09.03.09

Proverbs 31: Part 3: a Strong Woman

Posted in Proverbs 31, worship at 1:17 am by trisha

Proverbs 31: 17-25 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hand to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She in not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings 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; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Godly Strength: In a world that tells me that power, wealth, health, independence, positive self-esteem, and successful goals is strength, the Bible has many different explanations for what strength is. Godly strength is humble dependence on Christ, faithful security on God’s provision, presence, and grace for you. IN the knowledge of God, His holiness produces a freedom to be strong, because He is strong and He is the one in control. Godly strength is surrendering control and trusting His control. When I think about how magnificent God’s glory is and how perfectly detailed his provision and love is for me, I feel loved and strong!

Godly Clothing: She puts on strength and dignity. I don’t recall ever thinking, “What am I wearing today, OH!, I know, strength and dignity!” My story has an deep thread of vanity and my wordly influence body image. I have struggled for years to see beauty the way God sees it. Biblical beauty is not outward.

1 Peter 3: 3-4 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.

Beauty that you put on like FEAR OF THE LORD, strength, dignity, gentle and quiet spirit. In God’s sight, that is true beauty. My cravings for outward beauty are diminishing, and being replaced with a worshipful view of beauty. Out of that inward beauty, the heart submitted to Jesus, will radiate far more loveliness than the worldly outward image of beauty. So, I like to think of this section as a reminder of what I wear.

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Godly Confidence: Confidence is not self-focused, self-knowledge, or self-confidence. Godly confidence feels like the pressure is off you. You and I are continually receiving the Grace of God and stewarding and loving others around us all the time, not because we know how, have learned, or have the positivity to impart! Godly confidence is an ultimate trust in the sovereignty of Christ. When I feel this kind of confidence, it is a tender hearted trust that I don’t have to bear the ultimate weight. I will do my job, but I trust God to order my life.

Godly Provision and Planning: It is good to plan, prepare, provide. I love to geek out with lists, outlook, and ooh and awe over productivity tools, yet I could accomplish planning and not acknowledge the giver of good gifts, which is idolatry. I have written about this before, where it is easy to get sucked into behavior modification and set yourself up with a bunch of tools and projects for becoming a more efficient worker. Horray for you if that came from a desire to honor and worship Jesus with simple to complex tasks. YET, if your motives are clouded by desires to be planned, routined, or organized as an end, you have missed the point! We have an incredible opportunity to worship God in the planning, projects, and busy work.  A Godly Strong woman plans her life according to God’s plans for her. She sets about her tasks with eager hands, a willing heart, and humble dependence on God to enable productivity in her. She asks for help before, during, and afterwards thanks Him for the perseverance and competence God gave. She provides and organizes to God’s glory.

Godly Service: She reaches out to the needy, to the poor. She seems to be aware of her community and the needs around her. She isn’t focused just on her household. She thinks, plans, and works for her household. And, beyond that she is loving those in her community. Why? She serves because she sees seeing others rightly. Fear of man can motivate me to serve others, to impress them with great food, compassion, or just consistent love. Fear of the Lord motivates me to be prayerful and ready when there is a need. Fear of the Lord keeps me quiet about it. With that as a heart motivator, I wouldn’t tell others if I served a widow in my neighborhood, or if I ran a last minute meal to a sick friend. Because, my aim isn’t for their approval, but it would be a worshipful heart, seeing myself actually serving the Lord Jesus!

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working of the Lord, not men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

In reading thru, my estimation of some elements of a biblical strong woman, what jumps out at you? What area, are you rebellious with? Do you sense the Holy Spirit conviction and you are covering your ears to him, as I have with beauty for so long? My prayer is 2 Corinthians 12 for myself, a section of scripture that I have tried to ignore for so long. I think this section of God’s word is so powerful to speak to what really strength is. Verses 9-10. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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