Well...this is our final blog post for this summer's virtual Bible Study on A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. I have loved the opportunity of studying God's Word with all of you this summer. And even though many of you have not had the time to comment on the posts, I have enjoyed knowing that there are so many ladies out there reading this book along with me.
For me, I desperately needed a refresher course in how to truly be a wife after God's heart. Years ago, I read our virtual Bible study book for the first time and was set on fire to serve God through serving my husband and family. But as the years went by, my ability to serve my husband, while having the right heart, had become pretty rusty. Through this study, Elizabeth George equipped me (for the second time) with the tools needed to set my priorities in order and make serving my husband (with a joyful heart) my number 1 ministry! So let' s now discuss the wisdom that we found in Chapters 11 and 12.
In Chapters 11 and 12, Elizabeth disscusses serving the Lord and reaching out to others. These two concepts go hand-in-hand, and on page 208, Elizabeth reminds us of God's order in "reaching out...carefully." This order of "Principles for a Wife's Ministry" goes as follows (p.208):
1. Serve those at home first.
2. Serve with your husband's blessing and support.
3. Serve however you can.
In life, we have the opportunity to "serve ourselves silly" if given the chance. Meaning, we can serve other people within and outside of the church to the detrement of our families and ourselves. It is important for us to remember to pray first about any service opportunity before commiting ourselves to take on more than God expects us to handle (yes...I am a work in progress on this one!) He wants us to do the tasks that He has equipped us to do WELL and with EXCELLENCE, so He definitely doesn't expect us to take on everything that comes our way! Remember, as Elizabeth says, "Say yes to the best and no to the rest!" If we have prayed over a ministry need, our loved one's at home are taken care of with excellence, and our husband gives us his blessing, then we are free to go ahead and set forth on what God is calling us to do!
For our blog comment post this week...
Please share what this Bible study has meant to you! How has your life been changed by the principles learned? How has your relationship with your husband been blesssed?
Lots of love,
Macki
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1 comment:
Thank you very much for having this form for those of us who cannot make it to a certain location! It has meant alot to me to be able to participate. The book that Elizabeth has written is a good reminder. We have often tend to leave our husbands the crumbs of all we have to give. They deserve much more. Thanks, again.
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