The Woman, part 5

15th of May

Part 5

A WOMAN OF GOD IS GOOD AND HAS GOODNESS.

I am referring to the sixth fruit of the Spirit. (Gal.5:22) God Himself is good and that is why we can be good and do good. In the known psalm 23 we read that goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. How often do we see that Goodness is running after us? Are you stopping long enough to receive it? It is not so difficult to do good to others when you yourself have been met with goodness. In Psalm 34:14 it says that we should depart from evil and do good. In Psalm 37:3 it says that we should trust in the Lord and do good. If we are doubting the Goodness of God, we might have difficulties in doing good for others. In Rom.2:4 Paul asks if we despise the Goodness of the Lord. It is His Goodness that leads us to repentance. I will quote Eph.2: 6+7:” Christ raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” It was His grace that saved us.

When you have Goodness inside of you, you do good deeds. A woman of God should do good towards her family and anyone else she meets. Mother Theresa is a very good example of one who did something good for others, but we are all having the same possibilities to help others. We are having the same Spirit living inside of us.

A WOMAN OF GOD IS FAITHFUL.

Why? Because she is the daughter of her Father Who is faithful. In Psalm 31:23 it says that the Lord preserves the faithful, but repays the proud person. Here we see that a promise follows the faithful. I want to be preserved by the Lord. In psalm 100 verse 5 it says that God’s truth endures for generations. In other translations it says that His faithfulness endures for ever. Faithfulness means a lot to me. I want to be a person you can count on. I want God to use me and count on me today as well as tomorrow. Children need to know that their parents are there for them all the time. We are talking about being faithful in a marriage. When one of the partners starts a relationship with another person, she or he is unfaithful. When you work, your boss wants you to be reliable. I see that different Bible translations use the word truth instead of faithful. They are knitted together. LET US BE STABLE WOMEN, WOMEN BOTH GOD AND MEN CAN COUNT ON.

A WOMAN OF GOD IS MEEK AND HUMBLE.

Humble is the opposite of proud. A proud person relies more on oneself than on God and he or she might have a sense of arrogance. We read in James 4:6 that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. To be meek and humble does not mean that we should allow everyone to step over us. When we continue to read in James, it says that we should submit to God, but resist the devil and he will flee from us.

Feminists are not known for being very humble and meek. They might violently fight for their rights and in some instances they have suppressed the men or humiliated them in different ways. A woman of God should be very meek and humble towards people, but very militant towards the devil.

A WOMAN OF GOD SHOWS SELF-CONTROL.

Another word used is abstinence. We use this word most often when we talk about sexual activities, but there are many other things we should abstain from. What about our tongue?

Do we gossip about others? How do we talk about our husband? I was offered to join a Christian group of divorced women after I was left by my husband. When I heard that they spent most of the time talking about their former husbands and all the bad things he had done, I refused the offer. I did need somebody to talk to, but this seemed to be all wrong. In a period like this one needs to meditate on God’s love and one needs help to forgive and to see that God has a future for ME. I myself needed help to stop talking bad about him.

When we are with our husband and our children, how do we use our tongue? King Solomon says in the Proverbs 21:19 that it is better to dwell in the wilderness than to be with a contentious and angry woman. In verse 23 it says that whoever guards his tongue and mouth, keeps himself from troubles. We women must not forget that whatever we speak, will either bring life or death. A man is physically stronger than a woman and he might misuse his strength by hitting or do other bad things. I do believe that we as women are better in killing with words. I use the verb to kill, even if the negative words do not kill physically. Let us as women of God cleanse our tongue and ask God for help to use it for blessings.

A WOMAN OF GOD IS DECENT.

I refer to Paul in his first letter to Timothy, the ninth and tenth verse: “The women should adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. Peter also writes in 1.Pet.3:3-7 that the beauty of the woman should not be in the outward appearance, but in her gentle and quiet spirit.

Is it sinful to use pearls or gold? Paul was writing from the time and habits at that time and at that time these things were the outmost signs of luxury and often a sign of a promiscuous life-style. I do not believe that a simple golden jewelry is wrong, but how much and first and foremost the motive behind it. If you are wearing expensive jewelries on the mission field where they lack most of the material goods, you might meet strong reactions. Why do we wear expensive jewelries?

I want us Christians to dress in a decent manner. I remember that I as a young girl went to a prison for long-term prisoners. I had a tight sweater on and I should sing and testify about Jesus. I was quite innocent and a pastor’s wife made me aware of what kind of reactions this could cause in these men who had no normal sex-life. I was happy that she did this and I have talked to young women about the same thing. We must dress in a decent way.

We have different dressing codes around the world. We can think of the Muslim world where the women have to cover themselves or congregations where slacks are forbidden. In India I should not show my ankle nor my shoulder, but I could wear a sari and thereby show my stomach. It is therefore difficult for me to say what you should wear, but I do try not to give offence. In India I dress as an Indian woman most of the time. When I am at home I do try to avoid clothes that show my breasts when I bend a little forward. My skirt is not so short that a man has to wonder if he can see more intimate parts if I cross my legs. A woman of God should not try to arouse the sex-instinct in a man.

We should also walk in a decent way. In some cultures the woman are shaking their hips and in others the behind. Other women walk with a bent head as they are very shameful. We have no reason for that. We can raise our heads and be conscious of our royalty. We are daughters of the King of Kings.

LET US WALK AND DRESS AS QUEENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mother Else