Proverbs 31 Woman

Archive for the ‘Bible Study’ Category

Today, as part of my devotional time with the Lord, I was going through another chapter of Gate Keepers of the Home – How to Guard Your Home by Nancy Campbell. The chapter dealt with how we can bless/minister to/encourage others. I share with you this entry from Matthew Henry’s commentary discussing Proverbs 11:25 which reads, “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

“So backward are we to works of charity, and so ready to think that giving undoes us, that we need to have it very much pressed upon us how much it is for our own advantage to do good to others, as before, v. 17. 1. We shall have the comfort of it in our own bosoms: The liberal soul, the soul of blessing, that prays for the afflicted and provides for them, that scatters blessings with gracious lips and generous hands, that soul shall be made fat with true pleasure and enriched with more grace. 2. We shall have the recompence of it both from God and man: He that waters others with the streams of his bounty shall be also watered himself; God will certainly return it in the dews, in the plentiful showers, of his blessing, which he will pour out, till there be not room enough to receive it, Mal. 3:10. Men that have any sense of gratitude will return it if there be occasion; the merciful shall find mercy and the kind be kindly dealt with. 3. We shall be enabled still to do yet more good: He that waters, even he shall be as rain (so some read it); he shall be recruited as the clouds are which return after the rain, and shall be further useful and acceptable, as the rain to the new-mown grass, he that teaches shall learn (so the Chaldee reads it); he that uses his knowledge in teaching others shall himself be taught of God; to him that has, and uses what he has, more shall be given.”

Our church denomination’s magazine, called New Horizons, recently had an uplifting article called “Family Devotions: Passing Down a Tradition.” The article gives many examples of families forming the habit of reading Scripture together,memorizing it, praying, singing hymns/songs to the Lord, and discussing the Lord’s work in their lives. What struck me was the evidence of God working in a covenantal way in families, from generation to generation to generation.

That could be a whole study in itself, and entire books have been written about covenant theology. What is important in this brief column today is the importance of family devotions. Deuteronomy 11:18-19 says, “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul…You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house.”

Having family devotions does take discipline. It means keeping children at the table in order to open up the Word. It means saying no to the doorbell ringing, phone ringing, the computer clamoring for attention, a host of activities that could usurp some time to read and pray. Forming the habit takes effort and time. But we need to take advantage of these family eating times to feast also upon our Lord, too.

What a wonderful thing bearing children is!! Now, becoming a Grandma is a reality! Our grandson was born after 2 days of labor. The water broke early Monday morning and by 3:13am Wed. the little boy was born. Children are a gift, a blessing, a joy!

Although my grandson lives out of state, I’m determined that I can still be a caring Grandma – even if it’s long-distance. With email, internet, phones, I am able to bridge the communication gap. Plus, I love old-fashioned road trips to Virginia, even done in a long weekend.

God has placed another person in my family to nurture and to reach out to. I can tell this little one about Jesus who came to earth as a babe and died the painful and shameful death on the cross that my sins may be covered over. I can, by His grace and mercy, impact yet another generation for the Gospel of Christ.

I can and do say with the Psalmist, “The Lord has done great things for me and I am filled with joy!”

I haven’t talked to one of my 5 children since mid January. She left for South Africa to volunteer in an orphanage on Jan. 13. She did call us a couple days after she arrived and we have been emailing almost every other day. But I am so excited to be able to talk to her again! I’m thinking of all the things to talk about and I know we won’t be able to cover everything. She has managed to email us regularly and we have emailed back as well, much more often than we thought we would be able to do.

Being in a new and different country grows a person in many ways. Learning about a new culture can be exciting, hard, confusing, interesting, and challenging. Getting along with one’s fellow volunteers affords constant opportunities to grow spiritually. Let’s face it, people are sinful and learning to get along can be a joyful challenge. We need to try to be humble as Jesus was humble. We need to listen to other people’s ideas and not just want our own way. I see much growth in my daughter as I read her emails and see her pictures. I will let all of you know how the phone call goes. God’s riches blessings on each of you.

We are anticipating a challenging time at our church’s missions fest this weekend. There will be speakers from out of town coming to talk about how God is working in different parts of the world. One will speak about the spread of the Gospel in France; another will talk about local churches sending teams of people out to different parts of the world. We will have times of worship together, and times of prayer together.

This is a time for the whole family to come out and sing, pray, learn, and grow together. We are to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to do what Jesus taught us. There will be a book table, too. If you know of any books about missions to add to the book table, let us know!

This verse from the Psalms says, “Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.”

Isn’t that awesome that the Lord has great concern for His people, those who put their trust wholly in Him? Some of the definitions in my American Heritage Dictionary for the word “regard” are: to look at attentively, observe closely, look upon or consider in a particular way, to consider or to take into account, and more. I was trying to find my 1828 Webster’s dictionary but it has been moved again! We all enjoy look words up in that tome because the definitions are usually so much more rich and meaningful and at times include Scripture verses. When I find it, I’ll update this!
Are we dependent on God? Are we trusting in Him alone for our salvation? Have we humbled ourselves before Him, thanking Him for His greatness, for His majesty, His mercy, His forgiveness? He is so awesome! He has, as it were, stooped and reached down to us to forgive us, to guide us, to bind up our wounds. He is attentive to us. Lord, how I thank You for YOUR very being, You are the great “I AM”, you are the Alpha and the Omega, You are the King of Kings!

I was checking some of my favorite sites and came across this entry from Amy Scott’s blog. She writes about reading the Bible to one’s children and the importance of that. She also included some catechism questions and answers pertaining to sin, yes, that’s right, SIN. So many people are afraid to mention that word. Kudos to Amy for including this material on her site called http://www.humblemusings.com

I have thoroughly enjoyed going through the Children’s Catechism with each of my 5 children. Right now, with my 12 yr. old we are up to the questions re: the 10 Commandments. I think learning the catechism gives a good theological foundation for children; I learn alot, too, as I go through the questions and answers. This is in addition to reading and studying the Bible together alone and as a family.

Truly, God is merciful to send His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to take the punishment that His people deserved. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow.”

I remember with great joy a few retreats I went to growing up. It’s a time to get away from the regular schedule and the commitments of life. It’s a time to focus spiritually and also have some recreation. Retreats can last a few hours or a day or 2 or so. We are hosting a day retreat for some tween girls. We went rollerskating at Riverside Arena, went sledding at the local sledding hill, ate good food, read Scripture, wrote down Bible verses and talked about them, wrote to a young lady volunteering in South Africa, prayed, played games, and ate some more.

One place I’d like to retreat to is the Machen Retreat Center in Virginia. I’ve read about it in our denominational magazine; sounds like a great place for a retreat.

Well, time to go.

God is to be praised with the harp, the timbrel, the voice. In everything we are to give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning.

God has used music tremendously in my life and in the life of my family. God has used music to heal broken hearts, to awaken dead hearts, to give many families an overriding purpose. In our family, music has been part of who we are individually and as a family. The Psalms are laden with references to instruments, praising God, recounting His glorious works.

How has God blessed your life with music? Let me know.

The Family Meal Table and Hospitality is a fantastic manual by Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies. This manual is a workbook, too, with spaces to record observations and Bible study notes. Ladies, do you realize the importance of the Family Meal Table? When we sit around the table, we not only feast on food because we are hungry, but we feast on God’s Word together. Recapture the power of the meal table….fellowship together. The days of child rearing our little ones pass quickly (although it doesn’t seem like it sometimes!) If you need some direction in establishing your family’s meal table, consider reading through this manual.

The subheading to the title says, ” ‘What does God have to say about the table in your home? This study guide will tell you. Be prepared to enlarge your vision!’ ”

We are selling the Family Meal Table DVD; if you want a copy, mail us $18 (cash, money order or check) Send payment to IX Publishing, Inc., PO Box 2578, Dearborn, MI 48123-2578. That includes postage and handling. This DVD is life-changing and very encouraging. Allow a few weeks for delivery.