My Husband, My Ministry Family Life Series hbcwomenofhope.com 2017 by Melissa Lyn Scott
Grace Alive! March 20, 2017 Family Life Series Ministry & Mission Field *Ephesians 4:1-6 *Ephesians 5:1-2 *Ephesians 5:18-21 (22-33) *Ephesians 6:1-4 To walk, in Scripture, means to live and act or behave; to pursue a particular course of life. To walk with God (Gen 5) is to walk in light (I John 1), to walk after the Spirit (2 Corinthians 10), to walk by faith (2 Cor 5). To walk alone or apart from God is to walk in darkness (I John1), to walk after the flesh (Romans 8), to walk in the flesh (2 Cor 10). My Husband, My Ministry My husband is my primary, premiere, and first ministry. He is not my only ministry, but he is my foundational ministry. Marriage is first because it is the foundational ministry to all my other ministries my children, church, community, or career. There is a Biblical order to everything in our lives. Our family and our ministry at home comes before outside ministries. When I have the opportunity to make a ministry choice outside of my family, it is absolutely with my husband s approval, encouragement and blessing. I can go help and bless others if I have my family s blessing and encouragement or it may be that we go out to minister together. What affect will I have in my church or community if my husband feels lonely or my children feel neglected? None. I. Minister to your husband in truth. Trust, know and follow the good, true, sweet, perfect will of God in your marriage. Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. *Proverbs 30:5 Minister (v): to give something needful; to supply relief; to attend to and serve; to bless! The truth is: A. You are his wife. *Ephesians 5:22-33, Titus 2:1-5 When you yield, submit, (honor, respect, defer to and prefer) your husband, it is the same as yielding and being submissive to the Lord. (*Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:17-18, Colossians 3:23) God ultimately holds the husband, as the head of the family, responsible for the well being of his wife and children. When you submit, you are giving your husband the space to lead and care for his family with your help. Submission does not mean we have no voice or say. Wives can give good counsel and advice to their husband.
Submit: to yield, to be subject to; to yield oneself to the authority or will of another; to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion of another; to stop trying to fight or resist something I find it interesting that yield also means to give up or surrender; to cease resistance or contention and it ALSO means to be fruitful or productive! B. You were created for him. *Genesis 2:18-25; I Corinthians 11:1-3 & 7-9 You are an extraordinary, special, amazing, beautiful blessing and a gift created and uniquely designed by The Wonderful, Awesome One true God! Psalm 139 Live like you re loved! Live like you ve been set free! C. You were created to honor and glorify God. For Thou art great, and doest wondrous things: Thou art God alone. Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name. I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore. *Psalm 86:10-12 *Romans 15:1-7, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I Cor. 10:31, Hebrews 13:20-21 II. Minister to him in love: A. Be one. *Philippians 1:27-2: 1-5, Ephesians 4:4, Colossians 3:15, I Peter 3:8 The direct opposite of unity and oneness is division. It is interesting that love and unity or oneness, adds to and multiplies and hatred and disunity, subtracts or takes away from and divides. God the Father and God the Son urge us continually throughout Scripture to be one. Unify. Be of one heart, one mind, one love. How much more urgent this command is in marriage and in a family! B. Be love. *Colossians 3: 1-3, 8-10, 12-18, 23-24 I Thessalonians 3:12 Above all things, put on love; choose love first and foremost; be easy to love/lovable/lovely. *Ephesians 5:25 God tells husbands to love their wives. Let s make it easy for him to love us. Let s be a pleasure and a joy to love, so he doesn't have to love us out of duty or necessity. (*2 Corinthians 9:7) I certainly do not want my husband to love me only because he is commanded to! Do you? I know I am none of us are easy to love at all times or easy to get along with, but let s make it our goal and our desire to be lovely to our husband and lovable. *I Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves: for charity shall cover a multitude of sins. ( cover : to overlook, hide, veil; to hinder the knowledge of) *also, Proverbs 10:12, I Corinthians 13:4
C. Be rich in good works. *I Corinthians 9:6-11, Hebrews 13:20-21, I Timothy 6:18 Proverbs 31:10-31 1. Do him good every day of your life. Be his #1 fan and rowdiest cheerleader! Think the best of him when the rest of the world is against him; believe the best about him when others only see his errors; know that underneath some of our least favorite things about him, his heart is good and he means well. Wow, isn't that how you d like him to always see you? 2. Have fun! One personal goal I like to follow is to do whatever I have to do to make my husband smile every single day. It s so simple but it makes a huge difference in my husband s life! A little happiness, a little smile, a little bit of joy and fun and kindness goes a very long way! There are special things, little details that mean a lot to our husbands. What is most important to him? What little chore or simple way can you help him that will lighten his burden and be a big blessing to him? 3. Be a good forgiver. There are many days that one of us or both of us are going to have a bad day, disappoint each other, let each other down, have a less than stellar attitude, behavior and communication and sometimes, flat out do the wrong thing. Acknowledge it, confess it, humbly repent, seek forgiveness and move on. If our core desire is to honor the Lord in our marriage, forgiveness for one another is never too far away. Being an awesome forgiver is one of the most important characteristics of a loving husband and wife. What is love without forgiveness? Christ showed us that it is at the core. Christ shows us that Love gives and Love FORgives. *John 3:16 *Think of ways to make your husband smile and ways you can especially minister to him:
III. Minister to him in faith. Since we know God s will for marriage, husbands, wives, and family we can trust Him no matter what. *Ephesians 5:14-17 A. Trust in the Lord When our husband is wrong. 1. Keep doing right. 2. Pray for him without ceasing. 3. Have good will toward him. 4. Honor and respect him, in private and in public. 5. Be a sweet, loving, godly woman. The Lord says we are able to win his heart. *Proverbs 31:10-12 The Bible says with our respectful, godly conduct, (without a word, without preaching ), it s possible to win him to the Lord. *I Peter 3:1-2 B. Trust in the Lord When your husband is right. *Proverbs 31:23 1. Encourage him. 2. Pray for him. 3. Listen to him. 4. Stand by him. 5. Speak highly of him. Let his name always be safe in your mouth.