NOT YOUR SUBORDINATE: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 21ST SEPTEMBER 2018

MEMORISE:

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18

READ: 1 Peter 3:7-9


7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

MESSAGE:

The way some men relate with their wives is unbecoming of a child of God. Some husbands deal with their wives like a highhanded boss would deal with an employee. When one beholds such sights, one begins to wonder whether it was love that brought them together in the first place or something else. They talk to their wives as if their wives are nonentities. Husbands who behave in this manner do not understand the essence of a woman in a man’s life Genesis 2:18 says it all:

 “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. ”

What led to this divine decision, seen in Genesis 2:20, is equally intriguing:

“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”

We need to note some points from these two scriptures first of which is that as fearfully and wonderfully made as Adam was, he needed a helpmate, of which none was found amongst other creatures. God then decided to create a woman customized and tailored to meet this need. 

Secondly, men do not seek help from an inferior entity; at best, they look in the direction of an associate that is at least equal to their status. Thirdly, if Adam needed help, he required a quality helper to render it, and this was exactly what God provided. 

Therefore, any man who treats his wife as an inferior being cannot appreciate God’s gift in the woman God has given him. This is an unfortunate situation. The word “weaker” used when describing women as vessels should not be taken to mean “inferior vessel”; rather, it is best interpreted as flexible vessels. 

Indeed, women are flexible, and they must be if they would serve the purpose for which they were created as helpmates of men. It is however, unfortunate that some men take advantage of the flexible nature of women to extort and manipulate them. The consequence of this terrible act is seen in Malachi 2:14:

“Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”

Furthermore, note that God is angry with domestic treachery and unfaithfulness. It has negative effects on your spirit and on the children of your union. If your marriage is experiencing difficulties, may God restore peace to it today in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:


Father, please help me restore and maintain peace in my home, as I give due regard to my spouse from now on in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastic 8-12, Mark 11:1-19

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 17: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES

1. God, give us christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the master’s
Will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty thy love hath wrought;
God, give us christian homes;
God, give us christian homes!

2. God, give us christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God, give us christian homes;
God, give us christian homes!

3. God, give us christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in queenly quest
Strive to show others thy way is best
Homes where the lord is an honoured guest;
God, give us christian homes;
God, give us christian homes!

4. God, give us christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;
God, give us christian homes;
God, give us christian homes!
Amen.