Proverbs 31 Series - Investing into your future

The Proverbs 31 woman was a wise investor who understood the value of sowing and reaping.

Verse 16 – She looks at land and buys it, and with money she has earned she plants a vineyard.

A prudent saver, she ‘looks’ (or ‘considers’ as some versions put it) a land and then makes her purchase. She is not an impulsive shopper but rather a thoughtful one.

This verse tells us she decides to plant a vineyard. Why a vineyard, you might ask? Of all the ‘businesses’ she could have gone into, she chose something that requires hard work and toil and does not produce a harvest overnight. However she considered all of this and based on the needs of her family believed that this was the best venture to undertake. A vineyard is a long term investment, therefore this shows that she was forward thinking and PATIENT – looking to the future.

‘With money she has earned’ indicates that she only made purchases from money she already had. She does not make financial decisions which will put her family into debt, but rather in agreement with her husband (who trusts her - Proverbs 31:11), she considers the best ‘deals’ for her family, weighing up the overall cost and purchases accordingly.

As I reflect on this verse, I ask myself ‘Do I look and consider my purchases?’, ‘Am I patient enough to sow into the future of my family?’ Am I making good financial decisions? ‘What is my vineyard?’

As a Proverbs 31 woman I believe we need to always consider these questions and how we can apply it to our current situation.

In what ways can we show financial wisdom in our lives?

Other Posts in the Proverb 31 Series
Proverbs 31: 10-31 CEV Version
Proverbs 31 - A woman that Fears the Lord
Proverbs 31:12-15 - Doing Him Good + Having the Right Attitude
Proverbs 31: 15 - Planning + Starting Your Day Right

Proverbs 31 Series: Planning + Starting Your Day Right

Continuing with our Proverbs 31 series, last week’s verses were Proverbs 31:15-16. My original post was too long, so I have done verse 15 today and will post verse 16 tomorrow.

Verse 15 – She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and to tell her servant women what to do.

Getting up early allows for time in the Word, time for yourself and time to plan and prepare for the day ahead. Even Jesus did it (Mark 1:35), which shows you how important it is.  Sometimes my baby will wake up at 4am and not go back to sleep for a while. After she finally goes back to sleep, since I am already up, if I am not too tired, I will try to make the most of the early morning. In addition, depending on the day, I might be able to prep for dinner or do a load of laundry as well. The great thing about early morning starts is that I manage to achieve a lot before the day officially begins and by planning the day ahead, it allows me to focus my time on the important things I need do.

Obviously rising early depends on your season of life, it might not be practical with a newborn baby for example and what I describe above doesn’t always happen, but I know as she gets older, I will look to instil a regular early morning routine for myself.

The second part of the verse talks about servant girls, now I don’t have any servant girls but I could liken what a servant girl would do to all the modern day conveniences that I currently have. Courtney suggests things like your washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer etc. The Proverbs 31 woman has a plan before the day begins. She is aware of the needs of the household, and is organised in addressing them. So if laundry needs to be done today, it gests done.

As a planner she does not do this on her own, but she plans with the Lord as her consult. She does not go off and do things but rather, she prayerfully considers the things she wants to achieve and asks God to bless her plans.  Other parts of Proverbs reinforce the importance of this:

“Ask the Lord to bless your plans and you will be successful in carrying them out” – Proverbs 16:3

“Plan carefully and you will have plenty, if you act too quickly you will never have enough – Proverbs 21:5

How many times have you just started your day without any consideration of the things that need to be achieved or entered into a new venture and realised that you jumped in head first without considering everything properly. Even worse you didn’t ask God for his input. I know I have and while it doesn’t mean your venture will outright fail or your day will be poor, you open yourself up to potential challenges or misfortune. God is our loving Father who wants to be part of everything we are doing, even the daily stuff.

By bringing our plans to God He is able to open our eyes to any things which we may not have thought about and order our steps. He might even tell you not to go ahead! Planning is not something to be rushed and takes careful consideration. As the old saying goes – failure to plan is planning to fail.

Are you committing your plans to God?

Other Posts in the Proverbs 31 Series
Proverbs 31: The Contemporary English Version
Proverbs 31 - A Woman That Fears The Lord
Proverbs 31:12-14 - Doing Him Good And Having the Right Attitude

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Proverbs 31 Series: Doing Him Good + Having The Right Attitude

I am currently doing a Proverbs 31 study with Good Morning Girls and thought I would share with you what I have been learning. We are part way through week four and so far I am really enjoying getting deeper into these verses and applying them to my life.

Last week’s verses were Proverbs 31: 12-14.

What do these verses mean for today’s women?

Verse 12 - As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.

This verse reinforced for me that marriage is for life -  “as long as she lives” the Proverbs 31 woman is committed to her marriage and doing good for her husband. As a wife I should make it my priority to ‘do him good’, realising that I have a powerful influence over my husband which should not be abused but honoured.

Doing good needs to be part of our character, which God will help us cultivate and we should always seek to ‘do good’ first and foremost to our husbands. Many times I have found myself treating others better than I treat my own husband, which is wrong. Verse 12 reminds me of where my priorities should lie. Looking for some ideas on how to do good to your husband, check out this post. 

Are you doing good to your husband?

Verse 13 – She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth.

Different bible versions say that she ‘works with eager hands’. I believe this verse is referring to the attitude we have when we are undertaking our duties around the home. This does not just apply to wives, but to women in general. Now I don’t get excited cleaning the bathroom as much as the next person, but my attitude when I do it should be a positive one. I mean in the first instance I should be grateful I have a toilet to clean! There are many people in the world who would be happy for this ‘luxury’ which we take for granted. Secondly everything I do should be to the glory of God {Colossians 3:23}. Finally, this is a labour of love for my family and that alone should change my perspective.

Do you struggle in this area? Courtney in her ebook  The Proverbs 31 Woman - One Virtue at a Time, encourages us to research and find inspiration {Pinterest in great here}, speak to other women who we know are good in this area and seek encouragement and advice. When I first met my husband I was not that great in the kitchen, I hardly spent any time there and much preferred to eat out all the time. As a newlywed this was not an affordable long term strategy, plus my husband preferred home cooked meals, so I had to change. I decided to spend some time with other wives I knew who were great in the kitchen, to ask them to show me how to make different dishes. I really enjoyed (and still do) this time of learning and have improved so much. Today I have a genuine love for cooking and preparing meals for my family.

Are you willing to work in your home? Do you have the right attitude?

Verse 14 – She brings home food from out-of-the-way places, as merchant ships do.

I grocery shop online for convenience, it is especially convenient when you have a baby in tow. This verse however did make me think, whilst it is convenient, is it cost effective? Could I be getting better deals if I visited different supermarkets (sans baby!). In what ways am I using our food budget effectively?

For the first time in a long time, this past weekend I planned our menu for the week and went to the store to buy the relevant ingredients. I then spent time making up 4 of the meals for the week in one batch (thanks for the inspiration Mrs O), so that I could freeze some and take some of the pressure off during the week. It’s great not having to worry about ‘what will we eat’.  This verse has challenged me to find ways in which I can serve my family better in this area.

How are you applying these verses to your life?

Related Proverbs 31 Posts
Proverbs 31 - A woman that Fears the Lord

Proverbs 31: A Woman that fears the Lord

Before I start this post, one quick thing to mention. Even though the verses talk in the context of being a wife and mother, a lot of it is still relevant to those of us who are not yet married.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

So, as a Proverbs 31 woman, what does it mean to fear the Lord?

Psalm 111:10 tells us, fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. (NLT)

We also know that the, 'fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment’. Proverbs 9:10

Is it talking about 'fear' as in being afraid in the negative sense. I don't think so. I believe it's more of a positive fear of reverence and respect for the Lord's greatness. The Proverbs 31 woman has an awe-filled, humble regard for her Creator and Lord. She knows God and honours Him above all else and because of this a woman who fears God…

- Is not anxious of the future

- Applies practical wisdom in all aspects of life

- She is strong, both physically and morally

- Will not live for herself alone but for others {especially her husband if she is married}

- She lives for the needy

or in other words...

Every other activity and quality of this woman is based on this all-essential trait:

i. Because she fears the Lord … she does her husband good.

ii. Because she fears the Lord … she works with willing hands.

iii. Because she fears the Lord … she buys a field and plants a vineyard. Her entrepreneurial ventures have integrity and purpose in serving her household.

iv. Because she fears the Lord … she cares for the poor and shares with those in need.

v. Because she fears the Lord … she can laugh at the days to come. She doesn't fear the unknown future.

vi. Because she fears the Lord ... she opens her mouth with wisdom. Her life and words instruct others.vii. Because she fears the Lord … she does not eat the bread of idleness. Her knowledge of God motivates her to work diligently.

Everything in her life is built on this and we should seek to build our lives around God and his priorities.

So how can we take the above and make it practical?

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Further reading

A woman that fears the Lord, Now that is beautiful

A woman who fears the Lord Is to be praised  - John Piper

Proverbs 31:10-31 (Contemporary English Version)

In Praise of a Good Wife

¹⁰A truly good wife
   is the most precious treasure
   a man can find!
¹¹Her husband depends on her,
   and she never
   lets him down.
¹²She is good to him
   every day of her life,
¹³and with her own hands
   she gladly makes clothes.
¹⁴She is like a sailing ship
   that brings food
   from across the sea.
¹⁵She gets up before daylight
   to prepare food
   for her family
   and for her servants.
¹⁶She knows how to buy land
   and how to plant a vineyard,
¹⁷and she always works hard.
¹⁸She knows when to buy or sell,
   and she stays busy
   until late at night.
¹⁹She spins her own cloth,
²⁰and she helps the poor
   and the needy.
²¹Her family has warm clothing,
   and so she doesn't worry
   when it snows.
²²She does her own sewing,
   and everything she wears
   is beautiful.
²³Her husband is a well-known
   and respected leader
   in the city.
²⁴She makes clothes to sell
   to the shop owners.
²⁵She is strong and graceful, as well as cheerful
   about the future.
²⁶Her words are sensible,
   and her advice
   is thoughtful.
²⁷She takes good care
   of her family
   and is never lazy.
²⁸Her children praise her,
   and with great pride
   her husband says,
²⁹"There are many good women,
   but you are the best!"
³⁰Charm can be deceiving,
   and beauty fades away,
   but a woman
   who honours the LORD
   deserves to be praised.
³¹Show her respect--
   praise her in public
   for what she has done.

This Proverbs 31 women, is she for real?

When you read about the Proverbs 31 woman, how do you feel? I know in the past I have read it and been like ‘whoa, is she for real?’. Other times I read it and walk away feeling really inspired, ‘how can I be more like her’.

Earlier in the week, I listened to a teaching by Josh Harris, as part of his Proverbs series, titled ‘The Women of Valour’ and I got to view Proverbs 31 in a completely new light. He focused on four characteristics of the valiant women, in order of importance:

• She fears God
• She gives her life away
• She is capable
• She is influential

Proverbs 31 is a ‘joyful expression of womanly excellence, resourcefulness and skill’ and Josh says we should approach it with humility and faith. Humility in the fact that we recognise that it’s not all about me and God is already aware of my weaknesses and deficiencies already and by faith, knowing that God has good for me in his Word and there is a joy and blessing that come as you study his Word.

When we read any passage in the Bible, there are two questions we should ask ourselves:

1. What effect does God want this passage to have on me?

2. What does he want to accomplish through it?

Over the next week, I hope to talk through what I got out of this teaching and practical ways to apply it daily life.

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Options for you…

• Listen online or download an mp3 of the message
• Download a summary outline in PDF format.
• Use the following questions prepared by Don Devries to reflect on how to apply the message to your life.

1. A godly woman knows and fears the Lord. Is there anything you are living for--personal success, a husband, your children, etc.--more than you are living for God and His Kingdom?
2. Josh taught us that the Proverbs 31 woman is capable. How can this chapter stir godly ambitions for the Lord?
3. As Josh taught, the Proverbs 31 woman gives her life away. Is there need around you that the Lord is calling you to help meet?
4. Concerning godly womanhood, are you following what the world values or are you valuing what God says is praiseworthy?
5. In what one Proverbs 31 quality would you like to grow?
6. Men, how can you encourage, cherish and honour the values of womanhood described in Proverbs 31?