The Bible is decorated with stories of ordinary people who exemplified extraordinary courage, character and faith through the lives that they lived. The examples that many Bible characters gave included living out a life of faith and excellence as leaders, parents, children, and even as wives.

God likens a relationship between a husband and wife to the relationship between Christ and the church. He gives solid guidelines and clear principles on how a woman is to respond to God's grace and, as a result, she will live out a life honoring God through being a blessing to her husband and other people around her.

God is not just calling women to be exemplary women in the workplace, as parents or as church leaders. He is also calling women to be great examples of faith by being a blessing to their husbands.

The key to being exemplary wives is by relying on God's love and grace and being filled with His joy and love so that she will be a channel of it to others. Here are four biblical examples of exemplary wives.

Ruth

Although single for a majority of the storyline, Ruth would become a bride that Boaz would be proud of. She exemplified extreme trust and loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi, and extreme hard work and perseverance.

Esther

The Queen Esther embodied true courage that comes only through the power of God. In boldness, she stood before the king to plead with him to lift a sentence that would eradicate all of her people even if it meant danger to her own life. She also showed great respect for her husband, the King Ahasuerus, by not judging him for making the wrong decisions.

Sarah

Imagine one day your husband telling you to pack all of your things and resign from all your endeavours because he was going to take you and all you own to a place that he has never even heard of.

This is what Sarah had to go through, and with great faith she submitted herself to her husband, Abraham. Though she wasn't always perfect, she remained faithful to her husband and to her God.

Priscilla

The wife of Aquila, Priscilla is one of the key reasons why the early church flourished and grew. A businesswoman by profession, Priscilla responded to the call of God to participate in the work of spreading the gospel by participating in various missions trips.

Priscilla and Aquila were referred to by Paul as "fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life," showing great loyalty to the church and to the work of Jesus Christ.