Discovering Jesus' Love for Women

Women are valuable to God, yet sadly many women feel less than, marginalized and insignificant. Women who have endured difficulties in their lives are vulnerable to the lies that our enemy, the devil, want us to believe. And those lies are only reinforced by people who let us down or treat us poorly. Rejection, divorce, abuse, abandonment, tragedy, and the judgment of others can cause anyone to question her own value.

Ladies of Grace recently taught the study Magdalena: Through Her Eyes, created by CRU Ministries, on the inside. We wanted the women to see how valuable women – and they – are to Jesus. The study includes a video depicting Jesus’ interaction with several women during his earthly ministry. 

• We got to see how Jesus helped Mary Magdalene become free from demon possession when all others shunned her out of fear and disgust (Luke 8:1-3). He called her a daughter of Abraham and her gratitude motivated her to follow Jesus for the rest of her days. 

• We got to be witnesses to the love Jesus expressed to the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob (John 4:5-42). This woman was not only rejected by the Jews, but hated by her own people. Yet she was the one Jesus chose to reveal his identity of Messiah to, and she was the one who led her people to Jesus. 

• We got to see Jesus extend great mercy to a woman caught in adultery when the men were ready to stone her (John 8:1-11). Jesus showed her love, forgave her and restored her dignity. 

At the end of our study time, the women shared what they got out of the movie and our weekly discussions. 

Here are just a few of the wonderful realizations from the women who participated:

• My addiction was my identity but now Jesus looks at me as clean and pure, just like Mary Magdalene.

• Mary Magdalene’s dedication to Jesus after he drove out the demons was the most impressive. There was no fake loyalty. After coming out of my addiction I strive to follow Jesus every day.

• Who are we to do the selfish things that feed our flesh? If we would just stay focused on what Jesus did for us, we would all be better. If just one person turned from darkness to light, many could turn to Jesus. That’s what we are here for. We need to do things for Him, not things that are worthless. 

• I’ve been excellent at being a bad role model. Loyalty is a big deal and you think others are being loyal to you when you are in your addiction. All of the women we studied were struggling, but Jesus was there for them. His word is true and what he says he will do, HE WILL DO! That is true loyalty!

• I love the way he spoke to the woman caught in adultery with such tenderness and love.

• Through Jesus we have hope. He didn’t bring us here to harm us, he gave us hope! 

• I’m new to believing in God. I saw myself in all of those ladies in the video. To see Jesus walk up to each one gives me hope that he is real and that he cares. 

The fact is that God created man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27). He loves everyone of us and relentlessly pursues us because He doesn’t want any one of us to be lost. We praise God for the impact this study has had on the women on the inside! Please pray with us that the seeds that have been planted in the hearts of all who participated will continue to grow and flourish.

How We Did It: Stronger

Recently, one of our facilities completed the workbook, "Stronger," by Angela Thomas. Whenever we tell the story about residents doing a workbook study we get a lot of questions so I'm going to take sometime today to answer the questions we get asked the most:

How did you get the books?

First, we asked the chaplain for approval.  Next, we posted a social media post on Instagram and Facebook asking for people to sponsor a book for each resident that had committed to the study.  Within a week we had almost every book paid for in full!  There are several benefits to asking for sponsorships. First, it's less of your ministry's budget that gets used for the books. Second, it gives more people on the outside a genuine interest in your ministry. Lastly, it lets the residents know people on the outside really care about them.    

Did you show the videos?

Yes, we did.  Again, we asked the facility for approval to use a TV/DVD cart to show the DVD each week.  Our weekly time at this facility is about an hour by the time we account for headcounts and introductions.  We asked several of our volunteers to come and assist to lead smaller groups within our large group time.  

How did they do?

They did great! They were honored to know that women on the outside had paid for them to have their very own book. To keep the celebration going we provided certificates for the ladies that completed all seven weeks. If you are interested in doing, "Stronger," you can click here to use the certificate we created for this study.

Reminders: ALWAYS ask for approval before starting any workbook study inside a facility. To keep your ministry going you need to follow the rules. Be a good example for the residents.

Depending on why the residents are on the inside they might have some trouble completing the homework in their workbook. Be patient with them and allow some time to answer their questions each week. The night we started, "Stronger," we went through the workbook from the beginning talking about the Introduction, Author's Note, and Table of Contents. The night we passed out their books we asked who had completed a workbook study before and only 15% raised their hands!