ARTISTS TELL YOU TO “DRAW WHAT YOU SEE,”
NOT WHAT YOU “THINK YOU SEE.”
AND BIBLE SCHOLARS WOULD TELL YOU TO READ WHAT IS THERE INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU THINK IS THERE WHEN YOU COME TO FAMILIAR PASSAGES.
This week I want you to really look at the Proverbs 31 woman, for so many have come to this passage with a picture already in their mind of a mousy
“Bill Gothard” kind of woman.
Considering the patriarchal culture in which this was written,
instead, she was a paradigm changer!
She reminds me of the 7 women in the new book by Eric Metaxas:
women like Susannah Wesley and Rosa Parks who cared intensely about their families, but also about a lost, hurting, and unjust world.
What was their secret and the secret of the Proverbs 31 woman?
She feared the Lord and did the next right thing.
Her beauty is not beyond us.
I LOVE THE WIT, WISDOM, AND WRITINGS OF ERIC METAXAS.
EVEN TIM KELLER SAYS IT IS DIFFICULT NOT “TO GUSH” ABOUT HIM.
HAVING JUST READ 7 MEN,
I EAGERLY AWAITED THE RELEASE OF 7 WOMEN A WEEK AGO.
IT WAS THE ANSWER TO PRAYER AS I APPROACHED PROVERBS 31.
WHO IS ERIC METAXAS?
I BECAME FAMILIAR WITH HIM THROUGH HIS BIOGRAPHY ON BONHOEFFER.
BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE. ABOUT ERIC METAXAS
HIS ARTICLE ON THE SCIENTIFIC EXISTENCE FOR GOD WAS THE MOST READ PIECE IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IN A DECADE: SCIENCE AND GOD
HIS SCALPEL FOR EXPOSING HYPOCRISY IS HUMOR,
SUCH AS HIS SATIRE ON DONALD TRUMP’S PROCLAIMED CHRISTIANITY
IN THE NEW YORKER: THE “TRUMP” BIBLE
YOU’LL WATCH AN INTERVIEW WITH METAXAS THIS WEEK,
AND THIS IS A GLIMPSE
OF HIS INTRODUCTION TO 7 WOMEN:
When I consider the seven women I chose, I see that most of them were great for reasons that derive precisely from their being women, not in spite of it; and what made them great has nothing to do with their being measured against or competing with men. In other words, their accomplishments are not gender-neutral but are rooted in their singularity as women. All of them existed and thrived as women and stand quite apart from anything touching the kind of thinking I encountered. …Joan of Arc is a good example…There was nothing even slightly “manly” about her. On the contrary, it was her youth, innocence, purity, and holiness that made it possible for her to do what she did. …Similarly, Rosa Parks was specifically chosen to do what she did because she was a woman. …Her feminine dignity was vital to the case.
What was the secret behind each of the women’s greatness? Because they feared and loved God, they did not fear man and were emboldened to do what was right, and in so doing, whether hiding the Jews, as Corrie ten Boom did, or training her children, as Susanna Wesley did, or influencing the culture about the evils of slavery through her poetry, as Hannah More did. And one day, their biological children and/or their spiritual children will rise up and call them blessed. You have the same power of the Almighty God in you, and He created you as a woman with special gifts that can be used to influence for good wherever He has placed you.
SUNDAY, Week One
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY
Proverbs 31 begins with a short piece of a mother’s warnings and exhortations to her son, the future king. None of us who are mothers or spiritual mothers know what these children will become, but we are called to be faithful. Many great men and women look back and praise their mothers.
2. What warnings and exhortations does this mother of a future king give to her son in Proverbs 31:1-9?
The next famous passage that we will spend our time on has intimidated many women. But instead of being intimidated, I want you to see how valuable you are as a woman in God’s eyes. There is nothing in Near Eastern literature, Ellen Davis says, that measures up to this biblical description of the value of a woman. Christianity has elevated the status of women. When Eric Metaxis writes about Hannah Moore, he tells of how her faith in God and her understanding of her value to Him helped her change the culture in which she lived — not only to see the African Americans who had been enslaved as equals with dignity, but to see wives, as equals, deserving of education.
Metaxas writes:
Hannah’s idea that a large part of women’s education should be to make them better companions in marriage may seem backward today, but it was forward thinking for the time. “Indeed,” says Karen Swallow Prior, “the companionate marriage — rather than the economically expedient one that had been the norm for all human history — was an idea advanced by evangelicals, including Hannah, who understood that marriage to be be an institution established to advance the kingdom of God, not property.” Hannah was not married, but she had a profound impact on William Wiberforce which was portrayed well in the movie Amazing Grace.
width=”400″
description=””
player=”5″
autoload=”true” autoplay=”false”
loop=”false” autorewind=”true”
/]
Ellen Davis says that there is nothing like this description of a woman in other religions, and in fact, she may personify the Lady Wisdom we have seen throughout proverbs. She definitely elevates the importance of the homemaker, but was not confined to that. She is a composite of all that is good in femininity, but do not be intimidated by her, for in many ways she represents the Bride of Christ. We can’t each do everything, but together we are, as the Song of Songs says, “like an army with banners.” By abiding in Him and listening to His calling for each day, our impact can ripple out through the generations.
3. What thoughts do you have on the above way of looking at the Proverbs 31 woman?
Another great believer who was friends with John Newton and William Wilberforce was Charles Wesley, the son of Susanna Wesley. His conversion experience is recorded in his most famous hymn (other than Hark the Herald Angels) Prepare your heart with this:
4. Read Proverbs 10:10-12 and describe an excellent wife.
I am so inspired by Susana Wesley and the mighty sons she raised: John and Charles. One of her famous quotes has been a bar for my life:
Do not live lives as the rest of humankind, who
pass through the world like straws upon a river,
which are carried which way the stream or wind drives them
Susanna raised very godly children, often without the help of her husband. He was often absent, in debt, or discouraging to her. When her church was failing under poor leadership and Samuel was gone, she began to read Samuel’s sermons aloud in her house on Sunday evenings. Soon her home was packed. Samuel wrote her to stop. She wrote back in a way that I think who respects God’s command for submission, but also fears the Lord.
“If you do, after all, think fit to dissolve this assembly, do not tell me that you desire me to do it, for that will not satisfy my conscience; but send me your positive command, in such full and express terms, as may absolve me from guilt and punishment for neglecting this opportunity of doing good, when you and I shall stand before the great and awful tribunal of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
5. What do you think of Susanna’s response to her husband?
6. If you are married, do you think your husband’s heart trusts in you? Why or why not?
This Proverbs 31 woman is obviously wealthy and has servants. She also is certainly not confined to the home.
7. According to Proverbs 31:13-24, what are some of her various business endeavors?
8. How do you see her interest in helping the poor?
9. Meditate on Proverbs 31:25-27. I’m hoping you can read it over and over. Share anything that quickens you.
Thursday-Friday
This is long — but so interesting and entertaining. Videotaped just this month, the day of the 2nd Republican Debate.
10. Share your notes and comments on the above.
Saturday
11. What is your take-a-way and why?
162 comments
Cyndi–your whole post above made my eyes tear up! I read it earlier today and have been out all day–wanting to get back here and quickly praise Him with you! What a testimony! I LOVE this too that you added: “looking back is such a healing important thing!”–as Dee has taught so many times, “remember His faithfulness in the past”–oh how important that is, especially when the storms do come again, and the trials stir doubts and idols begin to call out (speaking of myself now!)–it is so crucial that we recall what He has taught us, and what He has done. Thank you for sharing all of this Cyndi–then and now 🙂
9. Meditate on Proverbs 31:25-27. I’m hoping you can read it over and over. Share anything that quickens you.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing,”—she is daily “dressed” in the Lord’s strength—like daily manna, she must first go to Him for this.
“she laughs at the time to come”—she is not fearful, not only of tomorrow, but of eternity—she is at rest in the sovereignty of the Lord, and so her Spirit is light
“She opens her mouth with wisdom”—to have to open her mouth, implies it is not ALWAYS open! She is careful what she says, prayerful for wisdom.
“the teaching of kindness is on her tongue”—while I’m no avide seamstress, I may struggle most with this attribute. I am generally “kind”, but when I am teaching an important truth to my children, a “lesson”—so often kindness seems to be the first thing I let go. Lord, may my teaching words be filled with grace and mercy, balanced with truth.
“She looks well to the ways of her household”—She goes beyond my unspoken vow to never let us run out of toilet paper (I don’t know where I got it, but it’s in me!) The NIV says “she watches over the affairs”—not in a “helicopter mom” way, but she is involved with her family and what they are going through. It’s obviously important that I know my kids’ friends, and keep up with what they are going through. Early on in our marriage I made a point to understand (as best I could) what my husband does at work each day, and to know the people & their families, their issues—and still today even, we were just on a walk and we were able to pray about some relationships there, some struggles within families of co-workers…I cannot count how many times my husband has told me how much he appreciates my being interested in his daily life in this way.
“and does not eat the bread of idleness”—I am reminded of 2 Thessalonians 3:11: “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.” To be busy as work, at being productive, useful, helpful—while its easy for me to make an IDOL of productivity, hard work is also a great deterrent from being a “busy-body”! I think especially in the work environment, it can be so easy to turn to gossip when you take a break from work…but to stay focused on what the Lord has assigned for me for the day, keeps my mind on things of Him.
EEK–this got a little too long–sorry!
What she said….
🙂
5. What do you think of Susannah’s response to her husband?
I admire her courage for responding this way to her husband. I believe that if I as my own person sincerely seek the Lord’s will in all that I do, I should not be afraid to speak up with my husband even if it is contrary to what he would say or do. After all, we are on the same level ground at the foot of the cross. But even as I say this, I have waited on the Lord for a few years to open my husband’s eyes to my point of view and when he finally relented the timing couldn’t be any better! I feel like my submission to him at that moment was a gift definitely from God and not my own doing.
Just finished the video. Really good. What stood out the absolute most to me was Eric’s humility in the face of applause and praise at the end. Verifies his genuineness and sincerity…
If you are married, do you think your husband’s heart trusts in you? Why or why not?
I’m not sure this question is clear to me. Yes, I think he trusts me. We have been married 26 years and been through some ups and downs though. What do you mean by his heart trusting me? Do you mean does he love me? I’m confused.
7. According to Proverbs 31:13-24, what are some of her various business endeavors?
She is a seamstress, a chef , a realtor, a farmer, a cop, a saleswoman, an inventor, a philanthropist, a preacher, a businesswoman, and a delivery service. Whew! I think I might have missed a couple also! My friend and I have a private joke about all the things we a “responsible” for in our homes. When a new “job” comes up, we say things like,”of course, it’s moms job to do, right?” No one else would know how!” We are just expected to figure it out because others wouldn’t be able to, obviously. (!) we are typically exhausted.
I think by “trusts in her” it means does he feel safe emotionally with her, does he know he can screw up without his wife adding insult to injury. is his wife a safe place to come home to at night and know that he is gong to be renewed and refreshed rather then beat down. the world beets men down….they have to be strong all day long, I think if a man trusts in his wife then he can feel safe to be hurt or fail and know that the one place he can go and not feel critisized and belittled is his wifes arms.
how I wish i was this wife to paul long before I was!!!
Cyndi – I loved your post about the heart changes the the Lord has led to you to…..and how this has impacted your marraige directly. I actually replied to your post and then accidentally deleted it earlier!! But I do resonate with your words. If I were to share the testimony of God’s work in my own marraige over the past year and a half you would see that we have MUCH in common! Mainly….it was MY HEART that needed change. In the spring of 2014 I began to hunger for Jesus in ways that were almost scary – I had never been quite there before…..and what followed was that peace that passes all understanding. The next six months were VERY difficult and the chaos in my marraige reached a pinnacle. And then…..the past year has been something that I could never explain. As I asked God to soften my heart toward my husband in particular (in the midst of VERY painful fallout from his anger!) things began to change. In some ways it was like having scales fall off my eyes and I began to see so MUCH in my husband that I loved and admired. In the midst of terrible hardship and grief, our marraige began to flourish. I quote this verse here often…..but I truly have seen the Lord’s heart for us in Joel 2:25 lived out in our marraige: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…..” God takes the shattered pieces of our lives….what looks destroyed forever – and RESTORES. Does that mean that every broken marraige will be restored? No. But OUR HEARTS will be restored…..and who knows what awaits us when that happens? God is so good.
WOW, yes, we do have a lot in common! such a amazing testimony to Gods faithfulness and power in our hearts!
Cyndi and Jackie,
Thank you for telling your stories about your marriages here. I am needing for the Lord to soften my heart towards my husband. Needing His help and heart to be that “safe place” for my husband. Oh, how I wish I could go back and do some things over, respond to my husband differently.
Jackie thank you for sharing your testimony. Amen ” a restored heart” Lord dear stonecutter of our hearts keep doing the surgery that is needed to take out the stony areas of this servants heart. Help me to trust You with the hearts of others and take the scalpel I may have in my hand for that job out of my hand it is your job not mine.
Nila – It’s really important for me to say publicly that I so hope you do know that I would NEVER want anything I shared here to put unnecessary pressure on your beautiful heart. While I think that all of us need the Lord’s chiseling of our stony hearts (for we all have stony hearts somewhere along the way!), I would never want to imply even slightly that I asked the Lord to mold my heart and began to live out happily ever after! I do think that you have begun to know me and my “story” well enough to know that is NOT the case!!! He knows every tiny nook and cranny of each of our souls…..and the details of each of our marriages – His workings in our marriages are not going to be “cookie cutter” patterns….though we know His Word will stand firm forever, we also know that the path to repentance for each one of us is going to look a little different. I certainly include our husbands’ in this! He knows precisely how to draw us to repentance…..or, so fearfully that I even tremble to write it….when to “give us up” (Romans 1…..though certainly this passage is referencing unbelievers – which some of our family members are). We can trust Him fully. Which I have seen you doing again and again and again……be blessed in Him today, my beloved sister. 🙂
Thanks Cyndi! That helps so much! I am sad to say I am guilty of berating my husband at times 🙁 I have gotten better over the years but I could slap myself upside the head too!
Great answer Cyndi
6. for years Paul was right to not trust in me. I was his harshest critic. He would come home and I was instantly needing something, making sure he knew that I was working way harder then he was, that i was a better parent, that I was a better servant of Jesus, that I was the better spouse and that he just did not measure up, He knew I was disappointed in him all the time.
please understand that I did not KNOW that that is what i was doing at the time! if someone had called me out I would have defended myself to the death! He was not a leader, he did not play with the kids, he did not….you fill in the blank! I was justified in my complaints.
OH how I wish I could go back to that women and slap her up side the head!!!!
6. If you are married, do you think your husband’s heart trusts in you? Why or why not?
After 27 years of marriage, I feel like I have grown in knowing what trust looks like for my husband. It means him coming home to a house where he can rest from the world’s constant demands on him. It means he can talk about things he care deeply about without being judged or being interrupted. It means keeping his confidence and not speaking negatively about him with others. I have a long ways to go but he tells me ” I trust you, Bing to bring good to me and our family. No ,you are not perfect but I know your heart.”
8. How do you see her interest in helping the poor?
She wants to help the poor using her hands; I take that as cooking, cleaning, and doing general work for them. She reminded her son to help them as well, at the beginning.
9. Meditate on Proverbs 31:25-27. I’m hoping you can read it over and over. Share anything that quickens you.
When my friend was struggling with watching her mother die a year ago, she asked me for some bible verses that might work for the funeral. She wanted something “beautiful.” She is not a Christian (and claims this over and over, almost like a war badge). Her parents are/were believers and they had a Catholic mass funeral service for the mom.
I went looking for verses and ran across this one, not knowing anything about the Proverbs 31 woman. I didn’t know she was anything special, or that people talked about her! I just thought she was a pretty amazing gal and I wanted to be like her! I told my friend that the end of the verse was nice,
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.””
Proverbs 31:25-29 ESV
I don’t think she used that in the ceremony, but I got her to read the bible (and it is beautiful!)
I also like this:
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30 ESV
It reminds me of what is important in life; not the makeup, clothes, children, house or job, but our God.
I would like to be on your email list and /or receive your BIble studies and devotionals, etc.
6. If you are married, do you think your husband’s heart trusts in you? Why or why not?
He said yes. 🙂
Now that’s a way to find out!
I have to say as far as answering this question about your husband trusting you. It is no secret yet sometimes to be honest ” I wish it were” I am separated from my husband praying for reconciliation but trying to navigate thru this new change in my life for the moment. I see my husband frequently and one of the first things he said in a discussion about this new arrangement is ” he missed having someone in the house he could trust” I kind of found the comment a bit odd yet comforting and so when this question was asked I had to chime in.
Liz – that is a stunning statement from your husband. It is amazing to me how the Lord has opened his eyes! How my heart goes out to you……walking out the Lord’s will for you day by day in a very uncertain and unwanted situation. I could not help but chuckle at your earlier entry about desiring that the Lord would take the scalpel out of your hands!!! Keep on keeping on with Jesus, Liz. He will not fail you. I think that your separation was wise and biblical – and I am praying along with you that it might lead to reconciliation. Whatever might come…..”God has called you to peace.” (1 Cor 7:15b).
5. What do you think of Susanah’s response to her husband? I followed so very many rabbit trails this week that I’m almost exhausted – but what a great week of digging and exploring! First of all – reading Susanah’s words here and more about her in the book “7 Women” left me a little unsettled, to say the least. Her response to her husband was SO wise…..as many here have shared, she seemed to hit that perfect note of submission and loving exhortation to her husband. Dee, you had mentioned wondering how I would see the book – so I’ll digress a bit here (a lot, actually!) with regard to Metaxas presentation of Susanah. Very near the end of his biography of Susanah, after presenting a lifetime of near herculean perseverance and good works, Metaxas drops in something a bit perplexing and leaves us to read between the lines – or not! I’m speaking here of the conversion of Charles and John Wesley within three days of one another – well into their 30’s. Here I’ll quote from Dr. Roger Green of Gordon college….as quoted in Christianity Today in October, 1990: ” Until their conversions the Wesley’s had what John described as a ‘fair summer religion’. They were both ordained. They both preached, taught, wrote, composed hymns, and even gave themselves in missionary work – all to no avail. They had not Christ, or rather, Christ did not have them. They lived by good works, but not by faith.”
REALLY?????? WHY do we not remember this part of the Wesley story more often? This is from Metaxas’ chapter on Susanah : “The Wesley brothers share their views with their mother, who had taught her children, as she put it in a letter to Samuel when he was a teenager, to ‘carefully work out your salvation with fear and trembling, lest you should finally miscarry.” Hmm. It was interesting to me that all throughout Metaxas words on Susanah, I kept thinking about Galatians chapter 3 – works and grace. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that in reading about Susanah, I saw much more of “religion” and not so much of “grace”. The digging that I did on John and Charles only confirmed that impression…..they were living VERY religious lives – and then, were born again!! In regard to John and Charles I see Galatians 3:23&24 : “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”
I’m really left wondering about when Susanah actually came to a saving faith in Christ. Is it possible that she came to that place after the conversion of her adult sons?? Or did they both just entirely miss the mark of her faith in Christ as the only way of salvation after all of those years? Certainly a case could be made for either! What I do love is that Metaxas included, in particular, an excerpt from a letter to Charles that Susanah wrote to him after his conversion…..in this letter she repeatedly makes mention of her delight that he has experienced his need of a Saviour, and a very personal one at that! Her story was so fascinating that it led me to do all of this outside reading this week…..the Wesley family is surely a picture of a Mighty God invades the lives of people and turns them upside down for His Glory!! Amen.
jackie, this is good! I listened to the Metaxes interview and am now a follower! I LOVE him! Almost as much as Keller (Don’t tell!). I have to get his books and read them now 🙂
I think you hit the nail on the head here…John Wesley’s “Rules for Singing” I posted at the top this week elude to this idea of rituals, not Jesus. You made me think here. Thanks!
Laura – yes, Metaxas is your kind of voice isn’t he?? I think you have found a gold mine of challenge in becoming aware that he is out there!! 🙂 Your passion to learn and grow in Christ is contagious too!!
That is interesting, Jackie. It is an Arminian view, which historical Methodists hold. My understanding is that Wesleyan Aerminian’s are different than Jacobus (spelling) in that they don’t think the loss of salvation can be final. For what it is worth, this is Wikipedia:
Dee – thank you for that extremely pertinent reminder of the Arminian perspective that the Wesley’s held to ……I had to do a little more digging! I had thought that George Whitefield was more Calvanistic in his views…..but I was unaware of the “break” between Whitefield and Wesley (John) over (in large part)this issue….just endlessly intriguing!! But the moral of the story surely remains the story of God breaking in on human lives…. wow! 🙂 “And can it be…..that I should gain…..”
It is interesting — when you listen to the words of those great hymns you don’t doubt their salvation — and they certainly had more fruitful lives than I will ever have! But oh, I’m so thankful for the Reformed viewpoint, and I do, may I say, think it is what the Word supports. Yet we are brothers and sisters. Fun to mull it over with you.
Sorry all, that I’m being so “wordy” here! I have some time on my hands because of our rough weather and the cancellation of my weekend dogs because of how that affected my clients’ travel plans!! Lizzy….you are on my heart because one of my clients was headed to Charleston, SC…..but the college event they were headed to was cancelled due to the 12 inches of rain and wind and general havoc forecast. As soon as they contacted me to cancel I thought “pray for Lizzy!”. 🙂
Jackie–I’m just gonna say that for some reason I am crying! I was reading through comments, soaking up the truth–and then see this, from you, for me, and it just stopped me–with tears! For reasons beyond (though partly because of) the weather–your prayers are SO APPRECIATED RIGHT NOW. Bless you sister, what a tender heart you have that hears His voice, as a true and faithful Lamb.
He knows it all Lizzy….that’s what He wanted you to know. 🙂 His tender heart for you……
Lizzy, you have been in my prayers, too. I have been following the hurricane and rain storms closely as we live in Virginia and will be effected by flooding, etc. every time I check the weather I see SC and pray for Lizzy, and I see MD and pray for Jackie….
6. If you are married, do you think your husband’s heart trusts in you? Why or why not? No. I asked him, hoping maybe I was wrong, but he concurred. Why not? Because I spent so many years being manipulative and seeking my own happiness rather than Christ or understanding what true love is. I had hoped that when Christ got ahold of my heart and began His good work of a new creature that things like this would “magically” fall into place, but alas the road must be traveled, and usually painfully so. I cannot change the past but I can look to my Hope and Future and in that find peace, my journey is in His hands, always has been even in my mistakes.
7. According to Proverbs 31:13-24, what are some of her various business endeavors? She chooses resources, works with her hands, brings in necessities and provides them fairly to those she is in charge of. She seeks opportunity for profit, to do more than the bare minimum, more than she is expected to, seeking to better her situation and then, when she does, she uses the extra resources for even greater good. Again, she works hard with her own hands and arms, I can assume this has made her strong to continue doing so. She does servant’s work as well as overseer type work. She ministers to the poor and needy, offering comfort in both attention and resources. She supports her husband in his work. She sells clothes.
8. How do you see her interest in helping the poor? She uses her gain for others, not for herself. All of what she does could be for self gain but because she opens her arms to the needy and extends her hand (offers help) to the poor then we can view what she does through a lens of humility rather than self-gain and greediness.
Jill — you are certainly on the right road now and in time I believe your husband’s heart will trust in you!
Jill, I so appreciate your honesty in answering #1. I haven’t asked my husband this question yet and I’m afraid to. I still feel like I have so much to learn about what “true love is”.
Yes, Jill. As Dee and Susan have noted and encouraged you…..that was a bold thing to share with us. AND …..just as your trust in the Lord is a growing thing….I think your husband’s trust in you will be so as well. Everything about your first paragraph speaks of the Refiners’ purifying in your life. There is such a softness about you that bleeds through even your words through cyber space! Many of us here know a bit about walking that road you speak of…..”I spent so many years being manipulative and seeking my own happiness rather than Christ or understanding what true love is.” The Lord’s sanctifying work in you is beautiful to behold. 🙂
Jill,
Thank you for your piercingly honest response to # 6. My husband would have said the same and for the same reasons. Your statement of hope at the end of your response is life-giving, Jill:
I cannot change the past but I can look to my Hope and Future and in that find peace, my journey is in His hands, always has been even in my mistakes.
Jill, I have been where you are. The only way to get to the other side is through prayer, constant, on your knees, begging kind of prayer. that and letting go of the need to be right….that is a hard one! because of course we ARE right 😉 but they dont have to know that! just kidding, kinda!
God apposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…I felt no grace because I was so full of pride….
Oh, my goodness! What I have missed in Eric Metaxas! What a great guy for God. Praise you, Lord! So many exhortation that reached deep. I took some notes but please forgive my grammatical errors and the length of this comment:
1. People who have been humbled-a key to greatness.
2. Faith and intellect can go together.
3. The media doesn’t speak the language of people of faith. They are either jus simply ignorant or just uncomfortable with faith related matters.
4. If you really believe in Jesus, you will act on it.
5. Faith and science are compatible.
6. Faith is reasonable-it is leaping into the light.
7. We are called to live out our faith no matter what we do or where we are at.
8. Live your faith-the most important apologetics.
9. You can know. We just don’t hope-we can know. God wants us to know.
10. Ours is a spiritual battle.
I love the fact that he wanted people to pray for him to have a platform but most of all that he would stay humble and keep to the straight and narrow.
As a woman, I appreciate what he said about Rosa Parks being a seamstress and that in that lowly estate because she stood up for Christian principles, God used her and she is a voice that has continued to ring through the ages. I hope to get his book on Seven Women.
Dee, thank you so much for this proverbs 31study and to all who make up this blog. You have all sharpened and challenged me to be the woman God has called me to be. I am a work in progress and thank you for walking the journey with me.
I listened to the Metaxes interview and wow oh wow!!!! as I said above to Jackie, I love him almost as much as Keller! I MUST read something of his now. He said something at the beginning of the interview that I have been saying for years now…..(is he reading my mind????)
I have long thought how we, as a secular society have portrayed men. Going back to my own father; he was a musician, not very athletic, more “artsy.” He wasn’t gay. It seems we have lost the Renaissance man in our society. They are only given 2 choices: athlete or gay! It’s crazy. I am a dancer, who has danced for 45 years. I have danced with men who are NOT gay. It is a stereotype that all male dancers are gay; it makes me mad. I am buying 4 copies of his 7 Men book for me and husband and our three boys. Metaxes is correct; we need to hear these stories. After that I will buy the 7Women book!
other thoughts? He was so funny! I want to be like him…..he said we need to live out our lives as Jesus would have, in all we do. We need to show Jesus through our actions (which I am trying to do daily now). Thank you for sharing this interview.
By the way, Dee, I have tried to open the link to the WSJ article several times and I can’t get the article unless I subscribe. Is there another link to just the article? Thanks!
I found the articles on his website.
It’s fun for me to see new Metaxas fans!
7. According to Proverbs 31:13-24, what are some of her various business endeavors?
She goes out to inspect a field, and then buys it. So she must have knowledge of soil conditions and what would make a good field for growing things. With her earnings, she plants a vineyard. She “sees that her business affairs go well”, and she’s up well into the night. Perhaps she is going over the books, or records, of her business affairs. She makes linen garments and sells them and supplies the merchants with sashes – that would be a “home business”.
8. How do you see her interest in helping the poor?
She “reaches out to embrace the poor and opens her arms to the needy”. Her care and concern goes beyond the borders of her own family and household. She must be setting aside some money to help the poor.
9. Meditate on Proverbs 31:25-27. I’m hoping you can read it over and over. Share anything that quickens you.
This woman has a hope and a future, I think, because she is “clothed with strength and dignity”. This speaks of her character, that she spends her time developing her inner person and is not consumed with her appearance, her possessions, her status; in other words, she is not chasing after idols. As we age, many of the things we tend to make idols out of are taken away, and if our identity, hope, and happiness is wrapped-up in them, then we cannot laugh at the future.
This passage also says that “when she opens her mouth”, she speaks kindly…the emphasis on “when”. She doesn’t prattle on and on, she listens well. Reminds me of the proverbs that says that when words are many, sin is not absent. Her words seem to be few, but when she does speak, she has something to say.
You had me at the beginning of the week with the drawings of the trees. Have been thinking about that off and on all week. So much ‘clicked’ this morning. I’m praying that it’s time for me to be back here. I miss these studies and all of you.
Renee – you have been missed – it’s not the same without you. 🙁
Renee,
I’ve missed you here. Not the same without you.
Renee, I miss you, too. And I hope you are feeling better nowadays.
Renee — would love to have you back. I need you on this next journey to keep me focused on the Lord and not the illustrations! And I too miss you.
Found this 11 minute youtube autobiography of Eric Metaxas’s conversion to Christ. Produced by the “I Am Second” series. So heartening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_GTMgckqi4
Thanks, Nila for sharing this with us.
Isn’t that the most interesting testimony?
So we went to the “Common Good” conference our church held in Kansas City this weekend. It relates to our study for it was about leaders coming together in the local church loving the poor in our communities in building relationships helping them to flourish in their gifts and talents. Talk about God stoking the fire He has put inside from Dee mentoring me all these years! Brian Fikkert, who is the Executive Director of the Chalmers center and wrote When Helping Hurts, spoke. I about cried when he said, to serve the poor you can’t throw money at them, you have to realize first that you are poor too-we aren’t high and mighty over them. We aren’t there to fix them..Then he said, first thing that must happen with us is repentance, then pressing into God and drawing close. There was so much more but I thought of the Proverbs woman helping the poor and wondered if she could so generously because she saw that she was poor too and God became poor for us.
This week’s study left me with many thoughts but as I concluded last night I was led to pray for God’s guidance in pursuit of the ideals that I noted in the verses 25-27. I ask for God’s help to be strong and kind and industrious for him. Though I fail many times God lifts me up and brings me back on course.
Over the years I have made progress in baby steps in turning from the manipulation and selfish desires to allow more of that love to change me.
It was very good to watch the Metaxas interview and to enjoy his humor after the serious study! I really enjoyed his jokes. Yes we need to be addicted to heroines! Loved that- and his books are on my list- both 7 Men and 7 Women!