"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." NKJV
"He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." JCB
This is a treasure I found while in Sanibel. There's a shop, celebrating it's thirtieth year of business, where the moment you enter through the door, there is a peace, a welcoming Presence. The words of the Lord are everywhere. Etched in bracelets, on plates, on just about anything imaginable. This was hanging on the wall. The quotation leapt into my soul.
Normally, I'd file it under "something I could do/build myself" but this time I finally realized that the follow-up rarely happens. So it came home with me, carefully protected in my backpack.
I had wondered how it was going to tie in to the blog because it is a quote from the section of Proverbs under the heading "A Wife of Noble Character." It was something I wanted to explore once the affirmations were done but that's still a long way off.
Thank You, Lord, for providing the opportunity to explore the idea of being Your bride, a noble possession whose Husband is well known at the city gates.
There is a lot in this chapter that flies in the face of the suppression of women in the church through misunderstandings of Scriptures and context. It's wonderful to realize that here we have, in celebration, a literate woman who earns money, buys her own land and vineyards, who is profitable in business. I guess prudence is part of that success. She is a wise and kind advisor who has dealings with merchants. It celebrates capabilities and virtues like dedication to family. It also speaks of the caring heart, the mother heart, who tends both children and strangers as her own.
I often baulk at the thought of good works because of a faulty understanding about the whole thing. This is slowly being rectified because in exploring this chapter, I realize good works aren't things we do solely with our hands or time.
Good works aren't the sole domain of missions trips to foreign countries. Good works are thinking the right things about other people. Good works are speaking life into others. Good works are serving others which might be something as simple as holding open a door or letting a car into a line of traffic.
There's a part where she is described as dressing in fine linen and purple gowns (v.22) which has given me much to think about. Actually, it challenges me because I am not one for fashion yet, for some reason it doesn't seem to be about vanity but rather a celebration of femininity, of the vessel God ordained to contain her soul and spirit. Maybe I need to think about the clothes I wear that hide my own gender attributes. (Yes, I have long realized it is a self-protection thing, a safety thing.) Although, on a cold, damp, February day, a hoodie is awfully comfortable!
And maybe that's part of good works as well: the pursuit of God's Truth.
I think I'll close off here with the next to last part of this chapter because there is an awful lot to think about.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will greatly be praised." v.30
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