“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day— and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8

“Love is not just a sentiment. Love is a great controlling passion and it always expresses itself in terms of obedience.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones

 

• Put on your crown. Look at your hands, dripping with the Lord’s oil. Remember, today, that the Lord has adorned you with His favor and presented you in radiance to the world—a righteous woman. You are not the same. You are undoubtedly set apart.
• Read Jeremiah 1 and do a little research on the life of Jeremiah. Note how the Lord set him apart from the people around him, and how He marked him with righteousness and obedience.

The Call of a Righteous Woman

I remember, at seven years old, asking the Lord to live in me forever. I was on the porch swing of a tiny white house with my favorite old lady, Elsie, and some of her friends from the Good News Club. I had prayed the prayer of salvation many times before, but this time, I felt the Spirit within me grip my heart, pulling me fully and finally into an existence of righteousness and a desire to be obedient.

Since that day, I’ve struggled. I’ve wished the Lord had a different path for me. I’ve felt alone because of how the Lord set me apart. At 15 years old, my friends in the small town I was raised in were having sex and smoking marijuana. The Lord’s protection kept me from those things, even though it meant spending most Friday nights as a teenager with my parents. Then and now, the Lord reminds me who He has called me to be, a woman untainted by the things of this world, and that identity continues to reposition me when I struggle. The Lord called me to obedience at seven years old. He’s calling all of us now, no matter our ages or stages of life.

Our call of obedience is like the one of the weeping prophet, Jeremiah. The Lord told Him, “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations…I have put my words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Set apart from the moment he was born, Jeremiah was a living testament to the Lord’s favor and protection. Just like He did for Jeremiah, the Lord has set us apart from every falsely good thing this world has to offer because He has something better. He has marked us with righteousness so that we can be worthy carriers of His truth. Every day, we have the opportunity to demonstrate this righteousness: righteousness often comes through a choice between our flesh and the Spirit in us. When we let the Spirit win, we align with His will for us. We cannot help but be obedient.

Although the Lord calls us to obedience, it’s His character and worthiness, not our own efforts, that sustain this way of life. He is the King of glory, enthroned and surrounded by angels singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3a). His holiness is often what draws us into obedience. Like Isaiah, as we stand before the Lord in all his glory, we can’t help but notice our sin and unworthiness. Isaiah responded to this picture of the Lord, “I am a man of unclean lips…and my eyes have seen the King…” (Isaiah 6:5). The Lord’s response to Isaiah’s sin was one of grace, as His angel told Isaiah, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7b).

Even more than His glory, His love and kindness leads us to obedience (Romans 2:4). A friend of mine told me about a time when she, like all of us, slipped so hard that she thought she was past redemption. For weeks, she carried guilt that drove her deeper into sin, until one of her darkest days, when she felt a physical embrace from the Lord strong enough to make her weep. He covered her in His love, and that moment inspired a life so driven by the law of love that its intentions and its fruits are now of the purest kind. Stories of life-long obedience like Jeremiah’s are surely a testament to the worthiness of God. However, stories like my friend’s, of redeemed righteousness and obedience, are equally demonstrative of His character.

Mothers and righteous women of God, set yourselves apart. The Lord has bathed us with water and anointed us with oil. He has wrapped us with fine linen and covered us with silk (Ezekiel 16:9-10). He has called us to righteousness, to obedience and full surrender, since before we were born.

Blessings and Love,

Elise

Questions to Ponder

• How can you be obedient to God’s call of righteousness on your life? What can you do to set yourself apart as a righteous mother and/or wife?

Faith-Filled Ideas

Look for the moments in which you can set yourself apart: when you want to scream at your kids, when it would be easy for you to join in on gossip about a woman in your circle, when you’re tempted to complain to your kids about your husband.

Ask the Lord how a righteous woman would react to these situations. The Holy Spirit will guide you into obedience.