Proverbs 31:10-31 (AMP; MESSAGE; TLB)
Let’s look at a virtuous woman by the name Ruth
(chapters 1-4)
© A foreigner from
a despised land, a pagan, who moved God’s plan towards fulfillment.
©
A woman who was
loyal to her mother-in-law and faithful to God.
©
A childless widow
at the beginning of the story but later became the great-grandmother of King
David - [son – Obed; grandson – Jesse; great-grandson - David]. What did she
do? Followed her mother-in-law’s instruction; believed and trusted in the Lord
God of Israel, and He rewarded her faithfulness by giving her not only a husband,
but sons of His heritage.
© Matthew 1:2-17;
made a list of the genealogy of Jesus Christ; and among the four women
mentioned, Ruth was one of them, which is of special significance to us as
women.
As a
woman/wife/mother/sister/grandmother/mother-in-law, who the Lord has committed
minor/major labour into my hands for all those that surrounds me or generations
to come, am I being faithful or
unfaithful unto Him concerning this work/task He has given? Let’s look at
what the Lord says about this in Luke
12:41-48.
Did you notice from
the story of the virtuous woman that there are some good works/qualities found
in her which were an advantage to/for her?
© Her creative abilities or organising skills.
© Her achievements or charitable acts.
© Her having good insight or foresight.
© Making good business and entrepreneurship.
© Her vibrant personality.
But even so, she
lacks not that one thing that is needful – that one thing that is of necessity;
that which is preferred far more than beauty – that beauty which the Bible says
is vain and deceitful. And that one thing is ‘Honouring God’. Proverbs 31: 30 (GNT) - says, “Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears,
but a woman who honours the LORD should be praised.”
© For me, the life
that I now carry which is the life of Jesus, does it honour Christ? How does it
honour Him?
© What qualities in
my life or of my life are the results that bring honour to Him?
©
Do I understand
why He needs to be honoured? He honoured His Father by laying His life for me… (John 10:18; 1 John 3:16), so in what
way is my own life – my heart – my deeds – my intelligence – my positive
enthusiasm – my attributes – my gifts; which was bestowed to me by God,
honouring Him?
© As He requires
that I build my life according to His divine pattern that He desires and that
is acceptable by God His Father, what steps am I taking in my “following Him”?
Am I being faithful in this? John 12:26 (GNT) – “Whoever wants to serve me
must follow me, so that my servant will be with me where I am. And my Father
will honour anyone who serves me.”
Prayers
© Raise a voice of thanksgiving
for God’s faithfulness and His promises/blessings.
© Lord, in that
which You have committed into my hands and I have been unfaithful with, Your
mercy I cry for in the name of Jesus; Where I have disappointed You, please
pardon me Lord; where I have not honoured You enough or at all, please let me
find mercy before You.
©
Help me to be
faithful in as much as You are giving or have given to me, O Lord; help me to
daily agree with You so that I can run along with what You have committed into
my hands.
©
Lord Jesus, You
have sacrificed so much for me, help me as a woman to offer myself to live
consistently for You; help me to spend and be ready to be spent for Your
course; with fear of You Lord, strengthen me to use every opportunity for You;
please let all activities and interests that I engage in count for Your eternal
kingdom.
© The virtuous
woman invested faithfully and righteously into the lives of her family, as well
as her household – Holy Spirit, help me to know that a day cometh when I, as a
steward, have to give an account to God on how I have used/handled all that He
has entrusted to me; help me to know that my willingness and faithfulness in
that which I give is very paramount and great in God’s eyes, even when it is in
small measures.
© From the story of
Ruth, we can find that God has compassion especially for the poor and those who
are despised – Like the virtuous woman, Lord Jesus, give unto me a copy of Your
rich, compassionate and loving heart to help me to see and to go all out for
those who are spiritually poor and helpless, so that You can through me reach
out to meet their needs. With the access You have made available for me, help
me to go all out ready to share the assets You have provided for my life and
for the lives of others (because of what Jesus Christ has done for us all).
© Matthew 25:14-30 – “To one servant, the Master declared,
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant, for you have been faithful in few
things…” To another it was declared, “Thou lazy and wicked servant…” Holy Spirit,
as You grant me Your grace everyday to repent from my unfaithfulness to You,
open my eyes and my understanding to be aware of the time-factor to restore all
that I have done wrong and need to do right as the scriptures says that the
time is short; energise my spirit man so that at the end of the day “I myself
will not be a cast away”.
© Luke 12:42-44 – “The Lord
answered, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his
master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants
their share of the food at the proper time. How happy that servant is if his
master finds him doing this when he comes home! Indeed, I tell
you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property.” Make me a woman of Yours blessed
Lord, who is ready to sow her whole self for her household, not willing to hold
anything back but to give all to/for You; help me now in that which You are
giving me instructions to heed to, so that my nation of
people – my family – my household – and others outside my household could be
blessed of me.
© Make me a Mary of
my time, who spurn the Master into action, even though it was not yet the
‘ordained time’; like Mary, help me to challenge positively Your authority to
call those things which be not as if they were; make my heart and my life a
blueprint of Yours in my days and for my generations.
© The virtuous
woman was sensitive that in all her labour, there were profits, and that
encourages her to go on in it – Give unto me that grace and Spirit of Yours
Lord Jesus, that made You to endure the sufferings and the persecutions during
Your time on earth, because of the future glory of many sons and daughters who
will come into Your Father’s heavenly home; even when there are no ‘profits’ in
the labour, help me to find the needed strength in You until my last days on
this earth.
© Let me not be
like Jezebel; abuse and waste Your talent and power that You have deposited in
me to do exploits and service for You, O Lord; help me to channel it for Your
divine course – to the laws of God; let me not kill the ‘prophets and
prophetess of God’ who You have made me a wife or mother to be in charge of.
© Lord Jesus, make
me Your ideal woman; a woman of Your noble character; a woman who fears You; a
woman whose life You find worthy of; a woman who is made perfect only in Christ
Jesus.
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