Everyone talks about her. Every Christian woman strives to be her. Often when women experience problems living the abundant christian life we turn to that chapter in Proverbs and vow to be as she is. I don't know about you, but that passage exhausts me. She gives to the needy and poor, is both a merchant and homemaker, sews her own clothes, is wise beyond measure, she is the last one asleep and the first one up. I get exhausted just writing about her. The problem is that we take this passage out of the context of the new convenant of Christ. All the things in Proverbs 31 are wonderful traits, traits that we should have. But those traits have got to come out of love for the Lord. All those things will come out of the freedom we find in Christ. I once heard a friend say "Religion is obeying to earn love and approval, having a relationship with Jesus means that we obey because we
know His love." We can give to the needy out of obligation, or we can give out of thankfulness that the Lord has blessed us with much. One is exhausting. The other is a blessing. The truth about proverbs 31 is that it is a
heart issue. Without being free, without knowing from your head to your toes that you are loved beyond measure, these traits are nothing but exhausting good works. Can you see now how this passage can be misleading? If you read it and think "Oh dear, I must develop all those traits. I've got to put a to do list together," than you reading it through a heart that is still in bondage to the Law. The Law, Paul says only serves its purpose in pointing out how insufficient we are. The only thing we must do to be that proverbs woman is to love the Lord. All those traits will flow out of that love naturally. When we love the Lord with all our heart, when we speak and talk and walk with Him daily, when we let him
free our hearts from bondage, that my friends is when we become the Proverbs 31 woman. That's when we become beautiful.
Everyone talks about her. Every Christian woman strives to be her. Often when women experience problems living the abundant christian life we turn to that chapter in Proverbs and vow to be as she is. I don't know about you, but that passage exhausts me. She gives to the needy and poor, is both a merchant and homemaker, sews her own clothes, is wise beyond measure, she is the last one asleep and the first one up. I get exhausted just writing about her. The problem is that we take this passage out of the context of the new convenant of Christ. All the things in Proverbs 31 are wonderful traits, traits that we should have. But those traits have got to come out of love for the Lord. All those things will come out of the freedom we find in Christ. I once heard a friend say "Religion is obeying to earn love and approval, having a relationship with Jesus means that we obey because we know His love." We can give to the needy out of obligation, or we can give out of thankfulness that the Lord has blessed us with much. One is exhausting. The other is a blessing. The truth about proverbs 31 is that it is a heart issue. Without being free, without knowing from your head to your toes that you are loved beyond measure, these traits are nothing but exhausting good works. Can you see now how this passage can be misleading? If you read it and think "Oh dear, I must develop all those traits. I've got to put a to do list together," than you reading it through a heart that is still in bondage to the Law. The Law, Paul says only serves its purpose in pointing out how insufficient we are. The only thing we must do to be that proverbs woman is to love the Lord. All those traits will flow out of that love naturally. When we love the Lord with all our heart, when we speak and talk and walk with Him daily, when we let him free our hearts from bondage, that my friends is when we become the Proverbs 31 woman. That's when we become beautiful.
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