Goodness as God's Fruit

Many times I have believed that I am the one to do the good for my husband. We as women may think that in order to be a good Christian wife, I have to do a number of things to be considered "good". I have believed subtle lies over and over about how I am to be a good wife. Hopefully one day, I will take the time to write down those lies. I know God's word says that goodness is a fruit of the holy spirit. We can not produce goodness. Many of the "good things" like making healthy meals or keeping a well ordered house have not been the goodness that God speaks about. Those things are not bad in themselves but they do not make us good to our husband. They should flow out of us but they do not make us good. It is not Jesus' way + me doing all these Godly things for my husband that makes me good. I want my husband to see God and follow his ways. I want to be his helpmeet.   If I try to do good things and believe they make me a good wife, I may be turning my husband's heard after other gods (the gods of this world that say God's word is not sufficient).  The end result brings death and I am too tired for my husband. The Cross of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit produce the only goodness in me that I can give to my husband.

Scriptures:

Proverbs 31:12 – She does Him Good and not evil all the days of her life

1 Kings 11:4

⁴ For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.

Observations:
1. We are meant for good to our husband just as God said in the beginning it is not good for man to be alone.
2. Solomon gave his strength to women (which was what Proverbs 31:3 said not to do).
3. Women/Wives hold great power of persuasion and appeal to get man to follow own ungodly ways rather than God’s way as men want to be respected.
4. I am to remain with husband “all the days of my life”

Applications:

1.       One of the biggest evils we can do is cause husband to commit spiritual adultery by bringing in our own ideas, agenda, ways, modern thoughts and mixing it with “Christianity”

2.      The good I am to do my husband comes from God’s sanctification within me.  All character traits of God flows from His goodness. God says goodness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that comes from him. There isn’t anything we can do to produce goodness.

Prayer: Just as I was saved by faith through grace, my sanctification is also through grace. Reading your word and meditating on your word as I go about my daily puts my mind on things above rather than things below.  I confess that I have tried to be a good wife and do all the things and many times I think I am doing them in your strength and power as I believe and trust in you. Recently, I have been seeing that I have started to believe a lie and act on that lie. The lie is that I need you Jesus + doing of works (spiritual disciplines and being godly wife and mother). Lord, please forgive me for relying on anything other than the cross of Christ in my sanctification. You are the one changing me. My disciplines and doing “good” to my husband does not sanctify me.  I just want to spend time loving you, praising you and thanking you and out of the overflow spend time with my husband loving him, praising him and thanking him.