Proverbs 31:21-31
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
This amazing woman has no fear of the snow because she has clothed her household in scarlet. During the hard times of winter she doesn't fear for her household but she has made sure that through winter they are clothed well with fine and expensive scarlet wool. Not only does she clothe her family well but her own clothing is of fine linen and is purple and colour of royalty.
She knows that her family is covered in scarlet which is symbolic of the Blood of Jesus. Se has covered her household in the blood of Jesus so that they will be able to weather the cold and hard winters in their lives. She also knows who she belongs to. She is the King of King's daughter and she clothes herself in royalty, strength and honour.
She rejoices about the future and when she opens her mouth it is with wisdom. She watches over her household. Not only is her husband known at the gates when he sits among the elders but so is she. She and her husband work together to keep their household running. She looks after the internal workings of her home life and he works on the external. They compliment each other. Her husband praises all she does and she encourages him.
So to wrap up the series, we see that Proverbs 31 women are women of strength and are clever in business and run their family well and are caring and nurturing. She is a blessing to those around her. What we learn from the advice this mother gives her son is that she tries to shape an idea of what her son must look for in a wife but also what qualities he needs to have in order to be worthy of her. She tells him that this woman does all these things and is all things but she is strong in the Lord and fears the Lord and that when he finds this woman he will bless her and praise her and their children will rise up and call her blessed.
Single women and men. Guard your hearts and your spirits. Do not open yourself to just anyone. God will show you the right person to share your life with but in that time give your heart to Him and Him alone. Seek Him first and His righteousness. Don't lean on your own understanding but trust Him completely.
Women you are put here for a purpose. God didn't create you to be like man and do everything a man does because otherwise he would have just cloned Adam. But instead he put Adam to sleep and fashioned woman from his rib. This is how close we become to our husbands. We are right beside him. We protect their hearts and with their strong arms and they shield and protect the most precious person in their lives. They needed a helper and we are that helper. God saw all of creation was good and man was good but what was not good was that he was alone and needed a helper. And God made us perfect for this purpose.
Be who God created you to be and don't settle for anything less than the best that God has always had planned for you.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
You Are Being Set Up
Esther 4:13-14
And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Today I have been getting the words in my head, 'You are being set up'. Thinking about my life and all the things that have happened and changed over the years and all the things I have done have set me up for such a time as this. I have been set up. I feel set up.
This is a good thing by the way. In a way that is just so amazing it can only be God. We are all set up. Nothing that happens is an accident or just happens by chance. You reading this is not an accident. Where you live and work. Where your children go to school. Who your friends are. Not a mistake and not a coincidence. No random chance.
Esther was a woman brought before the king with many other woman but she was not just a random woman who was nabbed off the street. God had a purpose and a plan for her life. She was to be beneficial in the saving of her family and the Jews.
There are things in us, gifts and ideas and experiences that are going to be used to help those around you. It may take awhile or seem really small and insignificant but there will come a time where someone will need what you have learned and gone through to help them.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Think about ways that God is setting you up for His purposes. Can you think of one person that you have helped this week? If you look and see what has happened in the last few years can you see how God has used you to make a difference in your world?
Deuteronomy 31:8nd the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
God goes before you and He goes with you. He doesn't leave you or abandon you. He makes sure you are cared for and that you are in the perfect place. He is not surprised by your situations. Things can be really hard and so unbearable but when we trust and push through our mountains and our valleys we find blessings and things we never thought we would ever be able to do or even have dreamed of doing.
He is the one who puts great dreams in our hearts. We as parents want our children to succeed and do great thinks in our world but God wants it even more. He rejoices when we are most blessed being who He has always intended us to be.
I am so very excited for the next few years. I have been through a lot of stuff and I don't think I will ever be done with going through stuff but we must never despise what we go through. It may be unbearable and we may wish it away but it is through these times that we grow and learn something that will help someone else who is struggling. It builds your testimony. We become overcomers and more than just conquerors through the testimonies of what God has done in our lives.
Revelations 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Romans 8:31-39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
So you are being set up for something awesome. Think outside the box of your circumstances. Look up and spy out what God has for you. Look and see what He is about to do in your life and in the life of those around you. There is nothing that you are going through that won't be used for His glory and to bless you.
(it might be a good idea to read the whole of Romans 8)
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Today I have been getting the words in my head, 'You are being set up'. Thinking about my life and all the things that have happened and changed over the years and all the things I have done have set me up for such a time as this. I have been set up. I feel set up.
This is a good thing by the way. In a way that is just so amazing it can only be God. We are all set up. Nothing that happens is an accident or just happens by chance. You reading this is not an accident. Where you live and work. Where your children go to school. Who your friends are. Not a mistake and not a coincidence. No random chance.
Esther was a woman brought before the king with many other woman but she was not just a random woman who was nabbed off the street. God had a purpose and a plan for her life. She was to be beneficial in the saving of her family and the Jews.
There are things in us, gifts and ideas and experiences that are going to be used to help those around you. It may take awhile or seem really small and insignificant but there will come a time where someone will need what you have learned and gone through to help them.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Think about ways that God is setting you up for His purposes. Can you think of one person that you have helped this week? If you look and see what has happened in the last few years can you see how God has used you to make a difference in your world?
Deuteronomy 31:8nd the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
God goes before you and He goes with you. He doesn't leave you or abandon you. He makes sure you are cared for and that you are in the perfect place. He is not surprised by your situations. Things can be really hard and so unbearable but when we trust and push through our mountains and our valleys we find blessings and things we never thought we would ever be able to do or even have dreamed of doing.
He is the one who puts great dreams in our hearts. We as parents want our children to succeed and do great thinks in our world but God wants it even more. He rejoices when we are most blessed being who He has always intended us to be.
I am so very excited for the next few years. I have been through a lot of stuff and I don't think I will ever be done with going through stuff but we must never despise what we go through. It may be unbearable and we may wish it away but it is through these times that we grow and learn something that will help someone else who is struggling. It builds your testimony. We become overcomers and more than just conquerors through the testimonies of what God has done in our lives.
Revelations 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Romans 8:31-39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So you are being set up for something awesome. Think outside the box of your circumstances. Look up and spy out what God has for you. Look and see what He is about to do in your life and in the life of those around you. There is nothing that you are going through that won't be used for His glory and to bless you.
(it might be a good idea to read the whole of Romans 8)
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Proverbs 31 - Week 4 - Open Arms, Outstretched Hands.
Proverbs 31:16-20
She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
What a business woman she is. She considers a field, buys it and then makes a profit. But she doesn't just stop there. She takes her profit and then plants a vineyard. She makes sure that what she produces is of the highest quality.
Her arms aren't weak because she uses them. She digs and plants and sells. She is by no means lazy. She stretches out her hands to the distaff and her hand holds the spindle. A distaff also means woman's work but I find this fascinating that this women doesn't think that this job is derogatory but she stretches her hand out to it and her other hand holds the spindle.
She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
What a business woman she is. She considers a field, buys it and then makes a profit. But she doesn't just stop there. She takes her profit and then plants a vineyard. She makes sure that what she produces is of the highest quality.
Her arms aren't weak because she uses them. She digs and plants and sells. She is by no means lazy. She stretches out her hands to the distaff and her hand holds the spindle. A distaff also means woman's work but I find this fascinating that this women doesn't think that this job is derogatory but she stretches her hand out to it and her other hand holds the spindle.
It is her job and she knows it's value. I understand that women may feel pushed into this mold of being the ones to do the cooking and cleaning and sewing. We want to do the business stuff and do everything a man can. But is that really wise. I love being a woman. Without this woman everyone would be naked. She was still a business woman but she was female. She bought her field and from the profits of that field she plants a vineyard so that she can make wine and sell grapes so that from those profits she can buy flax and spin it and dye it for her family so they may be clothed. But not only that she stretches out her hand to the poor and needy. She looks after her family and then looks after others in her life that are need. She is so productive that her family is fed and clothed. They have enough left over that she can extend her hand out to those who are in need.
Her lamp doesn't go out at night. She leaves it on as she plans and thinks about ways to manage her businesses and her household. And she spends it seeking the Lord in the quiet when everyone is asleep.
We like to limit ourselves to just one thing in our lives. We feel overwhelmed with all the hats we have to wear and we crave me time but what really mean is that we are lost and we do not understand our worth. We have traded our red carpet for a dirt road. When once woman were praised and were seen as the center of society. The very part of society that kept everyone together and working. We have traded it in for being just like a man. We were never called to be men and do what men do. Our arms are strong but they are strong for different tasks. We do business but we do it differently. We love our children but that we do differently too. I am not saying don't go to work but what I am saying is when you do go to work be feminine. Be an awesome woman with that awesome brain you have. Let a man open a door for you and let you go first into a building. It won't kill you. We need to honour the role God has given men and we need to honour God in the wonderful roles He has given us.
We have gotten so independent that we only trust ourselves and in only trusting ourselves we become selfish with what we will extend and stretch our hands out to. When we become independent of God then we trust Him less. Marriage is about trust but if we are all busy being Mrs and Miss Independent who are we trusting? We need to be trust worthy and learn to depend on God for everything, trusting that He will come through for us, strengthen us and that we will listen and be obedient to what He wants us to do so that we can help and serve those in our lives better. When we bless our families and when we bless those in need then God is blessed and when God is blessed we will be blessed. We will be satisfied. We will do all things, not matter how menial, to the Glory of God.
What does the husband of this woman look like? He trusts her and backs her up. He is proud of all she does with her hands. He trusts that when she sets out to buy a field she is doing it with commonsense. He rejoices when she sets out on these ventures and is greatly pleased with this wonderful and beautiful woman he has married.
Single woman, in your singleness do not become so independent that you forget to trust and look out for the needs of others. If you choose to get married one day it will make it so much easier in your marriage when you are already focused outward.
So today see what you can consider in your life. What gifts has God given you? How can you best use them to make a profit in your life? What are the things you need to open your arms to and extend your hands to? What is it that God wants you to take up and grasp today?
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Proverbs 31 - Week 3 - Wise Planning
Proverbs 31:13-15 She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
14 She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
This woman is amazing. Imagine making things with your hands, driving far to bring food home. Waking before the sun is up to prepare breakfast for your family and plan the day's work for servant girls.
Okay so we don't have servant girls but we do have something they didn't have back then. Dishwashers and Washing Machines, Ovens, Toasters, Electricity. It was necessary to get up before dawn to prepare breakfast. It wasn't a case of open packet, nuke it, snack it. A lot of preparation needed to be done before a meal was put on the table. There was a lot of chores than needed to be done. Nothing was instant. She finds wool and flax in it's rawest form and has to spin it before she can use it.
She needs servant girls to help with all of theses tasks. She runs her home well. She understands what needs to be done and she plans for it.
She doesn't just go afar to get food on a whim. She carefully selects food for her family and if it cannot be found close by and it is of better quality elsewhere she will travel far to bring it home. Only the best for her family.
How does this apply to us today? We do not have servant girls but we do have appliances and yet still with all the appliances and things to make life easier things are still hard. We have become too proud to ask for help or accept help when offered. Women feel they need to be everything to everyone and do everything. Taking care of our homes and our families is not just a job it is who we are created to be. We were created to be helpers. Not only do we help our husbands but we can help women around us.We don't have servants but we do have friends. Allowing others to help us when we really need it makes us deal with issues of pride but it also encourages your friends to help others in small ways too.
Asking someone to mind your child for an hour or so while you clean house or just have some time to yourself is not something you need to be guilty about. I don't think for one second that the Proverbs 31 Woman ever felt guilty for having servant girls. Quit the pride and ditch the guilt. We do not need that in a life of a helper.
Plan your day. If you really are not a morning person (like me) plan the night before. Know exactly what needs to be done. Be sensible about what you plan to do. Cleaning the whole house in one day though noble is not very wise. You will get a fourth of the way through and will collapse in a heap of despair. List 6 things you want to get done and work in 15 min increments. I get very bored with a task if I do it for 2hours straight and see no progress but if I do just a little bit and set a time limit I am least likely to get distracted. Put some music on and fold that laundry. When you do laundry, break up the task. For 15 mins round up laundry and sort it, 15 mins of folding and then 15 mins of packing away etc.
Put your children to work. I am not talking child slave labour. I am saying they are a part of the family and also help making a mess so they can help put it straight. Obviously this needs to be age appropriate. Do not let your toddler use the iron and stuff like that.
Husbands are you a help or a hindrance to your wife and how she is trying to run your household? I am not saying this gives her permission to be a nagging fishwife but in the same way that she is supportive of your need to work late to meet a deadline you need to be supportive of the chores that need to be done around the home. There are just some things that a man must take care of around the home. Taking out the trash, changing light bulbs, fixing broken stuff, making sure the car is safe to drive, mow the lawn. There are of course exceptions and every family is different but husband and wife are to care for each other's needs above their own. Yes husbands provide for their family outside the home but providing inside the home is just as if not more important. Being available to your children and speaking life into their futures and encouraging your wife after a long day is just as valuable as when you come home to a hot meal and warm arms after a long and stressful day at work.
We can all learn from the Proverbs 31 Woman. She plans and she does her job well and with excellence (note not perfection), free from guilt, shame and pride.
and busily spins it.
14 She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
This woman is amazing. Imagine making things with your hands, driving far to bring food home. Waking before the sun is up to prepare breakfast for your family and plan the day's work for servant girls.
Okay so we don't have servant girls but we do have something they didn't have back then. Dishwashers and Washing Machines, Ovens, Toasters, Electricity. It was necessary to get up before dawn to prepare breakfast. It wasn't a case of open packet, nuke it, snack it. A lot of preparation needed to be done before a meal was put on the table. There was a lot of chores than needed to be done. Nothing was instant. She finds wool and flax in it's rawest form and has to spin it before she can use it.
She needs servant girls to help with all of theses tasks. She runs her home well. She understands what needs to be done and she plans for it.
She doesn't just go afar to get food on a whim. She carefully selects food for her family and if it cannot be found close by and it is of better quality elsewhere she will travel far to bring it home. Only the best for her family.
How does this apply to us today? We do not have servant girls but we do have appliances and yet still with all the appliances and things to make life easier things are still hard. We have become too proud to ask for help or accept help when offered. Women feel they need to be everything to everyone and do everything. Taking care of our homes and our families is not just a job it is who we are created to be. We were created to be helpers. Not only do we help our husbands but we can help women around us.We don't have servants but we do have friends. Allowing others to help us when we really need it makes us deal with issues of pride but it also encourages your friends to help others in small ways too.
Asking someone to mind your child for an hour or so while you clean house or just have some time to yourself is not something you need to be guilty about. I don't think for one second that the Proverbs 31 Woman ever felt guilty for having servant girls. Quit the pride and ditch the guilt. We do not need that in a life of a helper.
Plan your day. If you really are not a morning person (like me) plan the night before. Know exactly what needs to be done. Be sensible about what you plan to do. Cleaning the whole house in one day though noble is not very wise. You will get a fourth of the way through and will collapse in a heap of despair. List 6 things you want to get done and work in 15 min increments. I get very bored with a task if I do it for 2hours straight and see no progress but if I do just a little bit and set a time limit I am least likely to get distracted. Put some music on and fold that laundry. When you do laundry, break up the task. For 15 mins round up laundry and sort it, 15 mins of folding and then 15 mins of packing away etc.
Put your children to work. I am not talking child slave labour. I am saying they are a part of the family and also help making a mess so they can help put it straight. Obviously this needs to be age appropriate. Do not let your toddler use the iron and stuff like that.
Husbands are you a help or a hindrance to your wife and how she is trying to run your household? I am not saying this gives her permission to be a nagging fishwife but in the same way that she is supportive of your need to work late to meet a deadline you need to be supportive of the chores that need to be done around the home. There are just some things that a man must take care of around the home. Taking out the trash, changing light bulbs, fixing broken stuff, making sure the car is safe to drive, mow the lawn. There are of course exceptions and every family is different but husband and wife are to care for each other's needs above their own. Yes husbands provide for their family outside the home but providing inside the home is just as if not more important. Being available to your children and speaking life into their futures and encouraging your wife after a long day is just as valuable as when you come home to a hot meal and warm arms after a long and stressful day at work.
We can all learn from the Proverbs 31 Woman. She plans and she does her job well and with excellence (note not perfection), free from guilt, shame and pride.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Proverbs 31 - Week 2 - Virtue
Proverbs 31:10-12
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
11 Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
Virtue - Behaviour showing high moral standards.
A virtuous and capable wife is a great treasure to her husband. He trusts her and his life is made rich and good.
As women it is in our power to build up or tear down with what we believe and what we do. What is our attitude like? Are we trustworthy women? Do we enrich our husbands lives? Are we virtuous? Are we women of high moral standards?
A husband I am sure are so blessed by a wife of quality and virtue.
Now lets flip it and find out more about the husband of this virtuous wife. If his wife is virtuous then he too must be virtuous. You cannot be in a marriage that will last if one person holds moral standards highly and the other does not. If this is a quality that delights a husband then he too will be a virtuous husband not only in his marriage but in his workplace and in every area of his life.
Single people look for someone who has high moral standards and likewise know what you stand for. You will not be able to build a good foundation in a marriage until you are sure what you believe and the things you simply won't negotiate on. If you don't stand for anything you will fall for anything. Ask God to show you how to be virtuous. Read your Bible and learn what God says is a virtuous character.
There is trust within their marriage. He trusts her with his life, the home, finances, their children and his heart. The wife trusts her husband. He is a trustworthy man. She knows that she can rely on him to provide for her and their children and she trusts him with her heart. Submitting to his headship is not based on fear but on trust. They trust each other because they are trustworthy.
Are you looking for someone trustworthy? Are you trustworthy? Do you mean what you say and do what you say you will? Can you be trusted at work and are you trusted by people around you?
She greatly enriches his life and brings him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. This speaks to me of a unselfish woman. She cares for her husband, honours him and makes his life better. She does not tear down their marriage with words and she is a safe place for him to land at the end of a long day.
Marriage isn't 50/50 it is 100/100. Not give and take but give and receive.
Women be the kind of woman that brings richness to other's lives and build others up. Look for a man who is kind to others and who brings value to the friendships he has. Men look for a woman who has friends who are better off by having her in their lives.
A lot of the time in marriage we need to look at ourselves and what we can change and how we can better love our spouses and support them. When women say they don't need a man to make them happy I think they miss out on an amazing journey of character building and finding just what kind of stuff you are made of. Yes it is true that I will not lean on my husband to make me happy or expect him to be totally absorbed in my emotions (they make me tired just dealing with them myself) but having my husband in my life has enriched my life. It is more than just being happy. I trust my husband because he is a trustworthy man. He is a man of noble character and I am blessed to have him in my life.
There are some guys out there that have not been noble or trustworthy and who have harmed their wives but not all guys are like this and there are some really great ones out there who may just need a woman who will come alongside him and enrich his life.
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
11 Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
Virtue - Behaviour showing high moral standards.
A virtuous and capable wife is a great treasure to her husband. He trusts her and his life is made rich and good.
As women it is in our power to build up or tear down with what we believe and what we do. What is our attitude like? Are we trustworthy women? Do we enrich our husbands lives? Are we virtuous? Are we women of high moral standards?
A husband I am sure are so blessed by a wife of quality and virtue.
Now lets flip it and find out more about the husband of this virtuous wife. If his wife is virtuous then he too must be virtuous. You cannot be in a marriage that will last if one person holds moral standards highly and the other does not. If this is a quality that delights a husband then he too will be a virtuous husband not only in his marriage but in his workplace and in every area of his life.
Single people look for someone who has high moral standards and likewise know what you stand for. You will not be able to build a good foundation in a marriage until you are sure what you believe and the things you simply won't negotiate on. If you don't stand for anything you will fall for anything. Ask God to show you how to be virtuous. Read your Bible and learn what God says is a virtuous character.
There is trust within their marriage. He trusts her with his life, the home, finances, their children and his heart. The wife trusts her husband. He is a trustworthy man. She knows that she can rely on him to provide for her and their children and she trusts him with her heart. Submitting to his headship is not based on fear but on trust. They trust each other because they are trustworthy.
Are you looking for someone trustworthy? Are you trustworthy? Do you mean what you say and do what you say you will? Can you be trusted at work and are you trusted by people around you?
She greatly enriches his life and brings him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. This speaks to me of a unselfish woman. She cares for her husband, honours him and makes his life better. She does not tear down their marriage with words and she is a safe place for him to land at the end of a long day.
Marriage isn't 50/50 it is 100/100. Not give and take but give and receive.
Women be the kind of woman that brings richness to other's lives and build others up. Look for a man who is kind to others and who brings value to the friendships he has. Men look for a woman who has friends who are better off by having her in their lives.
A lot of the time in marriage we need to look at ourselves and what we can change and how we can better love our spouses and support them. When women say they don't need a man to make them happy I think they miss out on an amazing journey of character building and finding just what kind of stuff you are made of. Yes it is true that I will not lean on my husband to make me happy or expect him to be totally absorbed in my emotions (they make me tired just dealing with them myself) but having my husband in my life has enriched my life. It is more than just being happy. I trust my husband because he is a trustworthy man. He is a man of noble character and I am blessed to have him in my life.
There are some guys out there that have not been noble or trustworthy and who have harmed their wives but not all guys are like this and there are some really great ones out there who may just need a woman who will come alongside him and enrich his life.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Proverbs 31 - Week 1 - The Proverbs 31 Man
Proverbs 31:1-9 The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him.
For the next few weeks I will be looking at Proverbs 31. This Chapter of Proverbs seems to be directed only at married women and all the things they need to live up to, do and be. But I would like to dig deeper and bring out the secret, hidden message of Proverbs 31.
This week we will look at Proverbs 31:1-9. These are the verses before the Virtuous Women verses.
It starts with King Lemuel and it says that it is him retelling the advice his mother gave him.
His mother doesn't go straight into telling him what the right kind of woman he should be looking for is. Instead she says son of mine don't throw your masculinity and strength onto just any woman. Don't crave drink and become drunk. Speak up for those without a voice and speak up for those who are poor and helpless. Be just.
These verses speak of a mother advising her son as to how he should behave and what builds good character in a leader and as a King.
We see more and more young men today who do not value their own virginity and drinking and seeing who gets the most drunk is what makes you a man. They do not care about the little person and instead bully and harm others.
What type of man do you want to be? Moms and dads what kind of man do you want your son to be? Women what type of man are you going to let into your life?
What this world needs the most is men who will be strong in justice for the oppressed and poor. We need men that will rise up, stand and be counted as leaders of integrity, who do not allow drink to be their master. Men who respect themselves and respect women and do not throw their bodies to any women they can find to fulfill their fleshly desires. We need men who are pillars of strength who keep the roof from crashing down on us.
We need godly men who will open their mouths and speak up. Speak up for the one being bullied. Speak up for the unborn child. Speak up for the poor.
We need men who are not filled with wine or beer but filled with the Holy Spirit and not just filled with the Spirit but walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25
Likewise women if you are to find a man to marry find a man who is filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. A man who will stand up for you. But you too must be walking in and filled with the Spirit. You need to keep yourself from getting drunk and giving up your body to just anyone who fancies you.
Young women today are getting drunk and fall into bed with a new guy every week. These girls then end up in fights and brawls and if their great-grandmother saw them she would me totally mortified.
What happened to the ladies and gentlemen of old. You could say that we need to get with the times and that chivalry is so old school. We preach equality of genders but haven't we just traded one set of chains for another?
Feminism brought in some good things such as women being allowed to vote and equal pay and employment. But women have gotten so uptight over men opening the door for us and letting us go first and treating us with dignity and respect that now we are treated as common and just the same as men and thus not deserving of the red carpet we were once on.
I think we have confused equality with value. As humans we are equal but as men and women we are different. We need to realise our roles as different, unique but complimentary. Until we realise that a husband and wife are a team doing different things for the same cause we will never be ready for a Proverbs 31 Man or a Proverbs 31 Woman.
Married men and women what are the things you can change that will help your marriage? Are you the man or women that your marriage needs?
Single men and women are you becoming the kind of person someone would like to meet and spend the rest of their lives with. Have drinking and sleeping around become normal to you?
We are to love our neighbour as ourselves. If we do not love ourselves enough to stay pure how can we be sure we will be able to love others purely?
In the next few weeks we will look at what it means to be a Virtuous Woman and a Valiant Man. It might seem like Proverbs 31:10-31 is for women only but this women's husband is mentioned a few times and her children too.
O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows,
do not waste your strength on women,
on those who ruin kings.
O son of my vows,
do not waste your strength on women,
on those who ruin kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.
Rulers should not crave alcohol.
For if they drink, they may forget the law
and not give justice to the oppressed.
Alcohol is for the dying,
and wine for those in bitter distress.
Let them drink to forget their poverty
and remember their troubles no more.
Rulers should not crave alcohol.
For if they drink, they may forget the law
and not give justice to the oppressed.
Alcohol is for the dying,
and wine for those in bitter distress.
Let them drink to forget their poverty
and remember their troubles no more.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
ensure justice for those being crushed.
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
This week we will look at Proverbs 31:1-9. These are the verses before the Virtuous Women verses.
It starts with King Lemuel and it says that it is him retelling the advice his mother gave him.
His mother doesn't go straight into telling him what the right kind of woman he should be looking for is. Instead she says son of mine don't throw your masculinity and strength onto just any woman. Don't crave drink and become drunk. Speak up for those without a voice and speak up for those who are poor and helpless. Be just.
These verses speak of a mother advising her son as to how he should behave and what builds good character in a leader and as a King.
We see more and more young men today who do not value their own virginity and drinking and seeing who gets the most drunk is what makes you a man. They do not care about the little person and instead bully and harm others.
What type of man do you want to be? Moms and dads what kind of man do you want your son to be? Women what type of man are you going to let into your life?
What this world needs the most is men who will be strong in justice for the oppressed and poor. We need men that will rise up, stand and be counted as leaders of integrity, who do not allow drink to be their master. Men who respect themselves and respect women and do not throw their bodies to any women they can find to fulfill their fleshly desires. We need men who are pillars of strength who keep the roof from crashing down on us.
We need godly men who will open their mouths and speak up. Speak up for the one being bullied. Speak up for the unborn child. Speak up for the poor.
We need men who are not filled with wine or beer but filled with the Holy Spirit and not just filled with the Spirit but walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25
Likewise women if you are to find a man to marry find a man who is filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. A man who will stand up for you. But you too must be walking in and filled with the Spirit. You need to keep yourself from getting drunk and giving up your body to just anyone who fancies you.
Young women today are getting drunk and fall into bed with a new guy every week. These girls then end up in fights and brawls and if their great-grandmother saw them she would me totally mortified.
What happened to the ladies and gentlemen of old. You could say that we need to get with the times and that chivalry is so old school. We preach equality of genders but haven't we just traded one set of chains for another?
Feminism brought in some good things such as women being allowed to vote and equal pay and employment. But women have gotten so uptight over men opening the door for us and letting us go first and treating us with dignity and respect that now we are treated as common and just the same as men and thus not deserving of the red carpet we were once on.
I think we have confused equality with value. As humans we are equal but as men and women we are different. We need to realise our roles as different, unique but complimentary. Until we realise that a husband and wife are a team doing different things for the same cause we will never be ready for a Proverbs 31 Man or a Proverbs 31 Woman.
Married men and women what are the things you can change that will help your marriage? Are you the man or women that your marriage needs?
Single men and women are you becoming the kind of person someone would like to meet and spend the rest of their lives with. Have drinking and sleeping around become normal to you?
We are to love our neighbour as ourselves. If we do not love ourselves enough to stay pure how can we be sure we will be able to love others purely?
In the next few weeks we will look at what it means to be a Virtuous Woman and a Valiant Man. It might seem like Proverbs 31:10-31 is for women only but this women's husband is mentioned a few times and her children too.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Create
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and Renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Create. Some of my family and friends may be getting a little sick of hearing about it but if they haven't they may soon. So instead of my usual Blog I am going to tell you a bit about what has got me so excited. Hopefully it will help get the bits and pieces in my imagination matching up and forming the bigger picture of what God is doing.
Once a month I will be having an afternoon at my house where ladies will come and bring their unfinished things or something that they have been meaning to start or try out but have never got the time to do it. I will also have something set up for those who haven't got anything to bring or who want to learn something new.
Every six or so months we will have a big event at the church building. It hasn't taken shape yet but I have a rough idea of what it might look like and it might even end up looking completely different in the end.
I want it to be a totally unique thing. Completely organic and new.
There are four words that sum up what this is all about:
Renew
Restore
Relate
Create
The meanings of these words are as follows:
Renew - To give fresh life or strength to.
I want women to feel renewed, refreshed and strengthened. Most of a women's life is about caring and thinking of others needs and wants that we forget that we too have needs and wants and that it is perfectly okay to spend some time doing something we love.
Restore - To return (someone or something) to a former condition, place or position.
To give (something stolen, taken away or lost) back to the original owner or recipient.
I would like for women to return to the condition, place and position they were created for. God has put amazing talents, gifts and abilities within us that have gotten squashed or pushed aside by things that have hurt, bruised and scarred us. They have been stolen, taken away or lost over the years. I want this to be a place of restoration of hope, faith, love and trust.
Relate - to make or show a connection between
to feel sympathy for or identify with
None of us wants to be lonely and yet this is a prevalent feeling of most women. We all want to be a part of something. We all want to be included and be connected. Women have emotions that help us sympathise with others and we have this deep need to nurture and be nurtured. There has been something lacking in our relationships with each other and I would really love to see new friendships made and connections made. I would like to see the Holy Spirit moving within women's lives and a strong network of prayer for each other established.
Create - To cause to come into being, as something unique
This is the name of this new thing that I am doing. Create.
Everyone is creative. Some will tell me that they are not at all creative. Well I am not creative with drawing people. I know my weaknesses and my strengths. Yes I have a lot of strengths and there is a lot that I do well but there is just as much that I do very poorly. Housework. I do not do housework well. I am first to admit that I suck at it. I never kept my room clean as a child and I have a terrible time of creating order in my house. Others are better at this than I am or they have become very creative (like I have) of hiding the mess.
Some are better at interior decor. This is a bit of a challenge for me. I have been given a bit of this and a bit of that over the years which I am most grateful for but honestly nothing really matches, or it does but I am not sure. If you come visit me you can decide for yourself.
You see being creative is more than just being good with a pencil and some paint or glueing something on the right way it is about being who God created you to be. It is about using the gifts given to you.
You may be really great at making a delicious meal or blessing others. These things all come out of your creativity.
I would like for every women to feel that they are creative. They cause to come into being, as something unique. Not a copy but something that is as unique as their own fingerprint and DNA.
So it is with these 4 words and Psalm 51:10 that I would like to inspire and encourage women to rise up and be all they are called to be.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and Renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Create. Some of my family and friends may be getting a little sick of hearing about it but if they haven't they may soon. So instead of my usual Blog I am going to tell you a bit about what has got me so excited. Hopefully it will help get the bits and pieces in my imagination matching up and forming the bigger picture of what God is doing.
Once a month I will be having an afternoon at my house where ladies will come and bring their unfinished things or something that they have been meaning to start or try out but have never got the time to do it. I will also have something set up for those who haven't got anything to bring or who want to learn something new.
Every six or so months we will have a big event at the church building. It hasn't taken shape yet but I have a rough idea of what it might look like and it might even end up looking completely different in the end.
I want it to be a totally unique thing. Completely organic and new.
There are four words that sum up what this is all about:
Renew
Restore
Relate
Create
The meanings of these words are as follows:
Renew - To give fresh life or strength to.
I want women to feel renewed, refreshed and strengthened. Most of a women's life is about caring and thinking of others needs and wants that we forget that we too have needs and wants and that it is perfectly okay to spend some time doing something we love.
Restore - To return (someone or something) to a former condition, place or position.
To give (something stolen, taken away or lost) back to the original owner or recipient.
I would like for women to return to the condition, place and position they were created for. God has put amazing talents, gifts and abilities within us that have gotten squashed or pushed aside by things that have hurt, bruised and scarred us. They have been stolen, taken away or lost over the years. I want this to be a place of restoration of hope, faith, love and trust.
Relate - to make or show a connection between
to feel sympathy for or identify with
None of us wants to be lonely and yet this is a prevalent feeling of most women. We all want to be a part of something. We all want to be included and be connected. Women have emotions that help us sympathise with others and we have this deep need to nurture and be nurtured. There has been something lacking in our relationships with each other and I would really love to see new friendships made and connections made. I would like to see the Holy Spirit moving within women's lives and a strong network of prayer for each other established.
Create - To cause to come into being, as something unique
This is the name of this new thing that I am doing. Create.
Everyone is creative. Some will tell me that they are not at all creative. Well I am not creative with drawing people. I know my weaknesses and my strengths. Yes I have a lot of strengths and there is a lot that I do well but there is just as much that I do very poorly. Housework. I do not do housework well. I am first to admit that I suck at it. I never kept my room clean as a child and I have a terrible time of creating order in my house. Others are better at this than I am or they have become very creative (like I have) of hiding the mess.
Some are better at interior decor. This is a bit of a challenge for me. I have been given a bit of this and a bit of that over the years which I am most grateful for but honestly nothing really matches, or it does but I am not sure. If you come visit me you can decide for yourself.
You see being creative is more than just being good with a pencil and some paint or glueing something on the right way it is about being who God created you to be. It is about using the gifts given to you.
You may be really great at making a delicious meal or blessing others. These things all come out of your creativity.
I would like for every women to feel that they are creative. They cause to come into being, as something unique. Not a copy but something that is as unique as their own fingerprint and DNA.
So it is with these 4 words and Psalm 51:10 that I would like to inspire and encourage women to rise up and be all they are called to be.
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