letter from the editor:
proverbs 31

Reading Proverbs 31 is like opening up a treasure box. Dazzling, "out-of-this-world" wisdom, sparkles like necklaces with which we can adorn ourselves.
As God's girls, it's an open invitation to dive into this chapter and apply it to our lives.
The well of His Word goes so deep, and when we take time to meditate on this chapter we can get lots of revelation! Here are some thoughts about the first few verses...

“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.”

When Jesus stretched His arms wide on the cross, and bled and died for us, He loudly proclaimed our worth.
Sister, you are priceless. Before the cross, we were sinful, ugly, wretched and ashamed...but He has bestowed upon us His beauty and His value. Now we are royalty! This is mind blowing! We are worth more than rubies, sapphires, gold, or anything of value in this world. Jesus said if a man trades his soul for the entire net-worth of this world, he would make a terrible trade.
Just for fun, I grabbed my calculator & added up the net-worth of some of the world's richest people. Just how much money was Jesus talking about? Once I got up to 74 billion dollars, I was so amazed. Jesus said if we were to trade our soul for 74 billion dollars, we would get totally ripped off...because each of us is worth more than 74 billion dollars!
The price tag on my soul is so costly that no one could match it or surpass it...except for the Darling of Heaven, the Son of God! We don't need anyone or anything in this world to give us our value. We are already so, so priceless.

“The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain.”

Our Maker has proudly called Himself our husband (Isaiah 54:5). After making such a huge investment in us (the very blood of Jesus!) you'd think he'd be a little nervous about how we're going to make Him look. How will we affect His Name and the glory of His Kingdom?
It says here that He will have no lack of gain. The investment that He has made in us, the Seed of His Word, the Seed of Christ, will produce life and fruit! His love will multiply itself through us if we remain humble and hungry! I don't want to be a selfish princess bride who consumes and spends up the glorious riches of His grace, thinking the world revolves around “mwah!” I want to be a princess bride who is willing to become pregnant with the things of God, letting patience and endurance have its perfect work in my life, sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings, and giving birth to nothing but love.
I want to be a fruitful bride and a co-laboror with Christ. I want Him to trust me, and share His secrets with me!
“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him” Psalm 25:14.
I desire to be a good and faithful steward of what He has entrusted to me. I want to be obedient to His great commission and live a life worthy of my royal position. Jesus paid much, much too high a price for me to waste His blood in selfishness and apathy! “She does him good and not evil, all the days of her life.”

“She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands.”

Being a fruitful bride is not an automatic thing. God said, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Seeking takes effort. Opening our Bibles, opening our hearts, praying, worshiping, and spending time with the Lord takes effort. We can't do it just when we “feel” like it. We must willingly spend our energy on Him. The reward is so, so great. When we find Him, the prize is far greater than anything that we may have to “sacrifice” or give up, in order to gain the precious prize of fellowship with Jesus!

“She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar.”

I like to imagine regal ships with big fluffy white sails, gliding across the universe in the Spiritual Realm, bringing everything that I need to live out “mission impossible” ( being His princess bride). He has promised to give me everything I need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) He will provide for all of my needs, according to His riches in glory. He is the King of Heaven! He is the answer to every problem and every need. As citizens of Heaven, it is our privilege and responsibility to bring answers to this earth, using Heaven's resources.
When we dive in and dine on the Word of God, enjoying the banquet table of truth that is set before us...we are bringing exotic foods, spices, and treasures from a far away land. All the way from Heaven! The world will marvel, and wonder where such beauty, wisdom, and virtue comes from...and we can proclaim that it all comes from our King!

“She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard.”

I see two things in this verse.
First of all, it reminds me of the parable Jesus told about the man who found a treasure in a field. After he found it, he sold everything so that he could buy that field. “So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven,” Jesus explained. "Once you encounter the King, you will happily give up everything, to have all of me!”
When we catch glimpses of just how amazingly beautiful and worthy our King Jesus is, it puts our whole life in perspective. All of a sudden, those things that hurt and were so unbearable, don't sting quite so badly anymore.
When we suffer persecution, or rejection and betrayal from a friend, we remember the One who suffered the ultimate blow. When we're lonely, we remember the One who stepped down from Heaven, left His Perfect Father, and lived in this broken world. When we're exhausted and weary, we remember the One who promised that His strength would be our own.
When we think about who He is, and how dearly He loves us, obedience and surrender doesn't look so radical anymore. In fact, it looks quite reasonable!
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
Secondly, we see that the Proverbs 31 woman has guts. She knows how to make decisions. She considers a field, and boom, she buys it. She makes a move. She steps out in faith. She plants a vineyard, bears fruit, and makes a difference in this world.
We, as God's daughters, cannot let fear stop us from moving forward. When His Spirit is leading us to make a move, let's do it. No fear. No hesitation. Just total boldness and obedience. Proverbs says that the righteous are bold as a lion. The Proverbs 31 woman is fierce.

“She girds herself with strength, she strengthens her arms.”

Sisters, if you only get one thing out of this entire passage, get this: we are living in a time on this earth, where we must be prepared for what is coming. We are truly living in the last days, and things are bound to get a little bit (or a lotta' bit!) crazy. We must gird ourselves with strength, press into Jesus, spend lots and lots of time in His Word, and in His presence. We must strengthen our arms, our faith, for the days ahead.
I really encourage you to make it priority to spend more time with the Lord than you ever have before! When we do, He trains our hands for battle (Psalm 144:1 ) and equips us for what is ahead.

“She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle.”

This is truly a woman who knows how to get things done. She has a spirit of diligence, not laziness.
She doesn't have a slave master, telling her what to do, nagging on her to get things done.
She simply sees a need, knows she has the answer and resources from Heaven and does it. Sister, if there is something stirring in your heart, a business you feel the Lord wants you to start, a Bible study He wants you to initiate, a friend whom He wants you to tell about Jesus...then just do it! Take that first step forward, and then be persistent.
As daughters of the King, we must harbor an unstoppable determination deep in our spirits. We must have the tenacity of a bull dog, that will not let go until the job is done! Just hold your hand to the spindle and keep it there until it is time to let go!

“She extends her hand to the poor, yes she reaches out her hands to the needy.”

Our Father's heart is to give extravagantly. He doesn't just fill up our cups. He fills us up so that we're running over. He truly is a too much God! His benevolent heart is so overwhelming. Experiencing the fullness of God would be like pouring the ocean into a cup. Our little human vessels can only experience a fraction of who He is while we are on this earth. If He were to blast us with the fullness of who He is, we would totally fall over and die! He is just WAY too amazing!
We can rest in total confidence that He is more than enough, and He will never run out!
Shouldn't our hearts look like His? Shouldn't we give in a way that is totally crazy and unrealistic? Shouldn't we pour ourselves out like a drink offering to this world? To our friends, family, and the poor and forgotten?
Our generation has such a spirit of entitlement and selfishness that needs to be broken off of us. The best way to do that is to give until we have nothing left. Even though attempting to out-give God is totally impossible, we can sure have lots of fun trying! He will always replenish and fill us back up to overflowing...so let's extend our hands and GIVE!

“She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is linen and purple.”

As girls, we spend plenty of time getting ready in the morning. Hair, makeup, and choosing a totally adorable outfit. But what are we daily dressing our hearts with? How much time do we spend washing and grooming the inside?
It is my prayer that we will wrap ourselves with the truth of our royal identity. Just like Esther put on her royal robes, let's fill our minds and hearts with the truth of who Jesus is, and who we are in His eyes. We are washed with the water of His word, dressed in robes of righteousness, clothed in the scarlet blood of Jesus Christ, and royal clothing of love.
~*~