It is the character and conduct of the wife that will win the lost husband—not arguments, but such attitudes as submission, understanding, love, kindness, and patience. These qualities are not manufactured; they are the fruit of the Spirit that comes when we are submitted to Christ and to one another. A Christian wife with purity and reverence will reveal in her life the character of God and influence her husband to trust Christ.

One of the greatest examples of a godly wife and mother in church history is Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. God used Monica’s witnesses and prayers to win both her son and her husband to Christ, though her husband was not converted until shortly before his death. Augustine wrote in his Confessions, “She served him as her lord; and did her diligence to win him unto Thee … preaching Thee unto him/by her conversation [behavior]; by which Thou ornamentest her, making her reverently amiable unto her husband.”

The Bible says: “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without talk by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives” (1 Peter 3:1-2).

Also read: all of 1 Peter 3; Proverbs 31:30-31.

Action assignment: Without rereading today’s reading, see if you can write down the five qualities of a godly wife that are mentioned. Add other qualities that occur to you.