REVIEW - Proverbs 31

Hello Ladies,

I pray that all is well with you today.  I hope that you all had a joyful Father's Day and had an opportunity to celebrate the men in your lives.  Whether it was a father, husband, brother, uncle, friend, father figure, etc., I hope you celebrated someone.  Everyone deserves to be celebrated at some point of their lives. 

Additionally, I hope that you found something wonderful to bless yourselves with for a reward.  This has been a great journey of obedience, sacrifice, submission, and reward.  Whatever stride you've made, whether large or small, deserves recognition.  An effort is definitely worth an acknowledgement.

This week we will just review the main points covered over the seven lessons of the Proverbs 31 woman.  It is a simple review or refresher, at-a-glance, for your convenience.  I find that when I enjoy a lesson, series, or a book, it is good to have a quick note reference sheet to refresh my memory from time-to-time.  Therefore, I hope this will aid you in that point.

Lesson 1 - A Wife of Noble Character
Proverbs 31:10 - to be a virtuous woman

• Seek God first
• Build relationship with Him
• Study His word
• Practice His precepts

Lesson 2 - A Woman Who Honors
Proverbs 31: 11-12 - to be trustworthy

• Maintaining good character
• Exhibiting biblical behavior
• Rendering a feeling of reliance
• Extending honor

Lesson 3 - A True Help Mate
Proverbs 31:13-19 - a disciplined woman

• Exhibit biblical levels of discipline
• Operate in excellence with your gifts
• Submit to God's authority
• Operate in your Godly purpose

Lesson 4 - A Diligent Woman: Keeper of the Home
Proverbs 31:20-22, 27 - a blessing to others

• Practice and development time management
• Be mindful of financial accountability/responsibility
• Be a supportive foundation to loved ones
• Exhibit a charitable spirit

Lesson 5 - A Godly Wife
Proverbs 31:23-26 - true submission

• Diligent in Ephesians 5 submission
• Gracious in your approach
• Choosing obedience over sacrifice
• Protecting your husband's heart

Lesson 6 - Nurturer of the Family
Proverbs 31:27-29 - speaking their language

• Nourishing sustainability
• Fostering talents
• Loving in their love language
• Encouraging growth and development (spiritually, mentally, physically)

Lesson 7 - A Servant's Reward
Proverbs 31:30-31 - consistent obedience

• Bearing good fruit
• Assiduous obedience
• Godly motivated servitude
• Practicing a Godly standard of life

Well Ladies, that is it in a nutshell!  Next week, we will take a break.  If you would like to get  a jump on things, you can review the book of Esther.  Next, we will discuss Esther.  Nevertheless, feel free to relax for a week.  I pray that you will continue to spend time in the word of God over this brief break and have some quality prayer time with Him.  God is always trying to get your attention and spend time with you (Psalm 8:4, 115:12 NKJV).  I don't know about you, but this makes me glad just thinking about it.

You may also take this time to reflect back on any of the Proverbs 31 lessons that you felt you needed more time on, or if the lesson just spoke to you.  I will also take any questions, inquiries, and/or concerns regarding any lessons during this time period.  Additionally, if you have a testimony or experience to share, relating to any of the lessons, feel free to share.

I pray that you have enjoyed this journey so far and I look forward to all of the future endeavors we will experience together.

Be blessed,
T. Carter


 REFERNCES

All scriptures are extracted from The Bible - New King James Version.  YouVersion (2013).

ChambersDictionary.com (2013). Virtuous Woman. Retrieved from App Store

Chapman, Dr. Gary (2004).  The Five Love Languages. Northfield Publishing. Chicago Illinois

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh (2001).  Lies Women Believe; and the Truth That Sets Them Free.  Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois

M-W.com (2013).  Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from App Store

Nelson, Thomas (1997).  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee.

Nelson, Thomas (1997).  The New Strong's Concise Concordance. Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.

Shirer, Priscilla (2011).  The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee

WordWeb (2013). Retrieved from the Apple App Store

Lesson 7- Proverbs 31: A Servant's Reward

Hello Ladies,

I pray you had an enjoyable time this week nurturing your families.  I find that when we practice nurturing our families, the more inclined our families are to return the nurturing, in our specific love language.  The more Quality Time I give my son, the less I have to tell him to take out the trash (Acts of Service) for me.  While it should not be our motivation to receive something in return, it is part of God's plan that our Godly behavior will initiate Godly behavior in others.  However, it is nice to experience the benefits of their growth.

Well Ladies, we are coming to the end of the Proverbs 31 woman.  I am excited at all the progress that so many of us have made.  I can only imagine what a blessing it has been to our Lord and Savior that we have begun a journey to serve Him and our families through His design of the Proverbs 31 woman.  If we would all decide to strive towards the biblical definitions for our lives then maybe our immediate societal environment would reflect a more Godly atmosphere.

This last week we will discuss how all this service culminates the blessings and rewards of God.  God honors obedience to His word (1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV). As we are a blessing to God through our obedience we also bless our families.

A Servant's Reward

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:30-31 NKJV).

If the fruit be good, the tree must have our good word. She leaves it to her own works to praise her.  Everyone ought to desire this honor that cometh from God; according to this standard we all ought to regulate our judgments (Nelson 1997).

I don't know about you, but I am glad to know that God will reward my servitude and obedience.  This is not the motivation for my obedience or servitude, however, it is enjoyable.

True relationship with God and understanding His word allows us to practice servitude to Him and our families.  The obedience to His word is a choice.  We must choose to serve the Lord our God through obedience. 

The desire to practice obedience is most effective when it is derived from a genuine inclination to be closer to God.  When we are motivated by His presence then servitude and obedience becomes our first habit. 

It becomes less difficult to submit to our husbands, nurture our children in their love language, maintain a clutter free home, spend quality time with the Lord, read His word daily, and surrender to His will for our lives when we are obedient through servitude (Psalms 34:8 NKJV).

The reward is His presence and the many blessings that God showers upon us.  We cannot even imagine with our finite minds the magnitude of His blessings if we would just serve and obey (Matthew 25:21 NKJV). 

I pray that you all have been blessed by these lessons.  I pray that you have grown closer to the Lord on this journey.  I know that I have experienced true growth in Christ Jesus.

This week reward yourself for all that you have accomplished on this journey.  Even if it is your favorite corner store treat, give yourself something nice.  Take sometime to relax and enjoy something that you like to do.  You've earned it!

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All scriptures are extracted from The Bible - New King James Version.  YouVersion (2013).

Nelson, Thomas (1997).  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee.

Nelson, Thomas (1997).  The New Strong's Concise Concordance. Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.

Lesson 6 - Proverbs 31: Nurturer of the Family

Hello Ladies,

Was this a long week for some of you? Or did most of you breeze through it?  This week was a triumph for me.  As I minister to you ladies about the word of God through this blog, I am challenged to do more of God's will everyday in my life.  Preparing the lessons requires me to spend even more time in God's word and the applications challenge me to go even higher in my obedience to God's will for my life.  So, if you were challenged, you were not alone.

However, the reward is a blessing.  The spiritual reward of having more of God's presence in my life is so awesome.  I cannot give credence to the wonders of having true relationship with Christ Jesus.  Additionally, the physical rewards are nice too.

My husband is an avid reader of my blog.  After reading Lesson 5, he said he felt challenged to be an Ephesians 5 husband even more knowing that I have vowed to please God through the service of being a Proverbs 31 woman and an Ephesians 5 wife.  This is one of the most beautiful rewards I could possibly receive.

Ladies, when we are operating in the will of the Lord for our lives, God will keep His promises (Deut. 7:9 NKJV).  His word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV).  In His time (2 Peter 3:8-9, Psalms 27:14, Ecclesiastes 3:11a NKJV).  These are all pertinent principles to carry in our walk of submission to God and our husbands.

This week we will discuss the characteristics of the nurturer.  God has equipped us with the innate ability to nurture.   We all have it.  We must let down our guards, walls, and prideful behaviors of the flesh that keep us from the Godly design of nurturing. 

Nurturer of the Family

27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all" (Proverbs 31:27-29 NKJV)

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength 6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NKJV)

She shall reflect with comfort when she comes to be old, that she was not idle or useless when young.  She can rejoice.  She is a great blessing to her relations. (Nelson 1997)

Nurturer - to help develop, grow; foster talents; provide care; nourish sustainability; to help (WordWeb 2013)

Nurturing sounds a lot like support as we discussed in Lesson 4 when we covered being the foundation to your loved ones.  Women, there are many components to our role, but they are all intertwined within our Godly design.  We are constructed specifically to serve God's purpose in these capacities.

In order to nurture our families, we must serve God, spend time in His word, and build relationship with Christ in order to nurture our families in a way that is conducive to the principles of God.  If we are spending time in the word of God daily and seeking after the Lord whole-heartedly, God will reveal our abilities to nurture.

We are to exhibit behavior that is nurturing to our children and helpful to our husbands. A pertinent component to nurturing is love.  To love your family is to love and to know God ( 1 John 4:8 NKJV).  We are to love our families in a way that is loving to them.  Everyone loves differently.  There are five different ways to give and receive love (Chapman 2004).  These five ways are called love languages (Chapman 2004).  To ensure that we are nurturing our families appropriately, we must love them in the way that they best receive love. 

My primary love language is Quality Time.  I feel most loved when my husband and son spend quality time with me.  My secondary is Acts of Service.  I love when my husband takes my car to be detailed.  Thirdly, I respond positively and feel loved when I receive Gifts.  So, you see your family members may exhibit one primary love language, but may respond to two others just as well (Chapman 2004).

Learning and practicing our families love languages will allow us to build a closer relationship with them and ensue an efficient and effective way to nurture them.  By nurturing our families through the word of God and practicing their love languages, we honor God's purpose for us as nurturers.

How can we love our families effectively, if we do not better understand how they need to be loved?  We must be patient and compassionate enough to nurture our families the way they need to be nurtured (1 Peter 3:8 NKJV).

This week we will strive to learn the languages of love that our husbands and children speak. We will take the time to get to know our family members better, so that we may serve them as the nurturers they need and the nurturers that God wants us to be for them.

Single women, this is an opportunity to learn your own love language and to practice God's love language; Quality Time. 

Continue to make time to spend time with God.  Additionally, continue to practice true submission to the Lord and your husbands.  We should not have idle time (Proverbs 31:27 NKJV).  Fill your days with the work of the Lord in every area of your lives (Deut. 10:12-13 NKJV).

As always, I pray that this lesson blesses you, challenges you to grow in your walk with Christ, and allows you to build true relationship with Him.

Enjoy your week!

Be blessed,
T. Carter

All scripture references are extracted from The Bible - New King James Version.  YouVersion (2013).

Chapman, Dr. Gary (2004). The Five Love Languages. Northfield Publishing. Chicago, Illinois

Nelson, Thomas (1997).  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Nashville, Tennessee