If you would like to join me, I've enclosed the timeline below that list each event written about in each of the gospels so that you can follow the story line as it happened throughout Jesus' final week on earth. I pray you'll take the next week to read it as if you were there experiencing it all firsthand. 

Holy week's Timeline 

 If you ever have the privilege to travel to the Holy Land you may notice a plaque outside the church of St Lazarus in Bethany. It contains this reflection of Mary of Bethany from Luke 10:42, 

Hi Girls!

We've reached the end of our study on the New Testament women, and I hope you've enjoyed digging into their lives as much as we have. This week we'll be revisiting a few who were with Jesus during His final week on earth. Although this week will be a bit different from the previous weeks in that each of us has been given the liberty to write on one or more of the women who have left a lasting impression on us as we've dug into their lives and backgrounds. 

You see, it was very much a man's world back then, but they were still there. The writers of the gospels wrote Jesus' story through a man's perspective, yet if we look closely enough we may be able to catch a  glimpse of what these women saw, felt and experienced during the last week leading up to, and including Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. 

Each of these women knew Him in a different way, yet each loved Him as their Savior and Lord. It's our goal to capture their passion during this precious and sacred time. 

We've enclosed a timeline below that list each event written about in each of the gospels so that you can follow the story line as it happened throughout Jesus' final week on earth. We pray you'll take the next week (or two) to read it as if you were there experiencing it all firsthand and I hope you'll come share some of your findings and experiences with us on Women in the Word

I've been so excited to write about these two women, for they elevate the role of a mother and a grandmother in the lives of their children. Lois and Eunice were the grandmother and mother of Timothy, who became Paul’s protégé and is the Timothy that Paul is writing to in 1st and 2nd Timothy.

These amazing women only get a very brief mention in the Bible, but they have much to teach us on the subject of “legacy”. 

Eunice and Lois are great examples of godly mothers who have taught their children the ways of God. The lessons we learn from them are not just meant for mothers however, but for all Christians who aim to follow God’s will in their lives. So let's get started. 

First (and probably the most obvious lesson): We should honor the role of motherhood. 

From the very beginning God has entrusted parents with the role of teaching His commandments to their children. Notice. "My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don't neglect your mother's instruction." Proverbs 1:8. 

Beloved,  according to God's Word there is no one better to instill into our children what the word of God says as they grow up. We should be intentionally teaching them God’s word, for a solid foundation from home will help them later on not to fall for the philosophies of the world.

And more importantly, we need to instill our family values into our children by living them out before them. Which brings me to the next point.

• Second: More is caught than is taught.
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• Finally, I'd like to speak to the women who's husbands may not leave a godly example for their children to follow. Lois and Eunice prove to us that there is still hope for believers married to unbelievers. 

  In Acts 16:1-2, we read the background of Timothy, “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.”

  Timothy father was a Greek, a gentile. We don’t really have much information about Timothy’s father, but some feel he was not a believer. Therefore, I believe God added this to give believers who have married unbelievers HOPE. 

• Eunice's life proves that it is possible to raise godly children in spite of our marital situation. Which is one reason I'm so thankful The Lord saw fit to include both Eunice and her mother Lois into His Word. Aren't you?

• Blessings,

• sue

Our verse for this week is 3 John 1:4,"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth."

Hi Girls, 

Lois and her daughter Eunice were early Christian converts. It seems the two lived together with Eunice’s son Timothy. Not much is ever mentioned about Timothy’s father but it is assumed he was not a follower of Jesus. 

Reading from 2 Timothy 1: 5 and 3:14 -15 it appears that Lois passed down her faith to her daughter Eunice who in turn gave it to her son Timothy. The Bible doesn't give us much information about these two women; we're going to have to read between the lines a bit, but I still believe there is much we can learn from them; especially when it comes to the roll of motherhood. 

You can read about Eunice and Lois in:

2 Timothy 1:15

2 Timothy 3:14-15

 Acts 16:1

As always our themes for the week will be:

• Monday: Her story--a portrait of her life
• Tuesday: Her life and times--background information about the culture of her day
• Wednesday: Her legacy in Scripture
• Thursday: Her promise--the Bible promises that apply to her life and yours
• Friday: Her legacy of prayer--and praying in light of her story

We want to also encourage you to be thinking along these lines as you study Eunice and Lois throughout the week. Ask yourself:

Have you ever wondered what you could do to serve others? If so, you've been wondering all wrong!! 

It isn't; what can I do, but what can Jesus do through me? Notice:

Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you, and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].- (1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMP)

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. -(Philippians 1:6 AMP)

Very little is known about Dorcas other than her willingness to care for those in need, but her story has inspired many over the years simply because she made herself available to be used by God.

Especially me!

You see, I've always considered my life and talents to be pretty mediocre; sort of like your "basic vanilla" among ice cream flavors- nothing fancy or spectacular that would cause me to stand out among the rest. BUT that was until God took my "basic vanilla" gifts once I had surrendered them to Him and began to use them.  

It all began back in 1999 when The Lord uprooted us and moved us thousands of miles away from home and all that was familiar to us. I had not even been given the chance to pick out the new home I was living in, and I began walking around these four walls wondering exactly what was my purpose in being here!

Finally, one day The Lord and I had a heart to heart discussion and I ended up absolutely surrendering everything to Him. Jesus needed to bring me to the end of myself before He could take over, and I gave it all over to Him including the home I was living in and that's when He began to work. 

The only way I can describe all that happened next was like being in the eye of a storm. All these circumstances began swirling around us and I got to sit there and watch Him work! I couldn't possible take credit for any of it, for all I had done was given what He had already given me, back to Him. 

Lives came to Jesus and others began to grow in their faith, and the whole time I simply marveled at all He was doing! 

I can't say for sure, but I like to think Dorcas could say the same. She took what talents she had and let Jesus use her to bless others! I'd love to know her thoughts after she was brought back to life, wouldn't you? 

 I'll bet her life was no different than before. I'll bet she kept right on allowing Jesus to shine through her. And if anyone would have asked, she'd probably tell them that their greatest gift of all is simply their availability. 

Blessings, 

sue 

Hi Girls! 

We've reached another one of my favorite ladies from the New Testament this week and I hope that her story will inspire you this week. I don't want to give away the ending of her story just yet, but I do hope you'll join us to hear more about this amazing woman and all God did through her!! 

Tabitha/Dorcas story is found in Acts 9:36-42

As always our themes for the week will be:

• Monday: Her story--a portrait of her life
• Tuesday: Her life and times--background information about the culture of her day
• Wednesday: Her legacy in Scripture
• Thursday: Her promise--the Bible promises that apply to her life and yours
• Friday: Her legacy of prayer--and praying in light of her story

We want to also encourage you to be thinking along these lines as you study Dorcas throughout the week. Ask yourself:

Our memory verse for this week is Psalm 90:14..."Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." 

Hi Girls!

We're off to study another woman with a very checkered past this week. Probably the most checkered of all the women we will study, as far as we know of. She had an awful lot going against her;

•  First being a Samaritan - Jew went out of their way NOT to associate with any Samaritan
• And then an immoral woman- even her own people wouldn't associate with her. 

I cannot wait to get into her story! You'll find it here:

Samaritan Woman at the Well: John 4: 7-42

Be sure to study with our themes in mind this week:

• Monday: Her story--a portrait of her life
• Tuesday: Her life and times--background information about the culture of her day
• Wednesday: Her legacy in Scripture
• Thursday: Her promise--the Bible promises that apply to her life and yours
• Friday: Her legacy of prayer--and praying in light of her story

We want to also encourage you to be thinking along these lines as you study this week. Ask yourself:

Have you ever we begun a new ministry with the right motivation, but found along the way that somehow you got off track.? Perhaps, your idea(s) for the ministry failed to match up with reality. Your heart's motives were pure, but something went awry. 

This seems to have happened with Martha in the story Luke shares with us in Luke 10:38-42,

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha's heart was in the right place. She knew The Master and His disciples would be tired and hungry from their journey. AND not only that, it was customary to open up one's home to weary travelers and serve them refreshments. What would the neighbor's think if Martha hadn't got busy in the kitchen? It was tradition after all! 

No, Martha was doing the right thing in her mind, while her sister was being a slacker! Can you relate to Martha? Does it ever seem like you're doing all the work while others are enjoying all the benefits?

I honestly believe this happens a lot in the ministry and why we have so many suffering from “burn out”. Unfortunately for Martha, she experienced more of a  “burned up” rather than a burn out. She got really angry FAST, and took her anger out on Jesus, accusing her Lord of not caring. Can you imagine? I can, for I've been in Martha's shoes a few times over the years in different ministries.

It's during those times that our Lord has to come sit me down and help me to see the whole picture (the one with Jesus in it). He usually accomplishes that with a list of questions:

• Whose ministry is this?
• Whose children are you serving?
• Whose given you the means and talents?
• Who always sees all that you are doing?
• And just Who are you ultimately serving?