Hagar

'Sarah, Abraham's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.'  Genesis 16: 3,4

Ruth and Naomi

 We find the story of Ruth and Naomi in the book of Ruth. Ruth was poor, a foreigner, and a woman, and all this counted against her, but she was helped by an older woman, her mother-in-law, to overcome the difficulties she faced. She had the good sense to listen to the advice given to her by Naomi, and Naomi was rewarded by Ruth's  unfaltering loyalty. We get the first glimpse on that loyalty when, in response to Naomi's plea for her daughter-in-laws to go back their mother's home, Ruth replies "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."

The story of Ruth and Naomi is a story that illustrates the triumph of courage and ingenuity over adverse circumstances. Ruth has special significance for Christians. In the gospel of Matthew, four women were included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:2-17), and Ruth was one of the four.

I am blessed to have a mother-in-law who loves me as if I were her biological daughter. There is no mother-in-law drama here. I am further blessed to have women in my life who are wise and and who have been there for me and who are not afraid to "check me" when I need it. I know that with Christ in my life I can manage anything that comes my way; but having wise and seasoned women in my life makes the journey less treacherous and more bearable. I have had the benefit of having seasoned women pour into my life and now, it is my turn to pour into a younger sister. It is time for me to be a Naomi to a Ruth.

Something About Anna

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow even unto fourscore and four years), who departed not from the temple, worshipping with fastings and supplications night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2: 36-38)

Something about Anna

• Most of the women in the Bible were nameless (referred to as mothers, wives, daughters, whores)
• The books of Matthew, Mark, and John did not mention Anna
• But something about Anna caused Luke to not only mention her, but call her by name.

Something about Anna,


• Who her people were, her marital status, her age,
• What she did in the temple and how long she did it,
She was more than just an old woman in a temple, kissing babies …
she was a worshiper and she had significance, she was someone with a name … someone who did not depart from what she was called to do. We are not all called to be in the temple day and night…. But the question is, are we doing what we are called to do? Do we still believe in the promise?

Something about Anna


• She kept believing , yes the Messiah will come
• She kept serving, even when the odds were against her. She was eighty-some years old, her husband was dead, and she was living in a male world
• She kept proclaiming the good news


She kept on believing, serving, and proclaiming until she actually held the promise. While she waited for the manifestation of that promise, she walked in her giftedness and once she grasped the promise, she told everyone that the promise was for them as well.


We can’t all be a Junaita Bynum or a Paula White or a Joyce Meyer, but we can all be like Anna. We can believe, we can serve, we can proclaim and we can help others grasp the good news. And maybe, just maybe, someone will say, there is something about us.

Abigail

There was a man in Maon, whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was clever and beautiful, but the man was surly and mean. 1 Samuel 25:1-3


The story of Abigail is one of a woman married to a husband who was mean and a fool. Nabal’s foolishness was illustrated when he not only insulted David, but also refused to provide David and his men food. Fortunately, one of David’s servants told Nabal’s wife about the insults that had been directed at David by Nabal (1 Samuel 25:14) even though David’s men had protected Nabal’s men and sheep (1 Samuel 25:15-16). As soon as Abigail heard of her husband’s insulting behavior toward David, she began to make preparations to make up for his foolish actions. Without telling her husband of her plan (1 Samuel 25:19), she and her servants prepared a large amount of food and drink and traveled to where David and his men were camped (1 Samuel 25:18-20). Abigail averted disaster regarding herself and her family by humbling herself before David (1 Samuel 25:23-31). Abigail did an extraordinary thing when she took the blame for the sin of her husband (1 Samuel 25:28). She humbled herself and interceded for her people before David. For those who have been taught that wives are to "obey" their husbands, this presents an interesting biblical precedent. Abigail has: 1) Considered the problem, 2) determined a course of action directly opposed to her husband's wishes, 3) implemented that plan, and 4) failed to seek her husband's permission--in fact, she hasn't told him anything. David could have chastised Abigail for dishonoring her husband, but he didn’t. In fact, he did the exact opposite. He praised the Lord for her, then proclaimed her good sense. He applauded her spiritual knowledge in preventing him from sin--more he told her she had saved every man in her extended household. Unlike what we are often told, David listened and "heeds" a woman. The result of Abigail’s actions was that David’s heart was softened and he was kept from bloodshed that day. He accepted her offering and granted her request (1 Samuel 25:35). It can be said that Abigail:

1) …was a wise woman – She recognized the need to humble herself and intercede for her people before David and was willing to do so (1 Samuel 25:28).

2) …was a courageous woman – Abigail risked her life, firstly by not telling her husband of her plans. In those times women were their husband’s property. Nabal was a wealthy man (vs. 2) – she could have lost everything – even her life, for taking matters into her own hands. Secondly, going to meet David was very risky – can you imagine riding into that mountain ravine on a donkey (1 Samuel 25:20) and coming towards you are 400 men with swords and an angry leader at their head? (1 Samuel 25:13). But Abigail was a courageous woman and her motive was to plead for the lives of others.

3) … was a prophetic woman – Abigail spoke prophetic words to David. David realized this and as a result much bloodshed was averted that day (1 Samuel 25:33).

4) … was a faithful woman – She believed in God and spoke forth His message to David (1 Samuel 25:26). Abigail was rewarded for her faithfulness – she became wife to David, the future King (1 Samuel 25:42).

Abigail was certainly a woman of integrity and destiny along with many other women we read about in the Bible who God used in extraordinary ways – Esther, Deborah, Hannah, Mary, to name just a few. These women did remarkable things in their day and generation. God wants us to do remarkable things for Him in our day and generation! (Matthew 28:19-20).

The question we need to ask ourselves is, “are we willing to display the integrity and courage in our lives that Abigail displayed in hers in carrying out the Lord’s will?” (Matthew 7:21).

Sources: http://preachersfiles.com/abigail-in-the-bible/    and   http://www.alabaster-jars.com/biblewomen-a.html

Women of the Bible - Eve

It is 2012 and we are starting the new year with a new Bible Study. We are starting off the year with Jean Syswerda's Women of the Bible: 52 Bible Studies for Individuals and Groups. For most of this year we will be looking at the lives of females found in Scripture. 

We begin our study with a look at Eve. Her name means "Life-giving" or "Mother of All Who Have Life."

We find her story in the book of Genesis in the first four chapters. Syswerda describes Eve as coming into the world "... perfectly at peace with her God and with her husband, the only other person on the planet. She lived in Paradise, possessing every pleasure imaginable. She never knew the meaning of embarrassment, misunderstanding, hurt, estrangement, envy, bitterness, grief, or guilt until she listened to her enemy and began to doubt God." Want to know more about the true "first lady" of the world? Then pick up Syswerda's book. Syswerda asks several questions to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of Eve's life and times. I invite you to study along with us. Our goal is to post something new each week. Next week, we will look at Abigail.

Something Needs to Change

"A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well." The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with." - Mark 5:25 MSG

Like the woman who had suffered for over twelve years, we, at times, find ourselves desperate for a life change. Life is not the way it is supposed to be, we are hurting, we are way past tired, and something needs to change because we can't imagine going on with life in this present state. Life interruptions happen. And when they happen they throw us off our game ... we wonder why things are happening to us ... we wonder if things will ever get better.

Things can get better, but it will be in God's timing. Just like the woman who was desperate for healing and reached out for Jesus, we need to make a decision to do something differently while we wait for our change to come.

The decision to do something differently begins with believing that things -- life -- can be different; that life can be better. To do different, we have to want to do different and we will not want to do different if we don't believe that things can be different. The woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years dared to believe that life could be better and that if she just did something, things would be different. 

When life interruptions happen, things change; how we respond to those interruptions begins with our thinking. When something or some thingS need to change, the first step is to change our thinking.

Sometimes It's the Woman in the Mirror

  "I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes." - Psalm 119:59

Sometimes life is interrupted by the person that we face in the mirror every morning as we start our day. The woman or the man that is reflected in the mirror is, at times, the biggest obstacle we have to overcome. Sometimes these obstacles come in the form of fear -- often disguised as "what if?". What if we fail? What if we have to go alone? What if no one likes us? What if no one shows up? What if we are as bad as our worst critic thinks? What if ....  

I have found that on the days when the woman in mirror is creating life obstacles that would keep me from being all that I could be, reflecting on the words of Marianne Williamson helps. I hope these words inspire you as much as they inspire me.

 Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

we are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, 

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.

________________

from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles