Wednesday, June 13, 2007

The Virtuous Wife-Lesson Twelve




"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7






Hello Ladies! Let's pray once again........




Dear Father, Thank You for reminding us that we are not to trust in the mighty strength of man or beast, but in Your name. Help us this day to remember how mighty is Your name.


I seek forgiveness this day and ask that You wash me clean through the reading of Your word. Cleanse me from my secret faults...the sins that I do not even know about. Keep me from presumptuous sins and let them not have dominion over me.



I pray this prayer for each woman reading this study today. I pray that you will be with her and make her blameless.


In Jesus' name....Amen.





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Today's passage: Prov 31:19 "She stretches out her hand to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle."




Because we are still in the "work" portion of Proverbs 31, we will discuss, again, the importance of making good use of the time the Lord has given us to do the things we have been commanded to do.



Please read:



Titus 2: 1-5



Please list all the things we, as believers, are to do in these verses. Include the men's list as well.



Now read:



Titus 1:8-9


Titus 2: 11-14


Titus 3:1




These verses clearly tell us to do our work soberly and to work zealously as to the Lord.


Remember how we looked at Lydia in Acts 16?




  • She was a business woman: seller of purple


  • She came from a city of unbelievers yet she worshipped God in a Gentile city of Roman citizens.


  • The Lord opened her heart


  • She was hospitable to the brethren


  • She made good use of her time and talents


The Virtuous Wife also worked with her hands. She made her own thread at the spindle. That takes time and effort.



Think, for a moment, about your time and talents. How can you use them for the Lord? What service do you feel you were called to do?



I always wanted to be a doctor. My mother is a nurse and has been a nurse since before I was born (over 40 years!) and she always hoped that one of her 4 children would follow after her.



I never felt called to be a nurse, but I felt the Lord placed inside me a love for human biology and surgery. In high school I excelled in biology and was told by my teacher to go into medicine. He could see that I loved it and I still do to this day.



As a child, I would sit and read through my mom's medical books and dictionaries studying every aspect of the human body. It truly is a magnificent machine.


Even today I still enjoy studying anatomy for drawing purposes.



But becoming a doctor meant being good in chemistry and I almost failed chemistry in high school. So, I listened to my art teacher instead and studied art in college. I never planned on being a teacher of any sort, but the education field found me.



If only I had known back in high school that I could have combined my love of medicine and my love of art as a medical illustrator. But it was not meant to be.....




Knowing God's will for our lives is one thing many young people today often ask older Christians. "How can I know the will of God?" they seem to ask.



All of us in this study know a newer Christian. According to Titus 2, we are to teach good things to these younger Christian women.



Are you prepared to answer them when they ask "What is God's will for my life"?


Please read:


Rom. 12:1-2


Phil 2:13


Col 1:9



Apparently, in Paul's time, not every believer knew the will of God for their lives either! But Paul was able to pin it down for them:


1 Thess 4:3-5


Heb 13:20-21



This is the will of God: abstain from sexual immorality so that we may be complete to do every good work of God.



You can teach young people to look at every decision they make in light of 1 Thess. 4:3. Will that new job hinder me from abstaining from sexual immorality? Will accepting that college scholarship hinder me from abstaining from sexual immorality"



Nathan wants to be a police officer or a film director. Of the two, we prefer the police officer, but we will support him in what he chooses. It is our job as his parents to remind him of 1 Thess. 4:3.



We will tell him, when he gets older, about how police officers have high divorce rates and high alcoholism rates as well because the job is so stressful. It will be hard for him to be the leader of his home as a police officer, so he will have to trust and remain in the Lord.



As a film director, to make it big he will have to live in either L.A. or New York. Both those cities do not encourage Christianity. Both cities look down upon Christianity. To be a film director may hinder his abstaining from sexual immorality.



But knowing the will of God and doing it does not go unnoticed by God. Remember, He firmly believes in rewarding those who obey Him:



What will be the reward?


1 John 2:17



Eternal life.





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Life Application




Teaching the precepts of the Lord is a humbling experience. I know because since I began this study I have been convicted of much sin. But I have also been cleansed of much sin as well.



We are to "teach good things" to younger Christian women we know by our words and our deeds.



One thing I have learned these 2 yrs. that I have been teaching is that it is not easy. Making lessons fun, relevant, and interesting is not an easy task. And I only had one class to teach!



My classmates at graduate school were all elementary teachers and they had weeks worth of lessons to put together according to state standards. Now that's hard! I also had to put together some lessons for some in-class assignments, so I found out how hard it can be to make the lessons fun.



Teaching can be hard, but trusting in the Lord makes it fun and interesting. There are so many times throughout the day where you can teach your children lessons of the Lord. We try and talk about these lessons at the dinner table with Nathan. Sometimes he asks poignant questions and other times he asks to be excused. Oh well.



Please read:



Phil 2:1-4



The church at Philippi was up against the wall in that they were surrounded by so many pagan worshippers. Paul was trying to encourage them to hold fast to their faith. He wanted them to see the benefits of being "like-minded" and of "one accord".



As wives, we are to make good use of our time and talents like Lydia and the Virtuous Wife, we are to know the will of God for our lives, and we are to teach what we know to other women.



Until next time.......



"Do all things without complaining or disputing, that you my become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation smong whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."


-Philipians 2:14-16





Blessings,

Ruth







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