In
short, the encouragement I would share, to all ladies, concerning singleness,
dating, modesty, purity, relationships, etc. would be:
Seek godliness: first for
yourself, then for men.
Alright
that's it! I'm done!
Just
kidding! Who do you think I am, leaving such an overarching vague statement
undefined?
Seek godliness, first for
yourself:
Be rooted
in your knowledge of Christ and what he has done for you -- bringing salvation
to you and reuniting you with God through his death -- (if you don't have this
knowledge please, please seek it first) I urge you to seek godliness, this is
actively pursuing God and His will for your life. Now, this is good practical
advice for any believer. And exactly why it is my encouragement to you today.
Specifically regarding the subject, seeking godliness means seeking Biblical
womanhood. This it the "first to yourself" aspect of my
encouragement. The good ol' Proverbs 31 is a good place to start. While the
chapter has many good points on womanhood, I really want to draw your attention
to verse 30 "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who
fears the Lord is to be praised." Out of all the wonderful
verses on womanhood in Proverbs 31, verse 30 is the only one that says what
aspect of Biblical womanhood that is praiseworthy. This is why it is important
for y'all to seek godliness, first for yourself. It's not charm, it's not
beauty, but it’s a healthy respect of God and earnestly seeking God that
is most to be honored.
Please,
seek God, first, before any relationship. Praises are lifted when you do!
Let's
move on to the latter half of the encouragement. Seek godliness for men
(REMEMBER this is after yourself). Seek godliness (i.e. Biblical manhood) for
all men, and in the man God has set aside as your husband (that is if you
aren't called to singleness, but that's a whole other subject). In order to
know and seek godliness for men, you need to study it. So, I am going to give
y'all a quick jump in the right direction. I'm not sure if you have ever noticed
this, but just as there a Proverbs 31 woman, there is a Proverbs 31 man. There
are multiple verses within Proverbs 31 that speak on biblical manhood, but the
verse I would like you to look at today (I encourage you to study it in-depth
yourself and find that Proverbs 31 man) is verse 23 "Her husband is known
in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land." A biblical man
should be known by people. Not for foolishness, but for his being an elder.
This does not mean every man should be an elder in the church, but godly men
are to seek to have the qualities of an elder. In 1 Timothy 3, we find the
qualifications of an elder. As before, I encourage you to study them all on
your own and encourage them in men, but here are a few of the characteristics
of elders -- sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, and hospitable.
Please
encourage men to seek godliness, earnestly seeking to know God and His will for
their lives. Please do not pursue a relationship with guys that aren't seeking
God and aren’t seeking godliness.
Remember
ladies! Seek godliness: first for
yourself, then for men.
Jon is a senior studying at ODU.
Extras:
"First for yourself" - study all the women in the bible, some you
could start with, Ruth, Esther (they both have their own books), Lydia,
Priscilla, Mary, Martha, Hannah etc.
"Then
for men" - study biblical men and their qualities, David, Stephen,
Phillip, Solomon, Job, Aquila, etc.
