30-Day TRUE WOMAN Make-Over Day 18

Today's topic is -- MORE THAN A LIST

Today's verse is -- Proverbs 31:18 -- "She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night."

"IF WE DON'T TEACH THEM, WHO WILL?" This motto in my own life, leads us into our devotional for today. Training and teaching our children regarding 'Modesty'. These thoughts continue from Day #16 (which can be found here).

Some women find it helpful to make 'checklists' to go about their daily routines, and I do like lists, but sometimes I forget them, or I forget to check things off of my list, or I get frustrated because I cannot check some things off my list. LOL! Others make lists, to list rules, 'do's & don't's', etc. Modesty, and other items are not just something we can write a 'list' of rules for... it's something that has to be lived out in our own lives, if we want others to follow.

To go along with today's verse, "She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night", I realize that one has to take seriously their giftings & talents (in this sense, 'trading') and how they fit into the Kingdom. We are ALWAYS being observed by others, day and night. The way we live, our reactions, our words, our dress, our witness is constantly under watch, and we think we are living one way, but sometimes the things we get stuck in push us to say or do things that aren't really what we want others to see of us. (Like the TV Show, 'True Beauty', which I have also written about here.)

The TV show 'TRUE BEAUTY' was on before, and is now on again, with a twist of course (or else the contestants would know what to do). For those of you who have never watched, or never heard of it, it's a reality-based show where contestants compete to see who was the most beautiful. However, they thought they were only being tested on outer beauty. The first show was hosted by three judges: Nolé Marin, Cheryl Tiegs, and Vanessa Minnillo who judged the contestants on their inner beauty as well. The show that is on now is secretly hosted by Vanessa Minnillo and on-screen by Carson Kressley and Beth Ostrosky. (see here for more info too) It was funny to see them competing with each other, and actually judging each other in the house. There were usually tests/secret challenges during the photo shoots, or activities that they were involved in; simple things like helping a girl who is really upset, to helping an older man who fell and dropped his groceries. Others this season were like not cheating, or sharing a magician's secret. Most of the contestants didn’t help in the first season we watched, this season was 'a little' better. Sometimes they even got irritated at the person, and it was really disheartening to see that they were so consumed in their own outer appearance and life, than to take time to help others. Most of them were more interested in themselves and the mirror, then others around them. Some of the 'secret challenges' are technically un-fair, because even if you are caring and 'beautiful on the inside', you may not stop to do because of repurcussions or consequences in today's world. For example, the contestants {this past week} [editor note: I edited this devo on July 17th incase you are wondering how I knew this show so early] were 'BlackJack Dealers', and they had to take training of course. Now the people involved are all in on it, and are told to 'act' either like the mean, overbearing Pit Boss or the insignificant, quiet trainer. The boss obviously acted his part, and was quite rude and disheartening, I wanted to punch him out. The trainer did there job and sat there like a petty, helpless kitten. The boss was told to 'down-talk' or 'complain' about the trainer. The contestants were judged on whether they helped or stuck up for the trainer. In some cases a person would be afraid to speak up to a Las Vegas Pit Boss, but still able to console a quiet trainer (someone who would be considered a peer). I know I would want to help, and I would want to 'punch the guy out' (as I said above), or at least put him in his place, but I don't know what I actually would have done in the situation, as this was supposed to be 'my job' for the day. So I need to submit and show respect to the Boss, even if he is disrespecting me or fellow employees. Only ONE contestant spoke up to the Pit Boss directly, the others (who passed) spoke kindly to the trainer. Funny part was, the contestant that spoke up, was in full mind capability as he was intoxicated (in midst of a hangover). I was super proud of him. {THIS IS NOT A SPOILER - sorry if you are watching the show. We watch it on ON DEMAND.} Anyway, the Boss (a different one) picks the bottom 2, and they go into the elimination room with Carson and Beth. The bottom two (which I will not name, incase someone out there hasn't seen this episode yet) both give little speeches saying why they should be 'the face of Vegas'. Carson and Beth (& Vanessa) all judge who should stay and who should go. The one that was eliminated (again not mentioning names) had said in {their} speech that they love people and have a heart for people, etc... which was funny because {they} had JUST failed the secret challenge, which was to help a mother who had a baby and lots of luggage, and needed help getting things into the car. Seriously, {they} even stopped to look at the mother who was obviously having trouble (acting of course), and then went on their way. The other contestant surprisingly stopped to help. When it came time for Vanessa to come out, and surprise the contestant going home, she asked of course 'Do you think you are a TRUE BEAUTY?' and then they show a video clip of different scenes from the show depicting the 'no so beautiful' parts of the person during the show. This contestant was hurt... you could sincerely see that {they} (and the contestant that left previously) were truly hurt by their actions and words that were spoken. They both commented that 'that's not me'... I knew that I would be hurt by different actions and words that I have spoken, and it shows the contestants and even we as the viewers that we need to be more careful in what we say and do, and portray about ourselves.

Going back to the verse, as I side-tracked a little... "She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night". As I started saying above, I realize that one has to take seriously their giftings & talents (in this sense, 'trading') and how they fit into the Kingdom. We have to realize that God made us exactly who we are to help out others in the Kingdom. Some of us may only have one measly gift, whereas others around us seem to have lots. We have ALL been given ALL of the gifts, but some of them we choose not to utilize. Some of us are only meant to use some of the gifts when absolutely necessary... God will grant us the use of a gift for only a time. Others are gifts we can use everyday. This is something that I am learning. I am much more 'gifted' than I thought, which is kind of cool and crazy all at the same time, because I myself have gifts in many areas. God is bringing more of the 'GREATER' ones to light in my life which is exciting for me. But it all takes you back to 'IF YOU DON'T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT' which basically comes from the "PARABLE OF THE TALENTS" in the Bible (Matthew 25:14-30).

Here it is in the MESSAGE translation;
""It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.

19-21"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'
22-23"The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'
24-25"The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'
26-27"The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
28-30"'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.'"

We need to utilize our gifts, or 'see that our trading is profitable', so that we can be fully used in the Kingdom. Some of us may be gifted with 'smaller-sized' or 'behind-the-scenes' gifts, but they are still important. Those of us with 'in-your-face' gifts cannot fully do the job which we've been called to, without the work being done by those with 'behind-the-scenes' gifts. Nevertheless, there are those who have 'in-your-face' gifts, and they are not walking in humility, and it sometimes takes the character of the 'behind-the-scenes' one to bring them out. Take for example the story of "The Millionaire and the Scrub Lady" by William E. Barton. (Found in the book 'Stories for the Heart' Compiled by Alice Gray (page 79-80))



"There is a certain Millionaire, who hath his Office on the Second Floor of the First National Bank Building. Andn when he goeth up to his Offices he rideth in the Elevator, but when he goeth down, then he walketh. And he is an Haughty man, who once was poor, and hath risen in the World. He is a Self-made man who worshipeth his maker. And he payeth his Rent regularly on the first day of the month, and he considereth not that there are Human Beings who run the Elevators, and who Clean the Windows, hanging at a great height above the sidewalk, and who shovel Coal into the furnaces under the Boilers. Neither doth he at Christmas time remember any of them with a Tip or a Turkey. And there is in that Building a Poor woman who Scrubbeth the Stairs and the Halls. And he hath walked past her often but hath never seen her until Recently. For his head was high in the air, and he was thinking of More Millions. Now it came to pass on a day that he left his Office, and started to walk down the Stairs. And the Scrub lady was halfway down; for she had begun at the top and was giving the stairs their First Onceover. And upon the topmost Stair, in a wet and soapy spot, there was a Large Cake of Soap. And the Millionaire stepped on it. Now the foot which he set upon the Soap flew eastward toward the sunrise, and the other foot started on an expedition of its own toward the going down of the Sun. And the Millionaire sat down on the Topmost Step, but he did not remain there. As it had been his intention to Descend, so he Descended, but not in the manner of his Original Design. And as he descended he struck each step with a sound as if it had been a Drum. And the Scrub Lady stood aside courteously, and let him go. And at the bottom he arose, and considered whether he should rush into tthe Office of the Building and demand that the Scrub lady should be fired; but he considered that if he should tell the reason there would be great mirth amonth the occupants of the Building. And so he held his peace. But since that day he taketh notice of the Scrub lady, and passeth her with Circumspection. For there is no one so high or might that he can afford to ignore any of his fellow human beings. For a very Humble Scrub Lady and a very common bar of Yellow Soap can take the mind of a Great Business Man off his Business Troubles with surprising rapidity.


Wherefore, consider these things, and count not theyself too high above even the humblest of the children of God. Lest thou come down from thy place of pride and walk off with thy bruises aching a little more by reason of thy suspicion that the Scrub Lady is Smiling in her Suds, and facing the day's work the more cheerfully by reason of the fun thou hast afforded her. For these are solemn days, and he that bringeth a smile to the face of a Scrub lady hath not lived in vain."

We can always use our gifts, day and night... and we need to SHINE our lights/lamps to the world. Be sure that the LIGHT/LAMP inside of you does not go out at night! Even as we sleep, God and Holy Spirit can reveal great things to us regarding our 'trading'.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

30-Day TRUE WOMAN Make-Over Day 13

...so again, I am playing 'catch-up' incase you are confused to why the date says May 14th... really this devotional was supposed to be done yesterday, (Thurs. May 13th), so I am writing it as if it was yesterday... (which doesn't really matter for those of you who read this after the fact...)

Welcome to DAY #13 -- Almost 2 weeks since I started... I am excited! I am enjoying my journey and hope you are too!

Today's topic is -- A WOMAN'S GREAT LOVELINESS

Today's verse is Proverbs 31:13 -- "She selects wool and flax, and works with eager hands."

"A woman's greatest loveliness comes through a modest heart; and a modest heart expresses itself in modest behavior, modest dress, modest reactions, and modest attitudes."

Modesty and humility... those two words flow together well, yet they don't flow so much in the world today. When women think of 'modest' today, they think of turtlenecks, and long skirts or pants... women who are showing no skin, and it's not very flattering. However, modesty and humility are two important characteristics to our Father in Heaven. We need to clothe ourselves in modesty and humility...

We looked at the definition of modest/modesty in this devotional... however when humility is added to the equation, it is soooo much more.

Humility by definition is:
–noun

the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

A modest opinion of one's own importance... which literally means we shouldn't be 'praising' ourselves. We should not be making ourselves seem more important than we really are. A devotional on HUMILITY is found here (Day #3 on my journey) which includes my thought, "We are called to be virtuous women or men, strength in spirit & character, yet we do not showcase our strength, because our strength is only made possible through the Father. Nothing that we do well is actually done by us alone. The Father has His hand in all that we say and do. We are not to seek after the praise of men, we are to seek after the praise of our Father who is in Heaven. All things that we do we should do as working for the Lord. ('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)"

All that we do is because of the Father, although we don't always thank Him or give him the glory. This goes along with today's verse, "She selects wool and flax, and works with eager hands" in my life, because I do ALOT with my hands... I don't however work with alot of wool or flax. Hee hee... Wool is meant to represent clothing and blankets I am assuming (clothing and comfort for her family), flax could be either food or for fibres/linens too. According to WIKIPEDIA, "Flax is grown both for its seeds and for its fibers. Various parts of the plant have been used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, hair gels, and soap. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens."

Both wool & flax, however don't come easily, they both have to be 'worked for'. The verse says she 'selects' (or in other translations, 'seeks') -- this doesn't mean that it was just handed to her. She had to use her own hands (in this case, eager) hands to seek it, and select it. According to dictionary.com, 'eager' means:
--adjective

1.keen or ardent in desire or feeling; impatiently longing: I am eager for news about them. He is eager to sing.
2.characterized by or revealing great earnestness: an eager look.
3.Obsolete. keen; sharp; biting.

Therefore, this woman is keen, desiring or impatiently longing to seek, select and use this material that she is finding. She is using it to its full capability too. She is not only caring for herself, yet she is providing for her family (which we see in later verses).


I myself, am "hands" in the body of Christ. Alot of my giftings and talents are done through use of my hands. Usually I do also work with eager hands, knowing that what I am going to do or produce is for the kingdom, or the bettering of our next generation, or for the enjoyment of others. Nothing I do is of my own strength. God desires to use me, and I desire to make Him pleased with me when he returns and asks me what I have done with the gifts He has bestowed upon me. I love to draw, do papercrafts (stamping, scrapbooking, card-making), play piano, do stuff on the computer (like typing these blogs/devotionals), teach (action songs/fingerplays, crafts, etc), hug the children in my care, crochet, photography, serving & helping, and more... all of which I do with GOD. I try to give Him the glory in all that I do... because I do not deserve any praise, yet I accept praise because I am obedient in fulfilling the calling and desires He has placed on my life. I DO NOT LIKE things to just be handed to me, I love to work for them. I hate when people give me the answer to a question, or whatnot... because I like to work hard. It is also a gift and responsibility given from God. I am one who is 'humble' in the sense where I do not desire the praise of men, actually it makes me uncomfortable. When praised about my art, or my giftings, I have grown up learning to say "I get it from my Father...", my Mom taught me this when I was younger, and I still remember it and use it today... My Father in Heaven is the one who gifted me and all that I do, I want to glorify Him.




BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING... (do something out of humility today, get out there and serve... not to be praised, but for God to receive the glory!)

30-Day TRUE WOMAN Make-Over Day 3

So, here we are at DAY 3! Today was a fun-filled, yet an interesting day to prove what I am learning, and and to live it out. What a fun time it is to walk the walk and talk the talk... Thank You Lord for Your blessing, favour, joy and more!!


Today's theme is "MODELING HUMILITY"


Today's verse is found in Proverbs 31:3 - "do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings."

Humility definition: "the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc."

"a prominent Christian grace (Rom. 12:3; 15:17, 18; 1 Cor. 3:5-7; 2 Cor. 3:5; Phil. 4:11-13). It is a state of mind well pleasing to God (1 Pet. 3:4); it preserves the soul in tranquillity (Ps. 69:32, 33), and makes us patient under trials (Job 1:22). Christ has set us an example of humility (Phil. 2:6-8). We should be led thereto by a remembrance of our sins (Lam. 3:39), and by the thought that it is the way to honour (Prov. 16:18), and that the greatest promises are made to the humble (Ps. 147:6; Isa. 57:15; 66:2; 1 Pet. 5:5). It is a 'great paradox in Christianity that it makes humility the avenue to glory'."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

HUMILITY - the quality or condition of being humble. "Oh Lord it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way!" The ol' song gets you thinking, some people actually believe this way. Perfection is what God desires, but we can only be made perfect through Him. We are called to be virtuous women or men, strength in spirit & character, yet we do not showcase our strength, because our strength is only made possible through the Father. Nothing that we do well is actually done by us alone. The Father has His hand in all that we say and do. We are not to seek after the praise of men, we are to seek after the praise of our Father who is in Heaven. All things that we do we should do as working for the Lord. ("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)

Now, going back to the verse, this is the beginning of the lesson that Lemuel's mother taught him. Very first off she wanted him to know that he should not waste his strength on loose women, or things that actually wanted to destroy Kings. This is a warning, and his mother wanted him to heed to this warning. She knew that other women would come along, especially to flirt with a King, and she wanted him to know that they were not worthy of anything that he possessed. His strength physically and spiritually could be harmed just by following and being suckered in by feminine wiles (Think back to Samson and Delilah).

Lemuel's mother wanted her son to grow into a strong & wise King, and that is why she taught him all these things as a young prince. As a King, you have the position over people, and the strength to attain all that you desire, yet he is asked to remain humble, and not seek after the things of this world basically. God is telling us as women, to not be like these 'loose women' of the world. We are not to be following after people because of their strength or their position. Worldliness may seem fun at first, but after a while, it eventually will bring you to ruin. These sentences lead into Lemuel's lesson on how to find a virtuous wife, one that the Lord is pleased with. One that loves the Lord, and seeks to do His Will, and desires Him above all else. We should not be ladies seeking after Kings, or earthly men, we should desire our HEAVENLY KING above all else. For it is when we are soooo lost in Him, that our future spouse has to seek Him above all else to find us! <3

Humility is also the ability to admit when you've blown it. You cannot be 'all that and a bag of chips', especially when you have publicly made a mistake or had a bad day. We need to admit when we have short-comings, and we need to take steps towards fixing that to achieve our goal of living life in the path that the Father wants us to take. God loves when we admit our failures to Him, because in our weaknesses, He makes us strong. You cannot fix that which isn't broken. A good ol' line from "Beauty and the Beast", "If it's BAROQUE, don't fix it!" LOL! =)

It's a process, a journey, NO ONE 'has arrived'... only Jesus!

*DEVOTIONAL to be CONTINUED...*

Be blessed and be a BLESSING!