The Origin of David’s Sin: His Birth or His Life?

When babies are born, are they inherently evil, or are they innocent? A baby certainly seems to have a “selfish” nature, and on particularly difficult days we may be tempted to say the little thing has a demon! To some, the Psalms are a source of confusion concerning people and the condition in which they are born. Did David teach the doctrine of “original sin” – or could he even make up his mind about the matter? It is easy to get confused at first glance when reading his writings.  Take the following, for example:

“The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.” (Psalm 58:3)

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)

From other areas of the same book, we get the opposite message.  Notice the interesting comparison:

“Yet you are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I have been cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 22:9-10)

“For you are my hope; O Lord God; You are my confidence from my youth. By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb; My praise is continually of You.” (Psalm 71:5-6)

If we only looked at these verses, it would seem like the relationship was rather “on/off” between infants and the Lord God. What is the truth of the matter? Are we estranged from God due to wickedness straight from the womb, or are we held close by God from the beginning?

The answer has to come from taking a closer look at the context in which these statements are made: the Psalms. When we look at this book exegetically, we notice many things. One is this book is chalk full of exaggerations. In 69:14, David talks about his troubles being “deep waters,” a “flood,” and a“pit” shutting its “mouth” over him. Wow. This is a dramatic, but accurate accounting for how this man was feeling at the moment. Even in 71:20 he expresses anticipation of God bringing him up “from the depths of the earth.” These things are obviously not literal – the inspired writer is expressing man’s heart using recognizable figurative language.

We have to understand that the Holy Spirit inspired men to write in legitimate, existing literary forms. Poetry is one such form. This is a poetic writing, and it needs to be interpreted as such. Look again at Psalm 51. Verses 1 through 4 give us an immediate context in which to interpret verse 5:

“Wash ME thoroughly from MY iniquity and cleanse ME from MY sin. For I know MY transgressions, and MY sin is ever before ME. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.”

Look at all of the possessive pronouns here – David was expressing one thought: I blew it. This was all my fault. When he says he was brought forth in iniquity, he expressed what each of us has felt at one time or another: I can’t do anything right – I’ve been a failure from the beginning! But verses 1-4 help us understand the source of this deep, personal dissatisfaction.  As a man, David had great victories – he also made serious mistakes with serious consequences.  His conscience worked and he was intellectually capable of claiming responsibility for the mess he was in, which is a difficult thing to come to terms with emotionally.

Now that we understand the impact that literary form has on interpreting these Scriptures, let’s broaden our perspective to include a different, more directly insightful kind of literature. Ecclesiastes is classified as “wisdom literature.” In this book, the Preacher has a pessimistic tone, but this is not due to a pricked conscience – it springs from his very accurate observations of life and the doings of men. After analyzing these particular verses from the Psalms, I want us to compare them with the statement found in Ecclesiastes 7:29:

“Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

Wow. Way to clear things up for us, Preacher. There is no misunderstanding his point: in this book, we learn God’s definitions of wisdom, accomplishment, folly, and vanity. This particular verse would be the definition of a waste. God creates men in an upright condition. They are born with all the potential in the world to be useful to Him and pleasing. But as we grow, we allow ourselves to be distracted by useless or harmful forms of self-gratification, and we choose to indulge in them instead of living up to our potential.

This is the condition in which we find the Psalmist as he writes his woeful dirge, mourning his innocence.

We need not become confused by this man’s seemingly up-and-down relationship with God. On the contrary – this is a source of personal comfort! When I have “blown it” so severely that it seems like I have been doomed to failure from the start… I can read the Psalms to remind myself that God rescues me, even from myself. There will be good days again – I will acknowledge my sin to Him and rest confidently in the arms of my God once more.

Remember these things as you read David’s words, and turn to the Psalms for comfort when you hit a “road bump” in your walk with God.  The Holy Spirit has proved that He knows what you’re feeling, and He has preserved these words to help you get through.  Hang in there, ladies!

Take Time to be Holy

Do you ever feel like you’re going insane trying to keep up with the hectic world you live in?  Me, too.  As a matter of fact, I start wondering how I went from allowing the Spirit to help me foster love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to having… an empty tank and fumes.  And it can go from one to the other in a matter of hours.  The world is a tricky place for a Christian to be “in, but not of.”  As a result of having about a week of not much success in this area, I decided I needed to go back to the basics.  How does the fruit of the Spirit grow within us?  We have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires,” we live by the Spirit, and we walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25).  But how?  We allow God to guide us by staying rooted in His word and doing what it says, always evaluating our spiritual walk and helping others to do the same.  In keeping with this theme of study, I wanted to share a good supplimental thought.  The following song helped me identify weaknesses in myself and my hope is that it will be as helpful for you. 

Take time to be holy, Speak oft’ with thy Lord;

    Abide in Him always, And feed on His word.

    Make friends of God’s children, Help those who are weak;

    Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, The world rushes on;

    Spend much time in secret With Jesus alone.

    By looking to Jesus, Like Him thou shalt be;

    Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, Let him be thy Guide;

     And run not before Him, Whatever be-tide.

     In joy or in sorrow, Still follow thy Lord;

     And looking to Jesus, Still trust in His word.

Take time to be holy, Be clam in thy soul;

    Each thought and each motive Beneath His control

    Thus lead by His Spirit To fountains of love

    Thou soon shalt be fitted For service above.

“Take Time to be Holy” by William D. Longstaff, 1874

A Lesson from Cain

How does God handle our attempts to honor Him when we’re not quite sure of what He’s expecting from us?  Will we be acceptable as long as we’re sincere?  Let’s take a lesson from a very early example:

In Genesis 4, we are introduced to a man who sought to bring to God something he personally valued.  Cain was a tiller of the ground, in contrast to his brother Abel, who was a keeper of flocks (Genesis 4:3).  The crops brought forth by the sweat of Cain’s brow were the first thing he thought to offer to God.  It makes sense, doesn’t it?  There is debate about whether God had already communicated to them about what He desired in the form of sacrifice.  But one way or the other, this first attempt to please God with what each brother desired to bring Him sheds a lot of light on how God deals with worship attempts that are “right on target” and those that aren’t.

Notice that Cain was the first to bring an offering to the Lord.  He wasn’t trying to “one-up” or compete with his brother – he was sincerely seeking to please the Lord.  It says that the Lord “had regard for Abel and his offering.”  The Hebrew word for “regard” literally means “look toward.”  The offering that Abel gave got God’s attention, as it were.  But it says that “for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.”  Try to picture it in your mind.  God is a parent who is aware that His two children have each come to Him, saying eagerly, “Father, I brought you something!”  Cain arrives first… and God doesn’t look in his direction.  Abel arrives next and God smiles, showing appreciation for the gift.

Wait a minute, though… how is that fair?  If Cain is a tiller of the ground, what does God expect?  Here is the key.  God gives Cain a chance to understand in verses 6 and 7:

‘The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”‘

The reason God did not show appreciation for Cain’s offering is that He desired something else: an offering from the flock.  The neat part about this is that God did not condemn Cain’s offering… He just didn’t accept it.  This becomes very applicable to every generation that would follow Cain: we do not show love for God when we only offer to Him what WE would desire or expect.  We demonstrate true love for God when we take the time to find out what it is HE desires and expects!  What would have happened if Cain had said, “Ooooh, I get it.  Okay, Father!” and came back with an offering of sheep?  This is profound, ladies!  This is why I get frustrated when people say that worshiping with a band up front is simply a matter of our preference, or that we can assemble to worship on Saturday if it’s more convenient for us than on the first day of the week as we find in Scripture. If we do not “do well” (a.k.a. learn from our error instead of continuing in error), sin is sneaking up on us because we are seeking to meet our own expectations and not God’s.  Not a big deal?  What about Cain?  Let’s take a look at Cain’s response and see if we can learn why this is such a big deal:

“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (4:8). 

Why did this happen?  It was the proof: Cain’s first error provided a moment of decision for him.  He could either humble himself and correct his error, choosing to make the necessary changes to honor God, or he could become defensive and not change.  “But why isn’t my offering as good as Abel’s?  That isn’t fair!”  It’s very clear how quickly we become the “victims” when we are not accepted “just as we are.”  When we are expected to make a change, the positive aspect of improvement is forgotten when we choose to look at it with Cain’s attitude.  Notice that God did not reject Cain – His words in verse 6 make this evident: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?”  This is future tense!  God rejected his worship, but was not denying him the opportunity to do the right thing.  Rather, He was showing how willing He was to accept him if he learned from his mistake.

We know the rest of the historical event.  Cain killed his brother Abel.  It was the proof of God’s statement – if we are unwilling to learn from an honest mistake, sin is the next step in the natural progression.  Consider it a practical psychology lesson from God.

This is the lesson: be teachable.  Do not view correction, rebuke, or even gentle reproof as a rejection of who you are.  If we play the victim and choose to remain as we are, we display Cain’s attitude – the attitude that says “This is just the way I am!  I shouldn’t  have to change anything about myself!”  Blatantly refusing to change who we are to conform to our Creator’s expectations is the launch pad for all kinds of sinful behavior.  Attitudes like this are the reason we have so much pain to deal with in the world.  Cain bore a punishment that was painful to him; God pulled everything he cherished out of his life and made him a fugitive.  Eve lost a son, and her words in verse 25 show that Cain’s actions hurt more than just himself: “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”

We should not be surprised when we learn we are not perfect.  God doesn’t condemn us for not being perfect – the purpose of the Scriptures is to help us identify imperfections so we can correct them.  God helps us in our walk with Him, testifying about when we do the right thing and pointing it out to us when we do not.  Here’s the application: when you read God’s Word and you discover an attitude, action or behavior in your life that is contrary to what you read about God’s expectations, don’t play the victim and get defensive or argumentative!  Choose to make a change.  Be proactive.  Listen to His favorable statements about those who did well.  Choose to imitate them and enjoy the blessing of acceptance.

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” – Hebrews 11:4

When God Says “Let’s Talk.”

“Keeley, we need to talk. I’ve been telling you to step out of the boat and you’re holding back. Why are you letting the wind and waves deter you? Trust Me, and keep your eyes fixed on Me – I’ll keep you from sinking, but you have to take that first step. I have given you bread to feed those who need it – is it yours to withhold? My wonders will not be seen if you keep the bread in the basket and do not share it. How then will the hungry souls benefit from My Son?  I know it’s tough, but the sons of disobedience must remain in the world until the harvest, and the thorns will continue to be a threat for you – I’m sorry for the struggle thse influences will cause. But in spite of them you must determine not to let yourself become a stumbling block for others disciples, nor let yourself be choked out by the cares of the world. Lose your life. Deny yourself and follow me.” - God (Matthew 13-17)

“Father, I am surprised to learn that I am the one holding the basket! I thought it was Your Son who brought bread to the people – I never saw how important the role of the disciples was in that miracle before.  How would the people have seen the power of Jesus if the disciples had not distributed what they had been given?  Concerning the boat… point taken.  Ok.  I am no longer afraid of the work that has been presented – if that is where You have prepared us to go, we will step out on faith and go.  No more doubts.  The somewhat more comfortable work I had my eye on is no longer my goal if that is not Your will for us.  We are prepared to do the “impossible” with Your help – whatever that entails.  I must admit that the thorns have been an issue; I will tend to the heart problem.  Nothing material will distract me from sharing the Gospel and thriving on the Word you have sown in my heart.  Show me the road, and I will drop everything, die to myself, and follow.” – Keeley

Of Wheat and Tares

In Matthew 13, Jesus makes an interesting comparison between the world in which the church exists, and the frustration of a field full of weeds.  He gives the parable in verses 24-30, then explains it in verses 36-43.  Now, I’m not much of a gardener.  My first attempts at helping my aunt with the chore of weeding her garden were not the most successfully executed.  She has several strawberry plants that, for some strange reason, were being crowded by out-of-place, deeply rooted bits of grass.  These grassy weeds were so close to the strawberry plants that the blades were often intertwined with the strawberry plant’s leaves.  Why couldn’t the weeds be an inch away from the strawberry plants?  Why did they have to be right there?  Frustrated, I did my best to separate them and pull only the roots of the grass plant out, but occasionally I ended up damaging the strawberry plant as well.

Jesus told His disciples that God specifically sowed only good seed in the world, but that someone – an enemy – came and sowed tares in the world to cause problems for the sons of the kingdom (13:38-39).  In His parable, He gave them an image much like the one I described above: God doesn’t separate the good from the bad while they’re growing, because the possibility is that some of the good may be pulled along with the bad.  Think about it; the unrighteous have opportunity to repent and turn to God so long as they are alive.  2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is patient, “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  So we know why they’re not pulled up right away.  But, what about the strawberry plants?  Do they just have to deal with the discomfort of being crowded by the weeds that threaten to choke the life out of them?

Girls, I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I have wondered how long God expects for me to fight for my spiritual life by keeping myself as far away from bad influences as I can.  It isn’t easy!  The ones in this world who want to bring you down – the promoters of immodesty, sexual immorality and unrighteousness – would love nothing better than for you to give up and become one of them.  But pay close attention to the rest of the story.   Jesus describes to His disciples in verse 40 a vivid image of what will happen to those sons of the evil one: they will be gathered up and burned with fire.  Ouch!  In verse 41-42, He keeps the heat coming for posers who pretend to belong in the strawberry patch: they will be separated out just the same and be thrown into the fire as well. But for those who are sons of the kingdom – legitimate, real disciples that let the good seed take root in their hearts – they will shine forth in the kingdom of their Father (verse 43).  They alone are left to be gathered up by the Father into His kingdom forever.

If we want the benefit of being a child of God, we cannot allow ourselves to be influenced by the world.  The wicked in the world are there on purpose: Satan knew exactly what he was doing when he sowed the bad seed that produced wickedness in the world.  Christians can be fooled into thinking that their involvement in unrighteousness won’t take away their salvation.  But Jesus says the angels have a special job to do at the end of the age – they are to gather out of His kingdom (a.k.a – the church, in this context) that is in the field “all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Don’t be a poser, and don’t let yourself be caught off your guard by the suffocating influence of the world.  Keep your eye on the goal: you WANT to be in the kingdom of the Father, and you want to shine like the sun at the end of time.  You want to be rescued from the weeds that make your life difficult and you don’t want to end up in the same place they do!  She who has ears, let her hear – Are you in the kingdom?

Approaching Almighty God

Have you ever wondered what is going through God’s mind when you approach Him?  How does He perceive your worship?  In Ecclesiastes 5, the Preacher gives us some wonderfully helpful insight regarding the kind of attitude God expects when we come before Him. 

We know that it is our hope in Christ that allows us to come into God’s presence, or to come to Him in our need for mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16).  Christ Jesus is our high priest, and we need not hesitate to approach Almighty God with our prayers and our praise.  But consider the manner in which you approach Him…

“Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.  Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God.  For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let you words be few.”  (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, NASB)

This is huge!  In many denominational circles we find the attitude that says, “Offer God whatever comes to you, whatever you want to give Him – He’ll accept it!”  Their worship is whim-driven.  They trust the words of men because they themselves have not done their homework, haven’t listened to God to find out what He actually wants!  This passage tells us that we need to come to God with the intent of listening – rather than giving Him something we’ve come up with – and letting our obedience to what He has communicated in His Word be our worship.  That’s why He’s been revealing His will since the beginning, so we can know what His will is and obey!  If a person does not consult His Word for understanding, the worship they offer is evil and they don’t even know it – the Preacher isn’t making this up!  God has not left us without any way to know what He wants.  He has provided everything that we need to know.  Peter tells us that “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3)  That means our feelings can’t direct us when it comes to God’s expectations.  Ideas from other people are unacceptable, too.  The Bible is the only authority on the subject, and we must listen to it and gain true knowledge from it.

So the instructions of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 are as follows:

1. Guard your steps as you go to the house of God: pay attention and do not flippantly approach God.
2. Draw near to listen.
3. Do not be hasty in word and
4. Do not be impulsive in thought: consider attentively any matter you intend to bring up in the presence of God.
5. Let your words be few: Remember your place!

 Some say that for the Christian every moment of every day is worshiping God.  While I see the idea and commend them for seeking to honor God in every part of their life, it is important to understand God’s idea of worship and His expectations of His people when they approach Him.  There is a difference between living each day with a godly attitude and specifically seeking to offer acceptable worship to God.  The only way to do any of it is by finding out what He wants and obeying in humility.  Ladies, Consider what you offer God when you come to worship Him.  Do you come to listen?  What do you offer Him, and does His Word confirm that it is acceptable?  Remember, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).  Do your research!  You can almost imagine God say, “Thanks for listening.”

Hunting for the Hidden Treasures

With Easter approaching, I am reminded of our Biblical Exegesis class last semester.  Denny Petrillo gave an analogy in which he compared an egg hunt to reading the Word of God. Ladies, if you’re anything like me, there have been times when you simply are not motivated to search God’s Word every day, or even every week, because so much of it seems to have nothing to do with you. Is the Word of God simply a collection of “stories,” a good book with some interesting tidbits squished between irrelevant histories from two or three millennia ago? Or is there more? Like Indiana Jones, sometimes we have to be prepared to immerse ourselves in the hunt to find the real treasures hiding in the catacombs.

It’s important to know, first, that not a single account in Scripture is “not in there just for you.” As our Exegesis instructor showed us so vividly last semester, every passage, every portion is recorded because God had something specific to communicate to the original readers, and something equally specific to communicate to you and me centuries later. All we have to do is figure out what He was telling the original readers (Who was the book written to? When, and why? Consider the entire book in its purpose), how He told them (Is it in the form of poetry, history, law, prophecy or gospel?), then look for the principles that apply to us today. Even the most seemingly insignificant things can suddenly become of vital importance. What phrases pop up over and over (and over) throughout the book you are reading? Is God making a specific point by reiterating a phrase or keyword? Try to figure out what is different between you and the people who first received this inspired message. Consider things like which covenant they were under, when they lived and received the message, and what was going on at the time historically. What are some differences in regard to their culture when compared with ours? Discerning these differences will help you to discover both the message that God gave to them directly and the specific principles that apply to us today.

I know we are not preachers in a pulpit. That’s not the role God gave us as women. But preachers are instructed to use these kinds of methods when they study, because otherwise they run the risk of reading their own interpretations into the text instead of getting applications out of it. We need to learn to do the same thing. These are just a few ways that we can start getting more “out of it” when we study God’s Word. I promise that with practice things will begin leaping off the page. Happy hunting!

“You’re too kind. No, really.”

As a woman, being on the receiving end of praise or encouragement is difficult.

Based on the discussion I had with three very dear sisters recently, I’m not alone.  The hardest part about accepting a compliment or being grateful for encouragement is the barrier we place between ourselves and those offering it.  What is it that prevents us from taking those encouraging statements to heart?  Negative comments and criticisms are always in ready supply from people around us, and we never seem to have trouble believing that they’re true.  I have noticed many times that even a perception of criticism will haunt me until I can find out if it is valid.  Do these jeans really look that bad on me?  Was that person offended by something I did?  These things are instantly given credence.

But what happens when we receive praise?  “Wow – you did a really great job on that poster!”  “Your hair looks so nice today.”  “I appreciate your hard work!”  We usually offer in return some comment about how we didn’t really do that well, or we just threw it up in a pony tail.  In our minds, we don’t really feel that we deserve to receive those comments, nor do we believe they are true.  After all, with so many flaws, why would someone want to make me feel special?  Didn’t they notice my imperfections?  I certainly did!

The conclusion of our discussion was that when someone offers praise or encouragement, our reaction needs to be a blessing in return: gratitude.  To say, “Thank you!  I really appreciate that,” is encouragement in itself – our gift to the giver.  We know that anytime we offer praise or encouragement to others, it is heart-felt (at least it should be)! Our desire is to lift them up.  When we give of our time to make another feel special, or take special notice of something they’ve accomplished, our desire is not to make them feel less worthy!  Yet when others do the same for us, we have that suspicious attitude that says, “you probably don’t mean it; you’re just trying to make me feel better.”

The challenge: Look through the eyes of the one who praises you.  What do they really see?  Why did they praise you?  I practiced this very thing this morning to see if it works.  And it did.  When I woke up this morning, instead of taking the usual doleful look in the mirror, I bound up the stairs and greeted my husband with an “I know you think I’m beautiful!” smile and a “Good morning!” The first thing he told me is that I’m a beautiful girl.  The result: For the first time in a long time, I believed him.  Encouragement is something to be grateful for – God knows that we need it and it’s time we allowed it to nourish us and build up our confidence.  Face it, girls, God has given us a lot to offer!  It’s time that we praise God for what He’s given us instead of being ashamed of who we are.  Remember what it is that God values and use your talents without apologizing!  And practice these words: “Thank you.”

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”  ~Proverbs 31:30-31.

Paul’s Relationship Quiz – “How Unified Are You?”

The book of Philippians speaks so strongly on one of the top 5 things that I struggle with in my efforts to be God’s woman. Unity. As a teenager I used to think that whomever I married when I grew up was in for a life of misery.  We would never get along. My siblings and I certainly never seemed to.  If I couldn’t get along with my brothers and sister, how was I ever going to have the proper relationship with the guy who would become my roommate and closest companion? Even best friends have issues when they’ve spent one too many nights sleeping over at each others’ houses.

Thankfully, my relationships with my siblings have vastly improved as we’ve grown older, and my fears for my marriage… they’ve proved useful. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I have knock-down drag-outs with my husband or anything. But the fear of the possibility of any disunity motivated me to get a few things straight before I entered that covenant relationship. I encourage every girl to pass up the heartache of learning these things the hard way. If you want your relationship with your mate, your siblings, with friends, and even with strangers to be uplifting, spiritual healthy and not full of worldly discord, know that it’s up to you to make it happen!  The apostle Paul wrote a letter to two women in the church who were having some serious issues acting like the sisters-in-Christ that they were. Compare these with your own attitude toward others: how unified are you?

#1 – Imitate Me (Paul). Consider others as more important than yourselves. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain…yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” (1:21, 24) Paul wanted to go to heaven, but for their sake, he lived the life that he did. For whom do you live, and why?

2 – Imitate Christ. Remember that “although He existed in the form of God,” (2:6) He didn’t selfishly treat that glory like something to clutch to His chest, grasping, never letting go of it. He emptied Himself, becoming a man and dying the most undignified, horrible death for us. What do you have a hard time letting go of because of pride – and does it compare with Christ’s sacrifice of heaven when He came to Earth?

#3 – Imitate Timothy. Be genuinely concerned for the welfare of others.

#4 – Imitate Epaphroditus. “He came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.” Do you serve others to such a degree? Is it important enough to you to minister to another’s need at any cost?

The two women in Philippi needed a reality check: What was more important? Their egos, or the cause of Christ? If you are concerned about your relationships, take Paul’s Reality Check quiz, and find out how you can more closely align your attitude with these four unequaled examples. Fear is a good motivator, and knowledge with determination is the key to successfully overcoming those fears. Let’s go girls.

May God bless your relationships. Amen.

An Excellent Wife, Who Can Become?

  An excellent wife, who can find?
         For her worth is far above jewels. 
    The heart of her husband trusts in her,
         And he will have no lack of gain. 
    She does him good and not evil
         All the days of her life. — Proverbs 31:10-12

Has anyone else wondered how on earth we even start aspiring to be this woman?  And why should we even try?  Of course there are benefits to having such character, but how do we get there?  Is it worth the effort?

Our introduction to this woman is what really stands out to me.  In the verses to follow, we learn that our leading lady is proactive in providing for her family, generous to the poor, and hard-working in order to contribute to the household in goods and income.  And what does all of this mean to her husband?

HIS HEART TRUSTS IN HER. 

“No lack of gain” could mean many things, but judging from the rest of this biography it has to do with handling material things, the care of their children, her self-esteem and her regard for him. 

She is not being idle or consuming without contributing.  He can trust her to do whatever she wishes with her material goods, because she is discerning and prudent.  Their children are diligently cared for, and she has worked hard to provide for them and to prepare for the future.  She takes care of herself, having strengthened her arms and made her own clothing.  His own reputation in public circles benefits from her efforts.  Wow.  This is a woman on a mission!

SHE DOES HIM GOOD, NOT EVIL – ALL THE DAYS OF HER LIFE. 

This is probably the most powerful statement in this biography.  Women today as a group have the reputation of being manipulative, self-seeking — some even domineering and argumentative.    But, in a stark contrast, what does this woman accomplish?  EVERY DAY she does her husband good and not evil.  She is actively seeking to cause him gain and good, to manage his household well, and to clothe herself with strength and dignity.  This is definitely a woman worth more than jewels. 

SUCH A WOMAN, WHO CAN FIND?

In the end, to be an excellent wife, is impossible without 2 things: fear of the Lord and a husband.  We already talked last time about how to catch one of those – one that would truly appreciate this kind of woman.  To fear the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), and it is also the only thing that would motivate someone to work that hard  to be a blessing to their spouse.  Her reward?  Blessings money could never  buy and no shopping trip could compare with.  The ability to smile at the future.  Children who rise up and call her blessed.  And the praise of her husband:

Many daughters have done nobly,
         But you excel them all.”

This could be your future.  Does it sound worth it?  Go for it… make it happen!