The word rotten means something that is decaying or infected. Yet ladies, our Proverbs passage tells us we can be like rottenness to our husbands! But we have a choice. Each of us can, also, choose to be an excellent wife who is like a crown to her husband. We need to ask ourselves, which one describes us?
And men, what do you value in a wife? Is it what God values, what He says makes an excellent wife? Finally, parents, are you preparing your daughter to be an excellent wife and your son to value what God values?
Also, read about the hope found in the middle of Mark 16.6 in three little words, “He is risen.” What does it mean to us now and for eternity?
Today’s Readings:
Deuteronomy 1 & 2
Psalm 36.1-6
Proverbs 12.4-6
Mark 16.1-20
An Excellent Wife or a Rotten One?
Proverbs 12.4-6:
An Excellent Wife
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones (v. 4).
Wives, could you do things that cause your husband shame? Do you criticize him in front of others? Are you disrespectful?
Or are you an excellent wife? Proverbs 31 talks a lot about what it means to be an excellent wife. Among other things, she is trustworthy in all her behavior. She’s industrious, not lazy. She’s generous. She seeks to be organized and prepares for the future. She cares about her appearance, but she understands that inner beauty is the most important part of becoming the woman God wants her to be.
She’s faithful with her responsibilities and that frees her husband to be who God wants him to be. She is faithful to grow in her understanding of God’s Word and it’s reflected in her speech and character. She values her testimony because she wants others to see the light of Christ in her life.
These are not things we can do in our own strength. We must pray for God’s wisdom and help and choose to rely on Him, especially when the world around us bombards us with messages about what it values. But God’s standards have not changed and only His Word can help us understand what they are.
If you want to read more about being an excellent wife, you can check out, “Giving God Your Best” where I spend more time talking about Proverbs 31.
Preparing to Be an Excellent Wife
And you single ladies if you hope to marry one day, are you preparing yourself to be an excellent wife? Are you studying God’s Word? Are you behaving like a godly woman now?
To the Men
And a question for you men. Do you value what God values in a wife? If you’re single, are you looking for excellent wife material? Someone who loves God and wants to honor Him? Or are you looking for things that are the opposite of what God wants?
If you’re married, what are you doing to help your wife become an excellent wife? Do you love her sacrificially and pray for her? Do you read and study the Bible with her?
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word (Eph. 5.25-26).
To Parents
Finally, parents, are you preparing your daughter to become an excellent wife and are you teaching your sons to value what is really important in a wife? If our young people don’t learn to value those things early, we can’t expect them to value them later.
Today’s Other Readings:
Deuteronomy 1 & 2:
Second Law
Deuteronomy means “second law.” God through Moses summed up the events of the Exodus: their travels, their failures (including Moses’ own), and their successes. It’s not actually a “second law,” but a repeating of the law.
This is the last of the first five books of the Old Testament, also called the Pentateuch. Some scholars believe it’s the most important book in the Old Testament. So stay tuned in the days to come for a great walk through Deuteronomy.
Psalm 36.1-6:
No Matter How Much Evil We See Around Us
Verses 1-4 talk about the wicked. The last phrase says, “He does not abhor evil.” Have you ever met someone like that, someone who seems to enjoy his wickedness? Some even brag about the fact they’re headed for hell! But the last two verses remind us that God is still in control no matter how much evil we find in the world around us.
5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
Mark 16.1-20:
He Is Risen!
I love those three words in the middle of Mark 16.6, “He is risen.” Think about that as we approach this Easter season. He is risen! He who was dead is alive! Death and the grave could not hold Him!
And the fact that He is risen should give us great hope because this life with its evil is not all there is. If we have accepted His gracious offer of salvation, one day we will leave this earthly existence behind and spend eternity with Him.
If we belong to Him, it also speaks of the power we have through the indwelling Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life now (Rom. 6.4). We’ve been set free from the power of sin. We can choose to live in ways that bring Him glory and demonstrate His love to those around us, including a lost world (Rom. 6).
If that’s not you or you’re not sure, I pray that you will pull out a Bible and begin to read it. You might start with the book of John or Romans. Both are in the New Testament. Ask Him to open your eyes and show you who He is. Surrender your life to Him. Confess that you are a sinner and ask for His forgiveness and help.
You can read more about God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation here, here, and here.
And if you’d like to know more about sharing these truths with your children and as a family, I hope you’ll read yesterday’s post, “How to Teach Your Children the Real Meaning of Easter”
Closing Thoughts:
Does your life reflect the fact that we serve a risen all-powerful Savior? Do you rely on His grace to help you become the man, the woman, the friend, the husband, the wife, the son, or the daughter … He’s called you to be?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about blame shifting and how it hurts us, look at self-righteousness, and what can keep us from losing heart. We’ll also look at parenting God’s way and what the Bible has to say about animal rights.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.
This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s readings and a list of all the Bible readings so you can check them off as you go. You’ll also find the readings for each day on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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