I have the privilege of doing a devotional at a bridal shower for a young woman today. Immediately upon my invitation to do so, I started meditating on Proverbs 31 - one of the most important scriptures concerning God's will for the Christian wife. It is an acrostic poem describing some 20 traits of an excellent wife. The passage is beautiful!
Martha Peace, in her book The Excellent Wife, says, " God has called every Christian wife to His excellence. Any flower can bloom when it is tended by God's hand. A wife's responsibility is to learn to put her confidence in the faithfulness of God and His word - to do what He says. She can become what he wants her to become if she does what He wants her to do. There is no other way!"
I see three themes in this passage...
FIRST -The excellent wife fears the Lord first and foremost (vs 30). All else flows out of this.
SECOND - She pours her life out for others. She gives her life away. She is others focused as Christ was. Her life is characterized by redemptive relationships - spending herself for the good of others.
THIRD -She is capable. She is skilled. She practices her God given abilities and she cultivates her mind.
FOURTH - She is influential. It makes sense doesn't it? The woman who labors with purpose and serves selflessly would exert influence on those around her.
At the shower, I will speak about these themes. And each woman will receive a small page of a scrapbook with a header describing one of the attributes. They will write a prayer for the bride on their given characteristic.
Then we will have prayer time, praying all these characteristics to be cultivated in Jessica's life and in her ministry as a wife.
Listen to the characteristics, condensed and paraphrased from Proverbs 31:10-31.
The list is convicting and encouraging.
It is the wife I want to be.
It is the wife God wants us to be.....
An excellent wife fears the Lord
An excellent wife is not afraid of an unknown future
An excellent wife is of exceptional worth
An excellent wife is respectful to her husband
An excellent wife is wise, instructing others with her life and her words
An excellent wife is selfless and generous with her time and talents, involving herself in her
community and world
An excellent wife is good to her husband
An excellent wife serves her household with creativity, integrity and purpose
An excellent wife works willingly and diligently with her hands
An excellent wife exerts influence on her children and husband
An excellent wife is kind
An excellent wife is trustworthy
An excellent wife is skilled and she cultivates her abilities through practice
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels!
