Persis: Labourer in the Lord’s vineyard

There are people in the church who labour for the Lord in diverse ways. We understand that not all members of the church can become custodians, cleaners, handymen among many other things. Thus, when people commit their time to ensuring that the church of God runs smoothly, it is important to acknowledge their effort as a means to encourage them. The churches in Rome had many such believers who were so zealous for the things of God and worked hard in the church. The apostle Paul did not overlook these people when he wrote to the Roman churches. He appreciated all the people in the church but there were some who were worthy of commendation for their commitment and contributions. One of such is Persis, a believer in Rome.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. (Romans 16:12b)

Like many of the other people on Paul’s list of acknowledgement, Persis was mentioned briefly but we know in this brief mention that she was engaged in the work of God. In Romans chapter 16:12b, Paul wrote, “Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.” Persis is not a Jewish name and neither is it a Roman name. Persis has a Persian Root, i.e. a Persian. We can deduce that, like many foreigners in Rome, Persis was obviously brought to Rome by Roman authority to serve as a slave. In Rome, the slaves from the different nations faced the strong hand of their Roman oppressors. Unlike the sisters Tryphena and Tryphosa, Persis had been through “hard life”. She had to work tirelessly to meet the demands of her master. As Persis and many other former slaves found hope in Christ, they were treated as brothers and sisters in the church not as slaves. In the church, Persis who had probably been brought up in a different religious culture in Persia still committed to the things of God. She worked so hard that it got to the attention of Apostle Paul.

Persis might have worked silently without any intention of receiving a mention from the apostle. She committed to making sure that as she had diligently served her human masters, she served the Lord with the same zeal. Persis served so much that Paul noted that she had “worked very hard in the Lord”. The emphasis on “worked very hard” or “laboured much” (KJV) shows the extent of the work put in by Persis. Paul refers to Persis as “my dear friend” or “the beloved” (KJV) indicating that although Paul himself as at the time he wrote the letter had not been to Rome, he still considers Persis as an amazing sister in Christ. Remember, Persis had gone through a lot in her stay in Rome but that did not affect her relationship with the Lord. As Persis continued to work silently in the house of God, she might have been surprised that her labour for the Lord had been testified to the great evangelist Paul who was 100s of miles away from Rome. Paul had documented her zeal and had acknowledged her publicly. Centuries later, we are still reading about Persis and how her labour in the Lord’s vineyard was worth mentioning.

The church universal has many members with similar backgrounds as Persis. These are men and women who have relocated from their known culture and faith to another land. These people have been introduced to a new way of life and have come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Just like Tryphena and Tryphosa, “Persis” needs committed and concentrated discipleship training. People with the same background such as Persis must be thoroughly prepared for kingdom growth and development. They might be dedicated and committed to church work but that should not be a yardstick for spiritual growth. The church should be intentional to make room for practical and concentrated discipleship training to bring the best out of every Persis.

Mary of Rome: Labouring for the Kingdom of God

The name Mary is quite popular in the New Testament. There are different women who bore that name and this attests to the fact that this could possibly be a household name in the Jewish communities. Paul’s letter to the Romans mentions a couple of names of people and Mary was one of the names that were mentioned. In this post, we will refer to this particular Mary as the Mary of Rome. Remember, different “Mary”s played different roles in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. From birth, full-time ministry, death and resurrection, we had many women who bore the name Mary playing key roles. Mary of Rome’s ministry location was in the Gentile nation of Rome.

Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. (Romans 16:6)

In the letter to the Romans, one verse is committed to Mary of Rome. In Romans 16:6, Paul wrote that “Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.” First Mary bearing a Jewish name was probably a Jewish woman living in Rome. Mary was a believer in Jesus Christ and she was possibly committed to the church. Mary was recommended as someone “who worked very hard” for the churches in Rome. Mary could have been a missionary in the churches, she could have been a Kingdom advancement advocate, she could have been a teacher of the word, a helper of the poor and weak, a shepherd of the church, a lover of the people of God, etc. Whatever Mary was committed to doing, she obviously did it well and laboured in doing it. She would have given out her best to ensure the growth of the ministry. Mary might have experienced instances of hardships from religious fanatics and even the proclamation from Claudius that ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Mary might have had to fully trust in God for her safety and that of the other church members. Whatever Mary did was commendable enough for her to be mentioned in the apostolic letter to Rome.

There are many of such “Mary of Rome” believers in the local churches. Men and women who labour so hard for the work of the ministry. They give out their time, energy and resources for the growth of the kingdom. Usually, such people are less known in the wider church community. Some of them are intercessors who stand in the gap and pray for the church. They labour in prayers until they see a substantial growth in the church.

Whatever we do in the house of God, we, like Mary of Rome should be intentional to do it to the Lord. We might not receive recommendation letters like Mary did, but that should not stop us from giving out our best. Remember, it can be so easy to labour for the Lord and yet not have a relationship with Him. As much as God appreciates our sacrificial work, He is more interested in our relationship with Him. As we labour for the Lord, let’s also spend quality time building our relationship with Him.

The Proverbs 31 woman: The home maker

I have heard of women who are of the view that the Proverbs 31 woman is an imagination of the author and never existed and can never exist. Such claims are based on the fact that this Proverbs 31 woman seems to have everything under control, extremely multifaceted, very busy at work, at home and seems to be a community champion in whatever she does. The argument further claims that this Proverbs 31 woman is just too busy to even have a life of her own. Some people also believe that since the Proverbs 31 woman was literally doing everything, it is possible that she was married to a lazy man who does nothing but sit at the city gates to receive compliments. The truth is, I have personally witnessed women who have transformed their families, homes, societies, workplaces/businesses, and still have enough quality time with their families. Such women are married to virtuous men who have also transformed their families, homes, societies, workplaces/businesses and still spend quality time with their families. The average 21 century woman does everyday multitasking. She takes care of the home (husband and kids if she has), works full or part-time (or is a stay-home mother who busies herself each day to make her home clean and comfy), engaged in church or other community organisations, and does other things to keep her home running. 

When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. (Proverbs 31:21)

The desire of most women is to ensure that their homes are homely for their families, friends and anyone who pays them a visit. She provides weather appropriate clothing for her children. For example, “when it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet (Proverbs 31:21). Her home making skills extend to even the poor and needy: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (Proverbs 31:20). Her interior decor is on point: “She makes coverings for her bed” (Proverbs 31: 22a). The 21st century woman does not necessarily create the bedding or other interior decor. She gets them from the shop and decorates her house well. The Proverbs 31 woman has a sense of good fashion: “she is clothed in fine linen and purple” (Proverbs 31:22b). She doesn’t wear shabby clothes and her focus is to be modest. She knows how to blend colors and she is not excessive. In fact, this woman is inwardly “clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come” (Proverbs 31:25). 

Other than making her home, we also considered the industrious nature of this woman: “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes” (Proverbs 31:24). Definitely any man married to a virtuous woman receives compliments from others: “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land” (Proverbs 31:23). The Proverbs 31 woman “speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26). She is so diligent in making her home: “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:27). She doesn’t spend time in worthless lifestyles. She doesn’t leave her home unattended to and engage in baseless gossip. Her home is her priority. Her husband and children boast about her commitment to them. She is intentional about her home ministry and doesn’t consider her managing of her home as a horrible chore. She is selfless and yet makes time to take care of herself.

We can learn these home making lessons from the Proverbs 31 woman: Be realistic: Don’t try to turn your home into a Palace lifestyle when your financial conditions do not allow. Make your own decorations. Go to the shops and get Do-it-yourself (DIY) things and give your home a beautiful look based on your budget.  Be intentional: Get your home weather appropriate clothing. Your children should not be too cold and neither should they be too hot. Be romantic: Don’t turn your bedroom into a clothing store! Make your bed everyday.  Put some extra effort to make your bedroom extra comfy and extra ready… you know what I mean! Be lovable: Make it a point to make yourself lovable to your husband and children. Let them delight in coming back home. Speak with wisdom, love, affection. Don’t be a nagging woman! Be beautiful: Looking beautiful for your husband should be your everyday desire. Get some affordable clothes and dress well. Don’t leave your hair looking messed up, your dresses ripped and looking worn out.  Be busy: Don’t sleep all day! Be active and busy with your life. Even if you are a stay-home mother,  be active in doing what makes your home better. Go for a walk, get a treadmill, walk your dog, go for a run. Don’t just waste your body with excess fat. A healthy lifestyle is your living sacrifice. I recommend my book on A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.  Be ready to carry yourself up: Life is not a bed of roses. If things don’t work the way it is expected,  don’t spend weeks, months,  years and decades mourning. Clothed yourself with strength and dignity so you can laugh at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25)

The Proverbs 31 woman: The industrious wife

The number of women in business and industry has shot up in recent years. Many women are actively in fields that were previously considered male-dominated fields. Thus in most parts of the world, there is a higher tendency for women to excel in their careers. Unfortunately, there are still laws and traditions that prohibit women in certain places from advancing in life. Even as we pray that nations and societies will open up to accept women in certain positions, we should also encourage women to be prepared, equipped and made ready to lay hold of opportunities. The Bible presents diverse women who rose up to be important members of their societies. Whereas societies prevented women from voting for a long time, in the Bible, we find women who were judges, influential Queens, rich business owners, religious leaders among many others. Christianity doesn’t oppress women. We see women as instrumental partners of God’s agenda. The Proverbs 31 woman shows a woman of substance, grace and value.

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. (Proverbs 31:13)

Other than being a wife of noble character, the Proverbs 31 woman has other amazing qualities. In this post, we shall consider her hardworking and entrepreneurial skills. First, she is crafty with creating clothing for her home and business. Proverbs 31:13 states that “she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.” This all-in-one woman also shops for the best food supplies. Proverbs 31:13 says, “she is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.” Not just that, this woman does not allow her work to interfere with her home duties. Therefore, “she gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants” (Proverbs 31:15). As if these are not enough, “she considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard” (Proverbs 31:16). This woman does not leave all her other tasks, but “she sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks” (Proverbs 31:17). The different businesses she manages are not left unattended because this woman “sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night” (Proverbs 31:18). Thus at work and at home, she has a balance, none is left unattended. As if these skills are not enough, this woman is also skilled in home crafts and is diligent in homemaking. Proverbs 31:19 says that, “in her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.”

This woman is really hard working both in her home and at her businesses. Her line of trade might not be relevant to us but her desire for entrepreneurship is worth emulating. She is multifaceted and is not limited to just one thing. She understands the principle of investing in different ventures. In the 21st century, she could have been a career woman working in the industry, managing a side business and actively taking care of her home. She does not focus on one and neglect the other. The reason this woman is so organized and productive is the fact that she plans her day. She wakes up early in the morning and begins her day on an active mode. She understands the dynamics of work and family. She doesn’t sleep all day and wakes up to just watch TV. Even though she has a husband who would be as industrious and supportive as she is, this woman understands that she has to be engaged in profitable ventures. 

Whether working in an office, managing her own business, managing her home, or being a stay-home mother, the Proverbs 31 woman doesn’t slack in her responsibilities. She ensures that her home experiences her presence as much as she is dedicated to her work. Can the 21st Century career woman make time for her home and family considering the demands of work? The answer is YES! It is possible. If you want to keep your home and work life balanced, you need to make sacrifices such as avoiding overtime shifts, being intentional about spending time with your family and avoiding unnecessary time wasters. 

Rebekah: A speedy answer to prayers

Have you ever experienced a fast answer to prayer? How was your reaction? In our previous posts we saw Sarah whose desire to have a child lingered for years even though God had promised her a child. The child was born at God’s appointed time. The delay was not a pleasant experience and Sarah became impatient in waiting. Until you find yourself in a difficult situation, you might be the first to accuse Sarah of impatience. But if you go through a similar situation and stay till the end, then you are a real warrior. Isaac was old enough to marry but Abraham didn’t want his son to marry among the Canaanites. He told Eliezer, his senior servant, “I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:3‭-‬4). How is that possible? Eliezer had lived with Abraham and understood that God’s hand is with his master. He had learned from experience that his master Abraham had a special covenant with God. Eliezer had encountered how God miraculously blessed his master with Isaac. With this knowledge, even though the current task looked daunting,  Eliezer was certain that the God of his master would give him victory. 

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. (Genesis 24:15)

As Eliezer and his entourage got to the city of Nahor he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (Genesis 24:12‭-‬14). Eliezer’s faith was based on what he had experienced through Abraham. “Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my Lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” (Genesis 24:15‭-‬19). Indeed Eliezer received rocket speed response to his prayers. 

Rebekah was no ordinary woman. She was very beautiful, a virgin and a hard working young woman. A typical camel can drink at least 20 gallons of water at a time. Eliezer and his entourage had 10 camels and Rebekah gave them water until they had had enough. In simple mathematics,  Rebekah might have fetched water worth about 200 gallons for the camels. Fetching the water from the well to the feeding troughs for the camels to drink was a whole work. Rebekah gladly did it without complaining. In fact, she volunteered  her services willingly. Rebekah was not just beautiful, but she was strong, determined and willing to go the extra mile. If Isaac needed a wife, certainly Rebekah is the perfect match. Eliezer was stunned and “without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” (Genesis 24:21‭-‬25).

Eliezer must have been super excited. God led him to the right person. Rebekah was homely, she informed Eliezer that  we have straw and fodder for your camels and a place for you to sleep. Her kindness, goodness and determination to help was outstanding. Rebekah was an answer to a prayer and she demonstrated her readiness with her character. God wants the best for His children. If you want God to bless you with His very best, be ready like Rebekah to go the extra mile in service. The answer to your prayers might be your willingness to go the extra mile. 

Go to the ant and consider its ways!

Several years ago, my parents used to have a farm which was far away from the house. There was no means of transportation to the farm as at that time, so the journey to the farm was made by walking on a long path, on stones, stepping on a couple of anthills accidentally and crossing a little stream. As a child, the only motivation of going to the farm was the free view of beautiful vegetation and admiring other people who were also trekking to the farm. I specifically loved the anthills along the way and the busyness of the ants who dragged their food to their castle. The teamwork, the determination and the persistence of the ants were admirable. We lived in a tropical zone and the rainfalls were torrential rains that mostly caused the little stream along the way to the farm to flood. Humans struggled to cross the stream at its flood state but the ants would be in their anthill enjoying the food they had saved for the period. What does this teach us about life? 

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. (Proverbs 6:6‭-‬8)

First, the ants are not lazy, they invest in food for the future. While the weather is good and jolly, they work to store food. No ant is left out, the team of ants or an ant colony with queen(s), workers and male ants work together to ensure a good storage. No ant is aimless or lazy. There is orderliness and that is why their population never reduces. You may spray out a bunch of them today, but they will be around tomorrow. They don’t give up. Proverbs 6:6-8 admonished the sluggard or the lazy person to do this: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Maybe you have accidentally stepped on and killed a couple of ants, maybe you care less about ants, maybe you hate them for taking over your home, maybe you are just not an ant person etc. Most of us are just like that, we would rather live an ant-free lives than to bother studying ants. However, we cannot miss this, the ants teach us about life.

When we understand that “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 6:10‭-‬11), we will make some important ant-steps to prepare for the future. For example, we engage in work to be able to take care of ourselves, help others and invest into the future. Ants are economical; they don’t consume all their food at a go, they invest the rest for the future. Ants are teamwork specialists; they know how to work together to achieve a definite goal. Ants have orderliness in their colony; they have the queen(s), the workers, the male ants etc. This structure helps them to achieve their goals of saving for the future and also ensures sustainability. Ants may all look alike, but none goes unnoticed. No ant hides under the guise that all of them look the same and avoid work. The anthill is for all the ants, no ant is homeless! No ant is poor, no ant is an orphan and no ant is different. All the ants work together to store their provisions in summer and gather food in the harvest.