earn the sustenance God has assigned for him and his family. The wife is supposed to be staying at home and holding down the fort, taking care of house and kids. Man and woman are suppose to complement each other, and they both appreciate each other as commanded by God in the good book. However today's man is selfish and greedy individual, who is never satisfied with what God has provided for him and his family and is sold to possessing worldly materials. The result of which is has driven good women to work out of home. This has caused innumerable social problems that we see today such as 50% divorces, 3 in every 4 married man has committed adultery, teenage pregnancy (due to no supervision at home), latch key kids, etc etc. Therefore unless we follow Gods word and encourage our wives to do what is expected of them by God, we are nothing but hypocrites, because we live our lives by what we want rather than by what we need. Be content with what you have and do not fall to the liberal propaganda as illustrated in the blog.
These are all great comments, but we missed the point. God created man to be strong physically so that he can go out and earn the sustenance God has assigned for him and his family. The wife is supposed to be staying at home and holding down the fort, taking care of house and kids. Man and woman are suppose to complement each other, and they both appreciate each other as commanded by God in the good book. However today's man is selfish and greedy individual, who is never satisfied with what God has provided for him and his family and is sold to possessing worldly materials. The result of which is has driven good women to work out of home. This has caused innumerable social problems that we see today such as 50% divorces, 3 in every 4 married man has committed adultery, teenage pregnancy (due to no supervision at home), latch key kids, etc etc. Therefore unless we follow Gods word and encourage our wives to do what is expected of them by God, we are nothing but hypocrites, because we live our lives by what we want rather than by what we need. Be content with what you have and do not fall to the liberal propaganda as illustrated in the blog.
We thank you for sharing your views.
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom James 3:13
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