Last week I got a text message from a friend saying she had finished reading Martha Peace’s The Excellent Wife, which reminded me that last time I started reading the book myself, I had not finished. So, today I picked it back up where I left off in chapter 12–”Submission”. As always I was not surprised to find Martha Peace clearly relaying God’s Word, convicting my heart and motivating me all at the same time!
It is not a coincidence that the beginning of the page where I had left off about a year ago is the verse I memorized last week!
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
Psalm 119:11
Sometimes I really struggle with having joy obeying all of God’s commands all the time. I know that I need to obey them, but I don’t always have the right attitude in doing it. I get distracted by how overwhelming the situation is and so instead of responding how I know God’s Word says to, I give in to temptation to be angry, have self-pity, sin with my mouth and then I just become frustrated or discouraged and my joy is sucked right out.
There is an inseparable connection between our obedience and our joy. We can’t just want life to be easy and when it’s not and we don’t like that, sit and pout at God as if He’s done us wrong. I loved how Martha Peace wrote in this chapter:
Joy results from trusting and obeying God’s Word. God’s testimonies, His Word, were a joy to the Psalmist. He did not have joy in some of God’s testimonies, but all of them. For the Christian wife, biblical submission to her husband is one of God’s testimonies and should be a joy for her.
The Excellent Wife, p. 132
For the Christian obedience is to be a joy not a burden. We need to see God’s commands for what they are, perfect and always for our good! They aren’t to be begrudgingly kept, putting up a fight all the way till we do it. We need to be quick to say to obey God’s commands, so that we can be disciplined to be thinking about, saying, and doing what is right. That is a joyful life!
Diana Matthews
April 29th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Thanks Christa! Your blog reminded me that it’s not just me that struggles at times to be a joyful wife…It’s was amazing to see God bring my family through such hard times and through it I remember people telling me “You’re always smiling! Even with everything that’s going on!”…. I didn’t even realize that I was..but I’d tell them”It’s not me! it’s a joy in knowing that God is in control and he is with me…During those times, It was VERY hard to be submissive to my husband whose was so, so down. But God is so perfect and faithful and I agree “We need to be quick to obey God’s commands….that is a joyful life!”
Chiara Hawley
April 29th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Love this book! Thanks for bringing out these gems of wisdom from the chapters. It is so true that joy is tied to obedience. Thanks for the wonderful reminder, Christa!
Roberta
April 30th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I have been reading in Nehemiah lately, and there again I was reminded that God has given us “just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments”(9:13). Why is it so easy to act like it’s a burden to obey? In Nehemiah I was also encouraged by the joy of the people when they did obey (8:10-12, 12:43). Your post served to reinforce what I’m learning elsewhere. Thanks.