Bible-Prayer-Europe Equipping Center

Loving

Ministers and their wives encounter many difficult situations throughout their time of service for the Lord.

There are growing times, blessing times, and shaking times that a minister will encounter.   Persecution or hurt may even come by the hands of other brothers and sisters in Christ.

David spoke of this in Psalms 55.12-14 when he stated, “ But it was thou, a man m equal, my guide, and my familiar friend, that reproached, hated, and magnified himself against me.  We took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in company.”

Persecution or hurt may also come from family members.  Jesus stated that a man’s foes were they of his own household.

The source of persecution does not matter, as much as, how the minister and his wife deal with the persecution or hurt. 

God gives clear guidelines for dealing with the problem of persecution whether it is persecution though lies, hatred, strife, unjust criticism, or worse.

The Bible states, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

The minister and his wife need to see persecution from God’s perspective.  They need to deal with it by using the Biblical pattern. 

God tells His children to follow the example of Jesus who loved and prayed for His enemies even as they crucified Him on the cross.

Jesus taught, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father, who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust.  For if ye love them who love you, what reward have ye?’ (Matthew 5.44-46)

A minister’s wife is commanded by God to love the “unlovely” people in her husband’s congregation.  She is commanded to do good (actions) to ones who hate her.  Also, she is to pray for the ones who would be spiteful, dislike her, or try to unjustly afflict her.

This kind of love can only come from God.  A minister’s wife cannot produce this kind of selfless love out of a human capacity.  Only the Holy Spirit, who dwells within a born again believer can produce this “agape” love.

A minister’s wife cannot operate to her full potential without this kind of love.  Her church work and gifts are unproductive without God’s love in them.

Therefore, a minister’s wife first needs to experience God’s love in her own personal life.  She needs the security of her Heavenly Father’s love and His approval.  The minister’s wife must know God intimately in order to realize how much she as an individual is loved by Him.  She must then learn to be honest with God about her feelings toward her persecutors.  If she is not willing to love her enemies, then she must tell God that fact, and ask Him to make her willing.

All it takes for God to help a person love their enemies is a willingness to allow Him to do it.  The Holy Spirit will provide the necessary love.  Through God it is possible to love someone who is not likeable.

It is important that as leaders, ministers wives show forth God’s love to a dying and hurting world.

Ministers wives should be examples at home and in church of Godly love.  Ministers wives should not give love only when they know that it will be reciprocated. 

“Love suffereth long and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love never faileth…”  ( I Corinthians 13.4-8)