Titus 2:4-5 says that a woman's function is to "...teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

The Greek translation for keepers at home literally means "housekeeper."  Don't get mad at me, wives. God desires for the man to provide for and protect his family while the woman maintains the home by keeping it clean and orderly. She is the one who cooks, vacuums, washes the dishes, irons the clothes and polishes the furniture.

Ladies, do your part to run your household efficiently. Don't sit around all day eating candy and watching television. A messy house is not something anyone wants to come home to. Take pride in your home and do your best to turn it into a warm, inviting sanctuary.

On the other hand, if the lifestyle you desire requires a joint income, you must make the necessary adjustments to accommodate your choice. That means the husband needs to understand that because his wife is now helping him to fulfill his responsibility to provide, he must now help her to fulfill her job to care for the home.

For example, if you are both working, your spouse shouldn't come home, kick off his or her shoes and sit down in front of the television to ask, "What's for dinner?" or "Why is this house so messy?" One of you should be vacuuming while the other cooks!

God's set order for the division of labor is a principle that doesn't change. If you agree to make some adjustments because of the lifestyle you want, then you have to share the responsibilities that go with it.

If a husband wants his wife to stay at home, then scale down the lifestyle. There are cheaper homes and cheaper cars. Do you need two luxury vehicles?

On the same note, the husband can't be so prideful that he won't allow his wife to work, yet they're starving because there is not enough money to buy groceries!

Use your common sense and honestly discuss what you want and need. Whatever the two of you decide is fine, as long as you agree on it.

What a Team!
The key to the successful division of labor is both spouses' willingness to support one another when needed. This can be summed up in two words: submission and honor.

Submission is not an action that applies only to one gender, but to both male and female. Ephesians 5:21 commands us to submit to one another in the fear of, or reverence for, God.

A submitted wife is not a slave, and a submitted husband is not weak-willed. In fact, submitted spouses are spouses that love, honor and respect God and one another.

In submitting to your spouse, you support one another. When one needs help, the other is there to provide it.

For example, the wife may rake the lawn while her husband mows it, or the husband may chop vegetables while the wife prepares the omelet. No one in your house is responsible accomplishing the mission alone!

The foundation of submission is honor. The husband must honor the wife in what she does, and she must honor her husband in what he does. If one of you belittles the other, then you dishonor your spouse, which sets the stage for future problems.

Wives, remember that you are to submit to your husbands as unto the Lord (Eph. 5:22). Just as you submit yourself to God's plan for your life out of trust and confidence in Him, so should you submit to your husband, knowing that he loves you and has your best interests at heart.

Husbands, you are the head of your wives even as Christ is the head of the Church (v. 23). That doesn't mean putting on airs and bossing her around. What it means is that you assume complete responsibility for her well-being and happiness, caring for her as God cares for you.

You may have to set aside your wants and desires in order to provide for and protect your family. As with all things in life, submission and honor take practice because they are in opposition to your human nature.

When you make a concerted effort to assist your spouse in whatever way they need you to help them, you pave the way for a happier, more fulfilling relationship.

Source: The Successful Family by Dr. Creflo A. Dollar and Taffi L. Dollar
Excerpt permission granted by Creflo Dollar Ministries