The Virtuous Wife-Lesson Seventeen

"My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up." Psalm 5:3

Hello ladies! Let us pray..........

Thank You, Father, for another blessed day. I seek You this day to worship You and honor You for You alone are worthy to be praised. I pray for each lady present here reading this study today, Lord. I pray for her needs and her desires that they become Your desires for their life. I pray for her marriage and for her family.

I seek forgiveness of sin this day, Lord, because I so desperately want to hear from You. I pray that You will renew a steadfast spirit within me and give me Your strengh from my weakness. I ask for the Holy Spirit to fill my home so that it overflows to my husband and my children. Please fill my heart with the Holy Spirit and guard my tongue that I might not cause pain to those I love.

In Jesus' name...Amen.

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Today's passage: Prov. 31:24 "She makes linen garments and sells them and supplies sashes for the merchants."

As part of prison ministry, there were many things we would try to teach the inmates before they were released in hopes of getting them ready to face the world and not return again to prison. Many of the ladies we taught were Christians and many were there just because there was nothing else to do.

But we still wanted to prepare the inmates for when they were released because they had become adapted to life inside the prison walls. The one thing they no longer had was a choice. Inside the prison, they were told what to eat, drink, and wear, when to sleep, where to go, what time to go, and how to get there.

Suddenly, outside the prison walls, there were often overwhelmed with the many choices they had to make. And the thought terrified them. Usually, they were not able to handle the sudden ability to make so many choices.....and so they would fail in the outside world and head back to prison.

The Virtuous Wife obviously worked inside the home as well as outside her home. We have read how she made good use of her time inside her home, but now we see that she made and sold her own merchandise.

The Virtuous Wife knew her role: helper to her husband.

Please read:

Gen 2:18

What she made with her hands helped her family. Remember how she considered a field and bought a vineyard with her profits? Wise woman.

We are to be helpers to our husbands as well, but can we do that when we work outside the home? Should Christian women work outside the home at all?

Remember how Paul wrote to us that there are things the Lord predestined for us to do:

Eph 2:10

Can we work outside the home and still do these works the Lord has given us to do?

I know I have been called to work but only part time outside of my home. I know working full time would be detrimental to my family right now, but I cannot say that for every woman.





I recently had to undergo an ultrasound because I have fibroids. Once a year I have to have them checked to make sure they are not growing bigger which would indicate cancer.





This time, there was a computer glitch and while the ultrasound technician was using the scope inside of me, her computer crashed. We had to stay still while she re-booted the computer. As embarrassing as it was to lay still in that position, I was so glad the technician was a woman who worked full time outside of her home! Had it been a male technician.....well, I just do not think I could have handled it.





I have never had a male gynecologist. I thank the Lord for female doctors who have been called to work full time. I know it isn't easy, but I sure am thankful that I have a choice not to see a male doctor.





So, I firmly believe some women have been called to work outside the home: doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. I am glad they do!

But sometimes having too many choices can cause us to fail miserably. That is why the lie of feminism has hurt our society so much. The feminists lie to you and tell you that you have the "freedom to choose" what you want to do in life. Hey, I am all for freedom and I appreciate the women who fought for our freedoms, but I also know that with God there is no Free Will.

Don't believe me? Let's visit the most famous man who thought he had Free Will to choose to disobey God:

Please read:

Jonah 1:1-3

"But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord...."

The Lord ordered Jonah to go to tell a people that if they repented, God would forgive them. But Jonah did not want these evil people to receive repentance.....so he disobeyed.

You may be wondering how this lesson ties into Prov. 31:24, but all I know is that the Virtuous Wife understood whom she served and so should we. We can learn from Jonah's mistakes in that he thought he could escape God.

Jonah 1:4-9 Who caused the storm? Man or God?

Jonah 1:10-17 Who created the fish that swallowed Jonah? Man or God? Could Jonah have chosen not to enter the fish's mouth? Why not? He had Free Will, right? WRONG.

Jonah 2:10 Who caused the fish to vomit out Jonah? Man or God?

Jonah 3:2-3 Notice this time that when God ordered Jonah to go, Jonah "arose and went to Ninevah...."

Jonah 4:5-6 Who made the plant? Man or God?

Jonah 4:7 Who prepared the worm? Man or God?

Jonah 4:8 Who prepared the vehement east wind? Man or God?

In the Book of Jonah we find that man has little to do with the events around us. Jonah thought he had the Free Will to reject God's orders and go where he wanted to go instead. But God caused moral evil and natural evil to turn Jonah back to the way he should go: God's way.

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Life Application

Please read:

1 Sam 23:2-4

Notice how David, in comparison to Jonah, respected God and "inquired of the Lord once again..."

1 Sam 30:8

Now contrast that with:

2 Sam 11:1

Notice that is says, "But David remained at Jerusalem."

2 Sam 11:2-5 What happened when David disobeyed the Lord and remained at Jerusalem instead of being at battle?

If you feel that you have been called to work outside the home or you know a young woman who is working outside the home, you must remember that to be in the presence of the Lord is your number one priority.

Are you working for the money?

Prov 13:7

After I graduated in April, I posted my resume on one large search engine and a fantastic job opportunity came up: Instructional Designer for Anthem College.

I could help create curriculum and train employees there for very good money. That's what my graduate degree was in! I was so tempted to apply. But my first thought was: what about Nathan?

Could I really enjoy my work knowing my son was home alone from 7 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon all summer at age 12? Could he handle all the temptations of being alone all day? Would the extra money be worth it?

I talked to my husband about it and he was completely in support of my working if I wanted to apply for the job, but when it came to Nathan, he had no suggestion either. I felt as though I would be abandoning my son. Nathan was all for the idea, of course. What kid wouldn't be for being home alone all day to play video games or computer games and eat whatever he wanted?

I still was unsure what to do even after praying about it.

Then, one night, I stayed up late and saw a show about a young man who was addicted to meth and heroin. He was tall and thin living on the streets and he was so sick from the drugs. His father was his enabler and so was his girlfriend. They staged an intervention and he willingly went to rehab. But several months later, he relapsed and was again living on the streets doing drugs.

After that show, I cried out to the Lord and took it as a warning of what could happen if I sacrificed my son for a job that earns good money. I remember my sister, who worked full time while her daughters were little, telling me to be careful about working full time because you get used to the money and then you cannot quit your job even if you wanted to. She had such remorse in her voice when she warned me. She missed out on so much of her daughters' lives. But they had the big house and all the toys: trailer, 4 wheelers, fancy vacations, swimming pool.

And her daughters succumbed to drugs and sexual sin.

I knew then that the Lord was telling me to wait on Him and remain at home with our son. Nathan is worth it.

The Virtuous Wife obviously had skills and talents that she used to provide for her family, but she also made a home for her family as well. She had come to learn how to do both. That comes with age and wisdom. I know when my son is older I can go back to work full time. One thing about work: it is always there waiting.

Today, women are given more choices of whether to stay home fulltime, work full time or part time.

As long as the Christian woman knows that she is to be homemaker FIRST and be in the presence of the Lord DAILY.....then working outside the home can be done. It is far harder to do laundry, cook meals, correct homework, listen to problems, buy school supplies, drive to sports events, after having put in 8 hours at the office! But it can be done. Although, something will have to be sacrificed and it usually is the children who suffer. You miss field trips, school concerts and plays, you cannot volunteer at school and you miss talking with teachers. And, ultimately, your daily time with the Lord suffers as well.

That's why it is important to remember King David. Remember what it cost him to be out of the presence of the Lord: his children suffered.

We have plenty of work to do for the Lord.

John 17:4

My prayer is that someday I can pray this prayer to God as Jesus did. Until then, I will strive to seek the Lord early in the day.

Psalm 119:147

I am blessed in that I have all those precious memories of my son: school concerts, field trips (except this year....he said he did not want me to go. Sniff...) and getting to know his teachers well.

For all you young moms reading this lesson: I do not wish for you a big house, fancy cars, far away vacations or lots of money......Instead, memories of your children are the greatest gift I could wish for you.

Until next time..........

"It is true that many "perfect jobs" may come and go during the child rearing years, but only one will absolutely never come along again- the job of rearing your own children and allowing them the increasingly rare opportunity to grow up at home."

-Dorothy Patterson (The High Calling of Wife and Mother in Biblical Perspective, p. 375 as cited in Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, 2001, p. 129)

Blessings,

Ruth