April 26, 2024

Respect

September 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

If only You, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of You with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse Your name.
Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against You?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
Psalms 139:19-22

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As we go through life, we have choices.  The choices we make determine our future.  We can choose to serve God or our own needs or wants.  Just as David decided to trust God with his life through all he experienced, we can learn to walk through our trials in this life.

Our memories and reactions are just as unique as we are.  There are similarities between us, but we are unique.  Our families have formed us to be who we are.  Our dads are usually how we compare who God is.  I was adopted by my aunt and uncle.  I am not sure how old I was, but I do know they did the best they could in raising me and my cousin, their son.

Dad always did what he could by us kids and by mom.  He provided a place for us to live and thrive when we moved to the country.  He set mom up in a grocery store.  We were able to walk to elementary school and grew up protected.  There were not the typical pressures of living in a big city and attending a large school getting lost in the crowd.

We thrived and grew and matured.  We respected what our parents was able to do for us.  Especially now that we are older. I remember thinking I won’t say that to my kids and then I hear myself saying it to my son or daughter. Yeah, I had those days.  I would have days where I truly disliked my parents because I thought they were unfair and that I would not ever leave.  But I did, and through lots of tears and forgiveness, I have been able to respect my parents.

Through respecting and honoring them, I am showing the same respect for God.  God tells us we will be blessed with long life and abundance when we respect and honor our parents.  But we also need to teach this to our children and to those around us.  When everyone has a respect for each other, then this world will become a better place.  It only needs to start with us.

Honor your father and your mother,
so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Exodus 20: 12

In our time, as in David’s, ignorance prevents us from being in line with God’s best for us.  When we begin to serve our own desires we are out of God’s plan.  We need only to repent and turn back to Him

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Father, forgive us for when we seek our own way and not Your way.  Thank You for providing Your Holy Spirit as a guide and a reminder to us to return to You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Esther Chapter 1:20-22

September 6, 2013 by

I have been Vashti.  Up until these past few years, I have not respected nor submitted to my husband.  In fact, I would say rebellious would be the word for me.  And the saddest part, other than my disobedience to God, is that my “kingdom” witnessed my rebellion and they too lost respect for the king of our home—their daddy.  I wish I could say that I didn’t know what I was doing, but the truth is, I did know!  As women, we can be manipulative, and have selfish motives. Maybe Vashti and I thought we would look stronger in the eyes of our people and the respect that we so deserved would be ours alone.  But it didn’t work out that way. Nor did it for Vashti.

Physically, she paid with her life.  Spiritually, I paid with mine.  It’s no coincidence that the Scripture Darlene referred to were the verses that changed my family.  Ephesians 5:22-24 “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Did you see that word, everything?  That means we can’t pick and choose what we submit to, nor can we pick and choose which laws of God’s we are going to obey.  God doesn’t say “If your husband is a believer, then respect him and obey him,” does He?  No, He doesn’t.  And even if you are the spiritual leader in your home, like I was for a time, you still have to respect and pray for discernment and obey him.  God is going to honor your obedience and protect your decisions from harming your family.  He will place a hedge of protection around your children as He promises.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to be your guide and to fill your husband with wisdom as you practice obedience in this season of your life.  Submission comes easier to some, while others have to swallow some pride and realize it is not about that, it’s about being obedient in your walk with Jesus.

This verse also applies to Jesus and the body of believers known as the church.  We have trusted Jesus as our Savior and received eternal life.  In the New Testament, Jesus, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen us to be His bride.  Our responsibility is to be faithful to Him (Ephesians 5:24).

2 Corinthians 11:2 says, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him.”  As believers, we who are the Bride of Christ await with great excitement for the day when we will be reunited with Him. Until then we remain faithful to Him, and faithful to our earthly husband.

“The Queen must submit to the King” is the most important message of all. Who is our King? Jesus.  Who is His queen?  We are!  God commands that He is to be King over His household…that means all of us.  Esther 1:20-22 are the verses of today’s lesson.  We know that Vashti, for whatever reason, disobeys the king and does not show up at his banquet. As a result, he sends out a decree to his entire empire commanding that all husbands everywhere are to receive proper respect from their wives. The NLT translation says, “every man should be ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.”  This is the way the chapter ends.

God is never mentioned in this book nor does He show up in any form.  No one prays and no miracles are spoken of either.  But God is in the shadows throughout the book.  He works behind the scenes, not with a visible hand of miracles, but with His invisible hand always providing.  For those of you who wonder if God is in your life because you haven’t seen Him in a while, or heard His voice in quite some time—Esther’s life is like yours, and God’s work in her own life will show you God’s work in yours.

Used with permission. www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

Used with permission.
www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

 

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, we are weak.  We know that You have hidden things in this book that are deep and hard for us to grasp.  Help us to see that here is a story of all that You are able to do in our lives as we commit to being submissive and obedient to You.  Help us to tear down the veil of pride and bitterness and open up to being that respectful wife that You have called us to be.  Lord, if we aren’t married, may we submit to You in such a way that Your people will be led to You by the way we are living our lives.  Thank You for this book.   Thank You for the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf. We love You and praise You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Resolution for Women – Hopes and Fears

September 5, 2012 by

If your husband were to describe your marriage to a stranger, what do you think he would say?  If he were to describe you, as his wife, to this stranger, what do you think he would say?

Last night, Girlfriends Coffee Hour hosted a conference call with two women who have both been married 30+ years.  In today’s society, 30 years is an amazing feat!  Together these two women shared much wisdom!  I would like to reiterate what was shared on this call because it just fits perfectly with this chapter of The Resolution for Women.

The keys to a successful marriage:

  • Jesus has to be the foundation.  Without Him, our foundation will not be secure and stable.
  • Choosing is critical to a successful marriage.  Choosing to love him, respect, and encourage him, on a daily basis.  Choosing to see the best in him.  Choosing to always provide for him, and be there for him.
  • Remembering that marriage is a COVENANT.  There is no room for the word “divorce” in your vocabulary!  “No matter what, I will choose to love and to stay!”  Divorce is NOT an option!
  • Mutual respect
  • Never taking each other too seriously.  Being able to laugh with each other.
  • Dating at least 2 times a month to keep the romance alive.
  • Know each others “love language”.
  • Spend time in the Word, and in Prayer.  This is the glue that will hold your marriage together.
  • Love Unconditionally
  • Show your husband respect.
  • Encourage your husband.
  • Support your husband in every way.
  • Pray for your husband.
  • NEVER speak badly about your husband to others.  EVER!

This was an amazing call last night, and I was very blessed by the words of wisdom that were shared by both of our Guest Speakers!

________________

In this chapter of Resolution for Women, we are discussing our husbands Hopes and Fears.  The two fears that were mentioned in this chapter were “Fear of being inadequate” and “Fear of being controlled.  I’m not going to spend a lot of time going over the details of each of these fears, because it’s all available to you in the book.  But, what I am going to focus on today are some statements that were shared in this chapter that stood out to me.  I’d like to reiterate these statements that Priscilla mentioned, to help us remain focused on areas that will benefit our ability to fulfill our husbands.

I want to start by asking a question mentioned on page 194, but in my own words:  “What would your husband do differently if he knew he couldn’t lose your love and respect, no matter what he did?”

Would he be able to be free to do what he’s always wanted to do?  Or would he be held back by his fear of what you would think of him?

Would he be assured of your encouragement and support?  Would he know without a doubt that you would support him and inspire him to do even greater things?  What do you think it would do for him emotionally if you were to be 100% supportive of his dream?

As Priscilla says, “Only one way to find out.”

Your husband needs to know that you trust him.  He needs to know that you believe that he is capable, honorable, and worthy of your attention and admiration.  He needs to know that you believe in him despite his inadequacies.  He needs to know that you are praying for him.  He needs to know that your expectations of him are not higher than they should be!  None of us are perfect, and we all have inadequacies.  Ask yourself how it feels (or would feel) if your husband did not support your dream.  Put yourself in his shoes, and think about what YOU would need from him…and then give exactly that to him in support of his dream.

Maybe your husband hasn’t always made the right choices.  Maybe he isn’t the best with money.  Maybe he hasn’t been the best role model to your children. But even so, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT HIM!  You can resolve to be a better encourager.  You can become better at affirming him, supporting him, and respecting him.  If this is an area that you struggle with, seek counseling from your Pastor, or a Christian Counselor to help re-establish this trust and confidence in him, and to become more of his cheerleader than someone who constantly puts him down.

You are the helpmeet God created for your husband.  God created YOU to be the one who shows respect, love, honor and encouragement to your husband.  If this doesn’t come easy for you in your own marriage, then seek God for His wisdom and direction. Ask God into your marriage if He isn’t a part of it already.  Pray for your husband.  Ask God to help him in the areas that he is weak, or needs wisdom.  PRAYER WORKS Ladies!  Prayer works MUCH BETTER than nagging does, any day of the week!!  🙂

These ladies on last nights conference call shared much wisdom with us.  After 30+ years of marriage, they still go out on dates.  They still hold hands.  He still opens the door for her.  He still puts his arm around her when they sit together.  They still laugh together.  They pray together.  They trust each other.   They both respect their husbands.

What can you do today, right now, to start showing your husband the respect and honor that he so strongly desires?  To feel like a real man?  I want to reiterate what Priscilla shared in this chapter on how you can start making the necessary changes to fulfill your husband….today:

  • Start with just one day.  24 hours.
  • REFUSE to allow yourself to correct him, or offer any unsolicited advice, or criticize his choices.
  • Go to the restaurant HE wants.
  • Let the kids wear the clothes HE picked out, even if they don’t match!!

Here a few of my own:

  • Don’t criticize his driving.
  • ASK for his opinion and then listen to it!
  • Don’t put down his family in front of others.
  • Don’t disrespect him at home, or in front of others; especially in front of the children!
  • Have a good meal on the table when he gets home.
  • Thank him for being a hard worker and taking care of the family financially.
  • Thank him for being such a good dad.
  • Tell him what a great lover he is.
  • Tell him what a great husband he is.
  • Tell him how handsome he is.
  • Tell him you love him every single day.
  • Kiss him hello and goodbye, every day.
  • Tell him how proud you are to be his wife.

These are just few suggestions.  I know there are plenty of books and online sites that are great tools to use to find ways to encourage your husband.  Focus on the Family has some great articles on this subject!!  Take the time to look it up, and then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!  🙂  I know without a doubt your husband will appreciate it, and you will begin to see changes in him that are for the better! And that’s a promise!

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Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You so much for the husband You have given each one of us.  Help us to be the kind of wife that he needs every day.  Help us to be the perfect helpmeet that You created us to be.  In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

Your Assignment:

In the comment section below, list 3 things that you LOVE about your husband, and then tonight when you are alone with him, tell him exactly what you have shared here.  I KNOW he will appreciate it!!

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After you have commented below, go back to our Online Bible Study Group on Facebook to see what our Daily Activity is. If you do not yet belong to our OBS Facebook group, and would like to, please send an email to: GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com  

We’ll send you the details needed to get you into this group!

Don’t forget to stop by Craig’s blog to see what the guys are up to with The Resolution for Men.

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

Be blessed!

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