Proverbs - Wake UP!

Proverbs 31:15

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household,

 and a portion to her maidens.

A lot of women cringe at this verse at first sight.  They hate waking up early.  There can be seasons where this might not be as necessary given your work schedule, responsibilities or health, but oftentimes it is quite the good thing if you have a family that starts their day early.  It is a good thing to rise up before the rest of the house, whenever that is, and make sure that our family is waking up to a smile and good food.  Our husbands and children can wake up to love and care.  They can smell the bacon or see the cereal set up for them and start their day feeling loved and taken care of.  Ladies, we are not called to be served but to serve.  What a privilege!  Maybe you can set the table or get some muffin mix mixed up the night before.  You can be praying for them before the alarm wakes them up and you can set the tone of the day.  Be honest and consider if you might not be fulfilling this part of the ministry to which you are called.  Wake up!  You might even hear His lovingkindness in the morning before you hear the babies, husband and children’s voices!

Knowing God - He Rebukes Our Fears

Josh 10:8

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

The Lord had told Joshua more than once to not fear.  The Lord spoke to Joshua’s fears as they arose.  Each battle and challenge seemed to have unique fears for Joshua and the Lord dealt with them each time.  Our Lord knows our frame.  He understands that we are but dust.  He looks at us like a father looks at his little children.  When we are afraid, He does not rebuke us, He rebukes our fears. He told Joshua one time that it was His presence that would calm his fears.  The next time the Lord told Joshua that he could take mighty men with him and this helped calm his fears.  This time the Lord spoke the outcome to calm his fears.  We must seek the Lord for our fears and be sensitive to how He may be addressing them.  Our God is our Father and He wants to deliver us out of all our fears.

Proverbs - Ship Ahoy!

Prov 31:14

She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

Ship Ahoy!

A merchant’s ship goes from its home port to a foreign port with the intended purposed to load cargo much needed in its home town.  We are to be like this ship.  A merchant’s ship will take cargo from its origin, drop it off in another, load up from there and unload goods from the distant land to its place of origin.  We can go to the Lord, in His heavenly place, and take the cargo from our world.  We can bring Him our concerns, joys, anxieties and fears and drop them off in His presence. Then, as we are emptied, we can fill up with the goods that the Lord wants to put into us and take all of it back to our place of origin.  Perhaps you could start your day considering yourself a merchant’s ship.  Take those cares to the Lord and pour out your heart before Him.  Take on His wisdom, peace and counsel and bring them to all those who surround you.

Knowing God - The Lord Shall Trouble those who Trouble You

Josh 7:25

 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day.

We are not to repay evil for evil.  The Lord is the One who is in the place to recompense to man a reaping of what he sows.  Our God is not mocked.   If we roll a stone, that stone will roll back on us.  When someone brings us trouble as we are seeking to serve the Lord and be about His business, the Lord will deal with them.  He will trouble those who trouble us.  We have a Father in heaven that is not passively observing our plight.  He is involved and judges the earth.  If someone troubles you, refrain yourself from troubling them.  Leave this to the Lord.  The Lord will fight for you.

Proverbs - Willingly

Proverbs 31:13

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

Willingly

A virtuous woman doesn’t need everything handed to her.  She will seek for the materials she needs and doesn’t mind working with her hands.  As a matter of fact, she works willingly with her hands.  The manicure is not her priority.  She knows that using her hands to clean and cook helps her home be a place of order and her hands will help bring it about.  She knows that everything isn’t always easy and expects to spend much time looking for things and using her hands.  This modern day world tells us to love ease, but God’s design for us is to be women who willingly work with our hands.  The next time we need to hunt something down or pick something up, let us use our will to choose to do it and find that we will be shining like a ruby.

Knowing God - God Will Reveal the Cause of Defeat

Josh 7:10-11

                                                    

 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned…..

There was a defeat for the armies of Israel and Joshua was crying out to the Lord.  Perhaps Joshua thought the Lord had let them down.  Joshua had received the promise that if he meditated on the Word of God he would have good success.  Why would this happen?  The Lord tells Joshua that it is because of Israel’s sin that they were defeated.  Sometimes there is defeat in our lives and we cry out to God because we think it is our fault or maybe we feel the Lord is letting us down.  The Lord answers Joshua and tells him to get off the ground and quit feeling sorry for himself.  The defeat was related to someone else’s sin.  A defeat that affects us may, in fact, be due to someone else’s sin.  Let us be cautious to jump to conclusions about the cause of defeat and be willing to go through hard times because of someone else’s sin.  Our God will speak to us and help us avoid the victim mentality and help us get up and seek Him for what to do next.

Proverbs - Doing Him Good

Proverbs 31:12

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

                                                                                         Doing Him Good           

We need to not just avoid doing evil to our husbands but seek to do him good every day of our lives.  This means when we are tired or cranky or when we are up and strong.  What a great way to start our day!  We could ask the Lord, “What could I do that is good towards my husband today?”  Does he like the bed made as soon as you wake up?  Does he love a good, hot meal when he gets home?  What is his favorite snack?  Do you have it on hand?  Are his sexual desires being met with joy and willingness?  Has he heard you give him a compliment lately?  Can you run an errand from his list?  Let us do them good and not evil ALL the days of our lives.