By: Bonnie Rushmore My lesson today will be three-fold.  First, we will discuss godly women.  Second, we will review some restrictions God has placed on women.  Third, we will consider what Christian women can and should be doing in the kingdom of God.  Our emphasis today will be on fulfilling our responsibilities in the church. Our overall theme for today has been Christian Woman – Where Is She Today?  It was once said the only difference between men and boys is the size of their shoes and the price of their toys.  It has also been said that the only difference between the sins of years ago and the sins of today is the tools used to commit those sins.  Both of these sayings imply the same thing. People do not change from one time period to another.  I would suggest that a godly woman has not changed from the beginning of time until now.  With this thought in mind, let me show you from Bible characters what a godly woman should be. First, godly women need the faith of Sarah.  I picture this scenario in my mind.  Abraham comes home one day and says, “Sarah, God told me we are to leave all this behind and travel to a new land.” Sarah asks, “Where are we going?” To which Abraham replies, “I do not know.” “When will be get there?” asks Sarah. “God did not tell me,” is the reply.  Still Sarah willingly left family and friends behind to

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Romans 8:24).  A casual reading of this passage would cause one to think that there is a contradiction between this verse and my assignment, “Hope Seen.” Looking to Hebrews 11:1 will give us an insight to what Paul was speaking of in Romans 8:24.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Chapter 11 is often called the chapter of faith and the Bible Hall of Fame.  Many Old Testament characters and their great faith are brought to our remembrance in this chapter.  Middle way through we are told in Hebrews 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”  These Bible characters died believing the promise of salvation and an eternal home would come.  They realized, as we must also, that our home on this earth is only temporary.  This faith is not a blind leap in the dark.  It is a faith based on the evidence around us and God’s Word.  We must make preparation for our heavenly home. The Christian can have comfort in the hope of eternal life

Do you care about my soul? Do you have the courage to tell me when I sin? Are you more concerned about my reaction to the message than the importance of the message? Or, maybe you are not convinced that I can sin so that I can be lost. I am reminded of examples in the Bible where someone was concerned enough about someone’s soul to tell them they had sinned.  Do you remember Jonah? God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach repentance to this wicked city.  However, Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites and chose to flee to Tarshish on a ship. Quite content with himself he settled into the sides of the ship and fell asleep. God caused a great storm. The sailors confronted Jonah that he was the cause of the storm (Jonah 1:10). Jonah immediately acknowledged he was fleeing from God. He spent three days praying for forgiveness; then he obeyed God’s initial command to preach repentance to the Ninevites. The purpose of reminding you of this biblical account in the Old Testament is to emphasize that someone was willing to tell Jonah about his sin. I am also reminded of Nathan and King David. King David committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba. To hide his sin he committed the sin of murder by having Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle. God sent Nathan to King David to confront him of his sin.  I imagine it would be difficult to stand

We live in a society that is casual oriented. Office personnel who at one time wore suits and ties or dresses as the norm now wear them only for special occasions. Worshipping our Lord should be a special occasion. Are you wearing your best to worship your God? My youngest son worked at the local Bob Evans Restaurant for the summer. During the orientation for all employees of that company dress and appearance were stressed to the future employees. Among other things male employees are not allowed to wear their hair longer than the collar of their shirts and it is to be one natural color (no purple, green, etc.). They are allowed one ring and a watch (no other jewelry is permitted while working). They are to be clean-shaven, wear dark pants, white shirt and tie if working on the floor or apron and ball cap if working the grill line or kitchen. The reason for this strict dress code is Bob Evans Restaurant owners wish to portray themselves as a family oriented place to eat. At the end of the summer it was my privilege to attend the orientation program at the International Culinary Arts School where my son now is attending for the next 18 months. Again, dress and conduct while in school was stressed. Solid black shoes, black pants, white long-sleeved jacket shirt, white handkerchief around the neck, meat thermometer in the pocket, and white hat while in the kitchen. The hat is to be removed