There are many prominent women in the Bible, and they have many different roles and purposes. In Titus 2:3-5 it says," Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands." We can learn from their examples and consider them Titus 2 women in our lives. They came from various walks of life and were in many different seasons of their lives as well. We had mothers, sisters, queens, Moabitess, prostitutes, and many other Gentiles throughout the Old and New Testament. The list of women could become quite extensive, depending on how they impacted your life. They have certainly impacted mine, and I want to share them with you. Each woman brought her unique character to each situation. They learned obedience, trust, courage, compassion, and perseverance. Let us begin our journey through the Bible by finding these great women and how God used them mightily.
My husband and I struggled to get pregnant for two and a half years. Doctors told us that I had fertility issues. We discovered I had PCOS and was able to change my diet and exercise to help me. During this period of struggle, I read Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1-2 and saw her complete trust in God that he would fulfill his promise. She vowed to dedicate her son to the service of the Lord in the temple. Once Samuel was of age, she took him back to the temple and gave her son to the Lord so he could serve him. Hannah showed her gratitude and worship by completely trusting and obeying God. This was a character I needed to develop in my life. Gratefulness should not be dependent on my situation. I also needed to learn how to completely trust and obey God. It is an ongoing process.
Esther was another woman in the Bible who had a characteristic I hoped to develop in my own life. I wanted the same courage she had in the face of persecution and a sinful culture. Her uncle Mordecai told her she needed to go to the king and plead for her people the Jews. Haman was going to have them all killed. He told her she was not safe just because she was in the palace. She explained that she could not go before the king without being summoned or it would be death. She was scared. Mordecai also said “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 She heard him and decided to take a stand. She prayed and fasted before she went before the king. When she went before him, she was afraid, but he loved her and put out his scepter for her to approach. She invited the king and Haman to a banquet. Then she invited him for a second banquet. The second one is where she told the king about the plan to kill her and her people. Haman was the one who died in this story. Her courage to follow the Lord’s will and not her own was very encouraging to me. I often repeat to myself “Be an Esther” when I am afraid to share the gospel or do something I know the Lord has pressed on my heart. Thus, the blog happened.
I am often encouraged by Proverbs 31. In this chapter, King Lemuel’s mother taught him about watching carefully for the woman he marries. Verses 10-31 lays out the qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman. I have previously said that she always felt like an unattainable woman. She was too perfect of an example to follow. As I have studied more about her and seen in the Bible what God says I see that she is our example, but we are not to be copies of her. We are to serve the Lord in our house and bring him glory. We need to have a home that shows a picture of God’s love and our worship of Him and can be used for Him. There are various ministries we can do in our home. We have friends from church every Monday night for dinner. In this ministry, my husband and I are encouraging younger couples. We have flock meetings at our church once a month on Sunday evenings. We have families that open their homes to host these. There are so many ways we can minister to others through our home. A few ways are hosting missionaries, or if you have a smaller home it could be used for counseling.
It does not matter if we have the grandest house in the world or a smaller one, or serve gourmet food or a simple homemade dinner. You serve and minister for him in each season that we are in and with what we have. Remember the woman who gave her last coin and Jesus said she gave more than the richest person. She gave everything she had and not just a part. So, look for ways you can serve and minister for him in your church and your community. As always thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Comments