Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A Heart That Serves

Genesis 2:18, "Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'"

A woman after God's own heart is a woman who carefully cultivates a servant spirit, whether she is married or not. She desires to follow in the steps of Jesus, who "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). Of course, if you are a married woman, that attitude and service starts at home with your family. And more specifically, with your husband.

God has designed the wife to be her husband's helper, and a helper is one who shares her man's responsibilites, responds to his nature with understanding and love, and wholeheartedly cooperates with him in working out the plan of God.

Since marriage is a partnership designed by God, we must go to Him and ask, "How, Lord, can I develop a heart committed to service, a heart intent on emulating You in service to another person? How can I take action in order to prove my desire to serve my husband?"

Here are some proven steps to take as you seek to be a "suitable helper."

1. Make a commitment to help your husband. Let your words reflect your decision to help your husband be successful, to be a team with him, and to make helping him the priority focus of your every day.

2. Focus on your husband. God wants us wives to focus our energy and efforts on our husbands. Each of us is to focus on his tasks, his goals, his responsibilities.

Ask: "What can I do for you today?"

Ask: "What can I do to help you make better use of your time today?"

3. Ask of your actions, Will this help or hinder my husband? That simple question can be a good lens through which to look at how we act in our marriages.

Helping is a simple and noble assignment - and it reaps rich rewards. Living out God's assignment certainly benefits our husbands and anyone else we serve, but we benefit as well as we learn to serve as Christ did.

Philippians 2:7, "but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."

Matthew 20:26-28, "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The Lord Jesus is our ultimate example of One Who served. Because being a servant is a sign of Christian maturity, we must ask ourselves if we are truly ready for it. If so, you must set your heart on it.

In your marriage, do you see yourself as a team player, free of any competitive actions, thoughts, or desires? Is bettering your husband's life your primary concern? Is helping your husband the main focus of your energy?

Pray this prayer.

Lord, my desire is to be the helper to my husband that you designed me to be. Help me, Lord, take the steps necessary to become a better team player. Amen.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A Heart That Obeys

Acts 13: 20-22, "Up to the time of Samuel the prophet, God provided judges to lead them. But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years, God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: 'I've searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He's a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.' "

God took away Saul's crown and stripped him of his kingship because He refused to obey God from the heart. After that, David was chosen by God to reign in Saul's place because He found pleasure in David's heart attitude. As we explore the contrasts between Saul and David, let's note the differences in their character and behavior.

1. In his heart, David was willing to obey, but Saul was satisfied with merely external acts of sacrifice.

2. David served God. Saul served himself and did things his way.

3. David was concerned with following God's will, but Saul cared solely for his own will.

4. David's heart was centered on God, and Saul's was centered on Saul.

5. Even though David didn't always obey God, he had what mattered over the long haul -- a heart after God. On the other hand, Saul's devotion to God was impulsive and sporadic.

6. Although David was well-known for his physical prowess and might as a warrior, he was humbly dependent upon God, trusting in Him and repeatedly acknowledging, "The Lord is the strength of my life" (Psalm 27:1). Saul, in contrast, was proud. He relied on his own skill, his own wisdom and judgment, and his arm of flesh.

How can we follow after David in our devotion to God?

A heart committed to doing God's will is an important ingredient when it comes to living out our love for God. What leads to a life of obedience? ...A heart reponsive to God and His ways!

Here are some proven guidelines that can help us stay on God's path:

Concentrate on doing what is right. When God looked into David's heart, He saw what He wants to see in us -- a heart that will do His will.

Cease doing what is wrong. The split second you think or do anything contrary to God's heart, stop immediately. It is this practice in quick obedience that is the key to training your heart to be responsive to God.

Confess any wrong. Because Christ covered our sins by His blood through His death, you and I are forgiven. We may not feel forgiven, but you and I only need to know that we are.

Clear up things with others. Confession makes things right with God, but if we've hurt another person, we need to clear things up with that person too.

Continue on as soon as possible. Our enemy Satan delights when our failure to obey God keeps us from serving Him. When that's the case, we need to turn to another truth from God's Word and let it lift us up, dust us off, refresh us, and set us back on His path.

Pray this Prayer

Lord Jesus, we know that obedience is a foundational stepping-stone on the path of Your will and this is the path that we want to follow as women after Your own heart. Mold us and shape our hearts so that we are willing to follow hard after You. We want to obey you, and we ask for the grace that will enable us to obey. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.