LESSON ONE--The following is a summary adaptation of material from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace.

Today, June 28, we will begin our study from the book, "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. This study will last for quite a long time. I feel that many women all over the world, including myself, will benefit greatly! Most important of all I believe that, as we learn and grow and become the wife and mother that God (by His grace) will cause us to become, HE will be honored and glorified in our lives and homes. As always, that is the number one goal of Women of Grace Devotionals.

 

"God's will for every Christian wife is that her most important ministry be to her husband (Genesis 2:18). After a wife's own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else should have a greater priority. Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife's time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day. Whether her husband is a faithful Christian man, or an unbeliever, God wants every Christian woman to be a godly wife-an excellent wife. This truth is so important to God that He has clearly and completely revealed it in His Word, the Bible. Indeed, the Scriptures alone are sufficient to provide the wisdom wives need for living the Christian life. One of the most important Scripture passages concerning God's will for the Christian wife is Proverbs 31. Notice that in this chapter of Proverbs are the words of King Lemuel "which his mother taught him" Proverbs 31:1 (emphasis added). In verse 10, King Lemuel asks the question:

"An excellent wife, who can find her" For her worth is far above jewels."

Who can find an excellent wife? What is an excellent wife? How is she recognized? What is she like? What does she do? These questions and more are answered in Proverbs 31:10-31. My life was radically changed by the application of these and other Scriptures. Because God gave me a heart to obey His Word and will for my life, I am becoming the godly wife that He wants me to be. He can do this in your life, too, if you are a Christian. You can, with God's help, become a godly wife, an excellent wife! That's the purpose of this book-that you might first consider what it means to be an excellent wife and then faithfully commit yourself to that end, so that you will become the wife God wants you to be! The purpose of this chapter is to give you a glimpse of what an excellent wife is in the hope that you, too, may become one. Let's start by looking at:

The Traits of the Excellent Wife

In Proverbs 31 verses 10-31, God describes twenty traits of an excellent wife. As these traits, or excellencies, are developed in a woman, her life will begin to glorify God. As a beautiful flower in the light of the morning sun reflects the glory of God's creation, an excellent wife reflects God's glory by her attitudes and actions. She might look something like this:

What a glorious reflection of God a woman becomes as she develops her ministry as a godly wife! You should ask yourself, "Are these the qualities I want in my life?" If the answer is, "Yes!" you may be thinking....

But Who Can Be That Excellent?"

We will find out next week!!

Taken from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace, pp 3-4. Copyright 1999, Focus Publishing, Bemidji, Minnesota. Used with permission for the purposes of this devotional series only. May not be reproduced or forwarded without the express consent of the publisher.

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