Daily Treasure

God never leaves anything half done. When He made the sun, He made the moon. When He created male, He created female. When He admonished women to submit to their men, He admonished men to love their women as much as they love themselves. In Genesis 2:24, He proclaims that a man should leave his parents and become one with his wife. Simply put, a man must treat his wife with the same love and respect he gives his own body. (And we all know how much men love themselves! J

HOW DO YOU RELATE?

Read Ephesians 5:28-31, 33 and Matthew 19:6. If you are not married, spend time praying for the marriage of a couple you know. If you are married, make two columns in your notebook. On one side, list all the things your spouse does for you (i.e., gifts, help with chores). On the other, list all the things you do for your spouse (i.e., cook his favorite meal, rub his back). Make time as a couple to sit down together and talk through these Scriptures. Consider new ways to anticipate each others’ needs, therefore helping each other become better people and better Christ followers.

Mona Dukes

South Carolina

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray we will be good stewards during this time of economic upheaval.

PRAY TOGETHER: Thank God for our freedoms as we celebrate Flag Day in America.

PRAY TOGETHER: Please send up a prayer of thanksgiving for all those who have come to know the Lord through the ministries of our home missionaries.

Mark Twain once said, “Where would men be without women? Scarce, mighty scarce.” Though we have spent the last four days admonishing women to be more subservient and submit to men as Christ submits to the church, we cannot end a study like this without pointing out how vitally important women have been throughout the ages. Certainly we can look to Old Testament examples like Esther, Ruth, and Hannah to see great women in action for God.  And where would the modern-day church have been without Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene who supported the spreading of the Gospel financially and by witnessing.

HOW DO YOU RELATE?

Read Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, and Ephesians 6:1-3. In your notebook write down how you have honored your parents (i.e., speaking well of them to others and being polite to them). Also write down ways you have obeyed your parents (i.e., following their spiritual teachings). If you have had a tumultuous relationship with one or both parents, write down ways you can still honor and obey them according to Scripture, even if they’re gone already.

Mona Dukes

South Carolina

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray specifically that God will give Danita High, WNAC’s new Executive Secretary-Treasurer, wisdom and understanding during her first year in leadership.

There’s nothing cooler than a mother’s hand on a fevered brow. There’s nothing tastier than a mother’s special dish cooked for her child. And there’s nothing more precious than a mother’s love showered over her children with kind words, gentle caresses and loving looks. Did your mother ever say, “You’ll understand when you have children of your own?” It’s true. Right living becomes so much more vital when you hold a tiny one in your arms and know that he is totally dependent on your actions. Motherhood was instituted by God and serves as a perfect example of the parental love with which He showers us.

HOW DO YOU RELATE?

Read Psalm 139:13-16. Consider how God’s plans for you began long before you were even conceived. Now consider how He put just the right DNA together from your mother and your father to “knit you together” and give you the life (and trials) you’ve had.

In your notebook, make two columns and title them “Good things” and “Not-so-good things.”  Delineate the “good things” God has given you in your life (i.e., good health, strong family bonds, good job) and the “not-so-good things” that have happened to you (i.e., loss of a loved one, budgetary constraints). Now read Romans 8:28 and pray for God to show you how all of the things on your list are woven together to make you uniquely you. Write your thoughts.

Mona Dukes

South Carolina

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray as E-TEAM Tokyo and E-TEAM Hokkaido minister in Japan June 16-30.

One of the most misinterpreted concepts of scripture about women deals with what they should wear when it comes to clothing, makeup or jewelry. Certainly, respect for the reverence of worship in an non-distracting way should be the main impetus for modesty, but years of misinterpretation have resulted in women walking away from church-related activities or, sadly, Christianity altogether because the focus was more on what they wore rather than on their spiritual growth. Clearly Paul admonishes women to not draw undue attention to themselves with revealing and costly clothing, outrageous hairdos, or flashy jewelry, but the purpose of this admonition is not to stifle a woman’s identity. Rather it is to make her good deeds on Christ’s behalf the thing people notice more so than her appearance.

HOW DO YOU RELATE?

Read 1 Timothy 2:8-10 as well as supporting concordance notes or footnotes on this passage. Pray for God to reveal to you how you can let go of past stigmas regarding dress or appearance and seek ways to more readily influence the world around you through your actions rather than how you look.

Mona Dukes

South Carolina

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that families will take God with them on vacations this summer.

You can’t discount women’s subservient roles as cultural hogwash that doesn’t apply to today’s sophisticated woman. From the recording of the creation story until John lays down his pen on the Isle of Patmos, men are the leaders and women are the followers. It all started back in the day when Adam was created first from the dust of the earth and Eve was formed second. Remember from whence her creation came? Just below Adam’s heart—his rib. You can spend the rest of your days blaming that poor first woman for her role in awarding you the silver trophy of relationship, or you can properly evaluate the situation and put into action the reason God did it that way to begin with. Either way, the facts don’t change: men are first and women are second—like Christ was subservient to God—pure and simple.

HOW DO YOU RELATE?

Read Ephesians 5:22-33 again along with 1 Timothy 2:13-14, Colossians 3:18-21 and supporting reference and concordance notes. Pray for more thorough discernment on how God sees the role of women in the grand scheme of things. Write down your thoughts on how you can more appropriately assume the role God intends you to have.

Mona Dukes

South Carolina

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for our faithful TWG blog writers.