The Reward

In finishing up this series on being the wife of a man in spiritual leadership, I would just like to encourage you with the fact that the Lord sees and knows all that you and your husband go through as you carry out this ministry of shepherding.  

Hebrews 6:10 says, “God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”  And He has eternal rewards for those who serve Him faithfully.  Other people in your local church will never know the hours you have sacrificed for your husband to be away from your family caring for the needs of the flock.  They will never know the number of prayers prayed on their behalf.  They will never know the amount of tears shed for them.  But that does not matter, because the Lord knows.  So as you serve God’s people in this capacity, remember to do it “…as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

And let us consider this: What did it cost the Lord Jesus to provide eternal salvation for us?  The grief that the vileness of our sin must have brought to Him.  The depth of His agony as He sweat great drops of blood while He prayed for us.  The separation from His Father that He endured on our behalf.  We will never know how great the price was that He paid.  So, in that sense, to be His servant whom He has called to help shepherd His people is a way that we can be a partaker in the fellowship of His sufferings and come to know His heart in a more intimate way.  It is a tremendous privilege.

And it’s certainly not all hardship, by any means.  There are plenty of opportunities for joy and rejoicing with the believers in your local fellowship. 

3 John 4 is just as true in the assembly as it is in your family- “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”  It is such a blessing to see those you have loved and cared for, encouraged and going on well for the Lord. 

So press on in this ministry with your husband.  Ask the Lord to equip you to be the helper that your husband needs, to the glory of God. 

You call THIS a Ministry?

Our ministries may change depending upon the season of life that we’re in.  I have some friends whose husbands serve as elders whose main ministry right now is taking care of an aged parent.  They have told me that sometimes they feel like they’re a bad elder’s wife because they aren’t even able to make it out to all the meetings.  They get discouraged because they feel they’re not able to be the helpers that they want to be to their husbands.  But they are still loving their husband, praying for him, and encouraging him in the work God has given him to do.  And caring for a parent is a ministry for the Lord and it doesn’t take away from their husband serving as a spiritual leader in the local church.  It is a tremendous example to the flock and a testimony to a watching world- laying aside your own desires to care for the needs of another.  The Lord considers that a very valuable ministry.  He tells us that “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Perhaps you’re in that situation or a similar one.  Maybe you are struggling with a physical condition right now that keeps you from being as actively involved in your local church or in your husband’s ministry as you would like to be.  It may be that the Lord desires for you to learn more about Him by going through this time of difficulty.  And as Job said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”  If that’s the ministry He’s given you right now, trust Him for the grace to bear your suffering in a way that glorifies Him.  Please don’t be discouraged and think that you are of no use in the Lord’s service. You can still be a blessing to your husband and to the other believers, as you continue to love them and pray for them in the midst of your own pain.  It is what the Lord Jesus did for us.

There are many areas of service for the Lord.  Some we would not choose for ourselves.  But God is the One who chooses where His servants will serve Him.  As long as you are doing what the Lord is asking you to do with a right heart attitude, you WILL be the helper your husband needs.  

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.  

Temporal vs Eternal

An  overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous. -1 Timothy 3:2-3 

Another qualification of an elder is that he is not covetous or greedy for money.  

Do you desire THINGS?  Your husband only has so much time.  What are you encouraging him to pursue? 

1 Timothy 6:10-11 warns us: “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  But you, O man of God, flee these things…”

Think about what the Lord views as most important.  He directs the man of God to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” God is asking your husband to be concerned with the spiritual life of His people and not to be distracted by a desire for material things.  You can be a tremendous help to your husband in this area by asking the Lord to give you a heart that is thankful and content with what He has provided for you.  Whether it be much or little, hold it in an open hand to be used by the Lord in whatever way He would choose.  And encourage your husband to give himself to the things that have eternal value.   

How Do You Handle Conflict?

An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous. - 1 Timothy 3:2-3

God says that those who lead His people must not be violent or quarrelsome, but gentle.  How do you handle conflict in your home?  Is your home a peaceful place? 

VS.

The word “gentle” or “patient” in this verse means to be forbearing and considerate- looking reasonably at the facts of a case.  You and your husband are going to have disagreements.  How you deal with these things in your home will spill over into how your husband deals with conflict in the local assembly.  So do what you can to help him establish good habits.  

When my husband and I were first married, something I don’t even remember happened that set me off.  I was in the kitchen slamming cupboard doors and my husband was sitting at the dining room table.  I can still picture his eyes getting very big as he watched me.  Our conversation went something like this:

“Is something wrong?” he asked.  

“Yes, something’s wrong!” 

“Do you want to sit down and talk about it?”  

“No, I want to stand up and yell about it!”  

“Umm, my parents didn’t yell at each other.”  

“Well, my parents did!” 

“Well, I don’t want to yell at you, but if you want to come sit with me and talk, I’ll do that.” 

Proverbs 15:1 is very true- “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  Yelling all by yourself makes you feel pretty foolish.  My husband's good example in this area has been a great help to me in changing some of the bad habits I had developed growing up.  And if your husband is more of the fireball in your relationship, you can do the same for him by responding with a gentle answer.  

Don’t just ignore a problem, but sit down and pray together- asking the Lord to calm your hearts.  Talk through the problem and really listen to one another.  Go to the Word of God and ask the Lord to lead you to the solution that honors Him.  

If your husband, as the head of your home, comes to a conclusion different than what you had hoped for, trust the Lord and be supportive.  This is much easier said than done, but it is what God commands and He will honor your obedience. 

God's Word: Learn It, Love It, Live It, Teach It

1 Timothy 3:2- An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach.

An elder must also be able to teach God's Word clearly and accurately.  How can you as a wife help your husband in this area of his ministry?

In order to teach the Word of God, you must know the Word.  In order to know the Word, you must spend time in the Word.  So, again, you’ll need to allow your husband the time to do this.  God has given him the responsibility of “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) so that he can feed the flock, give direction to those who need spiritual counsel, and be able to refute those who would teach false doctrine.  This does not mean that he needs to be a gifted public speaker, but that he does need to understand and be able to clearly articulate truths found in the Scriptures. 

Your husband also needs your encouragement to hold fast to the Word of truth.  There are some issues where emotions can run high: the woman’s role, divorce and remarriage, church discipline.  Your husband will face pressure not only from the world, but from Christendom in general- as well as people in your own local church- to compromise on God’s Word.  They will pressure him not to take such a firm stand if that stand affects what they want to do.   

I talked with three young men in our local church who all have a heart to honor the Lord.  I asked them why they had made the choice to be there.  All three told me it was because the Person of the Lord Jesus was honored and the Word of God was upheld as the authority- that it wasn’t just given lip service, but put into practice.  These are the kind of people you want in your local church.  So, let your husband study, listen to him as he talks through what he’s learning, and most of all, pray for him- that he would understand the truth from God’s Word, hold fast to it, and clearly share it with others.  

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it,

 and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel."

(Ezra 7:10)

Open Your Heart and Open Your Home

We are considering some of the qualities the Lord wants men in leadership in the local church to exhibit, and how we as wives can enhance our husband's effectiveness in these areas.

1 Timothy 3:2- An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach. 

Hopitable:

This verse also mentions that an elder must be hospitable.  There is no way your husband can do this without your full cooperation.  I remember one time my husband came to me during the break between meetings on a Sunday morning.  Some people from out of town had shown up and he wanted to invite them to eat with us.  I didn’t say a word- I just sighed.  I was tired, and people take energy.  He looked at me sadly and walked away.   I knew that my attitude was wrong and after Sunday school was over, I went to find him and tell him that was fine to go ahead and invite them.  But the people had already left.  I wasn’t being the help my husband needed in that instance.  His heart wanted to be what God had called him to be, but I had hindered him. 

Romans 12:13 says that we are to be “given to hospitality”.  Our homes should always be open.  An open home starts with an open heart.  It means loving people more than you love yourself or your things.  Your home does not need to be a showplace.  It doesn’t need to be large.  You don’t need to be a gourmet cook.  The first people who showed hospitality to my husband and me as a couple had us over one Sunday evening for popcorn, and we had a wonderful time.  Your home just needs to be a place where people feel welcome, comfortable and loved.  And that has to do much more with your attitude than with the physical environment.  

There are so many opportunities in the area of hospitality: encouraging the believers in your own local fellowship, having evangelistic Bible studies, holding a neighborhood Bible club, giving college students a home away from home, providing overnight accommodations to visiting missionaries or believers from out of town.  These things are not just a blessing to those you are showing hospitality to- they are a tremendous blessing to your own family, especially your children. 

I cannot stress enough what an important part of your ministry this is.  It is imperative that a shepherd know his flock.  We’ve been able to get to know people better by having them in our home for 2 hours than we could have in 5 years of just being around them at church during meeting times.  

Think about what you need to do to make it easier for you to have people in your home.  Here are some practical things I have done: 

*We pulled up the carpet in our dining room so that I wouldn’t be worried about spills.  

*If you have a small house and want to have over a big family, invite them for a picnic in the park.  

*When having the youth group over, just wipe down the toilets and sinks in the bathroom, but don’t do any real cleaning until after they leave.  

Whatever you need to do to make it easier for you to have people in your home, DO IT!  This is one way that you can be a blessing to your husband and to the people of God.

Helping Your Husband Stay Pure

We are continuing to look at some of the qualifications for men who would serve as elders in the local church, and think about how our actions and attitudes as wives can affect our husband’s effectiveness in those areas.  

1 Timothy 3:2

An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach.  

The Husband of One Wife 

One of your responsibilities as a wife is to do what you can to help your husband stay morally pure.  My husband has to travel for his job and I know that many husbands also travel for ministry.  If you’re able to travel with your husband, do it.  Sometimes you are in a situation where you can’t- for example if you have family responsibilities that keep you at home.  If you can’t be with your husband, it is important to communicate daily.  We have an enemy who is trying to destroy our marriages.  Don’t give him the opportunity.  My husband tells me that when he’s away from home, he just needs to know that everything’s okay between us.  A phone call, a text, an email saying, “I love you.  I’m praying you.  We all miss you.”  A note stuck in his suitcase.  Those are small things, but they go a long way in helping your husband in the area of moral purity.  Show affection to him when he’s home.  I know that sometimes when my husband is gone for a few days and gets home, my response is not “Oh, my wonderful husband is home!”; instead, it’s, “Finally!  Your children have been driving me crazy!” He may have been at a place where people appreciated him and made him feel very special.  Don’t let him feel less appreciated at home. 

Not only does he need your physical affection, he needs your emotional support.  The Lord’s work is work.  It can be very draining.  It’s easy to get discouraged.  That’s one reason God has given you to your husband.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.”  Ask the Lord to help you be the wife your husband needs in this area.  If things aren’t going well in your marriage, it will affect your entire ministry- individually and as a couple.

Shepherding- a good work

Today we will start considering some of the qualities that the Lord has laid out for men who would serve as elders in the local church, and talk about how our actions and attitudes as wives can affect our husband’s effectiveness in those areas.  

Let’s read together 1 Timothy 3:1-7. 

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of an overseer, he desires a good work.  An overseer, then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.  Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 

1 Timothy 3:1.  

If a man desires the position of an overseer, he desires a good work. 

The word “good” here means valuable.  Shepherding the Lord’s people is a very valuable work.  If something is valuable, there’s a cost involved.  The more valuable something is, the greater the cost.  The work of shepherding will not just cost your husband something, it will cost you as well.  

There is a cost in terms of time- not just your personal time, but giving up time with your husband when he has meetings, time when he is away from the family and you are dealing with the children by yourself.  

There is a cost in terms of emotional energy- praying for the believers, counseling those who are struggling spiritually, weeping over those who have gone astray.  

There can be a financial cost- opening your home to people, helping those who are in need.  

If you go into this work with any other motive than doing it for the Lord Himself because He has called you to do it, it is not worth it.  But if this is the ministry that God has given you and your husband, then all of these things can be offered up as a sweet sacrifice to Him.  

Shepherding is the heart of God, and He is looking for men and women after His own heart to carry out this work.  The Good Shepherd loves His sheep.  He laid down His life for them, and He calls us to do the same.

My Influence: A Help or a Hindrance?

As a wife, you are the helper God has given to your husband, and therefore, you are a vital part of his ministry.  You are the person closest to your husband and the one who has the most influence on him. Will you use your influence to be a help or a hindrance to him in his ministry?

Let's think about some of the women in the Bible who influenced their husbands.

The first woman that comes to my mind is the first woman, Eve.  Genesis 3:6- "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."  It is true that Eve was deceived and her husband sinned willfully.  But how sad that she was the one who provided the opportunity for him to do so.  

Sarah is upheld as an example of a woman who was submissive to her own husband (1 Peter 3:5-6). She encouraged her husband Abraham by setting out alongside him as he obeyed God's call to leave behind everything he knew and follow God's leading to an undisclosed land.  What a blessing for Abraham to have along a supportive and uncomplaining wife as he headed into the unknown.

Unfortunately, it was the influence of this same woman on her husband which brought about the conflict between the Arab and Jewish peoples that we are still experiencing today.  "So Sarai said to Abram, 'See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." (Genesis 16:2) How sad when we fail to look to the Lord and trust Him for His provision, and instead try to "help God out" by coming up with our own cleverly devised schemes.  And even sadder when we convince our husband to go along with our plan instead of seeking the Lord's will.  

Jezebel, the daughter of a king, is best known for the influence she held over her husband.  1 Kings 21:25 tells us, "Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD".  And why was it that Ahab's name became synonymous with wickedness?- "because Jezebel his wife incited him." Her influence pushed her husband farther into lies, murders, and idolatry; and led to God's judgment upon a nation.  

Priscilla and her husband, Aquila. This dynamic duo are never mentioned apart from each other.  They truly functioned as one in the Lord.  Together they were a team that helped build up the early church.  Their home was always open to the believers.  They helped train new believers to be more effective for the Lord- "But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him (Apollos), they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." (Acts18:26) Paul the apostle calls them both his fellow workers.  Because of Priscilla's support of her husband, the effectiveness of their ministry was overwhelming.

As you can see from the above examples, a wife's influence is never a neutral thing.  You will either be a help or a hindrance to your husband in his ministry.  The choice is yours.

The Wife of a Leader: Expectations, part 4

1 Timothy 3:11 says, "Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things."  These are some of the qualities that the Lord desires to develop in your life and mine, as the wife of someone in leadership. 

Faithful in all things

The final quality listed in this verse is "faithful in all things".  This means to be trustworthy and reliable.  Proverbs 31:11 says, “the heart of her husband safely trusts her.”  And the hearts of God’s people should be able to do the same.  And why can they trust her? "Because she does him good, and not evil, all the days of her life."  

The people in your local church need to know that you and your husband together want what’s best for them.  Part of this is making yourself available.  First, are you available to your husband to help him when he needs you or is he reluctant to ask anything of you because of how you’ve responded to his requests in the past?  Are you available to the believers?  Many times all someone needs is a listening ear and a friend to pray with. 

Is being available, or allowing your husband to be available, going to be inconvenient?  Yes,it is.  But your time and your selves are things that you can choose to offer up as a sacrifice to the Lord. 

If this is the ministry that the Lord has called you to, He will be faithful to equip you to do it.

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

(1 Thessalonians 5:24)

The Wife of a Leader: Expectations, part 3

In 1 Timothy 3 God speaks to the wives of men who would lead and serve in the local church.  1 Timothy 3:11 says- Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 

Be sober/temperate

The third quality we will consider is that as the wife of a man who is in leadership in the local church, we are instructed to be sober, or temperate.  This word means to be of sound mind, self-controlled, discreet.  One of the mottos on the home front during WW2 was “loose lips sink ships”.   I’ll say it again- one of the best ways you can be a help to your husband is by learning to control your tongue.  Loose lips not only sink ships- they can also ruin people’s lives and destroy a local church.  If your husband is in a position of leadership or of counseling others, you may know things about people or situations that must not be shared with others.  

We must ask the Lord to set a watch over our tongues. You see, the person most affected by our “loose lips” may be our own husband- by causing him to be disqualified from service because we couldn’t keep our mouth shut.  One of the hardest times to keep quiet is when other people complain to you about a decision the elders have made.  When that happens, don’t take it as a personal attack on your husband and get defensive. Instead, just encourage them to pray.  Generally, they don’t understand the elders’ decision because they don’t have all of the information that the elders have.  Assure them that the elders do want to honor the Lord, and they can ask God to show the elders if something needs to be done differently. 

We must also ask the Lord to guard our hearts and minds in relation to other believers, because we know that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).  Sometimes it is easy to feel frustrated, or even disgusted, with certain individuals that seem to require constant attention.  That’s not how the Lord deals with us.  He desires that we be like Him in our dealings with others- that we choose to love others and treat them with kindness no matter what.  My husband often reminds me as we work with people, “This person is where they are, and being disgusted with them doesn’t help anything.  We need to meet them where they are now and with God’s help try to bring them along.” 

One last word of advice: don’t pump your husband for information when he gets home from meeting with the other elders.  We are not the elders and there are some things that we do not need to know, and in fact, it’s better if we don’t know.  

Be sober, be vigilant; 

because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, 

seeking whom he may devour. 

(1 Peter 5:8)

The Wife of a Leader: Expectations, part 2

God has set forth qualifications for those who would lead His people.  In 1 Timothy 3 He speaks to the wives of men who would lead and serve in the local church.  Let's examine these qualities one by one.  

1 Timothy 3:11- Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 

Not slanderers  
The second quality we will look at is to have self-control with our words- not to be a slanderer.  The Greek root word in slander is “diabolos” which is also translated “devil”.  W.E. Vine defines a slanderer as someone who is given to finding fault with the demeanor and conduct of others and spreading their criticisms in the church.  The Lord wants to use you, along with your husband, to build up His people, not tear them down. 

I will give you an example from my own life of the consequences that can come from engaging in slander.  I am not proud of this, but the Lord in His love and kindness has chastened me for it, restored me to Himself, and taught me a very valuable lesson.  This incident took place before my husband was serving as an elder in our local church.  One of the women in our assembly would call and visit with me on the phone.  We would just chat about whatever, but she would also ask me questions about how I felt about different situations or things that people in the assembly had said or done.  She was my friend- you can tell your friends how you feel about things, can’t you?  No- not if what you have to say is something unkind about another believer.  And that was the mistake I made.  I was unhappy with someone at the time, and in answer to my friend's questions, I did tell her about it.  Like I said, the Lord in His kindness and love chastened me.  It was very painful, but it was also VERY needful because what I had done was sin.  After that last conversation, she shared what I had said with other people.  A lot of unpleasantness  followed, of which I will not go into.  I just prayed, “Dear God, please don’t let my husband be disqualified from any work You have for him because of my foolishness.”  I apologized to my friend for speaking unkindly about another believer, and then I went to the person that I had talked about and apologized to them and asked for their forgiveness.  

So now we have a sign up in our house that says: “Watch your words.  Is it true?  Is it kind?  Is it necessary?”  If the answer to any of those questions is “no”, then bite your tongue.  And if necessary, bite it until it bleeds, if that keeps you from slander.  

Proverbs 18:21 says that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”  Satan is the accuser of the brethren.  We are to be a helper to our husband in his work of encouraging the believers; not Satan’s helper in destroying them.  

The Wife of a Leader: Expectations, part 1

What expectations do people have of a woman who is the wife of someone in a position of leadership in the local church?  If you ask 20 different people about what the wife of a leader should be like or be doing, you’ll get 20 different answers.  Even though we are serving people, the One we’re really serving is the Lord Himself.  And in the end, it’s the expectations He has of us that we will give an account for.

In 1 Timothy 3 God has set forth qualifications for those who would lead His people.  He begins with overseers, then moves on to deacons, and finally, He speaks to the wives of these men who would lead and serve in the local church.  Let's examine these qualities one by one.  

1 Timothy 3:11- Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 

Reverence:

The first quality mentioned is reverence- having a seriousness of purpose; dignity in their conduct.  Does this mean that if you’re married to a man in leadership you can’t ever laugh?  No.  A sense of humor usually helps in all areas of life.  But it does mean that you understand the seriousness of spiritual things and when people come to you and your husband with a problem, they know that you will treat them with respect and give them sound Biblical counsel. In order to give good spiritual counsel, you are going to have to be in the Word yourself.  

One of the older women I turn to when I need advice is the wife of a man who served as an elder in our local church for many years.  I go to her because she is a woman who spends time with the Lord and knows His Word.  One of the things I appreciate about her is that she has always been faithful to give me the counsel I needed to hear, not necessarily what I wanted to hear.  She tells me the truth because she fears God and cares more about pleasing Him than pleasing people. But she speaks the truth in love. And because I know that she loves me and prays for me regularly, I can take it from her.  She has been a tremendous example to me in being a woman who is reverent, holding fast to the truth of God’s Word.  

2 Peter 3:18 exhorts us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”  One of the best ways that you can be a help and encouragement to your husband, and an example to the flock is to be growing in your own personal relationship with the Lord.