A
Wife—a Man’s Inspiration
Feminists nearly choke when God’s revealed
purpose for women is discussed. Somehow they believe that these scriptures show
that women are inferior. The truth is that the scriptures say just the
opposite. Remember God said that it was not good for Adam to be “alone.” Adam
may have been in perfect health, incredibly handsome and of high intelligence,
but he was not “good” alone. If Adam was not good alone, then why would God
create an “inferior” woman to help him? The truth is, Adam needed Eve. Adam was
not complete in himself. He needed Eve’s special talents and abilities in order
to become the success God wanted him to be.
Remember, Adam could find no animal creature
to help him with his special needs. An animal could not share Adam’s thoughts,
hopes and dreams. Only the woman, Eve, could help him achieve his full
potential. Without this help, which only the woman could give, Adam would not
have a full, abundant, peaceful and balanced life.
This is God’s physical purpose for creating
woman. Woman was designed to be the inspiration and encouragement for her own
husband. A husband’s success in life is also the wife’s success. Without giving
this kind of help, a woman—if married—becomes frustrated, depressed, resentful
and unfulfilled. Why? She is failing to fulfill the very purpose for which she
was created!
Some may ask, must all women be married to
find fulfillment? The answer is no. In Matthew 19:11-12, Jesus taught that some
people choose to be single for the Kingdom or work’s sake. The Apostle Paul
lived as a single because of his commission and the seriousness of the times in
which he lived. Because Paul believed he was living in the end time, he wished
that everyone were single. He said, “For I would that all men were even as I
myself” (1 Corinthians 7:7). Why? Paul said, “But I would have you without
carefulness” (verse 32). Building a strong marriage takes much work. Striving
to build a strong marriage in tough times is even more difficult. A woman who
chooses to be single, as long as she lives lawfully, can still achieve the
spiritual purpose God has planned for her.
Be
Under Authority
If you, as a woman, are married, or desire to
be married, then you must focus on the wife’s purpose in marriage. This is the
only way you can achieve true happiness. Paul states, “Wives, submit yourselves
unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). Submission has
become a bad, bad word in today’s society. Because of all the abuse of women,
submission has taken on a very negative connotation. But if a man is living as
a godly husband, submission is a very positive and fulfilling experience for a
woman. The word for “submit” in the Greek is hupotasso and means to subordinate,
to obey, be under obedience, put under, subdue unto. Submission means to put
yourself under authority.
When God put man on this Earth, He
established authority in marriage and family. God decided that men would have
the overall or final authority in regard to marriage and family. Paul taught,
“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to
be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:12-13). God
has given men the head, or lead, position in the home. Wives must not strive to
take over that position. True family happiness can only come through the
proper, loving use of authority. That is the man’s serious responsibility. A
wife has the responsibility to fully support her husband’s authority. Unfortunately,
this is where most women fail in marriage today.
Even husbands are under authority. Paul
shows, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and
the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians
11:3). Converted men in God’s Church have a boss 24 hours a day—Jesus Christ.
Paul shows here that even Christ willingly submits to God the Father. There
must be government in the home. The man is the head. The wife shares the
authority with the man as second in command. But a wife is not equal in
authority.
“Therefore as the church is subject unto
Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing” (Ephesians
5:24). Women must look to the example of Christ and the Church to learn how to
properly submit to a loving husband. True submission means more than just
choking down commands. True submission is helping and complementing your
husband “in everything.” A woman must learn to be responsive to her husband, to
his direction of the home and family, to his plans for family recreation and
way of life.
A responsive wife fully shares and takes
pleasure in her husband’s successes and accomplishments, knowing that she has
helped him to achieve success. A loving wife also shares her husband’s failures,
sorrows and disappointments. Never ridiculing, a loving wife always strives to
give her husband sympathy and encouragement so that he can rebound to better
success in the future. Wives, remember, submission is the key to your
happiness. see Part 4
No comments:
Post a Comment