Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
~ Proverbs 31:30
Pondering Point
What is the measuring stick used for determining a praise-worthy, beautiful woman? According to Proverbs 31, it is a woman who respects and reveres God. In terms of Proverbs 31:30, the same could be said of a praise-worthy, beautiful man. He fears and respects the Lord. With beauty in the eye of the beholder, how is God beholdin’ you?
Proverbs 31
Sayings of King Lemuel
1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
John 14
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
Footnotes:
John 14:1 Or Believe in God
John 14:7 Some manuscripts If you really knew me, you would know
John 14:17 Some early manuscripts and is
1 Thessalonians 5:13
Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
Micro-Groupers Live in Peace with Each Other
At the turn of the year when opportunities to start fresh enter people’s minds, hope and dreams start to rise as well. Peace on earth is a huge dream of many, but peace in our own homes and families, in our neighborhoods and cities, in our state and country are also worthy of time in prayer.
Let’s conclude the year with the following two quotes, one from the letter to the Hebrews and the other from a contemporary disciple’s description of Jesus’ Gospel. First from Hebrews 12:14-15:
Hebrews 12:14-15
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one
falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up
to cause trouble and defile many.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Gift for the Day
Peace with God (share it with others). Have you seen this bumper sticker before?
This is why the angels could say at Jesus’ birth: “Peace on earth and goodwill to all on whom God’s favor rests”. God’s favor rests upon us through Jesus. Real peace with God is a gift from God Himself that comes through Jesus.
Matthew 9:9-10
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
Matthew Challenge: Share God
Matthew invited his friends to experience Jesus, wanting them to enjoy what he was enjoying in God. Are you enjoying God and a relationship with Him? Do you think your friends, if they could have your spiritual relationship with God, would be better off or worse?
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Prayer
Pray that you carry out your role as one of the chosen people, a royal priest, one belonging to Him. Ask His Holy Spirit for wisdom and courage to declare His praises for calling you out of darkness and into His wonderful light. Pray that those on your list also come out of darkness and into God’s wonderful light.
People that I desire to see know and/or grow in God:
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Potential micro-group people to connect with:
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And now, one man’s description of the Gospel of Jesus:
Mercy is not getting what you deserve: The wrath of God; Grace is getting what you don’t deserve: The righteousness of Christ. Everything you have done wrong is forgiven and forgotten; and everything Christ did right (his righteousness) is transferred to your account. And then God calls it even. It’s like God says: I will take the blame for everything you did wrong and give you the credit for everything that I did right. It doesn’t get any better than that, and that’s why it is called the Gospel – it isn’t just good news. It’s the best news.
The Gospel costs nothing. We cannot buy it or earn it. It can only be received as a free gift, compliments of God’s grace. So it costs nothing, but it demands everything. And that is where most of us get stuck: Spiritual No-Man’s Land.
• We are too Christian to enjoy sin
and too sinful to enjoy Christ.
• We have just enough Jesus to be informed,
but not enough to be transformed.
• We want everything God has to offer
without giving anything up.
• We want to buy in without selling out.
• We’re afraid that if we don’t hold out on God,
we’ll miss out on what this life has to offer.
It’s a lie. It’s the same lie the serpent told Adam and Eve in the Garden. God is not holding out on you. You can take Psalm 84:11 to the bank: “No good thing does God withhold from those who walk uprightly”. If you don’t hold out on God, I can promise you this: God will not hold out on you. But it is all or nothing: It’s all of you for all of Him.
~ Mark Batterson, "All In"