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Attributes of a Godly Woman
II Corinthians 13:11, Finally, brethren, farewell. Be
perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace;
and the God of love and peace shall be with you. BE YE PERFECT: The Bible says in Luke 6:40, The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. As his master…. Who is the Christian's Master? Yes, Jesus Christ! And when we are believers, Jesus Christ—the only begotten Son of God...God incarnate—calls us His friends! John 15:15, Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Now remember we are still looking at “Be ye perfect” here, so lets look at Colossians 3:14. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. This is our common bond, it is CHARITY. I Corinthians 13 is the charity or LOVE chapter, where God teaches through the Apostle Paul what His kind of love really is. The term charity brings a few things to mind. It makes you think of someone who is wealthy giving to someone who is poor and needy, expecting nothing in return. That is true love when done with a Matthew 6:33 heart attitude. Giving, doing...loving, expecting nothing in return. So be like the Master. Be loving, expecting nothing in return. And lastly in regards to perfection: I Peter 5:10, But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. We see here that perfection is PRECEDED by suffering. In verse 8 of the same chapter we find: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” We see here that Satan brings it, and God allows it. He is working His perfection in us through the trials.  BE OF GOOD COMFORT: This is a command! Why is this so important? In seeking the Scriptures we find our answer! It is commanded so we don’t give up...so we don’t quit, becoming weary in well-doing. We need to have the right attitude for service to be a positive testimony to the world around us. We need this comfort, this contentment, so that we don’t just rely on the fruits of our own labors. 1. Considering the rapture: I Thessalonians 5:11, Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. We see here we should be talking of the rapture of the church with each other! Taking comfort that even in hard times we have reason to be comforted.... comforting each other in reminding each other of the precious promises of God! 2. Comfort with the Holy Ghost: Acts 9:31, Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. Being in fellowship with the Holy Ghost brings comfort. 3. The BIBLE brings comfort: Romans 15:4, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 4. Listening to godly preaching brings comfort: I Corinthians 14:3, But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. Too many times to count, I have gone to church services (Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening are our scheduled services) and been IMMENSELY blessed, strengthened for service, challenged, and very much comforted by our Pastor preaching the Word. BE OF ONE MIND: II Corinthians 13:11 “being of one mind” means ALL OF US, a collective group of born-again believers. Why? SO THOSE OUTSIDE OF “THE GROUP” WILL WANT WHAT WE HAVE!! I Corinthians 1:10-12, Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. We must be steadfast! Part of this is realizing that we must not stand merely on our own opinions, but on what God’s WORD tell us! Division comes from not being of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2, If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Why do we need to be of ONE MIND? it says in the two verses above that it is because it FULFILLS THE JOY of those in spiritual authority over us. And ultimately, it fulfills THE LORD’S JOY!!! What better reason? We should be ready to praise in song - in giving - in united service with other believers! LIVE IN PEACE: Romans 12:18, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Living in peace is more than ‘not fighting’. We can all for appearance’ sake “look good” BUT not be in harmony. To truly be ‘in peace’ means to be living in HARMONY. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines harmony this way: H`ARMONY, n. [L. harmonia; Gr. a setting together, a closure or seam, agreement, concert, to fit or adapt, to square.] The just adaptation of parts to each other, in any system or composition of things, intended to form a connected whole; as the harmony of the universe. Concord or agreement in views, sentiments or manners, interests, &c., good correspondence; peace and friendship. Most of you know of my love for music, for singing praises to the LORD. What many don’t realize is that my true love of music is in harmony...singing second soprano or alto or tenor. What is it that makes a part harmony? When someone sings the melody, my “harmony” part, though on a different note, actually accentuates the melody, making it sound all the more lovely through the difference, the blending of two notes into one praising chord! Now I could sing sour notes, throwing the melody off with my dissonance…. So it is with this living in harmony. If we are in harmony with other believers, our actions will so complement others’ actions that we each make the other a greater blessing to the LORD and a brighter example to the world around us. WRAP UP: Am I striving to be perfect (Christ-like?) Am I seeking comfort in His Word? Am I striving to be of ONE MIND with other believers? Steadfast in spirit through His Word? Is my relationship with the brethren right? We must all face these questions if we want the God of love and peace to work in our lives.    
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