In my ladies bible study classes I am often asked a question to this affect "Do I have to do what my husband wants if it goes against God?" I often direct them to Colossians 3:18:
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord.
At what point do we or can we say "Not this time." There was a wife in the Bible that felt the need to agree with her husband more than she felt the need to be obedient to God. When you mention Sapphira, a story should come to mind. It is a story dealing with a husband, money and obedience.
Her husband, Ananias sold a piece of property and "with his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet." [Acts 5:1-2] Peter questions Ananias in a way that should have pierced his heart. Peter asks questions like "How is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" "How is it that you kept some of the money....you have not lied to man but to God." [v3-4]
Ananias paid for his decision. "When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died." [v5] His decision, his deception and his greed cost him his life. It was not the mere decision to keep money for himself, it was taking from God. In a crime scene, suspects are not allowed to sit together, ride together, or spend time together until all the parties have been interviewed. This minimized the opportunity to "prepare a story."
Scripture says that three hours later, Sapphira came in not knowing what happened to her husband. Peter also asked her to confirm the price Ananias had paid for the land. She stuck by their story. Not knowing he was dead, she supported her husband's story of the price.
Peter told her "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out also." [v9]
There are things that are not negotiable in our home. One of those is tapping into "God's portion." While everything we have and everything we are belongs to God, it might seem easy to "tap into" proceeds that do not belong to us. Times are tough, the economy is at an all time low but God is still our provider. We must be obedient to His Word.
As a Godly woman and a Godly wife, how would you want your story to read? Would you be a Sapphira who lied to the God, or would you be a woman who speaks with Godly wisdom? My prayer is that God will mold me into a wife that pleases her Lord first, then her husband.
She opens her mouth with Godly wisdom. On her tongue is the law of kindness and faithful instruction. Proverbs 31:26
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23
.
No comments:
Post a Comment