Treating Women with Purity

You may hold the door open for a woman. You may give her your coat when she is cold. But, do you honor her with your mind?  Keep Reading...

1 Timothy 5:1-2 - "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."

In Genesis 3, Adam revealed the often repeated sin of men… standing by silently as the enemy infiltrates the home. In Jesus, men can reverse this sin of passivity and become men who serve and protect those around them. Men, here are some principles of relating with women. Learn to relate with all women as your Father in heaven does. Live as a man of God and as a godly husband, whether you are married or not.

Treat women with respect. Do not treat them as "the weaker sex".... someone to toy with or dominate. Dominating can come in the form of flirting, over-the-top joking, unwanted touching, and lusting. Treat all women as you would treat your mother (or another well-respected woman).

Treat women with purity. Determine not to gaze at a woman's body. Look at her in the eyes (if that's appropriate culturally). Only look at her from the neck up. Train yourself in this. Avert your eyes quickly from sensual billboards, magazines and loose women walking around the city. Don't just live with lustful thoughts swirling about your head. Deal with them! Before you can lead a woman and a family, you need to learn to lead yourself.

Serve women. This is what Jesus does. He leads through serving. Men are called to servant leadership. Leading does not mean domineering or controlling people to go your way. Leading is an anointing and a grace given by God to serve first.