2007-11-02
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Once again the Holy Spirit prompts me to continue our examination of PR 31: 10-31, God's description of the ideal woman [person, in our context] on the backdrop of Christ's Sermon on the Mount teaching from MT 6: 24-34 on mammon. You'll remember that in popular usage, mammon has come to mean "that in which trust is placed," material things. This week, we are going to look at PR 31: 13, "She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth." Remember we've already learned that this ideal person is: aleph, capable-worth more than jewels; beit, others can have confidence in him; gimmel, doesn't harm others and lives righteously. Verse 13, "She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth," indicates the dalet ideal, that this person is industrious.
An industrious person is someone who takes what he has and makes the best of it. In ancient times the Jews were shepherds, so wool from sheep and linen from flax were the building blocks of this activity. Women used home-made drop spindles for spinning wool, collected from the sheep and carded. Once the threads were spun, then they were dyed using natural materials and woven on hand-made looms. Then garments, tents, and other products were made from the cloth. And these were sold to bring money into the household. The talent to do this was given by the Lord and handed down from generation to generation. Remember Lydia, the "seller of purple," from AC 16: 14-15? Anything dyed purple was rare and was set aside for royalty in those days. She knew the secret of a substance exuded by a particular snail that was the source of the purple dye she used and made her living that way. Lydia's heart was also opened to the Holy Spirit, and she was a woman of faith, and industrious woman of faith.
Each of us must examine his own life to see where the building blocks for industriousness are. They are our talents, also given to us by God, applied to do various forms of work for Him. Work for God always benefits others. Look at MICAH 6: 8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." What has this to do with being industrious? Everything! The person in this category doesn't have time to work plots to cheat others, because he is too busy trying to find ways to benefit them. His sense of justice is in alignment with God's. He knows God's justice, because he has the discernment from knowing God's word well and the willingness to act on it. This person is merciful; he takes time to understand the needs of others and works to meet them. When someone near him is in trouble, he doesn't just talk about it; he helps. This is the spouse, parent, or co-worker who cares about his responsibilities to others and can be counted on to fulfill them. This is the nurse who has love and care for her patients. This is the pastor, who listens to the troubles of others and uses God's wisdom from His word and his training to help in times of trouble, always following up to make sure the person coming to him will be all right. This is the business owner who will never allow a customer to be cheated. We have all met people who do the opposite. Are they really happy? I don't think so. One man that I met who worked on the production line in a manufacturing plant was deeply bothered by what he was doing. I asked him if it was the repetitious nature of his work that was his problem. He told me, "no, it's the uselessness to anyone of it." I explained that he was quite wrong. The product he helped to produce made people's lives easier and gave them more time to focus on the Kingdom. The man grinned, and I realized I was in the presence of a true believer. He felt better too and was able to go back to his job with a new attitude. Who gave me the words to say to Him? My Lord Jesus in heaven, because I'm not smart enough to have thought of that by myself. Dear Ones, where mammon or anything else is concerned, He will do the same for all of us. And all we have to do is ask for His help!
Whether our industriousness is in producing a product or rendering a service, the bottom line is that as a true believer, we thank God every day for the talent He gives us to provide for those dependant on us. If we want to be even more productive, we can always seek the Lord though prayer and are told how to do this. PHIL 4: 5-7, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." There is no shortage of teaching and admonitions in the Scriptures on our need to seek God's input and act on it in our lives. If my own personal experience is any teacher, He will generously grant His help when it is requested with a sincere heart.
PRAYER: O Lord, as children, we needed the help of our parents for almost everything. Many of us never thought of what a sacrifices they were making to teach us what we know, to give us the values we have, and to encourage us when we had difficulties. As we got older, we began to take on more responsibilities and better appreciate what they did for us. All of this pales in comparison to what You have done for all. It begins with the understanding that all we are and all we have comes from You. EPH 1: 13-14, "And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put His stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit He had promised. The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised His people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are His. Let us praise His glory!" PS 89: 11, "Heaven is Yours, the earth also; You made the world and everything in it." This also means, Dearest Abba, that you have given us our talents to use industriously for the good of Your Kingdom. RO 12: 4-6a, "We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us..." When we obey these commands, we are making real what Christ said in LK 17: 21b, "...The Kingdom of God is within you." Our Lord Jesus also reminds us in MT 6: 33, "Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other [earthly, material] things." We dedicate ourselves to being industrious and honest in using the talents You gave us to honor You and to uphold Your Kingdom. We have every reason to believe that You want us to do this; Your directions are clear. PS 90: 17, " And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work if our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands." We honor, worship, adore, praise, and thank You for all the blessings You bestow and Your wise, compassionate guidance. In Christ, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will continue this examination with PR 31: 14, with the ideal person who isn't lazy but goes out of his way to bring home the family's needs. This will be the Hebrew letter, hay. As I prayed for the Holy Spirit to give me this message to share with you, He led me to talk about the most important subject of all, His great sacrifice of His Son on the cross for our salvation. Nothing is more important to Him than that [JN 6: 39-40; JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; EPH 1: 4-5]. Above I mentioned the sacrifices that our parents made for us. Those whose parents didn't do this suffer because of it. Our God made the greatest sacrifice of all, because of His deep and abiding love for each of us. If you are feeling loved right now, then I am obeying the command the Holy Spirit gave me. The warmth of His daily embrace is upon us. God truly is near. And all we need to do is to seek Him. We can pray PS 25: 4-5 with sincere hearts, and He hears us. "Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth, and teach me: for You are the God of my salvation; on Your do I wait all the day." When we are troubled, we can believe IS 41: 10, "Do not be afraid-I am with you! I am your God-let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and I will protect you and save you." We can imprint PS 29:11 on our memories. "The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace." Believe it, because this is the truth. Let me end this message with something from my heart to yours. PS 56:4, "I praise God for His word. I trust God, so I am not afraid." Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn