The State of Our Nation October 7, 2008

     Who’s shocked that i’m touching on this subject?? Everyone!?! Since it’s been a week from the last time i’ve written to you all I figured i’d let you in on what i’ve been doing… Trying not to let my blood pressure get revved up at the disaster this nation has become. Heart breaking!

     I get a magazine from the Billy Graham Foundation called Decision every month and if anyone else gets it i’m sure that you will agree it’s full of great stuff! Kay Arthur always writes a final article in there and the September one was quite thought provoking. I wanted to share.

     She was talking about abominations, particularly those of our nation. This talk leading to the problem of sin and the need for repentance as a nation. We have ventured so far from the Lord that in her words ‘truth stumbled in the streets as it did in Jerusalem in the days of the days of the Prophet Isaiah.’ I’d like to leave you today with the last paragraph of her article. It’s something i’ve been thinking about for many weeks now and can’t seem to get off my mind.

     I pray that as you think of our abominations as a nation it will fill you with righteous anger. I pray it moves you to tears. I pray it causes us to humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways and pray fervently for our nation to return to a fear of God. I pray that we will determine that we will discipline ourselves and discover truth for ourselves, that we will go deeper. I pray that we will learn His truth (John 17:17), love it, live it, and hold it forth in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation- and if necessary, die for it. Otherwise America is lost. (This excerpt was borrowed from Kay Arthur’s writing on ‘Cause Her to Know Her Abominations’ in Decision Magazine’s September 2008 issue, page 39.)

     I pray the Lord will have mercy on this nation in the midst of our stupidity and lack of adherence to His Word. Kay’s words for me just summed up my thoughts. We have ventured far from a fear of the Lord and need to return to Him in repentance.

The Conclusion of Resisting Charm to Embrace Our Reward September 29, 2008

Proverbs 31:28-31

“Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all! Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.”

     Well, today girls is the conclusion of our dance through the 31st Proverb learning about the daily life of a virtuous & capable woman of faith. I have found it quite eye opening and enlightening.  I pray you have too.

     I imagine the way this woman feels to have the respect & adoration of her children is how the Lord feels when we do the same. Her children bless her in their actions. I pray will long to be the same in our relationship with the Lord. Even her husband gives her praise and recognizes the treasure he has in her. As a woman to hear your husband brag about you makes it all worth it.  Agree’d?!

     Charm (to gain or influence with an object) and beauty are not lasting. BUT a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. Not a ’scary’ fear but knowing we are accountable to the Lord for our actions fear.

     What’s our reward for resisting charm? I see this whole story as a reflection of Christ in and working through this woman. The reward is knowing that’s how we are living and knowing that we have His unmerited favor & blessing the whole way through till the end. It’s not that we can or ever will be completely perfected at this long list of attributes in and of our own efforts. Impossible without Christ! But with Christ in us… The sky’s the limit. Because He owns it all. He’s King of making impossible things possible for His children when they surrender up themselves as an offering to Him to work through. Our reward is Him and all that comes with Him! Sounds pretty good to me! What about you?!

     Thanks for sticking with me. I’ve never even considered something like this endeavor. The Lord has opened my spiritual eyes and allowed me to have great fun in learning His desires for me.  Hmmm…. what will He have me to do next??????

Lovingly, Heather

Part 6: Resisting Charm to Embrace Our Reward September 28, 2008

Read the previous parts here: Monday’s Part 1,   Tuesday’s Part 2,   Wednesday’s Part 3,   Thursday’s Part 4,    Friday’s Intermission, and  Saturday’s Part 5.

Proverbs 31: 22-27

“She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

     These verses model to me a great partnership between the Proverbs 31 woman and her husband. Her husband can go off for the day knowing that he has complete trust in the ability of his wife to make wise decisions for their household. All without running to him for help at every turn. Her standards are high, making him at ease as he’s gone for the day. Their partnership is a model to the people watching.

     The two references referring to how she is clothed- in fine line/ strength and purple/ dignity- show in the present time that they are royalty. From what i’ve read flax was rare for the land during this time and purple was the color worn by royalty. I do believe there is a pointing to Jesus, the King of Kings, in that reference as well. But I haven’t quite figured that out just yet.

     Laughing at days to come tells me this woman wasn’t feeling that this lifestyle of hers was a terrible case of a husband on a power trip. Rather this joint effort showing respect in both directions from her & him is one that makes them prepared for what the future has in store. Her wise decisions will have long term benefits.

     Here’s my favorite part of this section… She speaks wisdom (a God-given wisdom) and faithful instruction is on her tongue. “Let your words be grace, seasoned with salt, so that you my know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 This woman KNEW how to give wise Godly instruction in all areas- home, children, marriage, serving, business, and faith. It’s easy to let our tongue go before our brain isn’t it. Recently, my sister was sharing with me her frustration in being a new mother, dealing with emotional issues, and trying to focus on her college work at the same time. I was hearing the sound of exhaustion in her voice. I know she wants to be a great mother, find time for housework, AND make a 4.0 in college to give them a secure future. But- an I kept my lips shut when I shouldn’t have- I should have shared with her that the Lord has season’s in life for us all. Even when we’ve made decisions He would have liked us to wait on or not make at all, His grace catches us.  Perhaps this time in her life would be wiser spent on motherhood. When we step out and in front the Lord things get complicated. I understand her need for fulfillment in the world because i’ve suffered that disease myself. But looking from the outside in I see this has caused frustration and that is not of the Lord. His plans aren’t to overload us, steer us away from our obligations as parents, and then leave us to figure it out. Those things are choices which the devil is probably “happy-cheesing” away at. My decision to keep my mouth shut to just listen kept her from possibly knowing that she could just relax in the Lord and trust Him to secure their future with a certainty that she won’t be forsaken by Him. 

     I wonder what the bread of idleness would taste like. Charred toast? Or maybe missing a main ingredient. Where you do the Heather and wind up with cookies that were literally indestructible and could act as everlasting dish sponges. (True story! I also cooked a chicken with the plastic pkg of in-nerds inside and discovered it when i started to carve it for dinner. Oops!)

     Well girls tomorrows it! The end of the series. I hope you all have enjoyed this walk through the word like I have.  In preparation for tomorrows end please read Proverbs 28-31.

See you tomorrow~ Heather

Part 5: Resisting Charm to Embrace Our Reward September 27, 2008

Read the previous parts here: Monday’s Part 1,   Tuesday’s Part 2,   Wednesday’s Part 3,   Thursday’s Part 4,  and   Friday’s Intermission.

Proverbs 31: 19-21    

“In her hands she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy (NLT- Says opens her arms to the needy). When it snows (NLT- Says Winter), she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet (NLT- Says warm clothes).”

     This morning my study has been quite interesting. I have learned even more evidence this story has a profoud pointing to Jesus in the New Testament. I discovered upon my reading in verse 21 where it spoke of ’scarlet’ I just had to learn what that was meaning. Why scarlet and not some other color? I found my answer here at Colors of the Bible. It’s worth the peek- a chart showing the priests garment spoke of in Exodus and the symbolism of the colors from New Testament learning’s. Scarlet refers specifically the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Therefore, our Proverbs 31 woman was tending to the spiritual well being of her own family. Perhaps the ’snow’ coming from the heavens is symbolic of Jesus, the Spotless Lamb, coming to pay the blood price for the sin of all people. Allowing her (& us) to know no fear because we have salvation in Him (More on Salvation and how to obtain it here) giving us a peace about what the future holds.

     Mom and I were talking about these verses this morning as I shared with her how I get so excited when I want to know something specific. I have really been trusting the Lord to be my teacher and show me what He wants me to know at this moment in time. I was really wanting to know about those colors. I trusted He would lead me to a place to grasp it… He did. Then I called mom to question her about something I read and guess what?? She had a DVD from this very man I found on the web right at her house on this EXACT subject. Call it coincidence if you want. I know that’s the Lord handing me what He wants me to understand. Isn’t God just fabulous!?! I love Him so.

     Let’s back up a bit though. In verse 19 we see the woman is perfecting a skill. I say skill because not every woman may have excelled at clothes making. For instance, not all women excel in cooking… I am proof. I’ll share my egg story in the future so you’ll have a good laugh.

     Anyhow,  Next in verse 20 we see her opening her arms to the poor and extending her hands to the needy. Opening your arms doesn’t that sound personal. How many of us would take the time to meet their need and then hang around and love on them? I have this thought that many want to serve God but on their own terms. Like when it’s convenient for them, if it happens to be around a holiday, if they are comfortable. Then eventually we conjure up enough thoughts that we may talk ourselves out of it all together or convince ourselves that someone else is better equipped. On that note i’d like to share a cool story with you all. I spoke a bit about it in my Matthew talk on being a disciple and following.

     On my way to & from the office I pass by a bench with a particular young man everyday. I became so aware that he was there I would look for him when passing. I was cooking dinner one night and thought about him. I prayed that the Lord would send believers to him to meet his need and show him You. Well, then I started wondering who was gonna go. The Lord nicely explained it was gonna be me. I felt like an idiot but didn’t want to miss an opportunity. I packed up my husbands favorite meal and went to ‘tha bench.’ The boy wasn’t there. I figured it was a test because see it was convenient for me to go then what about later??? A couple days went by and I went to the boy. We talked and got to know each other a bit. I sensed he was young. How young I later learned to be just 17. For weeks I would go and my mom started too. This guy got to know us and we him.  I never really knew why the Lord specifically wanted me to go but I just asked for Him to show this boy Himself through me. Then one day the boy was gone. I have to say I was panicked because I wasn’t sure if it was good. Mom prayed that she would get a glimpse of the boy to know he was okay. That afternoon she questioned my step father if he & I saw “J” on the bench that day. He told her no. Suddenly Mom looked up and walking down the sidewalk was “J.” She ran in, called me up and told me to go out on my porch to look. (FYI- Mother lives on one side of the street and we live directly across from her. Funny but true!) I looked and sure enough it was him. We sat on the phone waiting to see if he’d pass by. Well, here he came back by and mom yelled his name while waving. He looked up probably not realizing at first that it was her. He kept going. Next probably out of curiosity he came back down the street to see if it was her. I ran down and across the street as we both waited to see if he’d come back a third time. He did. This time both of us are waving and smiling. He stopped, looked at us and copped the biggest smile i’d ever seen. You must know that J never smiled when we met with him on the bench. Then he left and went to live with someone else he knew and of all the places in our county he could have wound up. It’s right here in the same couple blocks from both mom & I. He smiled, talked, and waved at us. I’ll never forget that smile on this day. Maybe he didn’t even see us but the Lord or maybe he wasn’t really J at all but an angel. Who knows! Regardless, we agree that our little mission with J was a God given one and not only did it minister this young boy but it blessed our hearts in an incredible way. I never would have known this happiness if I didn’t make myself available to the Lord for ministering. I’m glad for once I did.

    The moral is : My noticing grew to concern, which grew to who would go, which wound up me, and resulted in a blessing.  I don’t worry about my future or in this story of my own safety because my safety is in the Lord. I won’t worry about WHAT my future hold because I know WHO holds my future. In that I have great peace!

In Preparation for Part 5 read Proverbs 31: 22-27. If you have never done a bible study before or don’t feel your method of “study” has worked for you, try this style I use. Click here for a detailed example in a previous post of mine. Easy & Fun, but best of all you actually see the Lord teaching you all by yourself. If you get stuck and need help just e-mail me  at proofofhisgrace@tampabay.rr.com .

See you tomorrow! ~Heather

Intermission: Wisdom & Discipline September 25, 2008

Isaiah

Proverbs 1:2-7

“Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and sucessful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.”

“Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.”

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”    

     Today I wanted to take a break to back up to how this all began- the book of Proverbs that is- and share how valuable this whole book is, including the chapter we’re covering in the series. I was reading the outline for the book of Proverbs and found a spot where it lists the purpose of this particular book. It says  “To impart skills for living wisely in a fallen world.”   It goes on to say that this particular book equips us to live successfully while on our way “home.” I just loved that. Not sure I’ve ever heard a better description of what I’m doing here than that. I’m traveling through on my way “home.”

      Verse 2 says the reason it teaches us wisdom and discipline is to help understand the insights of the wise. What do you think some of those insights are? I know one is a close relationship with the Lord. What are some others you see?

    Verse 3 tells us we should live disciplined and successful lives by our ability to know & do what’s right, just, and fair.

    My favorite is verse 4 because it talks about discerning. To me that’s knowing what’s morally right and wrong according to what the Lord  says about this issue. Therefore, we are able to make not only the right decision but the one the Lord would choose. The benefit to this one thing is HUGE!

     Lastly, the fear of the Lord is the foundation for true knowledge. Not just street smarts or book smarts but God-given knowledge. I believe that kind of knowledge helps us not to just focus on the here & now but see things from His perspective through the knowledge He has imparted to us.

    The picture above is my nephew Isaiah. I have this picture posted above the computer on my bulletin board. Next to it is an index card bearing the picture of a friends deceased husband and a favorite quote of his. The quote goes…  “It’s not the length of a man’s life that matters. But what he does with the length he is given.” Whether young or old our time here passing through is vitally important to eternity. We weren’t put here for self gratification and play time. We all were meant for greatness! Proverbs was written by wise men. Men who’s wisdom was based on awe & respect for God. (The last sentence was taken straight from the pages of my Bible.)

     Isaiah’s picture is so precious to me. I look at it up there everyday and a couple hundred times while I write. I think I managed to capture a bigger picture in this one though. It’s us, all of us children of the Lord, on our knees in need of instruction, protection, love, and discipline looking up to Him who knows it all. I pray we hear and see that through our study in Proverbs.

See you tomorrow! ~ Heather

 

Part 4: Resisting Charm to Embrace the Reward September 25, 2008

Monday’s Part 1 Here    

Tuesday’s Part 2 Here

Wednesday’s Part 3 Here

Proverbs 31:16-18

“She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable and her lamp does not go out at night.”

     While studying today’s verses I was picking out key words that I felt were the crux of what I was needing to understand. I found the word consider to be jumping out at me. Maybe I’m impulsive after all and the Lord is trying to open my eyes. I’m not sure just yet. Here was our woman once again weighing the options of something. This something being an investment in a place where she is about to plant (perhaps not your literal seed planting either) with the intention of producing a crop. This decision later provided an earning which she turned around and reinvested in yet another endeavor that would produce fruit. Possibly her time in “considering” the purchase she spoke with the Lord for guidance.

     It’s easy to not forget to seek the Lord in big decisions and then leave Him out of the small ones. I have caught myself in the act plenty of times. Lately I remind myself that He wants to be personal with me so YES He does want me to talk, even about the small decisions. For some reason I think we tend to feel if it’s just a little thing no big deal really, it won’t put us into debt or anything. Then we leave the Lord out of it. I’ll share a real life example of ours from about a month ago…

     Sunday 12:00 PM our A/C just up and decides to quit working. Great! Normally it’s set on 71 degrees. Now our home in the lovely FL humidity is making our house somewhere around 90-93 degrees. I’m certain we could bake bread on my coffee table. Marvelous! Barry & I decide to wait it out till Monday. It’s nearing 8:00 PM and we’re choking it’s so hot. Barry & our neighbor go up on the roof looking, flipping breakers, kicking. Mind you our A/C is only a year old. Barry gets in touch with a friend who does A/C work and talks him into bailing us out if possible. 10:00 PM rolls around the guy shows up. Barry & him are up on the top of our eight story building, in the dark trying to figure out what happened. They call me 30 times to have me flip breakers… Nothings working. I go to bed. I’m laying there and a light in my head clicks on! We never prayed! DUH!! So I said out loud, “Lord this is your house, your A/C, and Your gonna have to fix this”… Phone rings.. Barry says, ”Hey honey go flip the breakers again.” I go to the box exasperated and flip the breakers. Immediately the thing starts pumping out my precious cold air. I cracked up laughing and hung up on Barry. When he came down I told him what i was doing when he interrupted me. He tells me that a bee flew into our unit on the roof and had his little wing wedged between the connectors. As soon as they pulled him off and I flipped the breakers our A/C was getting a connection again. The heatwave was over!

     The moral is I wasted HOURSSSSSSSS when I could have just talked to the Lord about it earlier and potentially avoided nearly 12 hours in the sweat box. Don’t be like me! Big, small, and everything in between needs His guidance.

     After I read all today’s verses and reflected on what they meant to me I was asking questions like: Are the fields i’m investing in places to plant seeds and grow? Are they places where a spiritual profit will be found? Have I planted? Have I watered? Have I seen growth? Did I turn around with that profit and invest again?  Fields for me personally are relationships. I try to surround myself with people who are like minded because I need to grow. Right now my mom & I study the Word together one night a week for fun and growth. I believe that is a field in which we both plant, water, and will see growth. I hope to roll that growth over one day and have a Bible study with our friends who are spiritually lost. This is an area in which right now i’m growing the most. Later, with intentions to be the seed sower instead of the seed only growing.

     It says in verse 18 that she makes sure her dealings are profitable and her lamp burns late into the night. I took that ‘lamp late into the night’ as she needed light after dark to do something of importance. It was important enough to burn oil for. First, she had the extra oil to burn thanks to her wise choices. Secondly, she didn’t turn it out until her dealings for the day were complete. I can relate to her today for sure. It’s late here in FL, i’ve worked to bring an income to my family, and here I sit to work for the Lord by the light of my desk lamp. If we set out to do something it’s important to follow through with it. She didn’t stop till all her potion of work was completed even if it was late into the night.

     My mom and I always speak of how the Lord has always come through for us. How He always give us the strength, peace, energy, umph to press on when it’s got to do with Him. I think He is the sole source of this woman’s strength and because of that it’s plentiful and He always gives just enough time to get what He wants done.

**Friday’s Post is going to be off this series. We will pick back up on Saturday with verses 19-24.

 In Preparation for Part 5 read Proverbs 31: 19-24. If you have never done a bible study before or don’t feel your method of “study” has worked for you, try this style I use. Click here for a detailed example in a previous post of mine. Easy & Fun, but best of all you actually see the Lord teaching you all by yourself. If you get stuck and need help just e-mail me  at proofofhisgrace@tampabay.rr.com .

See you tomorrow! ~Heather

Part 3: Resisting Charm to Embrace the Reward September 23, 2008

Monday’s Part 1

Tuesday’s Part2

Proverbs 31: 13-15

“She selects wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant ship, bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and portions for her servant girls.”

     I wanted to share something that I just learned with you from this neat book called Adventuring Through the Bible  by Ray Stedman. He explains that the first nine verses in Proverbs 31 are what his mother was teaching him about how to be a king. It’s believed that possible this description of a wife is really the description of his own mother. Interesting huh?! Also, the book of Proverbs was written as counsel of the king to his sons so perhaps the book in its entirety is a training manual for the husbands. “Smile Ladies!” We have 31 verses, they have 31 chapters! I’m Just joking ladies.

     In Tuesday’s (Part 2) comments Cheri spoke of the possiblity this ‘Wife of Noble Character’ also serving as a picture of the body of Christ when functioning as intended. Hopefully, I summed up her comment correctly. I have been thinking about his thought of hers and I want to talk a bit about it. If all the parts of the body are functioning properly than the effectiveness & productivity are greater. Agree? Well, we learn in God’s word that there is a need to be effective due to the fact there is an urgency for people to know that heaven is near and people need to be prepared. I want to back up this sense of urgency with a few verses (Matthew 4:17 Jesus’ words as he began his ministry here on Earth were “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”  also found in Mark 1 & Luke 4).

     If we (FYI- Anytime you see me put “I” or “We” be sure that i’m not implying us alone. It’s always the Lord in us, through us or help us to accomplish. Never do I want you to think I mean anything can be done without the Lord. Just wanted to clarify that.) as women can fashion ourselves to live the model set before us, then look at the effectiveness, resourcefulness, eagerness, strength, and servant hood found just in our homes. That has to have a trickle-down effect! It’s like having a good attitude, it’s contagious. For what better a cause to be contagious than for my home, in order, being able to serve others (my neighbors, friends, extended family, strangers, helpless, homeless, widowed, church, missionaries, etc.) and ultimately serving the Lord. At this present moment my fingers are moving faster than my keyboard. I attribute that to the Lord because it’s Him who puts this in my heart.

     Becoming the virtuous & capable wife seems to be just an Oreo in a bigger picture. But a necessary Oreo. The greatest call in our lives is to reach others with the love of Christ and the hope of eternity through salvation by whatever means, gifts or callings He’s given us. I see that as the center in which all else revolves around, including the teaching in Proverbs 31. Simply another example of how to be effective and why. The how being us placing the Lord on the Throne of our Lives daily, to the point it’s yes to Him and no to all else. The why being because all need to know, hear, and come to a relationship with Him too. 

     If the Lord loves me the same today as He did when I was lost, then following this Proverbs 31 Woman of Faith example doesn’t put another jewel in my crown. It  gives me the opportunity to have more crowns to cast at His feet. All thanks to the better effectiveness I had in my time spent here. I don’t find that to be an overwhelming thought, rather a motivation in my life for choosing His reward later over my reward here & now. I imagine that the Lord realizes we dust kids here on Earth needed some short term benefits to keep us motivated when we loose sight of why we do what we do. So perhaps the lack of stress over financial issues due to planned spending, excess of things to share, the chance to form relationships, and the ability to relax because we have time leftover to enjoy our families are our Earthly rewards. 

     In today’s verses I see that this woman has the opportunity to make choices rather than settle for only a few options. This allows us to be able to deal with unplanned moments in life. Like a neighbor who is in need of something or maybe a special offering to a missionary family. She is able and eager to do.

     She also is a connection maker. Her wisdom has allowed her to possibly connect with resources not necessarily close to her home or town. I have found that making connections in life is very important and many times how the Lord makes big things happen. Of course He is the orchestrator of those great connections when I look back to see how ironic was that!

     She serves not only her own family but others. This is not a quality I think will be very prevalent in future years because we live in the most me-centered society of all history thus far. It’s all about me and my needs and what I want. Not about others. I personally am working hard to not become an addition to the problem.

     For anyone who doesn’t know me well I’m one label gun short of having a white jacket and living in a padded room. In essence I’m a perfectionist. I thrive off of order and to do lists. Therefore, I’m loving every minute of this study! I have enjoyed today the most yet! I want to point out that I wrote the last post for Monday but this… this is the Lords. I want to publicly give Him the credit. Now i’m so excited that He took over this post i’m hushing so I can call my mother and share what just happened!!

In Preparation for Part 4 read Proverbs 31: 16-18. If you have never done a bible study before or don’t feel your method of “study” has worked for you, try this style I use. Click here for a detailed example in a previous post of mine. Easy & Fun, but best of all you actually see the Lord teaching you all by yourself. If you get stuck and need help just e-mail me  at proofofhisgrace@tampabay.rr.com .

See you tomorrow! ~Heather

 

Part 2: Resisting charm to embrace the reward September 22, 2008

Monday’s Part 1 HERE.

Proverbs 31:11 & 12

“Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”

     Yesterday we learned finding a virtuous & capable woman is comparative with being the owner of a rare jewel. I’m sure if we picked up a copy of this months Vogue or Redbook it would show us where/ what the focus is in the woman of today’s life- fashion, dieting, worldliness. Rather than making the effort to live a life of great reward we many times settle for charm don’t we? I have fallen into this very trap myself. I selfishly admit through this study I’m hosting I hope to be the greatest beneficiary of what is to be learned in Proverbs 31. Because if I can’t learn to walk it out myself how can I to share what the Lord has done with any of the rest of ya?!

     Some of the facts I pulled from this study of verses 11 & 12 were “trust (reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person or thing), greatly enrich(to adorn  or decorate; to increase in portion; to supply with abundance of anything desirable), good (of high quality; honorable and worthy; financially sound or safe), and all the days (not just on Monday or Friday but never missing a day).” All of these facts poked questions at me personally. So I had to do some soul searching.

     Starting with… Am I a woman the Lord would consider of good integrity? I certainly hope so! Can my husband trust me in all things knowing that I possess the ability and strength (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) to make a wise decision that could affect us today, tomorrow or way off in the future? Do I make rash decisions with no forethought, without consulting the Lord and His Word? Oh yes I am guilty of this very thing!! Usually i’m a futuristic thinker but I did fall prey to purchasing things rashly. Shame, shame- lesson learned! Will the decisions I make greatly enrich Barry and our home or will they dishonor him and worse be frowned upon by the Lord? If I make unwise decisions and bring dishonor on us then I could jeopardize relationships because people are watching us since we claim to be believers.  Am I consistent or do I flip-flop? I don’t think i’m a flip-flopper but maybe the Lord will reveal to me that I am. We’ll see.

     These probing questions left me thankful that if I’m not so great at them the Lord can and will correct that. I desire to make wise, God-driven decisions for my/our lives. I desire to bring honor to my home through proving my trustworthiness, greatly enrich my spouse, protect my home from harm by making wise decisions, and do this without ceasing and without thinking because it’s second nature to me.

     Since I’ve read through the entire Proverbs 31 I see a continuous thread throughout. The thread being consistency. Consistency in a relationship with the Lord whom we will have to depend on completely(Can I get an AMEN to that??) in order to live this model out and enjoy it’s reward.  My only input to share with you on how to be consistent is:

1. Pray and ask the Lord for help.
2. Ask your spouse how your doing in those departments to know where you stand.
3. Keep scripture verses having to do with your ”issue’s” very close by so you can read them and help keep yourself mindful of why it is you want to change and what the Lord has to say about that.

     I’m anxious to hear how the Lord has spoken to you from these same scriptures! It’s so fun to see that we can all draw something personal from them. Any other suggestions or comments are gratefully accepted!

In Preparation for Part 3 read Proverbs 31: 13-15. If you have never done a bible study before or don’t feel your method of “study” has worked for you, try this style I use. Click here for a detailed example in a previous post of mine. Easy & Fun, but best of all you actually see the Lord teaching you all by yourself. If you get stuck and need help just e-mail me  at proofofhisgrace@tampabay.rr.com .

See you tomorrow! ~Heather

Part 1: Resisting charm to embrace the reward September 21, 2008

     Welcome! I’m glad you’ve got here however you did. This week i’m hosting a series on the passages in Proverbs 31 (Versus 10-31) where it speaks of  “The Wife of Noble Character.”  I hope that you will enjoy this back-dive into the scripture to see what the Lord has to say and wants to teach each of us chica’s about the characteristics of a Proverbs 31 Woman.

     First, I want to debunk any preconceived myths that this study is only for married women. These passages  give us a model of what a woman (not just a married woman) who puts the Lord first in her life is like.  To some it will be instruction, some a goal to work towards, and to others a reminder of who we are as women of faith.

     Today I just want to tackle the first verse (10) and share some background into this proverb I’ve learned from research.

“Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.”

Proverbs 31:10

      Obviously, this passage lead me to believe that if ‘who can find her’ is in there then that means this isn’t the norm. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. This reminds me of the verses in Matthew about the narrow gate and how few will enter. Many women are not living lives that show others & the lost a picture of Christ. We’ve got to help change that! We have got to let the Lord work in us so we can be the Paul’s and Barnabas’ to the Timothy’s. Right ladies!?!

     Through research I learned that Proverbs 31:10-31 was traditionally recited in the Jewish home every week on the eve of the Sabbath. Hearing this acrostic poem your entire life was not uncommon for a  Jewish girl. I imagine the repetition helped them to continually have their minds focused on the goal of living up to this portrait of the model woman. 

     Another thing I learned is Webster’s definition of virtuous means of noteworthy moral excellence; honorable; generous; strong, capable with strong convictions. The Proverbs 31 Woman has one main focus- God’s will in her life. Keeping herself and ourselves on that path will help all the other stuff fall into place. Maybe we can even manage to get the hubby & kids clothes to fall into place in the hampers instead of the floor next to the hamper!  There’s hope ladies, there’s hope! 

     I also wondered why it spoke of rubies in this verse. So of course I set off in search of learning what the big deal with rubies was only to find out that that term in the scripture is better referred to as pearls. Most of us have read other places where “pearls” were a reference to  knowledge, God given insight or wisdom. This virtuous woman seems to have the reward of Godly pearls.

     I know there will be woman who are intimidated by this idea of the virtuous woman. Please don’t be! I encourage us each to remember that perfection isn’t the reward, it’s the relationship with our Heavenly Father as He molds and perfects us into women of His image that is the greatest reward. When we keep Him our #1 Goal He will work in us to perfect our flaws and through us to reach others for Him.

     Some ladies may be good at a few of these characteristics, others may be good at many, and a crew of us may feel like we are totally flunking this Home EC course. Regardless, we are going to encourage one another in how to become great woman of faith while we toss our charm to the side and strive for inner beauty.

     I am praying for this to be a very interactive series. I don’t think I have all the knowledge otherwise I’d be doing a study on something else- what I’m not exactly sure. Therefore, I want to hear from all of you reading these posts- Anything you want to add, how the Lord is speaking to you in this, ideas on what to do or how to make things simpler for each other, etc. Let’s really have an fun time laughing and learning through God’s word together. Be sure to come back! I plan on sharing some of my funny stories with you all during this time (Guaranteed to make you wet your pants).

In Preparation for Part 2 read Proverbs 31: 11-12. If you have never done a bible study before or don’t feel your method of “study” has worked for you try this style I use. Click here for a detailed example in a past post of mine. Easy, Fun, but best of all you actually see the Lord teaching you all by yourself. If you get stuck and need help just e-mail me  at proofofhisgrace@tampabay.rr.com .

See you tomorrow! ~ Heather

 

Rubies? Ships? Vineyard? Fine Linen? Help!! September 18, 2008

     Okay… What happens when your 27, already been married for 4+ years, and just found out the importance of the last 22 versus in Proverbs- otherwise known as “The Wife of Noble Character” ???!!!! God extends grace & mercy. Praise Him! As I read on in Proverbs I can tell i’m gonna need.

     I’m thinking that I may not be the only one out there who has read, absorbed, and is fruitfully living out these definitions of noble wife. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to dissect these verses in a few posts, share some ideas (hopefully, the wiser woman of my readers will enlighten us greenhorns with their tried & true accounts), and just learn & grow together. I’m praying this will be a fun learning experience for us ladies where we can see the Lord’s plan for us as wives, mothers, and/or women of faith to our husbands, children,  homes, and finances.

      This upcoming week i’ll start us off on a Proverbs 31:10-31 series we’ll call Embracing Reward & Resisting Charm.

Embracing Reward & Resisting Charm

Series Happening daily on Swallowing A Moose

September 22nd -27th, 2008

Join us!