The Proof is in the Pudding

A man who desires to be used of God as a spiritual leader in the local church "must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity  (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)" - 1 Timothy 3:14-15

Your home is not just your training ground- it is your proving ground.  God says that the way a man manages his family establishes a pattern of how he will lead in the local assembly.  We know some young couples who are interested in going into full-time ministry for the Lord.  Our counsel to them has been to focus on their home first.  Their family is the little flock that God has given them to shepherd now, and the place to practice all of the things we’ve been talking about.  God is looking for faithfulness in the small things before He will entrust you with bigger things.  The principle in Luke 16:10 is very true- “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”  As a wife, you need to work alongside your husband in your home to raise your children in accordance with Biblical principles. 

As we think back over all of the qualifications that God has laid out for a man who would serve as a shepherd, let’s ask the Lord to equip us to be a faithful partner and helper to our husbands in each one of these areas: to be blameless, morally pure, temperate, sober-minded,  hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, managing his own household well.