Proverbs 31
Sayings of King Lemuel
1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle [a] his mother taught him:2 "O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows, [b]3 do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.6 Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Every Christian deserves a virtuous woman as well does a virtuous woman deserve a strong Christian man. They both are each others' backbone and must respect one another regardless. A woman must be treated with respect and should never be belittled nor mistreated. The virtuous woman works hard for herself, her family, and her man. For in return, the virtuous woman deserves the respect that she has earned for all her hard work.
Gerry and I really enjoyed the message that Pastor Mike spoke on. It lifted us both to believe that as Christian men, we have to keep doing what we're doing and living our life for the Lord. Granted there are times where we both have spoken about women and how we long to have a woman in our lives. But for us, we can't just settle down for any girl. As long as we continue on the right path, surely, the Lord will reward us with a virtuous woman who will compliment us and whom we will love and respect unconditionally.
Later on that evening after football and some of the ALCS game 7, I attended service with my sister at The Rock church. I made promise with my sister that I would be going to her church with her since she had got me an early birthday present.
Pastor Miles didn't speak at the service that night but his assistant pastor did. I have to admit, his message was very powerful at that. I already had experienced a great service earlier in the day, but hearing this guy's message at The Rock was just the icing on the cake. He spoke about Christians helping out other Christians. There's a point in our lives as Christians where we'll face issues or be tested alone. We're not strong enough to face things on our own regardless of how strong our faith is. We'll be broken and be brought down but it makes it easier to go through it knowing well that a fellow Christian is there to help pick us back up when we're knocked down.
At the end of the service, he asked all of us to bow our heads and for certain Christians to stand up with their heads still bowed and eyes closed when he asked us to stand up. We were put into certain categories. I was the Christian who was fired up for the Lord yet still held bitterness towards certain individuals. He asked those Christians who were categorized last to help pray for fellow Christians who had some sort of vice that was holding them back.
When I stood up, for a brief moment I had felt alone. My eyes were closed. My head was bowed. No one walked up to me to pray for me. So I continued to pray for myself at that moment. I prayed to God that he would remove this bitterness from me. I also prayed for those that were in the same situation as me as well. I felt my sister stand up next to me and put her hand on my shoulder and asked if I were alright. I nodded my head and I continued to pray. Out of nowhere, I felt a hand being placed on my back and another hand being placed on my shoulder. I heard a lady praying. I couldn't quite hear exactly what her prayer was but she was praying for me. I finished my prayer and focused on her and listened. She prayed for me for a good 5 minutes. I opened my eyes and looked to my left and saw this couple. I smiled and thanked them for their prayers.
For two complete strangers that I didn't even know, they prayed for me. They prayed for someone whom they didn't even know. Someone who was just sitting next to them at church. They prayed for me in my time of weakness and being broken. Although I prayed as well, feeling and hearing a prayer from a certain stranger strengthened me. The power of God was at work. The act of selflessness and caring. The love of God. The love of the weak who strengthens those who are in need. That right there, reassured me, that there is strength in prayer, even when we least expect it.
God bless!
