This is a continuation of my reflections on proverbs 31, please start by reading that one and again I suggest you read the passage before you read my reflections. Dont accept what i suggest, think about it for yourself.
In verse 20 the proverbs 31 woman opens her arms.
This is particular a challenge for me. I like things, I like to have nice possessions and I also like to keep things to myself. The proverbs 31 woman of god shares things with the poor and opens her arms and herself to others. This doesn’t only apply to material things, whatever we have that we keep to ourselves we prevent other people from enjoying it. If we have been given a gift and we keep it locked away (either physically or metaphorically) the gift doesn’t reach its full potential or its potential is cut short. We need to open our arms and open our hearts to others in whatever ways we can. Don’t be storing treasures where rust can destroy!
A proverbs 31 woman has no fears as they are covered in scarlet
I too would love to be free from fear. I am indeed covered by the scarlet blood of Christ yet I so often lack the faith that his plans for me are always for good and will cause me no harm. I challenge everyone to consider their worry in relation to what Christ has done for us and to ask for gods help in stepping out in faith and trusting in his scarlet covering. Since trying practical strategies for preventing my worry I have felt such a peace and freedom from God. When we stop worrying we have time to see things more clearly and this is exciting!
The last trait I’m going to pick out is that the proverbs 31 woman laughs at the days to come (v25)
Laugh guys! Don’t worry what tomorrow will bring because tomorrow has enough worry of its own, and after all its all in his hands. Why do we so desire to know what will happen in the future? If I did know I’d be more than likely to mess it up, so really it’s probably best that I don’t know. Saying this I know it’s not easy to put it into practice. The next year of my life is one big unknown and I’m not able to laugh yet, but id love to have the confidence to do so, Ive got as far as rejoicing in it so maybe laughter is the next step.
I know I’ve only picked out a few of the characteristics that I have been considering in trying to become a proverbs 31 woman, and I don’t claim to be any sort of preacher but remember:
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!
Showing posts with label women of god. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women of god. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Becoming a proverbs 31 woman
This passage strictly relates to a wife but the principles can apply generally to all women. Have you read it recently? I have been challenged on becoming a woman of god so I’ve been investigating and reflecting on what that means so I thought id share some of my musings on proverbs 31. (you should perhaps grab a bible and read it first)
In verse 11 it expresses that other people have full confidence in a proverbs 31 woman.
Are we trustworthy people that others can have confidence in? This is not just for husbands and men, we need to be trustworthy to our female friends also. How important do we value our own trustworthiness? It is easy to fall into gossip or other such silliness. We may not think it harmful or degrading to others but by doing this we not only disrespect our brothers and sisters in Christ we detriment our own character of trustworthiness. To grow into trustworthy women of god we need to consider how our actions affect others and if indeed we are a person that other people would have confidence in.
Verse 15 expresses how a proverbs 31 woman is a ‘doer’, she doesn’t leave things for other people to do or whimp out if it seams too difficult.
I don’t want this blog to be full of finger pointing, I certainly struggle in these areas, but I recognise the importance of working in this area and changing for the better. I need to actively work on this in order to change and to grow, to develop as a woman of god. We don’t always do the things that we find difficult, mostly because we don’t want to; ‘its ok someone else will do it’, ‘that’s not really my thing’, ‘that’s such a good idea…but I personally don’t really have the time’. These things are all too easy to say but they can prevent us from stepping out in faith and playing our part. God gives us this description of a woman of noble character as a guide for us, we too need to be active and start doing, even if we don’t want to. As Christians we shouldn’t be under the impression life is going to be any easier, what we are told is that God will be with us every step of the way and that we can do all things in his strength (Philippians 4,13)
Verse 18 tells us that the lamp of a proverbs 31 woman doesn’t go out at night.
How easy is it to let our lamps go out when our circumstances or situations change. We can be on fire for god one day but then when with our non Christian friends we struggle to stay strong for the lord or we hide our light for fear of others judging us. This woman strives to keep her light burning and so must we. Why would you light a lamp and put it under a bowl? Your light needs to be put on the stand for all to see and from all to benefit from.
There’s lots to think about so I’m going to break here and make it 2 separate blogs. I pray that you don’t just skim over the bits that are difficult to read. Think about what God might be trying to tell you and reflect upon it yourself.
In verse 11 it expresses that other people have full confidence in a proverbs 31 woman.
Are we trustworthy people that others can have confidence in? This is not just for husbands and men, we need to be trustworthy to our female friends also. How important do we value our own trustworthiness? It is easy to fall into gossip or other such silliness. We may not think it harmful or degrading to others but by doing this we not only disrespect our brothers and sisters in Christ we detriment our own character of trustworthiness. To grow into trustworthy women of god we need to consider how our actions affect others and if indeed we are a person that other people would have confidence in.
Verse 15 expresses how a proverbs 31 woman is a ‘doer’, she doesn’t leave things for other people to do or whimp out if it seams too difficult.
I don’t want this blog to be full of finger pointing, I certainly struggle in these areas, but I recognise the importance of working in this area and changing for the better. I need to actively work on this in order to change and to grow, to develop as a woman of god. We don’t always do the things that we find difficult, mostly because we don’t want to; ‘its ok someone else will do it’, ‘that’s not really my thing’, ‘that’s such a good idea…but I personally don’t really have the time’. These things are all too easy to say but they can prevent us from stepping out in faith and playing our part. God gives us this description of a woman of noble character as a guide for us, we too need to be active and start doing, even if we don’t want to. As Christians we shouldn’t be under the impression life is going to be any easier, what we are told is that God will be with us every step of the way and that we can do all things in his strength (Philippians 4,13)
Verse 18 tells us that the lamp of a proverbs 31 woman doesn’t go out at night.
How easy is it to let our lamps go out when our circumstances or situations change. We can be on fire for god one day but then when with our non Christian friends we struggle to stay strong for the lord or we hide our light for fear of others judging us. This woman strives to keep her light burning and so must we. Why would you light a lamp and put it under a bowl? Your light needs to be put on the stand for all to see and from all to benefit from.
There’s lots to think about so I’m going to break here and make it 2 separate blogs. I pray that you don’t just skim over the bits that are difficult to read. Think about what God might be trying to tell you and reflect upon it yourself.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Gods beautiful masterpiece
God is painting a picture on the canvas of our lives. Our bodies are merely the frames on which to paint. (L. Dillow from ‘Calm my Anxious Heart’)
This little quote really helped me to reflect upon self esteem and our self worth when thinking about ourselves. I know from personal experience and in the lives of my friends that so many people struggle with self image. We have some sort of innate tendency to compare ourselves to others and want to be more like this or less like that. What I understand from this quote is that God made us just as we are and this is in his image. Whatever we think of our physical form it is made by his almighty hand. Although this is a wonderful truth its not always easy to accept. Society has such strong opinions on beauty we can find it difficult to resist the pressure to disregard Gods opinions on beauty and go along with society. The thing that struck me from the Dillow quote above is that god is ‘painting’. After forming us in his image the masterpiece isn’t complete. Frames come in all shapes and sizes, but once the artwork is in the gallery it is not the frame that it looked at or admired. The body is not the finished work, god is continuing to work on us shaping us into the person he wants us to be, making us more beautiful and closer to his image. We need to work with god in the painting process so that our inner beauty and personality can be seen in the frame. We should not discard the frame before the painting has begun. God has given us so many beautiful character traits and gifts, it is in using these and developing them that truly makes us beautiful. Proverbs 31 is a commonly used passage when looking at the idea of beauty (look out for the next blog on this passage). In verse 30 it expresses ‘Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised’.
In spending time worrying about being more beautiful we waste time that could be spent on cultivating more godly traits which can last forever. Do you want beauty in the eyes of society that is momentary and fleeting or do you want your treasures in heaven?
This little quote really helped me to reflect upon self esteem and our self worth when thinking about ourselves. I know from personal experience and in the lives of my friends that so many people struggle with self image. We have some sort of innate tendency to compare ourselves to others and want to be more like this or less like that. What I understand from this quote is that God made us just as we are and this is in his image. Whatever we think of our physical form it is made by his almighty hand. Although this is a wonderful truth its not always easy to accept. Society has such strong opinions on beauty we can find it difficult to resist the pressure to disregard Gods opinions on beauty and go along with society. The thing that struck me from the Dillow quote above is that god is ‘painting’. After forming us in his image the masterpiece isn’t complete. Frames come in all shapes and sizes, but once the artwork is in the gallery it is not the frame that it looked at or admired. The body is not the finished work, god is continuing to work on us shaping us into the person he wants us to be, making us more beautiful and closer to his image. We need to work with god in the painting process so that our inner beauty and personality can be seen in the frame. We should not discard the frame before the painting has begun. God has given us so many beautiful character traits and gifts, it is in using these and developing them that truly makes us beautiful. Proverbs 31 is a commonly used passage when looking at the idea of beauty (look out for the next blog on this passage). In verse 30 it expresses ‘Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised’.
In spending time worrying about being more beautiful we waste time that could be spent on cultivating more godly traits which can last forever. Do you want beauty in the eyes of society that is momentary and fleeting or do you want your treasures in heaven?
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