Starting on Sunday, May 4th, we will be introducing a new devotional reading plan. This is a 5 Day plan that will conclude on Day 6 with various prayer prompts. I encourage you to follow the promptings in your own study and adopt this practice for your own daily practice as well. We can do this together as I will share my notes with you! I will explain below how this will work.Day 1What is happeni...

31      Give her of the fruit of her hands,    And let her own works praise her in the gates.-Proverbs 31:31Following Christ leads us to be a fruitful people. We do not have to look very far to see that the Lord has transformed us to be fruitful as was intended in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. Ephesians 2:10 reveals to us that we are created, as God's workmanship, in Christ Jesus for good wo...

30      Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,    But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.-Proverbs 31:30For those who put all of their efforts into appearance, we must see the vanity of it. It is here today and gone tomorrow. It does not last. A good day is often defined by how good we look rather than by the Lord in us. We ought to have our fear in the Lord. We ought to seek to p...

28      Her children rise up and call her blessed;    Her husband also, and he praises her:    29      “Many daughters have done well,    But you excel them all.”-Proverbs 31:28-29One of the key identity pieces that we have as the bride of Christ is that we are truly and deeply loved and cherished by Him. We are indeed the apple of His eye. He has longed for us and desires depth of relationship wi...

27      She watches over the ways of her household,    And does not eat the bread of idleness.-Proverbs 31:27Do you watch over the ways of your household? No I am not just talking about your personal household. I am talking about the household of believers. Do you coast by and watch idly as your brothers and sisters in the faith make their way through life? Or are you engaged in coming alongside t...

26      She opens her mouth with wisdom,    And on her tongue is the law of kindness.-Proverbs 31:26Here we see the way that the believer ought to live out the expression of their lives. When we were born again, we were not simply saved so that we could go to heaven. We were transformed, and are being transformed. Scripture makes Christian conduct and character very critical themes for us. Look at...

25      Strength and honor are her clothing;    She shall rejoice in time to come.-Proverbs 31:25There is little to no doubt that as believers we indeed are clothed in strength and honor in the Lord. My mind immediately goes to Isaiah 40,31      But those who wait on the LORD    Shall renew their strength;    They shall mount up with wings like eagles,    They shall run and not be weary,    They s...

24      She makes linen garments and sells them,    And supplies sashes for the merchants.-Proverbs 31:24As we see the chiastic structure of this proverb, we see that this verse reflects verse 22 which states,22      She makes tapestry for herself;    Her clothing is fine linen and purple.-Proverbs 31:22The linen clothing that is fit to sell would be luxurious, as would the sashes, or belts, be. T...

23Her husband is known in the gates,When he sits among the elders of the land.-Proverbs 31:23In Hebraic poetry, there is a literary tool that is employed throughout various places in the Bible known as a chiasm. A chiasm in Hebrew poetry seeks to emphasize a central point by narrowing in on a central figure. The section we have been studying of the Proverbs 31 woman is one of the more prominent ch...

22She makes tapestry for herself;Her clothing is fine linen and purple.-Proverbs 31:22The tapestry mentioned here would be understood as a bed covering. There is a place wherein we find our rest and that is in Christ. The way that we enter this rest is by faith. While the Lord offers it to us, there is a role for us to play, and that is by way of belief. That same faith that warrants the believer ...

21She is not afraid of snow for her household,For all her household is clothed with scarlet.-Proverbs 31:21There is a myriad of ways wherein we can interpret this particular verse. Initially, we have the literal. The Proverbs 31 woman does not fear the threat of winter for she spares no expense in clothing her family. Scarlet was very expensive and it would be a testament to her character to care ...

20She extends her hand to the poor,Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.-Proverbs 31:20It is the heart of the Father to care for the poor and needy. It is the desire of the Son to see His bride, the Church, to walk in this same way. James makes this abundantly clear where he writes,27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble...

19She stretches out her hands to the distaff,And her hand holds the spindle.-Proverbs 31:19As we have gone through Proverbs 31, we have seen many traits throughout that can be either masculine or feminine. The act of using the distaff and the spindle is all pieces that help make threads that will be woven into garments. This appears to be a much more feminine trait, and historically it would be co...

18She perceives that her merchandise is good,And her lamp does not go out by night.-Proverbs 31:18That which we have in the Lord is indeed good. And we are those that are responsible, who trim their wicks and have oil in our lamps that in the night we can continue to shine. You see, it is the light of Christ that is in us that is fueled by the Spirit of God. Consider the Psalmist as it says,"105Yo...

17She girds herself with strength,And strengthens her arms-Proverbs 31:17To gird oneself with strength is a very interesting way of speaking. What we have found in our lives as the body of Christ is that we do actually have to put on strength to walk out our salvation, but that strength is not our own. The strength we put on is the strength that comes from above. I think of Isaiah 40:31 which says...