By Barbara Nchey-Achukwu
Text: Proverbs 31:10–31
Supporting Text: 1 Corinthians 11:10
Aim: To encourage women, especially to be the embodiment of grace, power, light and glory.
Introduction:
A woman of substance: Substance comes from a Greek word hypostasis which means “A place or setting under a substructure or foundation” as seen in Hebrew 3:4, “For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God”. This means confidence displayed for the achievement of life purpose.
A woman of substance has power, authority, and influence. She is assertive and a positive thinker. A woman we all know is created from the rib of a man. The bible calls her a help mate.
A woman is made in such a way that radiates grace, beauty, honour, love and power. God endowed her with so much potential. However, she is subject to her husband’s authority.
A woman is wired to guide her loin with strength and fortified her arm with zeal, noting that her husband alone cannot manage the home affairs. Proverbs 31
To become a woman and then a mother requires three stages of life.
v The First stage is a girl child stage where the child is still passing through parental tutelage and guidance.
v The second stage is the pubic, teen or lady stage: Here the child feature changes, she exhibits self-consciousness behavior and becomes more mindful of her physique and environment.
v The third stage is the womanhood: Here she strives to strike a balance between fulfilling life expectations and obligations to herself, family and the society.
A woman has hidden God’s divine potentials which enable her to manage the home front effectively. This she does by contributing her quota to the maintenance of the home and by also helping out in financial matters. She labours also to raise her children to become royalties, kings, nobles, governors, priests and so one. These she does by teaching them the ways of the Lord and inculcating Christian values and societal norms, culture, academics etiquettes, etc. She actually becomes a compass or search light in the home, noting every happening in and around her.
In our church today, we notice that some of us do look up to some persons amongst us as women of substance. We want them to be our mentors and prayer partners. This is because they have something that differentiate them from others and also make them to stand out because they are Holy Spirit filled. Also, it could be that they inspire people with their wealth of wisdom, innovation, gentleness, faith, courage, love and so on. In addition their behaviour and disposition sometimes do add value to member’s spiritual and physical growth.
Some Unique Women of God in the Bible
We are going to examine some personalities that are by my opinion women of substance in the bible. Let us analysis their lives styles, qualities, characters and their duties as women of God
Some of these personalities in the bible are Deborah, Mary, Rebecca and Hannah to mention but a few..
Deborah: The wife of Lapidoth in the book of Judges was a female judge as recorded in the Old Testament. She was a wise prophet, filled will discernment Spirit. She was a deliverer and a warrior who fought for her people and as such commands respect from her people.
In Judges Chapter 5, poems and prose were written about her and was titled Songs of Deborah. She was a mother in Israel who fought for peace and security for her beloved nation.
She was a judge, an army commander with so much strength which she used to support her people in their times of distress.
Mary: She was a virgin mother of Jesus Christ. She was also the wife of Joseph chosen by God for an emasculate the conception of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
She was peaceful, humble, faithful, wise, obedient, heroic patient, caring, divinely pure and faithful
Rebecca: She was the wife of Isaac and the mother of twins, Esau and Jacob. She agreed to marry Isaac even without seeing him, trusting that God ordained their union. This depicts that marriage is not only about love but also about trusting and having faith that God chosen partner is right and as such the union is blessed hence will succeed.
She was courteous, trusting, reserved, gentle, virtuous, humble, modest and respectful.
Hannah: She was the first wife of Elkanan. She had no child for about 10 years. Her co-wife, Peninnah tormented her for so many years for her childlessness. God remembered her after she cried and prayed fervently like a drunkard. This demonstration of faith, total submission to God and respect for Eli the priest showed her confidence in the capability and sovereignty of God almighty.
She was faithful, diligent, persistent, focused, patient, a vow keeper, prayerful and trusted God without any doubt or fear. She maintained her relationship with God.
Summary
Women are not only wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, they are daughters of Zion, chosen by God to be pace setters, home builders, society models, home defenders and spiritual guidance.
If any of these attributes which make up a woman is lost, the society will be damned and suffer decay because it is the family that makes up the society.
Conclusion
I will be concluding by citing Proverbs Chapter 31, where all that have to do with the woman of substance or virtuous woman are fully discussed. A woman of virtue can only be identified as someone that is born again. It is only the spirit of God or rather a woman that is embodied with the whole fruits of the spirit that can be addressed as a woman of substance.
This is because she is industrious, charitable, among all that I have listed above. She sacrifices and invests financially, materially, and domestically to the betterment of her home and the society in general. She is always committed to the wellbeing of both her immediate and extended family. This is not unconnected with the fact that she fears the Lord.
Recommendations
Please permit me to say that a woman of virtue is a woman of substance.
To gain that title, we should strive to have genuine love for ourselves, our husbands, immediate family, in-laws and even to our extended families, relatives and neighbours.
We should be responsible and also make strategic moves to improve ourselves and our homes. A woman of substance should build her home and not tear it down with evil attitudes.
We should not be lazy but evoke the inner strength God has given us by being hard working.
Let us not allow our honour to be pulled down, trampled upon or be treated as useless because we fail to concentrate on the ministries God has given us as women of grace .
Take up challenges and confront your fears so as to fulfill your destiny. Let’s stop indulging in self-blame, self-pity, complaining, and bickering.
Finally women, I admonish you to rise up and take the mantle of power, wisdom and authority bestowed on us by our creator to fulfill the mandate of God for the good of the society and to the glory of God. Women arise and shine for the glory of God is upon us. Thank you and God bless for listening.
*Being a paper presentation by Dr. (Mrs.) Barbara Ejemeh Nchey-Achukwu at the Women’s Convention organized by the New Covenant Anglican Church, Oroabali Deanery, Port Harcourt, Rivers State…recently.
