30-Day TRUE WOMAN Make-Over Day 6

YAY, It's almost been a week since I began the 'Make-over'! 

The topic for today, kind of goes with/follows yesterday's topic: "Working Joyfully"

The verse for today is from Proverbs 31:6 -- which is a continuation of yesterday's verse as well... "Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;"

Well, I basically covered the 'work' aspect yesterday, and included some of the Bible Scriptures that go along with working joyfully. We need to cheerfully accept our 'lot' in life, and work at it with all our hearts as working for God (as I said in Day#5's devotion found here).


This verse however, has got me thinking. I had to stop and look into it deeper before commenting on it, or sharing what it means to me, and how it goes with our topic as well. This verse when read to the plain eye, basically is saying that we are to give alcohol to those who are in distress. It is saying that alcohol is basically the answer to those who are in anguish. Again, this interpretation obviously needs to be looked at closer, as it contradicts other verses in the Bible regarding drinking, and alcohol. Jesus himself, did drink wine. He even did a miracle where he gave people more wine to drink. However, it does not say that he got drunk on it, or that he drank it to get rid of his problems. Jesus also drank wine at the 'last supper', where the wine was representative of his blood.

With these people (in the verse above) who are perishing and in anguish, they are basically as the saying goes, 'drinking to forget'. Some people seek out alcohol to get rid of their problems, and they drink until they are happy once again. According to a quote from The New American Commentary, it says;

“The queen-mother does not recommend a free beer program for the poor or justify its use as an opiate for the masses; her point is simply that the king must avoid drunkenness in order to reign properly. The comparison to the suffering poor and to their use of alcohol is meant to awaken Lemuel to the duties that go with his class and status rather than to describe some kind of permissible drunkenness” (“Proverbs,” The New American Commentary, Vol. 14. Broadman: Nashville, p. 246).

As we stated in the beginning of this study on Proverbs 31, these first verses are warnings or lessons being taught to Lemuel as a young man by his mother. His mother wants him to know that others in the world will solve (or try to solve) their problems with alcohol, but he cannot, if he wants to be King, and lead his people properly. A King needs to remain stable, sober and un-impaired in his entire being. His mother is not telling him to give those in anguish beer, she is telling him to let those who want to seek after alcohol and beer to have it, but that he himself should never get involved in getting drunk on wine or beer. He needs to be able to serve the others in his kingdom will all that he is, which includes his mind, spirit, heart and body. If a King is to remain 'pure' and keep his mind, spirit, heart and body so that it is not impaired, how much more are we as Christians needing to do this as well?

Alcohol brings a temporary 'joy' (really it's just giddy happiness) when you are 'drinking to forget', or trying to drink away your problems. Unfortunately for most people, when they awake the next morning with a hangover (or kneeled over the porcelain throne), their problems are still there (and are even bigger sometimes). The happiness they received last night at "happy hour" has now diminished, and they choose to drink again to get rid of the feelings of fear, anger, bitterness and hurt.

Thankfully (THANK YOU LORD!) I cannot speak from experience regarding this, but I have been around those who 'drink' for fun, those who 'drink to get drunk', and those who 'drink to forget'. High school was an interesting time for me... so many of my 'friends' liked to drink, and get drunk, and then would come to school dances in great spirits. They had to drink to have fun. Unfortunately for me, my 'friends' & others who were drinking and some of who were drunk, would hang around me because the teachers would always say, 'well they are with Mitzi, so they must be ok'. Again, the law of association worked for their benefit. They knew that I was 'pure' and would not get involved with it, yet they somehow respected me for that. So when they had alcohol-based happiness, I on the other hand had a natural joy. A joy that welled up from deep inside of me. We are called to JOY in Jesus. It says in the Word that "The JOY of the LORD is our strength." This verse, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength", has gone with me throughout my life. I am a very cheerful, happy person who is full of joy.

[I am not puffing myself up in anyway with this story, but I am living proof that you (if you are a kid/teen), or your kids (if you are a parent/guardian) or grand-kids (if you are a grand-parent) can go through High School and still live for Jesus, and not have to be led by peer pressure. I give all the glory to God, for He protected me, and led me due to the prayers of my parents and others.] Now don't get me wrong, the peer pressure was there, there was always the feelings of 'would I fit in better if I did it?' -- but I held strong to my beliefs and made conscious decisions to where I went, what I did, and who I was there with. Because I know that some of my friends did succumb to peer pressure because of the 'fitting in' aspect as well. I spent 6 years in High School and was closely associated with the Football team, (I was the manager/assistant/water-girl/ gopher/nurse/ date counsellor ha ha!)-- which again when you think high School 'football team', you associate girls/cheerleaders flirting, and having sex, etc. However, I had friendships with several of the guys on the team, and again they respected me for the decisions I made. Now, I had to consciously make the decision not to attend team parties, house parties, etc with them. I was invited on many occasions to 'football parties' because I was 'one of the guys', but I purposed myself never to attend any of these house parties, because of the alcohol and sex issues that were involved. The guys still liked me, and knew however that I was there for them to talk to, share things with, give advice, etc... I became more of a 'sister' to them, and therefore they protected me as well. They knew that I stood my ground and now I know (from talking with them after High School) that some of them really respected me for taking that stand.

In all that we do, we need to do it joyfully, not with worldly joy (that lasts for a moment) but with Godly joy that lasts a lifetime, and it can flow in times of trouble as well. The Word says, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..."

Walk in JOY, and BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

30-Day TRUE WOMAN Make-Over Day 5

Welcome to DAY#5!


Today's topic is... A GODLY WOMAN'S WORK!


Today's verse is Proverbs 31:5 -- "...lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights."

"What is a godly woman? In today’s culture, many women—even Christian women—struggle with this question. Is she loud and fun-loving, or quiet and reserved? Is she out-there and bold, or does she always work behind the scenes? Is she exceptionally gifted and talented, or is she an ordinary citizen? Is she fit and good at sports, or is she girly and feminine? Is she out in the work force, or is she always at home? Is God’s woman always found at one end of these extremes, or is there room for many different personalities and types of women in God’s program?" (Quote found here, on a book review page of Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book, pictured above, "Becoming God's True Woman". It could be in the book, or just a writing from the man who did the review, as I have not purchased nor read this book yet. It is on my 'wish list'.)

It has been said that 'a woman's work is never done'! This in itself is a true statement, because a woman's work is not just her lifestyle and job as a wife and/or a mother in the home, this also includes (if she has one) her employment outside the home as well, and her work in the church & possibly volunteer work in the community as well. However, a Godly woman needs to put God first, before her family, before her employment, and all else will fall into place for her.


We all have to 'work hard' to reap the benefits of our labour. Sometimes it may seem easier to get things 'handed to us on a platter', but really where is the true joy in that. I feel more satisfaction in knowing that I worked hard to receive something, rather than for it just to be given to me. For example, a cheesy example as yet it may be, when playing a game, I would rather work hard to think of the answer or to do the 'work' myself, then for someone to give me the answer. Too many times in life we settle for things because they were given to us, rather than us having to work for them. Then at times we feel they should give more, and more and we turn our eyes to others to provide. Technically we should be looking to God to provide, yet we also have to work for those benefits as well. God does indeed give us some things freely, but in most cases there is something that we have to do. There are a lot of promises in the Bible, and most of them are awesome, and people can quote them all the time, and they pray to God that He will be faithful and fulfill these promises, yet we don't take the time to read a couple Scriptures before the promises, where it says "If you... then I will..." God has an expectation of us, and there is a requirement of things that we must do to receive the full benefits of the Kingdom living.


In coinciding with the verse, a King has a lot of work to do. He does however seem like he can get what he wants, and he doesn't have to 'work' for it. In verse 4 (from yesterday) it states, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel— not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer," and then our verse today continues, "lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights." We spoke of how alcohol and the such impairs your mind, your judgement and your actions. A King needs to be wise and rule with Godly authority over his Kingdom. If a King gets drunk, their mind will be impaired, and they will in turn forget the law, and therefore cannot truly help those in the Kingdom who are oppressed as it says in the Scripture. A King is no good to his people if he cannot rule and reign in his full capacity. This would not only affect Lemuel as a king, but it would also adversely affect the people he governed. I looked up the definition of 'oppress', and according to Dictionary.com, here's what it means:


–verb (used with object)

1.to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power: a people oppressed by totalitarianism.
2.to lie heavily upon (the mind, a person, etc.): Care and sorrow oppressed them.
3.to weigh down, as sleep or weariness does.
4.Archaic. to put down; subdue or suppress.
5.Archaic. to press upon or against; crush.


Therefore, the oppressed are those who are crushed in spirit, or those crushed in heart. They would be coming to the King for sound advice and wanting to know what they can receive. The King, if he was drunk would not be able to assist the oppressed, because his mind & thoughts would be impaired, and therefore he would not have the ability to fully carry out his 'work' as a King. The verse says that the King would 'deprive' the oppressed of their rights. Again, I looked up the word 'deprive', and according to Dictionary.com, it means:


–verb (used with object),-prived, -priv·ing.

1.to remove or withhold something from the enjoyment or possession of (a person or persons): to deprive a man of life; to deprive a baby of candy.


If a King was to 'deprive' his subjects, this would look bad on the King himself. The rights that the subjects in the Kingdom were to have, would have been stripped away, as the King could not pass proper judgement in cases that were brought before him, and therefore the oppressed would be leaving more oppressed, which would cause depression in their soul.


Thankfully, our King does not deprive us of anything, yet instead gives us more than we need. We are never lacking, we just need to ask!


Later in Proverbs, we will see the characteristics of a 'virtuous woman', and in it, this Proverbs 31 woman does a lot of 'work', which allows her to be respected by her family and others in the community as well. When we work however, we need to remember we are to work as for the Lord, not for men. Sometimes when we complete a task, or a job, we look for recognition from man, and sometimes all we receive is harsh words or criticism. However, we should not let this bother us, nor should we become prideful seeking human recognition or thanks, for the Lord will reward those who faithfully work for Him. (Now our families should have hearts of thanksgiving, don't get me wrong, and a 'Thank You Mom/Honey' is always appreciated.) "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24 NIV


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!