Generosity Never Goes Out of Style
Have you ever noticed that selfishness never looks good on anyone?
It’s difficult to be around someone who is constantly self-absorbed. Everything is about “I, I, I” and “me, me, me.” What I can get. What I can do. What’s happening
On the flip-side, have you ever noticed how refreshing it is to be around someone who is generous? Their conversation is filled with, “How are you? What’s happening in your life? What can I do for you?” You go to lunch with them and almost have to wrestle them to the ground in order to pay for the meal because they want to cover the tab. They’re constantly thinking about how they can give to others, what they can do for others, and how they can bless someone else’s life.
Generosity is a great trait to look for in a potential spouse. Proverbs 31:20 (AMPC) talks about the virtuous woman and says, “She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].”
In other words, she’s not a selfish woman, only thinking about herself and her family. Even though she works hard to make sure her family is taken care of, she’s also aware and cognizant of those people around her who are in need, and she does something about it. She reaches out with full hands to help others.
A word to the wise for all the single men who are looking for a spouse, generosity is an accessory that you’ll want your future wife to have, and it will never go out of style!
The Take Away:
Guys, if you’re single and considering getting married, look for someone who is a giver and who’s not selfish, someone who thinks about others and is a cheerful giver—not just of money but also of time and resources.
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Considerate of Others
The word “courteous” means “marked by respect for and consideration of others.”
This is a great quality to possess and also look for in a potential spouse.
People who are courteous keep appointments and show up on time. If plans change, they call to let the other party know. Having “company manners” doesn’t just apply to business situations.
We need to always be courteous to those closest to us no matter how familiar we are with them. There’s a saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” That means the more familiar we are with someone the less we tend to show respect and politeness toward them. However, just because we know someone well doesn’t mean we quit being courteous and showing good manners.
Courtesy needs to be part of our character. It’s a way to show respect for others, both in our business dealings and in our personal life with our spouse, family, and friends.
The Take Away:
A good marriage functions on mutual respect for one another. Common courtesy and politeness are qualities to esteem in a potential spouse, and they should never wane in a marriage relationship. If they start to decline, then you can be assured that your respect for one another has declined as well.
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She’s Not Afraid of Hard Work
The Bible talks about the virtuous woman who works willingly with her hands (Proverbs 31:13).
She gets up early in the morning, while it’s still dark outside, to get breakfast ready for her family (Proverbs 31:15). She’ll sacrifice her sleep to take care of the needs of her husband and children. Her lamp burns late into the night (Proverbs 31:18).
In other words, she isn’t lazy and negligent toward her family and home. She doesn’t sleep in and let the kids try to fend for themselves to get ready and eat breakfast before they go to school. She doesn’t kick back all day long watching Netflix while the dishes stack up in the sink, and the laundry pile begins to look like Mount Everest.
She’s the first one up in the morning and the last one in bed at night, working diligently to take care of her family, manage her home, and even run her own business.
She’s industrious, selfless, focused, and manages her family and business responsibilities well. Bottom line, she isn’t afraid of the word “WORK.” Being graceful and gracious are wonderful attributes, but being a hard worker and diligent are prerequisites to building and providing for a family.
The Take Away:
As you’re looking for a wife, make sure to check and see what kind of work ethic she has. Does she have a good reputation at work for being a good, conscientious worker? Does she handle her home responsibilities well, like keeping her house maintained, paying her bills on time, and keeping finances in order? How well she handles responsibilities now will be the way she handles them after she gets married.
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Someone Who’ll Do You Good All of Your Days
Have you ever gone out with another couple and the other guy’s date starts making sarcastic comments about him, criticizing him, and cutting him down in front of you and your date?
It’s not a pretty sight. It’s awkward and does not make for a fun evening.
You can be sure if she constantly treats him like that while they’re dating, then if they ever get married, she will continue treating him that way.
Bottom line, it shows lack of respect, esteem, and honor. Guys, that’s not the kind of woman you want to marry. You don’t want to take someone like that to a Fourth of July picnic, only to have her start cutting you down in front of all your friends. You want to marry someone who’ll respect you and show you honor in front of others.
You want to marry someone you can trust, believe in, and rely on, and who’ll respect and honor you. Someone who’ll be an encourager, a comforter, and who’ll do you only good and not evil all the days of your life. The Bible says that kind of woman is “far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls” (Proverbs 31:10 AMPC).
The Take Away:
Take note of how the woman you’re dating treats you in front of others. Does she respect you and speak highly of you to others? Or, does she criticize and humiliate you in front of your peers? She may call it “joking around” and doesn’t realize it’s disrespectful and doesn’t promote a healthy relationship.
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More Than Just a Pretty Face
When looking for a spouse, a few questions that you might want to have high on the list are: Does she have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Does she go to church? Does she read the Bible on her own and not just when she’s at church? Does she value the power of prayer?
Proverbs talks about charm being deceptive and beauty not lasting, but “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30 NIV). In other words, is the woman you’re considering marrying as attractive on the inside as she may be on the outside? Are there fruit of the spirit evident in her life—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? (ref. Galatians 5:22-23)
First Peter chapter three talks about how “beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. But it should be that of a woman’s inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:3-4 NLT). There’s no doubt that the outward appearance is important, and you need to be attracted to the person you marry, but God says what is on the inside is incredibly valuable to Him and is to be praised and honored.
Men, a woman who has a solid relationship with God and possesses a spiritual strength that manifests in a gentle and quiet spirit is the type of woman who will be a big asset to you and help you become all God wants you to be.
The Take Away:
Take time to really get to know the person you’re going to marry. Make sure they’re more than just a pretty face and that they have a true relationship with God and an inner beauty that reflects the fruit of the spirit.
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Managing the Home
When making a list of what to look for in the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, an important quality to consider might be how well does she keep and manage her home?
In our society, women who aren’t employed outside of the home and who are strictly homemakers are sometimes devalued, and the role of taking care of the home is downplayed. However, Titus 2:5 (KJV) lists one of the qualifications of mature women as being “keepers at home.” In other words, they k now how to manage and keep up their homes and families.
As you’re looking for a potential spouse, you might want to find out if she keeps her home organized and maintained. Is it a place that is peaceful, relaxing, cheerful, and attractive? Or is it cluttered, unclean, and uninviting? These things may not be important to some men, but if they are to you and you’re looking for a wife who’s a good homemaker, then these are some practical, common sense things you might want to think about.
The Take Away:
Is having a well-run, well-cared for, attractive, peaceful home important to you? What type of home atmosphere do you desire to have? Would you rather marry someone whose desire is to strictly be a stay-at-home mom and homemaker, versus someone who is career-minded? These are questions that would be
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Can She Control Her Tongue?
The Word of God has a lot to say about what to look for in a wife.
First Timothy chapter three gives some specific characteristics of a leader’s wife and says, “[The] women likewise must be worthy of respect and serious, not gossipers, but temperate and self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things” (1 Timothy 3:11 AMPC).
This is a good checklist for any man to have who’s considering getting married. Also, make sure that the person you marry is someone who is able to control their tongue. It’ll make a big difference in your marriage. The Bible talks about how a perfect man [or woman] is a peaceful man [or woman] (Psalm 37:37 KJV, brackets inserted by author). And then it goes on to say that a perfect man or woman is somebody who is able to control their tongue. They don’t offend anyone with their speech or say the wrong things. If they’re able to control their tongue, then they’re able to control their whole body because the tongue is the hardest thing to control (ref. James 3:2 AMPC).
So, when you’re considering what type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want to consider someone who is able to control their tongue and doesn’t just say everything that hits their brain. Having self-control and not being a gossip are great qualities to look for in a spouse.
The Take Away:
Take notice of the words spoken by the person you’re dating. Are
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Respects the Husband’s Role
When it comes to understanding marriage, the roles of a husband and wife, and how this relationship is supposed to work, the best place to go for some wisdom is the Bible.
God has some specific things to say about these areas, and so it’s best to have God’s Word as our foundation in every area of our lives, especially our marriage.
When it comes to understanding marriage, the roles of a husband and wife, and how this relationship is supposed to work, the best place to go for some wisdom is the Bible. God has some specific things to say about these areas, and so it’s best to have God’s Word as our foundation in every area of our lives, especially our marriage.
So, how is this marriage relationship supposed to work? What are the roles of the husband and wife?
In Ephesians 6:21-24, Paul gives instructions to couples by first of all saying they need to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. In other words, the husband isn’t supposed to be a dictator over the wife, and the wife isn’t supposed to try to rule over her husband. They’re supposed to work in harmony and unity out of reverence to Jesus.
Then Paul goes on and talks about the role of the wife. She is to be submitted to her own husband, recognizing him as the leader in the relationship. She’s not supposed to be arrogant or try to usurp her husband’s authority as he’s trying to lead. She’s to submit to him, respect him, and support him.
So men, it’s important that you take the responsibility of being the head of the home and leading your family. If you’re fulfilling your role, then it’ll be easier for your wife to fulfill hers and be your number one supporter!
The Take away:
Does the woman you’re dating always want to take charge of every decision before you even have a chance to speak? Or does she defer to you, so that you can operate as the leader? Does she respect you and your opinions even though she may not agree with them? These are just a couple of traits to look for in a potential wife.
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A Good and Perfect Gift
When it comes to choosing the right spouse, you might think you know the type of person you want to marry, but God knows what type of person will fit you the best.
He made you, and He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your strengths and weaknesses, and so He knows the type of person that will not only compliment you, but you will compliment them.
If you will follow God’s advice and the leading of the Holy Spirit when you’re dating, He’ll hook you up with someone who will surpass your expectations in every area. So guys, don’t be afraid and think that following God’s will concerning your future spouse means you’re going to have to be with someone you think is homely and someone you can’t stand to be with.
Ephesians 3:20 (AMPC) says God’s plans for you are “superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think.” If that’s the case, then you should probably let God help you choose the right person to spend your life with. He loves you and wants you to enjoy your life. He’ll bring someone across your path that will not only compliment you and be a help and a strength to you, but also someone that you’ll be attracted to, enjoy being with, and who you’ll want to spend the rest of your life with! God’s just that good!
The Take Away:
Start believing God and confessing His Word regarding your future spouse and marriage. Start speaking this: “Father, You’ve said in Your Word that he that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains
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Haste Makes Mistakes
When they’re young, a lot of guys have a tendency to get in a hurry and get married.
Their hormones have kicked into high gear. They see someone they’re attracted to and immediately fall in love or think they’re in love. But before jumping into a lifelong commitment, some great advice to follow is Proverbs 19:2 (NLT), “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.”
Guys, if you want God’s best, then you might want to see what God’s Word has to say about what to look for in a wife before making an impulsive decision to commit your life to someone “till death do us part.” The fear of the Lord, or in other words, respecting and listening to what God has to say, is the beginning of wisdom, and it will bring length of days, riches, and honor (Proverbs 3:13, 16).
So, if you want God’s best when it comes to who you should marry, you need to seek Him first, and go to His Word to get some direction. In the end, you’ll be glad you did!
The Take Away:
Take time to go to the Word of God and find out what it says about husbands, wives, marriage, and family. Start believing God and confessing His Word regarding your future spouse and marriage. Pray this: “Father, I thank You for the amazing wife You have for me. I pray that You lead, guide, and direct my steps and hers so that our paths cross. I thank you for the patience to wait and not get in a hurry and make a mistake. I hear Your voice I’m led by Your Spirit, and I’m confident that Your perfect will is going to be done in my life.”
