Serve Christ

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(Pro 31:29)Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

The virtuous woman excelled. That is, after all, what she strived for. But what made her surpass others? Her attitude! She had the heart of a servant. In all that she did her main goal and desire was to please God!

As a Christian we must become servants of Christ!

(John 12:27)If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

How do we serve Him? By following Him, obeying his commands.

(John 14:15)If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Obey just the commandments that are convenient to us? Or just the ones that we think are a good idea? No, we must obey all His commands!

It's so sad to see those who think that because they keep a few of God's commands that they won't go to hell. I don't understand where they get this logic. If you tell your child to pick up their toys and they only pick up 2 is that good enough? Or are you going to explain that you want them to pick them all up?

Partial obedience is disobedience. We can't just pick and choose what we obey!

Think back on the Israelites moving the ark in 2 Samuel. God had given clear instructions regarding moving the ark when He gave them the instructions to build it. It was to be moved by members of the Levi tribe, carried by poles inserted through rings on the ark. They were not to touch anything other than the poles.(Exodus 25, Numbers 3)

But instead of doing this, they place the ark on a new cart. It was new, so it was probably pretty nice. They must have thought that God would like this new cart. But they hit a bump and the oxen pulling the cart caused it to shake. Uzzah(who was close by) reached out his hand to steady it. Surely his intentions were pure. He was just trying to keep the ark from being damaged. But he disobeyed God. And was killed for violating this command.

We must obey all his commandments! And in order to do this we must be like those Christians in Berea.

(Acts 17:11)These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

They were ready to receive the word-their hearts were open to learning the truth! But they didn't just believe what Paul told them. They searched the scriptures to make sure that what he said was the truth!

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Can't I Just Get A Thank You?

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(Pro 31:28)Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

The virtuous woman has worked hard. She has put so much time and energy into raising her children in "the way they should go" and all that is finally paying off for her. Her children call her blessed, they respect her. But not just her children, her husband praises her too!

Don't you have those days(or weeks, months) where you feel like no one's noticed any work you've done around the house? When, just for a moment, you feel like you're doing all that work for nothing? I do. I think that we all have days like that. Days when we forget that the reason we're doing the work isn't for praise from our children or husbands, and it isn't for an earthly reward. We are doing it because God has commanded us to be keepers of our home(Titus 2:5).

It is so easy to forget this though. We crave a "thank you" from our family, some kind of recognition for our work. Is it wrong to want this? Absolutely not! But if the only reason we're doing the work is for praise, that's an issue. We must work heartily for the Lord, remember that we are serving God by serving our family. He is the one who will reward us. 

(Colossians 3:25) "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ"

And remember all the things God has done for us and blessed us with. Have you thanked Him?

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Be Prepared

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(Pro 31:21)She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

The virtuous woman, yet again, puts others before herself. It isn't something we can just do once and check it off the to-do list. Putting others first must be done daily! 


Why was she not afraid of the coming snow? She was prepared! She knew that cold was coming and did everything she could to make sure her family was protected. The word here translated scarlet can also mean double garments. I think this is a more appropriate translation of the word, as wearing one color isn't any warmer than any other. She had to make sure that her household had enough clothing to keep warm. Remember how much work that is for her? I'm sure it took her a long time to prepare for her entire household! 


Today it isn't as hard for us to prepare for winter. Most of us can simply run to the store and pick up what we need. And although preparing our families for winter is important, there is something much more important that we must make sure our family is prepared for-the judgement. 

(Heb 9:27)And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

This is the most important thing we will ever prepare ourselves for! Make sure you are prepared!

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Fruit of Her Hands

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(Pro 31:16) She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She conforms to the will of God, she's trustworthy, does good to her husband, works willingly, shops wisely, and puts the needs of others before her own. Not only does the virtuous woman do these things but she also looks for ways that she can help her husband provide for their family.
We read here of her buying a field but notice what she does before she buys it. She considers the financial burden of the field and supplies needed to plant the vineyard, and determines that it is worth the payout. Although we're not told here, I'm sure this step also involved discussing this purchase with her husband. I can't imagine how many arguments have came up because of people not discussing large purchases with their spouse.
Now she leaves all the hard work to her husband because let's face it she's a busy lady. No, she plants the vineyard with her hands! Remember she's willing to work. Can you imagine the time she put into this? I'm sure this was not an easy task, mentally or physically, but she was willing to endure it for her family!

Linking up with these blogs:Time-Warp Wife, Growing Home, Far Above Rubies, Homemaker by Choice,  Our Simple Country Life, Raising Mighty Arrows, Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers

JOY

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(Pro 31:15) She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

The virtuous woman puts the needs of others above her own. She is willing to give up a few more minutes of sleep to provide food for her household and her servants. As Christians this should not be a new concept for us. There are many scriptures that tell us that we should put others before our self. We must make sure we have our priorities right! When I taught bible class, we sang a song using the acronyms JOY:J-Jesus O-others Y-yourself
But getting up early isn't just for your family. Doing so allows you some quiet time with God, time to plan your day and get a jump start on it! I feel like I get so much more accomplished when I begin my day earlier. It isn't easy for me to get up early though. I have to work at it! I enjoy going to bed the same time as my husband and he's a night owl!(Ok so hubby would like me to add that he's not a night owl, just likes to stay up late! Sounds like the same thing to me! LOL) It's a lot harder to get going in the morning without enough sleep!

Linking up with these blogsTime-Warp Wife, Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers

Seeking Out the Best

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(Pro 31:14) She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

Wait a minute! Being virtuous involves shopping? I think I can handle this part! But the Virtuous woman doesn't just settle for what is convenient; she shops wisely! I think there were probably nearby markets for her to purchase food from. Why didn't she just buy her food locally? Was it because she couldn't find what she needed? Maybe. Because it was much more expensive? Maybe. Or was it just not good quality? Any of these options would work. But the point isn't why she didn't just settle for what the local market had. The point is she was willing to seek out what was best for her family!
Notice that she brought her food from afar. Now, remember that there were no refrigerators back then. She most likely had to go to the market several times a week. Then there's the transportation. It's very likely that she had to walk and if that isn't enough she had to carry all her goods back. Oh how easy we have it today! I'm not saying grocery shopping is easy(especially not 5 days before Christmas at 6PM-but that's another story)! It takes time and patience.




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What to Do?

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(Pro 31:12) She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Reading this verse, the first thing that popped out to me was the word "does". To be a virtuous woman we must do! Now, if you're anything like me there's a little part of you that's thinking "Great! Something else to add to my mile long to-do list." We must be careful to think this way! Yes, we're busy. However, we must make sure that our priorities right daily! This verse is referring to doing something for our husbands. So often jump at the opportunity to do something for a friend or neighbor. Our husbands should come second to only God! We should be just as eager to do for them!

But what should we do? The verse states that she "does him good and not evil". This brings to my mind Adam and Eve. Eve didn't do as the virtous woman when she offered Adam the fruit. She was doing him harm. We must be cautious not to put our will above God's as Eve did. We must do that which is good to our husbands instead!

This isn't a task that you do once and then check it off your list, however. It is something we must continue doing as long as we live!

Linking up with these blogs:Time-Warp Wife, Our Simple Country Life, Raising Mighty Arrows, Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers

Can He Trust You?

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(Pro 31:11) The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

When a main completely trusts his wife, he doesn't lack anything of value. This makes the need to be trustworthy extremely important to our relationship with our husband! We must be sure that our husbands can trust us in all areas in life.

• Finances-Can you be trusted to spend wisely and show good stewardship of the financial gifts God has blessed your family with?  Sit down with your husband and discuss your budget(or set one if you don't have one!). For larger purchaces, if the price is larger than a certain amount(ex. $100) discuss buying with spouse.
• Home-Can you be trusted to run an orderly home? Ask your husband what he expects when he comes home. I know my husband would much rather have a  hot meal on the table rather than a spotless house when he comes home!
• Faithful-Can you be trusted to be faithful to your husband? This is a big one! If this trust isn't there it can cause a lot of problems in your marriage. Ask your husband if there is anything you can do to strengthen this trust.
• Emotional-Can you be trusted to control your emotions? The first thing that come to my mind when I think of this is controling our temper. Of course that is one of our emotions we must control! But there are others as well-anxiety, stress, sadness. Don't take this the wrong way-we should tell our husbands how we feel. There is a time and a place to do so!
• Reputation-Can he trust you with his reputation? It seems some women only have bad things to say about their husbands. Don't be one of these women!! No-our husbands aren't perfect! But neither are we! Do you want him to run out and tell all his friends your flaws? Didn't think so-so don't do it to him. Instead say positive things -build him up.

We all have flaws; we will fail to do these things sometimes. We must strive to be trustworthy in all areas every day!

All Nighter

   Last night, I stayed up all night. Doing what, you might ask? Cleaning-yep, you read that right! Now before you decide I'm going crazy, let me explain why.
   College students pull "all-nighters" often before an large assignment is due. Just as they are, I am trying to get caught up on my assignment. But this assignment is much more important than any that a college professor may give. This assignment was given to me by the greatest teach ever--God.

          (Job 36:22)  Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?

 The assignment?

(Tit 2:3)  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

(Tit 2:4)  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

(Tit 2:5)  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

   I know that some consider me old fashioned but in our home I do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry.(Ryan does the occasional load of laundry when I forget to wash his work/nursing uniform--I am human!) No, I don't do it all because he won't help, he does offer! I do it because I believe that is the wife's job. Unfortunately, I have gotten behind on this job lately! I did start to organize our 2 bedrooms a while back. However, the lack of finishing left piles of things everywhere!  

   I've recently started a new job which will become full time after my training. Thus bringing my job count to 3(Keeper at home, Old Navy and Flooring Supplies). In an effort fulfill my God-given duty and reduce stress I want to start with a completely clean home! :) Then, I will follow a cleaning schedule each week to help me stay on top of things and keep from becoming overwhelmed!