On Submission and Idolarty

photo credit

Earlier today in my personal bible time I was reading in 1 Kings, when I came across a few different verses that later manifested themselves in my life. I'll list out the verses and then explain.

For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. -1 Kings 11:4-6

 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him: -1 Kings 12:8

And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days. -1 Kings 15:11-14

Now these three passages are each talking about a different king, but we can learn from their mistakes and successes. When I read the first passage my heart was instantly pricked and I began to think what are the things that I am leading my husband after. The second passage got me to thinking about the counsel I receive from older godly women. The third passage got me to thinking about the things in my life I make idols of. 

These thoughts all sort of go together, but it wasn't until later in the day that I truly saw the connection. After I finished reading I prayed that the Lord would show me idols in my life and what things are competing affections. I have a definition that I wrote in the front of my bible about idolatry that I like to use. 

"Idolatry is expecting people, possessions, or positions to do for me what only God can"

I don't remember where I got this quote from, but it is something I use to kind of check myself. So after I prayed I looked at this quote and tucked it away in my mind as I continued through my day. 

I was backed up on dishes, so I went into the kitchen to start what I knew was going to be a bit of a task. I usually listen to a teaching or Revive Our Hearts while I wash dishes or work in the kitchen. But today I decided to listen to The Excellent Wife audio book, by Martha Peace. I went to take down my dish drainer and I realized that it had gotten a little yucky sitting up above my cabinets (I only use it when I have a lot of dishes to wash). I wanted to clean it one way that would of slightly inconvenienced my hubby, and doing it another way would of much more inconvenienced me. So I proceeded to ask him to change his plans so that I could do what I wanted. After all what I wanted to do was going to benefit us both. But he said no. "How on earth could he say no" I thought, so I explained to him exactly what he was asking me to do, and with a bit of a puzzled look on his face he simply replied "yea". 

Yea? Yea, what? Yea, you expect me to go out of my way and create more work for myself???? Frustrated, I huffed and puffed away. As I began moving things around, feeling completely inconvenienced and unloved, I mumbled under my breath "who does he think he is?" and  other things I will not be sharing here. Then I heard the voice reading Martha Peace's book begin to talk about submission and being a glory to your husband. I glared over at the speakers and really wanted to tell that lady to shut up! But then the Lord lovingly brought to mind 1 kings 12:8 "But he forsook the counsel of the old men..." Here I am desiring to be a godly wife but then rejecting the counsel of a woman who has gone before me, and even worse I sought her out! I went and got this audio book and turned it on, yet now I'm telling her to mind her business.  Talk about a convicted heart. 

I stood there washing my dishes, with a softened heart and listened as the reader continued. Then next thing I know she's talking about idols that a woman can make in her life, that might not seem like idols. Oh, boy. I can't remember everything she said word for word, but she was saying how often times the idea of having a godly marriage, and family, can become an idol because we loose sight of what's most important, GOD. We focus more on what we want, and even risk sinning to attain it, when really our only focus should be on God. That cut through me like a hot knife through butter. 

Am I guilty of that? Of course not... until she said that you can tell by your reaction when things don't go how you think they should. If you're seeking after the Lord you"ll have peace because you are resting in Him. But if you're seeking after something other than the Lord you'll be frustrated when things aren't fitting into you're plan. That's me! I like things to go my way, and when they don't I say, "Lord are you sure?" But that's not the way to go. Now the dish drainer situation is a small thing but if I have the wrong attitude in the small things how much more so will have the wrong attitude in the big things? My reaction shows that my heart was not focused of serving my family but rather just on getting a job done because I was supposed to. When my husband didn't do what I wanted I began thinking "is this how Christ loved the church?" Which is the totally the wrong attitude. (I won't even get into how she was talking about taking the beam out of you're own eye...)

I went from being hardhearted and angry because I was inconvenienced, to the Lord taking me through all the scriptures He had shown me. If I am not careful in keeping my gaze on Him I will loose focus, and create an idol. I could then end up forcing my husband into going after my idol and not fully after the Lord. If I do not harken to warnings of godly women who have gone before me, and instead focus on the ideals of this current culture,  I can hinder my husband from being who God wants him to be. All because of my need to chase after the idol of a godly marriage and family instead of just focusing on the Lord and allowing Him to bring about godliness in my marriage and family. Ouch, ouch, and ouch again. 

Do you have idols in your heart? Maybe yours are different from mine but examine your heart and cast away any competing affections. 

Thou shalt have no other gods before me...Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God... -Exodus 20:3&5

I'm linking up at:

 

2 years and counting...

Two years ago today I was blessed to have been able to marry my very best friend! The Lord has blessed us beyond measure and I am so thankful to be called his wife. The day my hubby proposed to me I was heading to his apartment after I had left church one morning. When I arrived he had this posted on the door:

Anyone else would have figured it out, but not me. I read it and just though "yes he was reading his Bible today!" lol. I rushed in and headed straight for the bathroom. While I was in there he slipped a card under the door. The card said "Thinking of you" on the front, had some kind words, and Romans 12:12 printed in it. "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer". For those that don't know, that was me! I wanted so badly to get married. Once I got saved I felt so much pressure to get married because I didn't want to continue on the path we were on. We had one child together and I was supposed to move in with him after he got his apartment. Once I got saved I knew I couldn't do that. But I so desperately wanted our family together. So even though living at home was hard I withstood it, even though it seemed so far away I was in prayer. I would visit and clean and decorate as though it was my home, just hoping and getting excited for the day it would be. 

Aside from what was already printed in the card he wrote: "Your unwavering & insurmountable show of love and affection has never gone unnoticed. And I never want to be noticed with out you by my side. -HB"

You'd think I would of surely figured it out by now, right? Nope. I just though awww how sweet. I came out of the bathroom and told him how sweet I thought the card was and I thanked him. Then all of a sudden he dropped down on one knee! I was so shocked and even then I couldn't believe it was really happening! Obviously I said yes and the rest is history :o)

We were married 3 months later and we've been growing together in the Lord ever since! Happy Anniversary Browning, I love you! 

Sweet and Not Bitter

Ok it's confession time... 


I had a terrible week. I was mean to my husband and although I worked really hard at being involved with my children, my heart wasn't in it. My girls had a fun week, and they had mommy's attention. But I was on edge, and not as patient with them as I could of been. 


I tried to be nice to my hubby, I tried to just act like everything was fine. Then he'd do something like turn the TV, on when I was trying to keep it off, and I'd feel like he was the worst husband ever. Yes I know I was being completely irrational. But it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, he just couldn't do anything right. I prayed on it, I sought God on it, and I asked for strength. Nothing. I asked God to show me why I was so bitter, and to help me to forsake it. Nothing. I resolved to just smile through it........ That didn't last long. 


Then one night while I was cooking dinner I was listening to a radio show on Revive Our Hearts called A God-Sized Picture of Marriage and the speaker, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, was explaining the point of marriage. She said:

"Now, I don’t know why you got married or what your hopes and expectations were that day, or what they may be today years later, but I have news—in case you haven’t discovered it already—and that is that marriage is not first and foremost about you. It’s not that you can’t enjoy a happy and blessed marriage. You can, and I believe that pleases the Lord for you to do that. But the greatest blessings of marriage come as a byproduct of seeking something else. 

You see, marriage was intended by God to display in neon His covenant love. It’s supposed to be a Technicolor picture of redemption. Your marriage is supposed to point people to Christ. It’s supposed to draw them like a magnet to the gospel, to know the love of God, to see that love lived out in two imperfect people who have a great God at the heart of their marriage."

Well that just pierced my heart. I was NOT treating my husband with the respect that he deserves. I was short with him, and I was rude. That's not the way to point anyone to Christ. That was showing selfishness, not love. I was marring the picture. 

Now my husband, on the other hand, was dealing with my attitude and not being rude back to me. He was doing his part. But that's not the way a relationship is supposed to work, we're BOTH supposed to be doing our parts. 

He wasn't happy because he knew I was unhappy. And you know, I still don't know why I was so upset with him to begin with. But I know what ever it was, it wasn't dealt with immediately and I allowed it to fester and create a break down in our relationship. I was being selfish and making it about me. When really, ultimately, it's about God!

The scriptures say, "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established" -Proverbs 16:3

So while we do love our husbands because they are sweet, and handsome. We're supposed to love them even when they aren't so sweet and when their actions make them slightly less handsome; even if it is just in our heads. 

Being a wife is a "job" appointed by God, and we are supposed to act appropriately regardless of our feelings. So I've purposed to commit my works unto the Lord. I've gone to my husband and expressed the issues I was having and we're doing better. I still have my moments but they are way less often, and by the grace of God I am being much sweeter. My goal is to bring forth sweet water and not bitter! Because after all I can't do both. James 3:11-18 says:

"Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? ¹² Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. ¹³ Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ¹⁶ For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

I know it won't be easy but I can choose to love "because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." -Romans 5:5 

Worth Fighting For

My family and I have never had it all together, we still don't. My husband got saved after I did (but before we got married) and he's been slow to come around. In the beginning it was just me taking the girls to church and trying to teach them the things of the Lord. But God came in right on time and my hubby is on fire for the Lord!

We've been studying together, praying together, and going to church together. I love getting to sit in church with my man. I used to be so jealous of those women who got to sit in service with their husbands by their sides. That was something I had to repeatedly go to God and ask forgiveness for. But since just giving it all to Him so much has changed. We have family worship time, as well as a time for just my hubby and I to get alone with God.

I don't want to give the impression that we're perfect, because we are FAR from being perfect. FAR. But I do want to give others hope. If you're a wife whose husband seems to be not stepping up to the challenge of being the spiritual leader of your family, there is hope. Let Proverbs 21:1 be your hope: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."

God can turn the heart of your king. You just have to be willing to put the time in on your knees. Prayer is the most powerful weapon that we have. In church on Sunday our pastor said "it is in prayer where the battle is won!" And it's so true! When we try to make things happen in our flesh we will fail. every. time. But when we step back and wait on God to work, we can witness miracles.

Now that doesn't mean that we don't have to work, we do. We most certainly do. But our work is not to nag our husbands and try to change them. Were are supposed to follow the admonishment found in 1 Peter 3:1-2

"¹Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; ²While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."

The word conversation in those verses isn't referring to our speech. It's about the way we carry ourselves what our husbands see in us. When we're at church or around other Christians its so much easier to "act right". But when we're at home and the dishes are piled up, the kids aren't behaving, and your husband has left his socks all around the house, that's when our true character comes out. That's when our husbands need to see us demonstrating the love of Christ. That is when we must extend grace.

It's not always easy but as you are praying for your husband, pray that God will show you anything that you have going on in your life that is hindering His work. Pray for any hidden sin to be revealed. Take your focus off of your husbands short comings and ask God to show you your own. When you take your focus off of your man, things will change. It won't be over night, and there will be set backs. It will be hard. But it's worth fighting for. 

I'm linking up with Women Living Well, Proverbs 31 Thursdays and A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Our Anniversary Day!

The day started out slow and I was convinced it was going to be uneventful. We woke up to the tail end of the storm and were just extremely thankful to have power! Many in our area are still without power still today. YHVH really sparred us from the effects of the storm.

Once the storm was officially over, hubs made the decision for us to try to get to church if it was possible. So he called and the van was able to come pick us up! We needed a few things so he went out to get them and I got the girls ready to go. When hubs came back home he had some fresh picked flowers for me. :o) I love flowers.

Then we went to church and got to fellowship and get prayer over our marriage and our family. But even more exciting than that..... We signed our ketubah!!!! So exciting! Its all I really wanted for this anniversary!

First hubby :o)

Then me :o)

(we also had our pastor sign and two witnesses)

The way we designed it, we have on one side our vows to each other in poem form and then on the other side our actual personal vows that we wrote to each other.

Our vows:

I, *Husband*, promise to love, honor, and protect Tewauna all the days of my life. I promise to always lead her in truth and provide for her. I promise to always be understanding and compassionate putting her needs before my own desires. I promise to guide our family in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. I will train up our children in the way they should go and love them unconditionally. I promise to remain faithful to her until the day of my death. Through the enabling grace of God I will carry out these promises.

I, Tewauna, promise to love, honor, and obey *Husband* submitting to him as unto the Lord, putting his needs before my own desires. I promise to be his confidant and helper in all things. I promise to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to always give to my family with all my heart, mind, and soul. I promise to live out our marriage covenant until the day of my death, forsaking all others and giving myself only to him. These promises I will carry out through God’s enabling grace.

The other portion read:

I join you to me forever. I join you to me in everlasting faithfulness. I will be your loving friend as you are mine. Set me as a seal upon your heart, like the seal upon your hand, for love is stronger than death. And I will cherish you honor you, uphold and sustain you in all truth and sincerity.I will respect you and the divine image within you. I take you to be mine in love and tenderness. May my love for you last forever.May we be consecrated, one to the other, by these rings. Let our hearts be united in faith and hope. May our hearts beat as one in times of gladness as in times of saddness. Let our home be built on The Word of God and loving-kindness. May our home be rich in wisdom and reverence.

And here is a picture of our ketubah :o)

We had so much fun making this together and I'm just excited that we got to share the moment with our church family. Now to find a frame big enough....

A year ago today.....

A year ago today I legally gave my heart to my beloved husband. I say legally because he's had my heart long before then. We made promises to each other in the past, but this one is documented!

We got married at our church in a small ceremony. And I really do mean small. It was our pastor, his wife, and four of their children. Our then 1 1/2 year old daughter was our flower girl. My family was away and hubby's family lives out of state.

We initially had a big wedding planned, but then I got pregnant. Obviously we were struggling with not being married so we decided it was probably not best to keep waiting.

Sometimes I wish we had an amazing courtship story of being pure and saving our first kiss for our wedding. But we don't. I just pray our children will learn from our mistakes and not make the same ones.

This first year of marriage has had its ups and downs. We've definitely had to spend a lot of time getting used to actually being married. Plus having two children. We certainly didn't do any of this the easy way.

Nonetheless I am extremely thankful for my husband and excited for the future that's ahead of us. He brightens my life and is the secret behind my smile. I pray that this next year we are able to draw closer to each other by drawing closer to YHVH.

We don't have any exciting plans. We're actually under a hurricane AND a tornado watch. We are one of the many families on the East Coast in the path of Irene. If you are also please know you are in our prayers.

We did plan to renew our vows and sign a nice pretty ketubah (that we designed) but with the impending storm I'm not sure if we'll make it to church. (We still have no car, so it all depends on if someone can pick us up)

As for now our plans are just to make it through the storm. But at least we'll be together :o)

10 things I love about my husband

1. He is saved by grace through FAITH!

2. He is a great leader. He always does his best to make sure he doesn't steer us wrong. He only wants the best for us and he works hard, and prays even harder, to provide it.

3. He is an amazing father. He loves his girls and you can tell when he spends time with them. Its written all over his face as he looks at them and dripping from every word he says.

4. He's the perfect protector. He's always watching out for me. He checks for ice before I walk and helps me out of the car. He's always on the look out to make sure the girls and I are safe. He even does the laundry so I won't have to go into the basement of our apartment alone!

5. He is a happy helper. My dear sweet hubby is a strong man and so any chance he gets to use his muscles he does! He joyfully helps others especially with physical labor. But he just as happily will help with things that don't involve physical strength, like helping an elderly lady down the steps. That was one of the first things I noticed and loved about him. He's just an all around nice guy.

6. He is talented. My husband is an artist. He mostly does graphic design, but his drawings and sketches blow me away. YHVH truely blessed him with am amazing talent. I could watch him design all day.

7. He is loyal. If my husband makes a commitment he honors it. If for any reason he can't he does his best to come up with a compromise or another way to honor his commitments. He's such a dedicated man and he is wise. He never paints himself into a corner, which helps him be able to keep his word. He's also very loyal to his parents and siblings. Even though we are his main priority, he makes sure to take time to help them how ever he can. He has younger brothers and he tries to set a good example for them. I love to watch him interact with them. He's an all about family kind of man. 

8. He's fun. I like to have a good time and so does my hubby. We have an easy time enjoying each other, even though sometimes life gets in the way. He gets me. He laughs at my jokes and he can always make me smile. He's a big kid at heart and so am I.

9. He loves me. Someone once told me that love is a choice. Yes we can fall in love, but real love is a choice we make. Well I know my hubby made that choice and he stands by it everyday. We've been together for almost 4 years. That may seem like a short amount of time to some, but with everything we've been through its really shaped our relationship. There where times, he could of walked away. But he never has. He has never turned his back on me, not even for a second. When I say times got hard, times got REALLY HARD! My whole family knew he would marry me just because he was sticking around despite the drama. We've been through the fire, and by the grace and strength of YHVH, we made it out to the other side stronger than ever. They say that the strongest metals are made in the hottest fires; well that's us. We're like titanium or carbon 40 :o)

10. He's so handsome how can I help but love him! Ok I know this seems a bit superficial BUT he's handsome from the inside out. So really its deep lol. But seriously my husband is a very attractive man and I love to look at him. He has such a heart for YHVH and such passion for life. When I look at him I see my present, and my future. I see who I want my (future) sons to be like. I see the type of man I want my daughters to marry. And I see the greatest blessing God has given me.

Day 1

Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. - 2 Peter 3:18

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. -Proverbs 4:23

One Flesh

The second and third parts of the video series, "How to be Happily married", focused on the roles that women and men have in marriage. Men are called to love their wives, women are called to submit to their husbands. That's made clear all through scripture so I won't go on and on about that. I want to discuss something else that really stood out to me.

Dr. Williams started out talking about how a man and a woman become one flesh when they get married. How man is to leave his parents and cleave to his wife. We all know the Bible says this, its not a foreign concept. But just how serious is God about what He said? How literal did He mean it?  An example I never would have even realized comes from the story of Job!

In Job 1, Satan goes to God and receives permission to tempt Job to curse the Lord. But not with out one stipulation in verse 12. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord."

Satan could do anything but put forth his hand on Job. After this Job looses everything, except his life and his wife. Job's wife is barely even mentioned through out this book, but we know she lived. He needed her to have his second set of kids! To have taken her life would of been the same as Satan putting forth his hand on Job, which he was not allowed to do. Job lost everything, his world was devastated. But he had his wife. Was she a good wife, did he love her as Christ loves the church? I can't say. But what we know is that she was his wife, and therefore bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.

There are a lot of verses that discuss the marriage relationship. But still in a story where it could so easily be missed the Lord planted a little seed. He painted a powerful picture that shows just how serious he was that a husband and a wife are indeed ONE FLESH.



"Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." -Matt 19:6

The Rock

My husband and I have started watching a video series by Dr. Tom Williams called "How to be Happily Married". So far its been good, but we've only watched the first DVD. Something that stuck with me from the first video was his reference to Matthew 7:24-27 and how that applies to marriage. 

" ²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

 ²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

 ²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

 ²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

This passage could be applied to many aspects of our lives and its always the same Rock we need to stand on; Jesus Christ! If the foundation of our marriages is Christ then what more do we need?  

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

When darkness seems to hide His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood.

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

As we continue this delightful series I will post the different things the Lord has laid on my heart. May you and yours be blessed!

Obedience

I haven't been writing much about the scripture that the Lord has been pressing on me so I guess this is long over due! 


I just finished reading Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. I highly recommend this book but I also caution that you need to review things mentioned in your own Bible and pray on it with the Lord. The Pearls are human and can't replace the Bible. Ok now that, that is out of the way. I loved this book! I found myself cringing at times because of how convicting it was. I had to put it down and take a break from time to time. Normally I devour a book that I really enjoy. But this one took me months to read. I had to soak it in bit by bit and at times I had to wait until I was ready to admit my faults. 


Something that really stood out to me was the concept of obeying our husbands. Everyone may not agree that we are to obey our husbands but:

⁴That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

 ⁵To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. -Titus 2:4-5

If the older women are to teach the younger to be obedient to their own husbands then clearly the Lord wants us to obey our OWN husbands. I hope I'm not over simplifying this.


Even if that's not enough to "persuade" you then think on your wedding vows. Maybe you didn't have "to obey" in yours but mine did. So if I agreed to do the things in my vows I must then obey my husband. 


Boy oh boy! I am not very obedient. I'm definitely a do it my way kind of woman. But I promised God and my husband that I would obey. In striving to be a godly wife I am commanded to submit to my husband as unto the Lord, YIKES! I've only been married a short while. I've read in my Bible how I am to submit, I more or less know the things I'm supposed to be doing. But how do you put this into action? It seems I could read all day, and study all night but when it comes to actually doing....well, let's just say I struggle. I think I submit to my husband. But I've found its easier to submit, or obey, when I agree than when I don't agree! But I'm not called to submit only when I agree, I'm called to SUBMIT period. 


My prayer right now is that I can learn to live out the admonishment from the author of 1 Peter 3:1-11. 

 ¹Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

 ²While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

 ³Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

 ⁴But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

 ⁵For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

 ⁶Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

 ⁷Likewise, 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.

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

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

 ¹⁰For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

 ¹¹Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.