Good evening. Now imagine this being said in the voice of Charles Dickens. He was a very talented actor as well as play write, so he probably had an awesome voice.
Anyway, this blog's focus is going to be the guys! That's right men, its your turn. Now, before I jump in and get to what I have to say, I want to make something clear. This is my personal understanding of what a real man should be like. Comment a response if you disagree with something or if you want to add some thoughts. This is going to be a little bit shorter than my other blogs, so hopefully you enjoy the read.
Also, as a quick note, I have some friends that are doing a video which has some awesome insight into what the Bible says on this topic. Hopefully I'll be able to put a link on my blog once they finish it, and trust me, from what I've seen, its going to be good.
--------------------
First, I want to say that you don't have to be married or have a significant other to treat women like a real man should. In every relationship you have, whether it be friends, dating, marriage etc. it is a mans job, his responsibility, to treat God's daughters the way they should be treated. So keep that in mind as you read single guys.
I like using examples and scripture to back up what I say and support my opinion. To begin I want to let you in on a little secret guys. Now, this may blow your mind a bit, but stick with me here. The greatest man that ever lived is not, in fact, Chuck Norris. Although his many manly qualities and Old-Spice-Guyesque demeanor provide a solid basis on which to be the greatest man ever, he pales in comparison to another. The man I'm talking about is God Himself in the form of Jesus Christ.
The Bible calls us to lead a life that is similar to and reflects the life of Christ. He is the epitome of a man! Notice how I said "is" and not "was." As Christians, we believe that Christ is one with God, and that He is eternal. He is in the here and now. We have been given a model to emulate as men who follow Christ.
But how do we do this? The reason I want to make this blog a little shorter is because of two things. One, I don't have all the answers. Two, I want you to find this out for yourself! A man takes responsibility for becoming a man. A real man can't just wait for someone to tell him how to be a man, he needs to seek it out for himself. Yes, father's have a HUGE role in teaching their sons how to be men, but when push comes to shove, it's the individuals choice. It's his conscious decision and effort to say, "Alright its time to do what I need to do."
Ephesians 5, in my opinion, is one of the best chapters in the Bible to obtain these answers. Not only in verse 1 does it say that we need to follow the example Christ has set, later on, it talks about how a REAL man treats his wife and his family. In verse 25 it says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her..." Christ literally died for the church. He laid his own life down so that she could live. I don't see why that should be any different between a man and the women he has the duty to protect.
Continuing on, the scripture says why we should be willing to lay our own lives down for her. Verse 26-27: "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." This charge by God is a hefty one. He wants her to be blameless. Without blemish or wrinkle. In other words, He wants us men to protect her and love her so much that when we no longer exist, our impact on HER life should be a positive one. Like it or not guys, every girl you get remotely close to, you have an impact on her. That's why we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that God wants His daughters to be blameless because of us.
Later on, Ephesians says that we should care for her. This is speaking more specifically to the husband-wife situation, but that doesn't mean we can't learn something from it and apply it to our lives if we're not married. I firmly believe that the man should be the provider for the family. He should work hard so his wife and kids don't have to. Now this doesn't mean he's forcing his family to remain static, what I mean is that he's the man of the house. He is in charge of providing and protecting his family. Think about that for a second now. Men, it is your responsibility to care for your wife and children. Don't ever think you can be lazy and get away with it. You've got a job to do, and you'd better do it. I know this sounds harsh, and I hope it does, because it's in homes where the children have no father that are often the most screwed up. Now, this isn't saying that all single-mom families are doomed to failure. I'm saying if the man leaves, it only increases the chance of worsening a wife and child's well being. If you ever get the chance watch Courageous, do it. It hits the spot on the nail about what I'm talking about.
Anyway, time to get off my soap box. Now that I'm coming to the end, I realize that this blog is just about as long as my other ones. Haha. No matter, I'll keep going. Men, you have a tremendous influence in the lives of the women whether you realize it or not. Especially you guys (including myself) who are dating someone or are already married. If you aren't married, think about your motives in your relationships. Are you doing this just to "get some," or are you doing this to encourage and uplift the other persons life. Are you living a life like Christ's, or are you just "talking the talk?" You can't put on a good Christian, or pure motives face, and hope for the best. You need to believe it, you need to live it, and you need to show it through your actions.
Be a man and don't ever think that don't have an impact on the lives of the women around you. Eventually, you will have to provide for someone else, so you have to be real with yourself and honestly evaluate: are you preparing yourself to let another person entrust their safety to you?
I hope this blog didn't seem as haphazard as I thought I wrote it, and I hope you gain some kind of insight into what a real man is, but like I said, search it out for yourself. Dig deep into this, because it is an important issue. Be imitators of Christ. Real women want a man who's more in love with God than with her.
Ephesians 5:31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
Keep being awesome! See you next week.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Presume not that I am the thing I was (Provision)
So, this week I said I was going to talk to the manly readers of this blog. I have some great ideas, but in light of recent events I want to write about something else.
Don't worry guys, you'll get your turn soon enough, but the story I have for you today shouldn't be kept to myself. I give glory to God in everything that has happened, and man, does He deserve it!
-------------------
Throughout my entire life, I believe God has been teaching me patience. There are so many situations and life circumstances I could list off to you that showed me the value of patience. But as for this story, it tells of God's unfailing faithfulness and how He ALWAYS provides.
Before I get going, I want to thank all of my wonderful, amazing, extravagant, completely legit, and AWESOME friends. I've only known my "sophomore friends" for less than 5 months, but I feel like they are my home away from home, my family. I have relationships within this group that I know will last for a lifetime.
I love you guys. :)
Anyway, back to my story. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Then, I was born. A couple years later I decided to attend a wonderful school: Oklahoma Baptist University. Now, what you have to understand is that this school is not cheap, by any means. So, the only way I was able to attend (even with the scholarships I got) was to work about 15-20 hours a week. Also, my mother had to find another job that could give her more hours.
I wasn't even in Shawnee for more than 2 hours when a job opportunity opened up. When I got to OBU, I knew I had to start applying for jobs, but I had no idea where to start. My parents and I decided to go Mazzio's Pizza for lunch (our favorite pizza place here in Oklahoma). We happened to have the head manager take our order and we started joking around about how I needed to find a job. Next thing I know, she's handing me a job application while I chomp down on my 24 meat pizza (exaggeration I know, but it was alot of meat). I fill it out and give her a call about a week later and discover that she had already planned to hire me. BEFORE I even handed in my application, before I even had a chance to do an interview, she gave me a job.
God provides.
I started getting into the flow of things at the beginning of the semester, balancing friends, school and work. Everything was great! Like I mentioned before I needed about 15-20 hours a week to cover the cost of the semester, but I was only getting about 10. Not what I wanted, but at least something. It made it tough, but doable. Then one day I get a call from my parents saying that my mother hasn't found a job yet and it's going to be tight, considering we also have to pay for my brother and sister's tuition (They attend a private high school). My heart sank a little bit when she told me she hadn't found employment, but then it soared. She told me that some anonymous donor had payed off both my brother's and my sister's tuition through the end of the year. Yes, 4 months worth of tuition done, payed for, taken care of.
God provides.
Then along came a little birdie called Brigadoon. This was the Fall production here on campus for the theater and music departments. I had not planned on auditioning because I knew there were night practices and I needed to work, but for some reason I pulled myself into it. I didn't even have to try out and I ended up singing bass for the chorus. Theater has been a huge part of my life, so I was thrilled to be apart of collegiate drama. However, I had not realized the MASSIVE time commitment. Long story short, because of Brigadoon, I ended up only being able to work a measly 6 hours a week at Mazzio's.
This is where the story takes a turn. My mother still had not found a job, so hope was starting to dwindle and my employment at Mazzio's was less than satisfactory. Because of this, we still owed $1800 dollars at the end of 2011. It may not seem like alot to some, but this figure was massive considering our situation. The best we could conjure up was around $400.
Now, here at OBU, freshmen are required to take a 3 week term called J-term where you take just one or two classes. Since they were offering a free course, I was able to get hold releases on my account and enroll. This gave us 3 more weeks to pay off the sum, which was an incredible opportunity to have more time.
God provides.
Finally, I come to the part of the story where God just blows me away through what He does. As J-term started my family knew I needed to work. Mazzio's couldn't give me any hours. We were at a loss at what to do. There was a gleam of hope because the financial aid adviser told us of a loan for $4000 we could apply for, which would be more than enough to cover the cost. So, we applied for it and waited. We waited and waited and waited to hear if we had been accepted. Six days before I HAD to enroll or go home, we got the letter that we had been rejected. Reality struck. I was going home. I would not be returning to OBU for the spring semester. I was driving back with Rachel from Oklahoma City when my mother called, and I was devastated. How could I leave my home? How could I leave my family? I would most likely have been back for the next Fall semester, but 7 months is a long time to be away from loved ones.
I didn't know what to do except pray, pleading with God in my room to let me stay, thinking of every excuse I could as to why I needed to stay. I asked my friends here and back home to start praying for me as well, and then the completely unexpected happened. Not 5 hours after I had got the news, I had offers by two of my friends to loan me the money I needed to enroll. I just started crying. They are poor college students too. If I wasn't able to pay them back, they wouldn't be able to return in the Fall. THAT, readers, is what family does, and I am so thankful for them. That they would be willing to put up that kind of sum just so I could stay here at OBU........Incredible.
God provides.
But my story doesn't stop there! The next day (today actually), I went and talked with the financial adviser one last time to see if there was anything I could do so my friends didn't have to sacrifice for me. Something about me: I have a VERY tough time asking for financial help. I always pay for other people's food, and have never asked to borrow money. So going up to the office with a heavy heart knowing I had to be honest about my situation was tough, but I had to do it. God came through again. Turns out, the loan we applied for had an asterisk. If my parents were rejected for the loan, that meant I could get the same amount ($4000) in un-subsidized loans. This meant that I could split the amount, pay off my account and then have more payed off next semester! On top of that, an anonymous donor payed off my meal plan and housing for J-term! If there ever was doubt that God wanted me here at OBU, it's gone now, completely.
God provides. Always.
--------------------
I know this is a long read, but it's hopefully worth it because it's awesome. I love that word by the way. Awesome. So, if you ever feel like God is giving up on you, don't, because he WILL pull through, I guarantee it.
So remember, God provides. Keep smiling!
Don't worry guys, you'll get your turn soon enough, but the story I have for you today shouldn't be kept to myself. I give glory to God in everything that has happened, and man, does He deserve it!
-------------------
Throughout my entire life, I believe God has been teaching me patience. There are so many situations and life circumstances I could list off to you that showed me the value of patience. But as for this story, it tells of God's unfailing faithfulness and how He ALWAYS provides.
Before I get going, I want to thank all of my wonderful, amazing, extravagant, completely legit, and AWESOME friends. I've only known my "sophomore friends" for less than 5 months, but I feel like they are my home away from home, my family. I have relationships within this group that I know will last for a lifetime.
I love you guys. :)
Anyway, back to my story. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Then, I was born. A couple years later I decided to attend a wonderful school: Oklahoma Baptist University. Now, what you have to understand is that this school is not cheap, by any means. So, the only way I was able to attend (even with the scholarships I got) was to work about 15-20 hours a week. Also, my mother had to find another job that could give her more hours.
I wasn't even in Shawnee for more than 2 hours when a job opportunity opened up. When I got to OBU, I knew I had to start applying for jobs, but I had no idea where to start. My parents and I decided to go Mazzio's Pizza for lunch (our favorite pizza place here in Oklahoma). We happened to have the head manager take our order and we started joking around about how I needed to find a job. Next thing I know, she's handing me a job application while I chomp down on my 24 meat pizza (exaggeration I know, but it was alot of meat). I fill it out and give her a call about a week later and discover that she had already planned to hire me. BEFORE I even handed in my application, before I even had a chance to do an interview, she gave me a job.
God provides.
I started getting into the flow of things at the beginning of the semester, balancing friends, school and work. Everything was great! Like I mentioned before I needed about 15-20 hours a week to cover the cost of the semester, but I was only getting about 10. Not what I wanted, but at least something. It made it tough, but doable. Then one day I get a call from my parents saying that my mother hasn't found a job yet and it's going to be tight, considering we also have to pay for my brother and sister's tuition (They attend a private high school). My heart sank a little bit when she told me she hadn't found employment, but then it soared. She told me that some anonymous donor had payed off both my brother's and my sister's tuition through the end of the year. Yes, 4 months worth of tuition done, payed for, taken care of.
God provides.
Then along came a little birdie called Brigadoon. This was the Fall production here on campus for the theater and music departments. I had not planned on auditioning because I knew there were night practices and I needed to work, but for some reason I pulled myself into it. I didn't even have to try out and I ended up singing bass for the chorus. Theater has been a huge part of my life, so I was thrilled to be apart of collegiate drama. However, I had not realized the MASSIVE time commitment. Long story short, because of Brigadoon, I ended up only being able to work a measly 6 hours a week at Mazzio's.
This is where the story takes a turn. My mother still had not found a job, so hope was starting to dwindle and my employment at Mazzio's was less than satisfactory. Because of this, we still owed $1800 dollars at the end of 2011. It may not seem like alot to some, but this figure was massive considering our situation. The best we could conjure up was around $400.
Now, here at OBU, freshmen are required to take a 3 week term called J-term where you take just one or two classes. Since they were offering a free course, I was able to get hold releases on my account and enroll. This gave us 3 more weeks to pay off the sum, which was an incredible opportunity to have more time.
God provides.
Finally, I come to the part of the story where God just blows me away through what He does. As J-term started my family knew I needed to work. Mazzio's couldn't give me any hours. We were at a loss at what to do. There was a gleam of hope because the financial aid adviser told us of a loan for $4000 we could apply for, which would be more than enough to cover the cost. So, we applied for it and waited. We waited and waited and waited to hear if we had been accepted. Six days before I HAD to enroll or go home, we got the letter that we had been rejected. Reality struck. I was going home. I would not be returning to OBU for the spring semester. I was driving back with Rachel from Oklahoma City when my mother called, and I was devastated. How could I leave my home? How could I leave my family? I would most likely have been back for the next Fall semester, but 7 months is a long time to be away from loved ones.
I didn't know what to do except pray, pleading with God in my room to let me stay, thinking of every excuse I could as to why I needed to stay. I asked my friends here and back home to start praying for me as well, and then the completely unexpected happened. Not 5 hours after I had got the news, I had offers by two of my friends to loan me the money I needed to enroll. I just started crying. They are poor college students too. If I wasn't able to pay them back, they wouldn't be able to return in the Fall. THAT, readers, is what family does, and I am so thankful for them. That they would be willing to put up that kind of sum just so I could stay here at OBU........Incredible.
God provides.
But my story doesn't stop there! The next day (today actually), I went and talked with the financial adviser one last time to see if there was anything I could do so my friends didn't have to sacrifice for me. Something about me: I have a VERY tough time asking for financial help. I always pay for other people's food, and have never asked to borrow money. So going up to the office with a heavy heart knowing I had to be honest about my situation was tough, but I had to do it. God came through again. Turns out, the loan we applied for had an asterisk. If my parents were rejected for the loan, that meant I could get the same amount ($4000) in un-subsidized loans. This meant that I could split the amount, pay off my account and then have more payed off next semester! On top of that, an anonymous donor payed off my meal plan and housing for J-term! If there ever was doubt that God wanted me here at OBU, it's gone now, completely.
God provides. Always.
--------------------
I know this is a long read, but it's hopefully worth it because it's awesome. I love that word by the way. Awesome. So, if you ever feel like God is giving up on you, don't, because he WILL pull through, I guarantee it.
So remember, God provides. Keep smiling!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Better three hours too soon than a minute too late (Women)
Hello again fellow enthusiasts! Not sure why I called you that, but just roll with it.
Two days ago, I finished reading through the entire book of Proverbs. What I did was simple, yet profound, and I'm sure many of you have done this yourself or thought about doing this. I read just one Proverb every day for 31 days.
Now, this endeavor was one I wish I had done a long time ago, because you would not believe how much STUFF is in that book! It's crazy! Proverbs touches on just about every topic you can think of from adultery to wisdom to laziness. If you ever get the chance, I encourage you deeply to partake in this journey.
Here's the crazy part. The reason I did this was actually for a girl....
God has blessed me in so many ways, its not even funny, but one blessing in particular is my wonderful girlfriend. Yes, here comes the cheese, but it's true. It's encouraging as a man in Christ to know there are godly women out there who care more about Him than me. Women who would rather be caught reading the Bible than Pride and Prejudice. Women that dress modestly because they understand that human men are screwed up sometimes. I have the privilege of dating one of these women. Thanks Rachel. :)
--------------------
As many of you know, Proverbs 31 applies directly to the kind of girl I've been talking about. If you have a Bible, I'd encourage you to open up to it and just read it. Doesn't matter if you're a man or a women, there are truths that can be learned.
In my view, this chapter doesn't just have to apply to marriage. I think we can live out the principle's set here in any relationship we have. With a friend, a father, a sister, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a roommate, a co-worker; anyone!
But speaking specifically about the 31st chapter I want to outline what God says a godly woman should be. Now, let me put this out here before I get going: Guys, you're not off the hook in any way, shape or form on this one. I'll touch on that topic a little later.
Anyway, back to Proverbs:
In verse 11 it says that, "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value." I think this is the first attribute outlined for a reason, and a good one at that. Here, God is saying that a guy can trust her fully, without doubt that she's being trustworthy. A key foundation to any relationship is trust, without it, the partnership falls apart because you can never know if you can be confident in the other person. Trust.
Continuing on in verse 13-14 it says, "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships bringing her food from afar." In my study Bible, the note for verse 14 says that "she is an enterprising person." I looked up enterprising for you, so here are a couple synonyms: Ambitious, go-getting, aspiring, vigorous, diligent, zealous and bold. This kind of woman has confidence in her Lord and wants to show it.
Let me pause for a second here and tell you that if I outlined ever single attribute laid out in the chapter, you could be reading for a while and I don't want to bore you, so I encourage you to delve in yourself and discover all this chapter has to say. Let me give you a few more that I really enjoyed.
Skipping over to verse 20, "She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Here's where a little of my thoughts come in. Let me tell you, there is nothing sexier than a woman who loves to serve others. I want to give an example from one of my friends here at OBU. Her name is Abby and she loves to cook. No, this is not another generic statement about how women should be making me a sandwich, rather its a thanks to all the great lady cooks out there. For instance, over a short break we had, I would go over to Abby's place and she would make me food (mmmm, grilled cheese). We had all kinds of fun dishes, and I am so thankful and grateful it. Not only does she make food, she wants to be a missionary. Talk about service right there.
Verse 24 says, "She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes." The reason I wanted to stick this one in here is because of my mother. Oh my goodness, my mother, I swear, is the queen of bargains. I hope she's fine with me using her as an example, but when you've got an awesome role model, it's hard to pass up. I can't even begin to explain how awesome our house looks, and at a fraction of the price you would think. Her interior design blows me away at how professional it looks. Also, she makes costumes! How cool is that? I don't want to get on a soap box about how awesome my mom is, so I'll get to the point, haha. To be a godly woman, I don't think you have to know to sew or make be an awesome interior designer, but something I want to pull out of this passage is the fact that she uses her gifts. A godly woman will capitalize on the opportunity to put to good use what God has gifted her with because she knows it's all for His glory.
Finally, verse 26 outlines one of my favorite attributes: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." That's right, she's wise. If you read through Proverbs, the key theme throughout the book is wisdom. God LOVES wisdom. Real men love wisdom. Real women love wisdom. It would take an entire book to outline what wisdom entails (which it did, by the way), but I want to leave you with this. Wisdom is born out of love for God and for others. I think it's a conscious effort to do things right. It's not being lazy or uncaring, but a true passion for those around you. A wise person will WANT to learn more about God and how to serve Him. If you take a look at Proverbs, you gain a better picture of what I'm talking about.That's all I have for today, and next week it's the guys turn. Ya, that's right, I haven't forgot, you're not off the hook yet.
--------------------
To finish, I want to acknowledge the wonderful and godly women in my life right now. First, my dear mother, there aren't enough words to express how amazing you are and how encouraging you've been. And too all the other ladies in my life, Rachel, Cheyenne, Abby, Haley, and my wonderful sister Alicia, thank for showing me what a godly woman is like. From all the guys out there, thanks.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30
Two days ago, I finished reading through the entire book of Proverbs. What I did was simple, yet profound, and I'm sure many of you have done this yourself or thought about doing this. I read just one Proverb every day for 31 days.
Now, this endeavor was one I wish I had done a long time ago, because you would not believe how much STUFF is in that book! It's crazy! Proverbs touches on just about every topic you can think of from adultery to wisdom to laziness. If you ever get the chance, I encourage you deeply to partake in this journey.
Here's the crazy part. The reason I did this was actually for a girl....
God has blessed me in so many ways, its not even funny, but one blessing in particular is my wonderful girlfriend. Yes, here comes the cheese, but it's true. It's encouraging as a man in Christ to know there are godly women out there who care more about Him than me. Women who would rather be caught reading the Bible than Pride and Prejudice. Women that dress modestly because they understand that human men are screwed up sometimes. I have the privilege of dating one of these women. Thanks Rachel. :)
--------------------
As many of you know, Proverbs 31 applies directly to the kind of girl I've been talking about. If you have a Bible, I'd encourage you to open up to it and just read it. Doesn't matter if you're a man or a women, there are truths that can be learned.
In my view, this chapter doesn't just have to apply to marriage. I think we can live out the principle's set here in any relationship we have. With a friend, a father, a sister, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a roommate, a co-worker; anyone!
But speaking specifically about the 31st chapter I want to outline what God says a godly woman should be. Now, let me put this out here before I get going: Guys, you're not off the hook in any way, shape or form on this one. I'll touch on that topic a little later.
Anyway, back to Proverbs:
In verse 11 it says that, "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value." I think this is the first attribute outlined for a reason, and a good one at that. Here, God is saying that a guy can trust her fully, without doubt that she's being trustworthy. A key foundation to any relationship is trust, without it, the partnership falls apart because you can never know if you can be confident in the other person. Trust.
Continuing on in verse 13-14 it says, "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships bringing her food from afar." In my study Bible, the note for verse 14 says that "she is an enterprising person." I looked up enterprising for you, so here are a couple synonyms: Ambitious, go-getting, aspiring, vigorous, diligent, zealous and bold. This kind of woman has confidence in her Lord and wants to show it.
Let me pause for a second here and tell you that if I outlined ever single attribute laid out in the chapter, you could be reading for a while and I don't want to bore you, so I encourage you to delve in yourself and discover all this chapter has to say. Let me give you a few more that I really enjoyed.
Skipping over to verse 20, "She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Here's where a little of my thoughts come in. Let me tell you, there is nothing sexier than a woman who loves to serve others. I want to give an example from one of my friends here at OBU. Her name is Abby and she loves to cook. No, this is not another generic statement about how women should be making me a sandwich, rather its a thanks to all the great lady cooks out there. For instance, over a short break we had, I would go over to Abby's place and she would make me food (mmmm, grilled cheese). We had all kinds of fun dishes, and I am so thankful and grateful it. Not only does she make food, she wants to be a missionary. Talk about service right there.
Verse 24 says, "She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes." The reason I wanted to stick this one in here is because of my mother. Oh my goodness, my mother, I swear, is the queen of bargains. I hope she's fine with me using her as an example, but when you've got an awesome role model, it's hard to pass up. I can't even begin to explain how awesome our house looks, and at a fraction of the price you would think. Her interior design blows me away at how professional it looks. Also, she makes costumes! How cool is that? I don't want to get on a soap box about how awesome my mom is, so I'll get to the point, haha. To be a godly woman, I don't think you have to know to sew or make be an awesome interior designer, but something I want to pull out of this passage is the fact that she uses her gifts. A godly woman will capitalize on the opportunity to put to good use what God has gifted her with because she knows it's all for His glory.
Finally, verse 26 outlines one of my favorite attributes: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." That's right, she's wise. If you read through Proverbs, the key theme throughout the book is wisdom. God LOVES wisdom. Real men love wisdom. Real women love wisdom. It would take an entire book to outline what wisdom entails (which it did, by the way), but I want to leave you with this. Wisdom is born out of love for God and for others. I think it's a conscious effort to do things right. It's not being lazy or uncaring, but a true passion for those around you. A wise person will WANT to learn more about God and how to serve Him. If you take a look at Proverbs, you gain a better picture of what I'm talking about.That's all I have for today, and next week it's the guys turn. Ya, that's right, I haven't forgot, you're not off the hook yet.
--------------------
To finish, I want to acknowledge the wonderful and godly women in my life right now. First, my dear mother, there aren't enough words to express how amazing you are and how encouraging you've been. And too all the other ladies in my life, Rachel, Cheyenne, Abby, Haley, and my wonderful sister Alicia, thank for showing me what a godly woman is like. From all the guys out there, thanks.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)