The Virtuous Woman
A Recipe
Step 16
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Proverbs 31 - Verse 24
She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto
the merchant.
How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study
Trek For Truth
A pleasant day to you my friend! You know, I've got to ask, after reading this verse, and knowing that king Lemuel's mother was all for virtue, do you believe that she meant literally that A righteous woman was an industrialist or a business woman of any kind in the marketplace or that she was making an analogy alluding to a virtuous woman's fine linen as being her righteousness, or something of that nature?
I believe there is a "read between the lines" Truth in this Verse 24.
You sell your righteousness when those who observe your good manner,
recognize your integrity and want to implement good virtues into
their own lives because of your example.
What is a girdle?
... and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
A girdle is a belt.
It signifies strength, support, and reinforcement. The merchants are those who buy into or learn from, your Godly demeanor. So, by becoming and remaining strong in your virtues, all the women you know, will see your righteous woman choices, and your Godly woman rewards, and they will (hopefully) follow your example.
Again, a good thing to keep in mind is that your idea of becoming virtuous will be almost unthinkable to most women, at first. But when they're alone and there is nobody to observe their reaction to the idea, a lot will think about it more carefully, just like we all do examine our conscience with more scrutiny when we're alone. So don't get discouraged. You're planting seeds. God will do the increase.
It would be nice if all of us who set out to be virtuous women could help bring multitudes of lost souls that have gone astray, back to the fold, but if you even save one, do you know how much that means to God?
In Memory of Mary Magdalene
How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study Tidbit of Truth ... Some thought Mary (Martha and Lazarus sister) wasn't a very good woman, but Jesus thought her to be such a righteous woman that He said that the Gospel shouldn't be preached anywhere in the whole wide world without mentioning her. What a marvelous memorial! Metaphorically speaking, Mary was a woman who sold her fine linen over 2000 years ago, and her virtuous act toward Jesus is still being delivered to merchants, to this very day.
John 12:1-8
1 Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom He raised from the dead.
2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served: but
Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him.
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very
costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her
hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's
son, which should betray Him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence,
and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but
because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put
therein.
7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone:
against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not
always.
Matthew 26:12-13
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body,
she did it for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be
preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman
hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
So, you may think you've done some really terrible things in your life, and the feeling of unworthiness may overcome you from time to time, or you may think that little bitty you could never do anything that could be worthy of recognition, but never, ever, forget the Grace and benevolence of our Lord. Do not believe for one moment that your renewed faith goes unnoticed. When God forgives you for something, it's gone. He sees you as pure as the driven snow.
I'd like to remind you about another, How To Be A Godly Woman Bible study story of a woman who everyone thought was bad, but Jesus forgave her:
A Righteous Woman & A Godly Woman Warning
John 8:3-11
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman
taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in
adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to
accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the
ground, as though He heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself,
and said unto them, He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own
conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto
the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the
midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the
woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are those
thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study Gift
Would you call that benevolence ... An act of kindness or generosity? Absolutely! And any acts of benevolence that you extend to other people represents your Lord and Savior. The Lord's forgiveness is such a wondrous thing ... Embrace it every chance you get, don't let feelings of unworthiness (your feelings or anyone else's feelings) hinder it from enveloping your soul whenever it is offered. When is it offered? Any time you sincerely repent for doing something wrong, and ask for it.
Enemy Alert
There's no question, those who don't agree with a righteous woman virtuous ways will think you're wasting your life, or that you're boring, or that you just don't want anyone to have any fun, but know in your heart that you're doing God's will. I love the Psalms of David, because it's very easy to relate to what he went through when he was leading the armies of God to defend Israel as enemies continually threatened them. It's not unlike what you go through, defending your faith, and your choice to be a righteous woman. It's not always people that will attack, as you learned when we talked about putting on the armor of God, but also spiritual wickedness, which may be thoughts that come into your mind that try and sway you into thinking you're an outcast or not having the fun or luxuries that everyone else has. That's exactly why we have the Word of God, to support us in time of trial and tribulation. This Psalm is a perfect example:
A Righteous Woman As Well As A Godly Woman Danger
Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life
from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the
insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows
to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly
do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they
commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent
search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart,
is deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly
shall they be wounded.
8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon
themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of
God; for they shall wisely consider of His doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall
trust in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.
A Righteous Woman Evolves Into A Godly Woman
To relate this Psalm to your own life, think of it this way: Ask God to hide you from evil, which may be the thoughts that tell you to go against what you know is righteous. Ask Him for protection against those thoughts that whisper against your virtue. They say sharp and clever things to your mind, and tell you to respond with bitter words. Sometimes saying that God won't see and you will be able to keep it all secret. They carefully search for weaknesses in you, and they're relentless about it. Remind yourself that God is your defense, and the bottom line is that being a righteous woman is the only answer. You will be rewarded according to your choices.
Philanthropist Extraordinaire
At the beginning of this How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study Step, I suggested that we should read between the lines of what king Lemuel's mother said about being a textile saleswoman ... And I stand by my hunch still. I can think of many things that a righteous woman can sell and they have nothing to do with making a single red cent. They are ideas. You can sell the idea that being virtuous is the way to be. You can sell the idea that representing Christ beats representing the world any old day. You can sell the idea that being benevolent is not out of style or old fashioned or boring or square, but that love conquers all.
Don't you just love that word ... Benevolence? It is one of those words that makes you feel proud just to say it, isn't it? What does the word mean? It means kindness, compassion, generosity, goodwill, philanthropy. My dear friend, I don't want to talk about just ordinary being nice. I want to talk about going out of your way to do something extraordinary for another of God's children, and how your heart just beams inside because you did a good thing. You know that feeling, the one you get when you do something, over the top. It's pretty incredible. Imagine having that feeling every day of your life! Set goals. Take yourself seriously and roll up your sleeves and radiate benevolence in everything you do. Jesus did. And you represent The Philanthropist Extraordinaire of all time.
Why not make the word "benevolent" a new part of your regular vocabulary even? Replace old adjectives like "nice" and "kind" and "good" with "benevolent" from time to time, and it will have a positive effect on those who hear it. It's an ear catcher, and anytime you can "sell" something that has positive results ... Go for it.
Stop and Think
How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study Story Time ... Ah, I remember one time when I failed at being benevolent. One day a friend of mine saw two little inspirational books on my bookshelf and she asked if she could borrow them. I enjoyed the books thoroughly, myself, and was happy to lend them to her. Well, weeks went by. Months even. And she hadn't returned them, so I asked her if she had read them. Well, she said that she would send them back to me, but she didn't do it very promptly, so I reminded her about them again and again. I can't remember how many times. She finally did return the books, about a year later and oh brother, when I realized what I had done, I can tell you that the feeling I had was not that feeling you get when you've done a good thing! What a pest I must have sounded like and selfish, And ungenerous, and petty. Definitely not the actions of a righteous woman.
Thinking back on it, I sure wish I had just given the books to her. I didn't even read them again for about 5 years after she returned them, and (she was a very benevolent soul) she probably would have passed them on to another to enjoy, and be inspired by, and could have felt that incredible good feeling that we talked about earlier, for herself. I didn't mean to be unkind about the whole matter, but at that point in my life, I was pretty ignorant about benevolence and very good at being selfish.
You know, there are so many times in our lives that we do things that aren't very benevolent, and probably times that we do things that are even down right mighty insensitive to others, without even meaning to. It's a crummy feeling. I remember things all of the time, just out of the blue ... Crass things that I never thought twice about at the time, but now that I am practicing more virtue in my life, I recognize how wrong I was about many things. I'm sure you have, or will experience this same thing, too, but I must remind you, that God knows your heart, and He forgives you. I know that some things that you remember just make you cringe that you never apologized for them. Hey ... Guess what? Everyday is a fresh start. It's the first day of the rest of your life. Who says there is an expiration date or a statute of limitations on apologies or repentance for anything?
How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study Summary
A Righteous Woman Reminder ... If you feel it necessary, ask forgiveness of the person or people who you may have offended. I bet you'll find that God already did a lot of the footwork ahead of you, and the people you feel you had wronged, probably forgave you long ago. Again, do not forget to reflect on God's Grace, every day of your life. He loves you so very much.
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How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study Resources
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Bible Study Tools ... What It Does and Does Not Mean to Be a Virtuous Woman - Being a virtuous woman is about letting God show Himself through how you interact with your family, take care of your house, your mindset toward the poor, and in helping your community prosper.
Desiring God ... The Fourfold Beauty of a Godly Woman - Her adherence to God’s design in marriage can proclaim the glory of the gospel. Her faith in and knowledge of God’s word can spill over into her spheres of ministry.
Got Questions ... What does the Bible say about being a godly woman? Christian women should be able to see the vanity inherent in the allurements of a world “under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). A godly woman is not fooled by the lies that try to convince her that attractiveness, personal worth, and fulfillment are found in physical, external beauty. The godly woman’s affections are fixed on Christ, her Savior, and she makes every effort to follow His example of good works. She has a heavenly focus, and she seeks to adorn herself with godliness, not worldliness.
Holy Spirit ... How To Be A Godly Woman Bible Study - Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to be a righteous woman for God. This is one of the most awesome gifts you will ever receive or share. Get to know the Holy Spirit for the Spiritual essence of becoming a Godly woman.
Life, Hope & Truth ... What Is a Godly Woman? A godly woman is a devoted woman. What does it mean to be a godly woman? If we want to become godly women, we need to understand godly attributes and begin developing them in our lives.
OpenBible.info ... What Does the Bible Say About Righteous Women? An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
Pinterest ... Titus 2 Woman - Explore Darlene Aubrey's board "Titus 2 Woman", followed by 125 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about titus 2 woman, godly woman, bible study.
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