BACKGROUND:
Cold weather does not cause this Proverbs 31 woman to panic for her household; she is prepared for it. She has clothed her family in scarlet, that is, she has provided expensive garments. She spares no cost in protecting her family from the cold.
She even makes her family’s bed coverings. She clothes herself in fine linen and purple. Linen is made from flax (v. 13) and purple is a dye made from a shellfish. Her own clothes were evidences of her family’s well-to-do position.
This noble woman enhances her husband’s standing among those who transact legal and judicial affairs at the city gate among the elders. Though she is obviously aggressive and competent, she functions in a way that honors her husband’s leadership rather then denigrates it. She respects him and builds him up.
She is no shameful weakling. Also she can laugh at the future, that is, face it with confidence (v. 21).
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
The book of Proverbs says “For the Lord grants wisdom. [That’s where you get wisdom from.] For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will fill you with joy. Happy is the person who finds wisdom. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won’t limp or stumble as you run.”
The key word is the word “if”. IF you and I choose to live a life guided by God’s wisdom, we move from the good life to the better life. If. If we allow God’s wisdom to soak into our hearts and our minds. I believe wisdom begins when you and I decide that we’re going to leave the world’s wisdom behind and we’re going to pursue God’s wisdom. That's really what the Proverbs 31 woman demonstrates to each of us.
This message is for everybody. I want to give you a snapshot of what God promises His word will do in the life of a person. God’s word will…
#1. God’s word will strengthen you faith.
That’s a promise. As you take in God’s word it will strengthen your faith. It will make you a stronger follower of Christ. Acts 20 says “And now I entrust you to God and His care and to His wonderful words that are able to build your faith and give you all the inheritance of those who are set apart for Himself.” Many things will strengthen your faith. You might be in a LIFE group. Will that strengthen your faith? Yes. You might read a Christian book. That will strengthen your faith. You might be around some Christian friends. That will strengthen your faith. You come to church and listen to a sermon. That will strengthen your faith.
But all those things are other people feeding you. But when you learn to feed yourself off of God’s word you can grow spiritually every day. You don’t have to wait for the weekend to roll around and you don’t have to rely on others. God’s word will strengthen your faith.
The second thing God’s word will do is…
#2. Guide your decisions.
God promises to help in our decision making process, to give us His wisdom if we’d follow it. Some of the greatest decision-makers in our country have pointed back to God’s word to enhance and guide their decisions. This week as I was doing this study I found that many of our presidents point back to the Bible: George Washington said this, “It’s impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” Abraham Lincoln said, “The Bible is the best gift God has given to man. Without it we could not know right from wrong.” Theodore Roosevelt said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” Bill Clinton said, “I didn’t read some very important sections of the Bible. Party on!” (Just kidding!)
God promises to guide us through His word. Psalm 119 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” I love that imagery. God’s word is like a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. When do we need a light? In the darkness. You need a light. God's Word is that light.
The third thing that God’s Word will do is
#3. It will change your heart.
This is a biggie. When your heart’s changed your life is changed. Hebrews 4:12says, “For the Word of God is full of living power. [It’s not just a book. It’s alive and active.] It’s sharper than the sharpest knife cutting deep into our innermost and desires. It’s exposes us for what we really are.”
The Bible says the Bible is like a knife. What is a knife used for? It’s used for cutting away things that aren’t important, that aren’t vital. When you allow God’s word to soak into your life, it cuts away the stuff from your heart that keeps you from living life to its fullest. It changes your heart.
If you want the wisdom and the perseverance and the work ethic of the Proverbs 31 woman, you need to be in the Word. You need to study the Word. You need to live the Word. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.
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