Tag: proverbs 31

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
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Women of Nobel Character: Fearing the Lord

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31; SOAP: Proverbs 31:28-30

Her children have risen and called her blessed;

her husband also has praised her:

29 “Many daughters have done valiantly,

but you have surpassed them all!”

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting.

A woman who fears the Lord—she makes herself praiseworthy.

Proverbs 31:28-30 NET

OBSERVATION: What’s the story?

Can i be honest? Ever since my divorce I have tuned this verse out. Once seeking to strive for it but now no longer feeling qualified because of lacking the title – “wife”. So when I saw it on this week’s schedule and sat down to reread it and then write a devotional – let me just say there was some resistance. However, God is good and His Spirit gentle and swiftly brought peace and gave wisdom to delve into the passage from a different angle. This involved some “Google Searches”, namely, “can an unmarried person have noble character?”. To my delight I wasn’t the only one that had googled such a question and I found a wonderful answer that pushed me to another look at the passage. The author, Lauren Oquist, wrote:

…if you read Proverbs 31 closely, none of the skills she has depend on her husband or kids. She has these skills because she exercises wisdom in everything she does.

The standards for a “virtuous wife” are the same standards for a virtuous woman — single or married.

Can I Be a Proverbs 31 Woman if I’m Single?
NOVEMBER 27, 2017 Lauren Oquist

She goes on to give a list of character traits that are seen in verse 13-25, including: trustworthy, hard worker, resourceful, Makes good use of her time, Good with money, generous, thinks ahead, and she’s wise. All worthy traits right, but here’s the quote that got me and freed me from the agony of hearing or coming across this passage again. (Don’t you just love the way the Spirit works?)

This is what will characterize us as a “Proverbs 31 Woman”: our fear of the Lord. Our genuine desire, from the core of who we are, to please Him.

Can I Be a Proverbs 31 Woman if I’m Single?
NOVEMBER 27, 2017, Lauren Oquist

I truly believe that even if I were still married this go-round with P31 and the beautiful devotion by Lauren Oquist would have still brought the relief and encouragement I now feel. Of course this means I will also be purposefully honing some of these traits again – so then there’s that – LOL!

Application: HOW THEN SHOULD WE LIVE?

While fearing the LORD is the thing that characterizes us as being of ‘noble character’, or a Proverbs 31 woman, the character traits listed above are still important to our lifestyle. The good news is the stronger our “core desire to please Him” is, the easier – or perhaps I should say, the more natural, the traits will be.

PRAYER: RESPONSE to the Word

Father, thank You for hearing by prayer to guide me through this last and dreaded lesson. Your Spirit graciously did not let me lay it aside nor did He fail to open my eyes and mind to understand it better. Strengthen my core desire to please You and to be characterized as a “woman who fears the LORD – and makes herself praiseworthy.”

YOUR TURN:

What’s your take away from the Proverb 31 passage?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
  • Why is it important to live our lives focused on Jesus?
  • How does this one simple choice impact all areas of our lives?
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Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
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Remaining or Cut Off

Read Proverbs 2:11-22 (SOAP: 21-22)

For the upright will live in the land,
    and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Proverbs 2:21-22 NLT

This section of reading makes it clear that righteous living, that which is based on the wisdom of God, is better than those who live in perverse ways, delighting in doing wrong and rejoicing in evil. Solomon concludes this section of sayings with pointed instruction to “walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous”. Why? Because he knows that these are the people who will obtain and dwell in the land the LORD had promised long ago. “Dwelling in the land” was a phrase known as a great reward in that day because it indicated that they were heirs to the promises of God. (see Genesis 12; 2 Samuel 7:16) He also understood that those who were unfaithful – who chose to not follow the ways of wisdom would forever be “cut off from the land”. From Solomon’s instruction and words of warning it is clear Solomon wanted more for his “son” than this.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, I am a child of God. Because I have believed He has made me an heir and I have a share in the promises and blessings of God’s people. (Galatians 3:17-29; 4:4-7 and Hebrews 3:12-14)Like Solomon, I must be faithful to tell my children and the generations to follow what God desires and what He has promised.

 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:7
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The Importance of Remembering

Posted on by MaryEllen

“We all struggle to remember what God has done for us, and that spiritual memory loss often shows itself in complaining. Complaining reveals a heart that has forgotten what God saved you from and where He is taking you.

We need to get back to remembering.” Love God Greatly https://lovegodgreatly.com/

In Joshua 4 God instituted a tangible, visible, conversation -inducing memorial with a God-given purpose. He wanted them not just to remember for themselves but He wanted others (specifically here – their children) to know what He had done for them.

God wanted Joshua and those who crossed the Jordan with him to be able to tell how God had worked in their lives.

He wants the same for His children today. God wants those who live around us and come behind us – our children, neighbors, friends and even strangers – to see and to hear about the things He has done for us, in us, and through us. So that they will know and understand Who He Is.

We must remember what He’s done from the time of our salvation to now. We must look for His fingerprints and remember them – it’s a game changer! We will look different, sound different and live different and when we are asked we will be ready with an answer for the Hope that is us.

Me- From the Inside Out 💕