Accept One Another: Devotions From Time of GraceSample

You're Talking With a Woman! Jesus' disciples were steeped in a male-only religious environment where women's input was neither needed nor wanted. One day they returned from a trip into town for provisions to find a sight that amazed and disturbed them. They "were surprised to find [Jesus] talking with a woman" (John 4:27). God's creative design for humanity was to create male and female in his image. Adam was made from dirt, and Eve was made from Adam. Men and women are gifted, both are equally valuable and important to God's master plan, and both have unique roles. The male/female polarity of our lives creates a wonderful buzz and makes the journey much more interesting. We are made from each other and for each other. But of course why would Satan ever tolerate peaceful and happy relationships between genders? He hates happy homes and happy churches and tries to plant dissension to make them more like his sulfurous habitat. He likes it better when men refuse to lead, women refuse to follow, and both fear and resent the other in an endless power struggle. The better way is to treat each other as precious and gifted partners in Christ's mission, fellow heirs of eternal life.