I was talking with some friends this weekend about Martha Peace’s The Excellent Wife. Neither had read this book, but I think they would love it! Some women authors have a way of writing that lightens the Biblical message they are trying to teach by trying to appeal to the emotions or through psychological aspects. Something I really like about Martha Peace is that she does not sugar coat the truth. She doesn’t come across as cold or heartless either. Seasoned with grace and love for her sisters in Christ, Peace is efficient at speaking God’s Word into women’s lives. She is soundly Biblical and her passionate dedication for God and His Word is personally motivating. If you have not read this book, let me encourage you to visit Amazon.com and get your copy today! If you aren’t convinced, maybe Wednesday’s on Blakyblog can change your mind…

Because of that conversation with my friends, I had the idea to blog about a segment from The Excellent Wife each Wednesday. I definitely want to be growing into the wife that God wants me to be and I think that taking some time to blog through this book can help spark my thoughts into action…and I hope yours as well. If you are not married, let me encourage you to be a part of the discussion. Someday you probably will be and it would be great to learn these principles now.

“An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.”
Proverbs 31:1

God’s will for every Christian wife is that her most important ministry be to her husband (Genesis 2:18). After a wife’s own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else should have greater priority. Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife’s time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day. Whether her husband is a faithful Christian man or an unbeliever, God wants every Christian woman to be a godly wife–an excellent wife.

What really stands out to me is that God’s will for me as a wife isn’t just getting by, barely making it or coping in this role–His will is excellence. I looked up “excellent” in the dictionary and it means “superior, very good of its kind.” This excellence is not hinged on externals. It is not dependent on our husband. Even if he is not a believer, you can be a godly wife of excellence.

The idea of excellence can be overwhelming and though many women want to be this way, they just don’t think it’s possible for them. The encouraging truth is that as a child of God, we have the promise of 2 Peter 1:3

“…His divine power has granted to us
everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him
who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

It is so exciting to think that I have been called by God’s own excellence to be excellent! My responsibility is to depend on God’s Word–being a doer, not just a hearer (James 1:22)–this is how we can become who God wants us to be.