Lesson 18

Christ, The Wife's Heart--Part One

The following is a summary adaptation of material from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. Used by permission.

This lesson begins by allowing us to examine our hearts before the Lord and to learn how to center our thoughts, motives, and desires on pleasing Him. The main point of our last lesson reflected on the truth that God wants our thoughts, motives, and choices to be focused on glorifying Him, not on satisfying our own heart's desires, which are at times idolatrous. We also discovered that an idol is anything that we devote ourselves to, that distracts or hinders our relationship with the Lord.

Now, let' s consider Allison. She' s a woman whose desire has become an idol/lust. As you read her story, picture yourself as Allison. On Page 65, Mrs. Peace shares with us Allison' s story:

"Allison begins to tell her story as big tears well up in her eyes. She says that her husband is the problem as he is "not affectionate, he uses me for sex, and he never tells me that he loves me. He doesn' t talk much, and he watches TV all the time. He'll do things for me if I ask him, but he should be taking initiative. When I try to talk to him about this, he gets aggravated with me so I just drop the subject. He' s a good man, but I don' t want to live the rest of my life with a husband who doesn' t love me. He doesn' t really care. I don't know what to do. I' m miserable."

Wow! I can honestly say that Allison' s story is not a peculiar one. It' s a difficult situation to be in when you as a wife desire to see change, yet your husband seems content with the way things are. You want him to see what you see, yet he doesn' t.

The desire s that Allison have are not bad desires, but as we've revealed already, Her heart is " fixed" on experiencing these feelings rather than on worshipping God. This makes here desires or motives wrong. She's absorbed with the concept of her husband being and treating her a certain way. She feels that if he changes, she will be happy. As a result, she experiences frustration, disappointment, and pain. For many of us, we' ve been deceived early on in marriage by our preconceived notion that our husbands will in some way make us "complete." I believe that this is one reason why we feel let down when this doesn't happen. God never intended for us to find our ' completeness' in man. It' s only through your relationship with the Lord that you will be made complete.

" And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power."Colossians 2:10

To be complete has the idea of one who is made whole, or one who is filled. Therefore, the wife finds herself whole/complete as she' s filled with the desires of the Lord.

Now, let' s consider the Psalmist' s hearts desire. He desired, longed for and searched for God with " all of his heart." Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart." Psalm 119:2 As you read Psalm 119 notice the condition of the Psalmist' s heart. Write down some of the phrases that stand out to you and begin praying these for your life.

Here are a few descriptive phrases that describe the Psalmist' s sole desire; to have a oneness/relationship with the Lord:

I delight...I long for... I am thine... I love thy commandment... I rejoice at thy Word... I love thy law... incline my heart... you' re the joy of my heart...

Are your desires for God like that of the Psalmist's? It is clear that he longed to know God. He sought after an intimate relationship with the Lord. His delight was in being obedient to God. This type of heart is known as a heart that has " God-Honoring Desires." My sisters, there is always hope. God wants to give each of us this type of heart. It' s the very heart that Christ had. It's a heart that seeks to do the will of the Father (God). In John 6:38, Jesus makes this declaration:

"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

A wife with this heart finds her satisfaction in being a kind, loving example of Christ Jesus to her husband. She delights in serving him because she knows that in doing so she is ultimately serving the Lord. She has a sincere longing to know God and wants to live a life that will bring Him glory and honor.

Where does a wife get this type of heart? This heart transformation can only be given to us as we give our lives over to the Lord. As we surrender and are yielded to God, He begins to change our wrong motives and desires to those that are right and pure. If you ask God to fill your heart with a passion for Him, He will! It starts with you. You must act upon what the Lord is revealing to you.

It' s my desire to see you abide in Him and rely upon the Holy Spirit to do the work in you that God has promised. In your struggles, He is performing a work in you. If you walk away from it, you will short circuit His blessings. I've learned that in the times of struggle, God was forcing me to grow. He wants to see more and more of Him as you grow more and more like Him.

Do you see a need for the Lord to perform spiritual heart surgery? Ezekiel 36:26 says:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Go to your loving, patient, and caring Father. He waits with arms open wide. He' s full of mercy. His love is never-ending.

As we close, two words come to my mind as I ponder Psalm 119 in my heart:

COMPLETE SURRENDER

Ladies, God' s way is THE only way. He will direct your steps. He is constantly at work in your life. Rest in these promises and be assured that God will see you through.

Next week we will continue this study on " Christ--the Wife's Heart. As we discuss " Wrong and Right Motives" we will look at some practical methods that the wife can practice to assist her in taking active measures to develop the heart of Christ.

Taken from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. 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.