Friday, February 19, 2010

Chapter 23 ~ A Spirit of Reverence ~ Her Faith

"Proverbs 31:30 "Favour [charm] is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

Have you realized that this is the first verse in our study that speaks about beauty? However, the context of this verse shows us exactly what God's idea of true beauty is! And guess what? It isn't what we've been taught all of our lives through the media's influence! A woman's true beauty isn't found in the eyes of a man, the world, the media, or an artist. It's found in the eyes of God, our Father and Maker, our Sustainer of life.

The Twin Vanities of Charm and Beauty:
"Favour/charm is deceitful..." In other words, this wise mother was telling her son, "Don't desire what is charming! Don't fall for the charm! Charm is deceitful. Charm is fickle. Charm is fleeting. In the end, charm is one of life's illusions, one of life's vanities!"
"And beauty is vain," she adds. "Don't be fooled by looks! Remember that beauty is only skin deep. Beauty is fleeting, fading ~ nothing but a vapor!" Mrs. George writes, "Physical beauty is transitory and temporary. It can also be misleading and even dangerous. And, like its twin sister charm, beauty does not guarantee a happy life. Neither does beauty alone effectively manage the nuts-and-bolts reality of life." Have you ever seen a stunningly beautiful TV mom scrubbing a toilet? I thought not!
A friend once told me that a woman will be her most beautiful before the age of 25 ~ of course, she was only in her late teens at the time! However, I've seen the regal bearing, serenity, and yes, beauty in women double and even triple that "prime" age! And it all is because of:

A Love for the Lord:
"...but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Finally, we get to see what makes this woman tick! She certainly can't do all she does in her own strength! Maybe she could, for a while, but to continually be joyful and willing, she needs a Mover inside her heart. Only God can give the motivation and energy we need for each day.
To fear the Lord, this woman has a total spiritual commitment to God. Mrs. George writes, "Being beautiful in God's eyes calls for you to focus on your inner character instead of the external appearance.... You are to be primarily concerned about living out the holy character that God works in you as you live in His presence. You are to seek the praise of God rather than men. You are to shun the transitory vanities of this wold and pursue instead the eternal beauty of the Lord.... It is your fear of the Lord that sanctifies every other part of you life and shows the internal majesty of God that is at your very core."
So, what difference does such a deep commitment to the Lord make?
1. His presence will shine in your life.
2. He will be the Source of your strength and motivation.
3. He will give you compassion and mercy to focus on the needs of others.
4. He will energize your conduct, character and love for others.
5. Your faith in God generates, animates, and adorns the beauty of your moral stature and the usefulness of your life.

The How-To's of Beauty:
1. More love to Thee, O Christ ~ We're blessed to be living in the Church Age, and a woman who's beautiful in God's eyes enjoys a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. When Jesus is on the throne of your heart and life, then all that you do is an act of worship.
2. Schedule time with the Lord ~ Most of us live by our schedules. We schedule appointments for just about everything! However, "You and I schedule non-essentials of life... so don't you think we should schedule time with the Lord?" Remember that prayer closet mentioned in an earlier post? Let's dress there each day for garments of praise, the armor of God, and the fragrance of Christ! There, in that closet, we are "privileged to be able to behold the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4) and worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness (Psalm 29:2)."
3. Embrace God's plan ~ Instead of resisting (or even disdaining) God's perfect design for a woman of beauty, "embrace it, glory in it, delight in its every aspect, excel in it and experience its beauty." We are to take God, His Word, and His plan for our lives seriously.
4. Do your best ~ Our Proverbs 31 woman offers this guideline: "Do what you need to do to be healthy and fit and to bring honor to your family." Consider this quote from author Anne Ortlund. "I noticed that 22 verses [of Proverbs 31] describe this woman's kindness, godliness, hard work, loving relationships ~ and only one verse out of the 22 [verse 22] describes how she looked.... Seeing this kind of proportion in Proverbs 31... I prayed, 'O Father, I want to give 1/22 of my time to making myself as outwardly beautiful as I can and I want to give all the rest of my time, 21/22 of my life, to becoming wise, kind, godly, hard-working, and the rest.'"

Whew! This is a lot to digest today! As we approach the final chapter tomorrow on our study, I've realized how much my attitude has changed about this "Superwoman". She simply allows God to work in her heart, and He shines through her life in return. She willingly opens her heart to His will ~ He gives her the strength and grace to do it.

Grace and Nothing More
I seek the bloom of holiness, He leads me deep within
Reveals the hardness of my heart, unearths my hidden sin.
My barren soul groans in despair, in brokenness I cry,
"Oh God, I find no hope in me!"
A smile ~ His sweet reply.
For where the tears of brokenness have soaked the fallow ground,
The tender shoots of holiness now spring up all around!
By His own hand and faithfulness,
He steers me toward a distant shore.
And the wind that billows in the sail
Is grace and nothing more.
Yes, it's grace and nothing more.
~ Grace and Nothing More ~
~Steve Green ~

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