A Virtuous Woman

I am in the middle of a study on the Proverbs 31 woman and wanted to share some of what I am learning. The full text is Proverbs 31:10-31.

Before I dig into the actual text, I want to back up to verse 1.

The sayings of King Lemuel-an oracle his mother taught him.

The Proverbs 31 woman, the woman of noble character was spoken by a woman. The King's mother taught King Lemuel what to look for in a wife, fully expecting him to find a woman with such character. What hope that brings. Women like this do exist and we can be such a woman with God's guidance.

If you look at the whole text, we see that a virtuous woman is pure, honest, industrious, thrifty, strong in character, kind, wise and holy. I will discuss each of these traits in future posts but for now, lets look at the first part of verse 10, which says,

Who can find a virtuous woman?

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines virtue as moral goodness; the practice of moral duties and the abstaining from vice, or a conformity of life and conversation to the moral law.

The Hebrew word for virtuous is used 200-plus times in the Bible to describe an army. This Old Testament word refers to a force and is used to mean able, capable, mighty, strong, valient, powerful, efficient, wealthy, and worthy. (Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George)

That is a tall order. It seems impossible to attain, but remember, this woman does exist. A woman needs mental toughness and physical energy to accomplish the tasks set before her. This woman is indeed rare.

So how do we become this woman? How do we begin? First of all, pray. Ask God to give you the desire to be this woman. It won't happen in a day or a week. It will take years to become a woman of such virtue.

I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:4-6

God's work in us will be complete the day we meet Jesus. This verse brings me to the next point which is a partnership in the gospel. Own it. Read and memorize God's word. Daily reading and memorizing scriptures are key tools when fighting against temptations. If you are not in the word on a daily basis, I advise you to begin today. God wants to spend time with you.

Last, surround yourself with women who will encourage you to grow in the Lord. I do this daily from my home by reading blogs of other godly women. I also spend time with women from my church and neighborhood who will encourage me. Find women who will build you up but will still be honest with you. Pray for each other, encourage each other and love each other.

If you have not begun this journey, start today. We can all be God's virtuous woman, beautiful in His eyes.

In His Service,

Angela

The Problem with Self-Esteem

The problem with self-esteem is in the reliance on one's own accomplishments for self-worth instead of God for our source of joy and self-worth.

The world tells us that we have to be beautiful and successful by society's standards and if we aren't, then we have no right to feel good about ourselves. The world tells us that we must have a successful career, 2.5 children and all the things we want (even if we can't afford to buy them) in order to be happy.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

The Bible clearly tells us in 1 Peter that true beauty comes from a gentle and quiet spirit and that this is of more worth to God than our outer beauty. We can find true joy when we do what is pleasing to the Lord.

Self-esteem is conditional on your immediate accomplishments. Do I look good today? Did I get that promotion at work? What kind of car do I drive? How big is my house?

These things are fleeting. Material things are not eternal. Outer beauty will fade with the passage of time. A woman who loves and fears our Heavenly Father is beautiful in the Lord's sight. A woman who follows the Lord's commands is worthy of praise.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Prov 31:30 (NIV)

Those of us who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he died for our sins, know that we are children of God. We have an eternal purpose and a home waiting in heaven. We find our self-worth through the one who made us and saved us. We are here for a greater things than just living in the world.

We also have a great responsibility to live differently than the world. Material things are not to be our focus. If we are to get the world's attention, we must show them something better. The joy of living in Christ.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matt 16:26 (NIV)

In His Service,

Angela