A wife of noble character who can find? She’s worth far more than rubies. Her
husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him
good, not harm, all the days of her life. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is
fleeting; But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward
she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. ~Proverbs
31:10-12 & 30-31
In the same way, wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, but temperate and trustworthy in everything. ~1 Timothy 3:11
Teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God. ~Titus 2:3-5
This devotional will be by me, Kathy. Pastor Greg invited me to step out of the shadows today to share my thoughts, since I am both a physical and spiritual mother. So, first of all, “Happy Mother’s Day!” I mean that for those who are spiritual mothers as well as those who have been blessed to be physical ones. God bless every Mom, Step-mom, Grandma, Pet mom, Foster mom, those who are looked up to as mom, and to all those whose mom is in heaven.
I’ve learned a thing or two, I hope anyway, as I’m sure the rest of the ladies on this list have. I hope that you don’t mind if I share a few thoughts, and guys, they’re for you too. GRIN! When Greg and I started out in ministry, I told him that when it comes to Mother’s Day, there were just two forbidden topics, Suzanna Wesley and “The Proverbs 31 Woman!”
Why? Well, I was in the midst of raising four children and, like we often do, I was constantly questioning how well I was doing. The last thing I wanted to hear, was my husband, from the pulpit, holding up some paragon of virtue and perfection when I was pretty sure I was falling so short. I mean, think about it, Suzanna raised seventeen children! Not all made it to adulthood, but John and Charles did. I actually have read a few biographies of Suzanna, so I do know that it wasn’t an easy life for her, but still, she had two pretty remarkable sons. There’s no denying that.
And the Proverb’s 31 woman, O my goodness, there was no hope for me there! Interestingly, this is not a description by Solomon of Bathsheba. Instead, authorship is ascribed to an otherwise unknown, King Lemuel, not about his wife, but about his Mother! And in fact, Proverbs 31:1 says she taught him to say it! This passage was intended to show a young man the qualities he should look for in a wife and the things he should value in her; it was not intended to be a checklist for women. Still, it is hard to hear about the ideal woman’s qualities and imagine that I ought to be like that, a super woman who could do no wrong! No, I didn’t want to hear about her on Mother’s Day either. I just knew that I couldn’t compare!
Maybe you can relate. I often spend a lot of time thinking about my purpose on this earth. I sometimes wonder why I was created. Anyway, I was thinking the other day about the creation itself and the creation of woman in particular, in the beginning. Do you realize, ladies, that we are the only part of creation that was not created directly from the ground? We were created from an actual living part of another living being, you know, Adam’s rib.
Also, we were created for a purpose, to be a helper. That kind of amazed me to think about it. Everything else was created, including man, because God wanted to create. But in creating woman, it was to complete and to help. As the image of God, we represent the part of Him that wants to help, to assist, and through Christ, to complete His creation.
As I considered this, in looking at the Proverbs 31 woman again, and how many ways she is a helper, I noticed that she is fulfilling her calling well. Yes, she is adding to the blessing of her family, but it doesn’t stop there. Others are blessed as well. In fact, most of us are past the child-bearing years, but that doesn’t stop us from being helpers, guides, spiritual mothers to those around us.
As we walk our Christian life, being willing to disciple a younger person, especially a younger mother, is an important role to fulfill. In fact, Paul calls us to this task as an important part of holding the Christian family, and in turn the church, together. He calls us to set a good example, especially with our words. Remember, words can build up or tear down and it seems that the words that come from mothers are the ones that others, especially our children will remember the longest.
The Proverbs 31 woman was definitely busy about her home, making sure that everything was taken care of. She would have been the example of the wise woman from a few days ago that builds her home up. When you think about it, the verses are a lot more about her deeds than her beauty. Paul does the same in calling us to set a good example, because there are a lot of eyes watching us.
We have many gifts from our creator, that are intended to help and bless others. It’s a good thing when we show compassion. It’s a good thing when we take the time to pray with and for others. It’s a good thing when we teach. The list could go on and on. I think you get the point. The main thing is that we are just tuned in to want to help, complete and care. God created us with that purpose in mind. I like that.
And lastly, I, Greg, want to add that the word for helper that is used of women in this creational aspect, is the same word that is used of the Holy Spirit! Jesus said, in John 14:26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” An advocate is a helper. In many cases a needy person needs an advocate to speak up on behalf of them, someone who is more capable or knowledgeable in the area they need help with. So, helper is not subservient as in, “Here, hold this for me,” or “You do that so I can get the important stuff done.” No way! The kind of helper God meant for women to be is, “full partner,” as in reigning queen, alongside the king. As I said a little while ago, women have power!
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for lovingly powerful and influential women who have mothered me and who have helped me along in life. I pray for every woman to be blessed to help in some motherly role. I pray that they will be praised for their gifts and deeds by the people who benefit, and that at the end they will hear You say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: Charm Is Deceitful
In the same way, wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, but temperate and trustworthy in everything. ~1 Timothy 3:11
Teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God. ~Titus 2:3-5
This devotional will be by me, Kathy. Pastor Greg invited me to step out of the shadows today to share my thoughts, since I am both a physical and spiritual mother. So, first of all, “Happy Mother’s Day!” I mean that for those who are spiritual mothers as well as those who have been blessed to be physical ones. God bless every Mom, Step-mom, Grandma, Pet mom, Foster mom, those who are looked up to as mom, and to all those whose mom is in heaven.
I’ve learned a thing or two, I hope anyway, as I’m sure the rest of the ladies on this list have. I hope that you don’t mind if I share a few thoughts, and guys, they’re for you too. GRIN! When Greg and I started out in ministry, I told him that when it comes to Mother’s Day, there were just two forbidden topics, Suzanna Wesley and “The Proverbs 31 Woman!”
Why? Well, I was in the midst of raising four children and, like we often do, I was constantly questioning how well I was doing. The last thing I wanted to hear, was my husband, from the pulpit, holding up some paragon of virtue and perfection when I was pretty sure I was falling so short. I mean, think about it, Suzanna raised seventeen children! Not all made it to adulthood, but John and Charles did. I actually have read a few biographies of Suzanna, so I do know that it wasn’t an easy life for her, but still, she had two pretty remarkable sons. There’s no denying that.
And the Proverb’s 31 woman, O my goodness, there was no hope for me there! Interestingly, this is not a description by Solomon of Bathsheba. Instead, authorship is ascribed to an otherwise unknown, King Lemuel, not about his wife, but about his Mother! And in fact, Proverbs 31:1 says she taught him to say it! This passage was intended to show a young man the qualities he should look for in a wife and the things he should value in her; it was not intended to be a checklist for women. Still, it is hard to hear about the ideal woman’s qualities and imagine that I ought to be like that, a super woman who could do no wrong! No, I didn’t want to hear about her on Mother’s Day either. I just knew that I couldn’t compare!
Maybe you can relate. I often spend a lot of time thinking about my purpose on this earth. I sometimes wonder why I was created. Anyway, I was thinking the other day about the creation itself and the creation of woman in particular, in the beginning. Do you realize, ladies, that we are the only part of creation that was not created directly from the ground? We were created from an actual living part of another living being, you know, Adam’s rib.
Also, we were created for a purpose, to be a helper. That kind of amazed me to think about it. Everything else was created, including man, because God wanted to create. But in creating woman, it was to complete and to help. As the image of God, we represent the part of Him that wants to help, to assist, and through Christ, to complete His creation.
As I considered this, in looking at the Proverbs 31 woman again, and how many ways she is a helper, I noticed that she is fulfilling her calling well. Yes, she is adding to the blessing of her family, but it doesn’t stop there. Others are blessed as well. In fact, most of us are past the child-bearing years, but that doesn’t stop us from being helpers, guides, spiritual mothers to those around us.
As we walk our Christian life, being willing to disciple a younger person, especially a younger mother, is an important role to fulfill. In fact, Paul calls us to this task as an important part of holding the Christian family, and in turn the church, together. He calls us to set a good example, especially with our words. Remember, words can build up or tear down and it seems that the words that come from mothers are the ones that others, especially our children will remember the longest.
The Proverbs 31 woman was definitely busy about her home, making sure that everything was taken care of. She would have been the example of the wise woman from a few days ago that builds her home up. When you think about it, the verses are a lot more about her deeds than her beauty. Paul does the same in calling us to set a good example, because there are a lot of eyes watching us.
We have many gifts from our creator, that are intended to help and bless others. It’s a good thing when we show compassion. It’s a good thing when we take the time to pray with and for others. It’s a good thing when we teach. The list could go on and on. I think you get the point. The main thing is that we are just tuned in to want to help, complete and care. God created us with that purpose in mind. I like that.
And lastly, I, Greg, want to add that the word for helper that is used of women in this creational aspect, is the same word that is used of the Holy Spirit! Jesus said, in John 14:26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” An advocate is a helper. In many cases a needy person needs an advocate to speak up on behalf of them, someone who is more capable or knowledgeable in the area they need help with. So, helper is not subservient as in, “Here, hold this for me,” or “You do that so I can get the important stuff done.” No way! The kind of helper God meant for women to be is, “full partner,” as in reigning queen, alongside the king. As I said a little while ago, women have power!
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for lovingly powerful and influential women who have mothered me and who have helped me along in life. I pray for every woman to be blessed to help in some motherly role. I pray that they will be praised for their gifts and deeds by the people who benefit, and that at the end they will hear You say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: Charm Is Deceitful
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