The Excellent Wife
Lesson 23 "Home - The Wife's Domain"
Part One: Creating a Godly Atmosphere in the Home
The following is a summary adaptation of material from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. Used by permission.
This is part one of a two part lesson entitled, "Creating a GodlyAtmosphere in the Home." The previous lessons have truly been a blessing to me as God has shed light on many areas in my life that I need to allow Him to take over and control. I am always amazed at His love for me and how He's provided the way for me to live victoriously as set forth in His Word. I pray that you too have received an abundance of the Lord's blessings as you've studied these lessons.
Let's recap last weeks lesson. We studied in detail the characteristics of a `Lazy Person/Wife' versus those of a `Self-Disciplined Person/Wife. We looked carefully at the characteristics of both of these women. This is what we noted from the passages of scripture concerning the Lazy Wife:
She:
This wife is a great burden to her family! Eventually, her home life will become a reflection of her laziness. (See Proverbs 24:30-34).
By contrast, we noted from the passages of scripture concerning the Self-Disciplined Wife:
She
This wife is a great blessing to her family. She looks well to the ways of her household. (See Proverbs 31:27).
It's important for me to recap these characteristics so that we can see the how they apply to this weeks lesson, "Creating a Godly Atmosphere." How we act is a direct reflection of what we think. Mrs. Peace begins by quoting this simple phrase; "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Most of us have seen or even used this phrase in our time. This saying does have some truth behind it. Why? Because the Wife and Mother does "set the tone" in the home. Her tone can be one that spreads "op imism" (creating hope), or it can be a tone that creates "despair" (creating a loss of hope). God wants you to set a tone of "joy" as you delight in serving Him.
On page 77, Mrs. Peace has this to say about the tone the wife portrays:
"The wife and mother who views life as a "cross to bear" influences the others in the home to think the same way. She easily robs everyone else of joy and like the yeast in the bread she bakes, her ungodly attitudes spread to everyone else. If your family were called upon to describe you, what would they say? Would they report that you are a godly Christian woman who loves life and loves her Lord? Or would they report that you are an unhappy, complaining, bitter woman?"
You may be wondering how you can begin to "cultivate" a joyful attitude as you go about your day. First let's examine the word"cultivate." It is mainly used in relationship to gardening or cropping. This will help us to see what it means to "begin toc ultivate a joyful attitude."Cultivate means, "to prepare (land) for growing crops; to till, to loosen the soil and kill weeds around (plants) to grow; to develop or improve (cultivate your mind). Are you beginning to see the picture?
In relationship to the wife having a joyful attitude, she must first repare her heart to receive the seed of God's Word in order that she may begin to grow plants of joy, biblical optimism, and delight, as she carries out her God-given role of Wife/Mother. As you start developing these attitudes, by replacing sinful thoughts with biblically optimistic thoughts, God begins to break-up the soil and pull up the weeds (sinful attitudes), then you begin to sprout spiritually as you become more like Christ. As the process is started your mind improves as you shift your focus to glorifying theLord. How then do we start? Begin by finding scriptures that point to God's goodness. Begin to meditate on them throughout your day. When you are overwhelmed, stop, and go to God's Word . Recall His goodness, bask in His faithfulness, wallow in His promises and know for sure that He is near. It's a good practice to sing of His goodness as well. The scripture is full of accounts of God's people when we're faced with difficult decisions and even despair, yet they praised theLord! Their hope was in Him. Scripture tells us to "set our minds on things above, where Christ is.... (See Colossians 3:1-4). Begin to incorporate scripture and songs of praise that glorify God and speak of His greatness and power. You will be amazed at the change of your outlook as well as the change in your attitudes.
To help us get started on our glorious journey of "cultivating a spirit of joy in our hearts," let's search the scriptures. Look closely at the following verses. ( Notice how each one speaks about our attitude and the stand weshould take when faced with difficulty :
Ephesians 5:19-20 says;"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
When you feel down, you may find it difficult to give thanks. Thank God, not for your problems but for the strength He is building in you through the difficult experiences of your life. You can be sure that God's perfect love will see you through.
Psalm 69:30 says;"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving."
God is honored when we give thanks to Him and when our lives reflect the same. The only genuine source of happiness is God, and we receive lasting joy only by seeking Him.
Psalm 50:23 says;"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God."
When you choose to praise God rather than complain and moan, He says that He's glorified! This means that God is honored when we praise Him. Even more so, when your conversation is ordered arigh t(befitting a child of God), God promises to show forth His salvation. He will deliver you from the trouble that you face. This scripture offers great hope to anyone who struggles with being controlled by the Holy Spirit. The Lord will help you to endure and make it through victoriously! We must plan to obey the Lord. I have asked the Lord to help me to delight in being obedient to Him.
II Chronicles 16:9 declares, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout thewhole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heartis perfect toward him."
God is faithful and will keep His promise concerning you. Psalm 34:1 says; "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praises shall continually be in my mouth."We should constantly reflect on the goodness of God and be in constant awareness of His great blessings toward us. It's a sad thing if we need to stop and try to remember the goodness of God, because His lovingkindness is new to us every morning that we awake. Our mouths should be filled with praise and honor to God all the day. (See Psalm 71:8).
In all of these scriptures we notice that praise has to do with the condition of the heart. It's a reflection of the attitude. It also portrays how you view God. It's closely linked with worship and thanksgiving. To worship the Lord means to give Him your whole being, your entire person. This says that you consent to His transforming work in your life. By this you choose to let Him be God in your life. This is a great privilege and the highest thing that you can do. Again, worship, praise and thanksgiving overlap as we glorify and enjoy God our Father. So in praise we admire God for who He is and what He's done. We celebrate His majesty and splendor, His sovereignty, His limitless power, and His bountiful love. In praise we exalt His name, we magnify Him. When we praise God, we speak of His greatness to others as well as directly to Him. Praise radiates the glory of God to His delight and ours. We can see clearly that as we delight in the Lord, we no longer have room/space to grumble and complain. Our eyes are shifted off of our light and momentary tasks/afflictions to the glory and magnificence of Almighty God.
This is why it's of importance and necessary for the wife to "cultivate" a spirit of joy and delight in the Lord, as she begins to create a godly atmosphere in her home. I encourage you to meditate and reflect upon God's goodness. Begin daily by reminding yourself that "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Don't allow Satan to rob you of the joy of your salvation. Study the scriptures that are in this lesson as well as others, that will help you to see God as He is; He's mighty, All-knowing, All-Sufficient, Divine Provider, All-powerful, Always-present, The God of all Comfort, EverlastingFriend, a loving Father, The Great I Am......He possesses all o fthese attributes and even more. Get to know your God , He's waiting to reveal Himself to you. My prayer is that through this study you will be able to say with Nehemiah, "The Joy of the Lord is my strength."
Next week we will finish our discussion (part two) on; "Creating a Godly Atmosphere in the Home." We will find encouragement from God'sWord to help us in our daily walks as we are assured of His mercy and grace to help us along the way.
Taken from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace, pp 77-78. Copyright1999, 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