wisdom

Far Above Rubies

In the last chapter in the book of Proverbs, we have a description of what King Lemuel’s mother called “a virtuous woman”. Through the years that I have been a Christian, I have heard many women say that Proverbs 31 discourages them when they read it, because the woman described here seems too perfect and they could never live up to her example, or do all the things that it mentions; other women have just ignored this passage altogether, saying it is not relevant for today. However, since this chapter was included in the Bible, I trust there are some valuable principles that we can learn from it.

First, we can see that she is always faithful and kind to her husband; she also works very hard to help provide food for her family; she sacrificially serves her entire household, even missing some sleep to prepare nutritious food for them; she shows wisdom in her real estate and business dealings; she is physically strong; she grows some of her food, and makes some beautiful clothes for herself and her family; she sells some of them, and probably gives food and clothing to the poor and needy; she is not idle, gossipy, lazy, foolish, or unkind to others; she opens her mouth with wisdom; she is honored, praised, and blessed by her husband, children, and others; but most importantly, she is a woman who fears (honors, respects, and loves) the Lord.

None of that is unattainable for any woman. Even if its not natural or easy for us, there are many different ways to learn some of the skills that the virtuous woman possessed. Many of us were not raised that way in our home or our culture, but we can start with a desire and diligence, and then ask God to help us.

Do you want to be a woman who fears God and is honored by her husband and children, even if this means living a more modest and simple lifestyle; or do you want to wake up someday, and find your husband gone, your children grown (perhaps too busy to spend time with you in your later years), your physical beauty is gone, and all that you have is a big house, a large bank account, and lots of stuff, but you feel lonely and empty? Saddest of all, you may find that you have hardened your heart and have no desire for the things of God. Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36, and Luke 9:25 all share the same message: What will it profit a person if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul?

I encourage you to take a fresh look at this passage:

Proverbs 31:10-31
Who can find a virtuous woman?
 For her worth is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband safely trusts her;

So he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil
  all the days of her life.

She seeks wool and flax,
 and willingly works with her hands.

She is like the merchant ships,
 she brings her food from afar.

She also rises while it is yet night,
 and provides food for her household,

And a portion for her maidservants.

She considers a field and buys it;
 From her profits she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strength,
 and strengthens her arms.

She perceives that her merchandise is good,

And her lamp does not go out by night.

She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle.

She extends her hand to the poor,
 yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of snow for her household,
 for all her household is clothed with scarlet.

She makes tapestry for herself;
 her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates,
 when he sits among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them,
 and supplies sashes for the merchants.

Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
 and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

She watches over the ways of her household,
 and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
 her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many daughters have done well,
 but you excel them all.”

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,
 and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Fear Not! Death is Not The End! Happy Easter!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people find themselves experiencing some anxiety due to their fear of death, or the fear that they may lose one of their loved ones to this virus.  People are certainly hoping and praying that the spread of Covid-19 would end soon, but as they think about the possibility of death, I hope they take some time to consider what comes after death. Even if you live a full life to the age of 75, 80, or perhaps 90, this is still so brief in comparison to eternity, and a person should actually be more concerned about eternity than about death. We know that nothing in this life is really certain, except death. That fact  reminds me of a message I once saw printed on a t-shirt that said, “Statistics prove that 10 out of 10 people die”, so unless we are fearing the suffering that may be involved in death, most of us realize that death is in store for each one of us.

Okay, then what comes after death? Science cannot tell us what happens after death; there is no proof for reincarnation or annihilation either. Most religions and philosophies don’t have very satisfying answers to this or to other questions. However, after searching for answers, I found that The Bible, God’s Word, actually addresses and gives the most reasonable answers to all of life’s tough questions. In fact, many  questions are answered just by reading the first eleven verses of Genesis; but don’t stop there– you will find many more answers throughout the Bible.

First, you must believe that there is a God who created all things. That really isn’t so hard to do if you look honestly at the incredible design in everything; and if there is design, then there must be a Master Designer/ Artist. Evolution and random chance doesn’t, and never will, give beauty, intelligence, and order to anything. (Woops! This is actually my topic for another blog)

Now, I want to whet your appetite for the Bible by looking at some verses to see what Scripture says about life, death, God’s judgment, and eternity:

  • “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)
  • “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let him have dominion… over all the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26)
  • “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
  • “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2a)
  • “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
  • “But commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
  • But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, He has made us alive together in Christ.” (Ephesians 2:4,5)
  • “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)
  • “For we know that if our earthly house [physical body]…were destroyed, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)
  • “You know not what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)
  • “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls away: But the Word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24,25)
  • “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26)
  • “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54,55)
  • “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
  • “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
  • “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire…And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14,15)
  • “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46)
  • “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth…Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Therefore, if you belong to Christ, you don’t have to fear death. Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will hold you with the right hand of my righteousness”, and 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (and there are many, great verses that give us good reasons not to fear.) So, conquer your fears with the Word of God. I can assure you that death will not have the last word! Jesus conquered the grave when He rose from the dead, and we too, will rise again!

That is the real reason that we celebrate Easter. Praise God! We serve a risen Savior! This weekend, I hope that you focus on His resurrection, and rejoice that soon He will be coming back for those who are His. (Also, instead of weakening your immune system by eating too much candy on Easter, why not spend some extra time praying to the God who created you and who loves you dearly, and reading His Words of Truth in the Bible? You won’t regret it!)

Parenting God’s Way

Parents aren’t perfect, and in many situations they aren’t even loving or nurturing. Neither my husband nor I had particularly nurturing mothers, and neither of us had any relationship with our fathers. And nowadays, there are so many dysfunctional families that many children are raising themselves, or in foster homes being raised by people other than their parents. They may not have much of a relationship with their own parents, or even with any parental figure that they can really trust.

However, if you are a parent or a substitute parent, you should be praying diligently for wisdom and guidance from God in order to do a good job of raising your child (or children) for the Lord. There are some specific guidelines in God’s Word that will help. Deuteronomy 6:6 and 7 are two of my favorite verses: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” It seems to me that these verses are telling us that we should be living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and teaching our children to do the same, both with words and actions.

Somehow, families have strayed so far from this teaching. I know many parents who quote Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Without being diligent to follow the above teaching, they expect their children to eventually follow the Lord, or they question why that didn’t happen to their children when they thought that they had “trained up their child in the way he should go.” However, Satan has deceived many parents by making them think they are actually training their children in the way they should go just by taking them to Sunday School and church, praying with them at mealtime and/or bedtime, and perhaps even having a short family devotional time.

Although doing those things are fine, just think about all the time that children spend away from their parents, either in a public (or even in a private school), and possibly taking music lessons, playing sports, maybe playing video games, watching television, or even just hanging out with others. I honestly believe that we need to start thinking differently about this, rather than going by what we have experienced ourselves, or see around us. If God wants parents “to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” from the time they rise up until the time they lie down, then there has to be some lifestyle changes within families. There really are resources out there that can be a help to parents who realize they need to make some changes. Contact me if you need some encouragement or ideas.

If you would like to read more on a similar topic, here is a link to another blog post: “God’s Formula for Raising Children in 2020” from Road Less Traveled Tours.