Proverbs 8 "Be A Prude"

While Proverbs was written to gain wisdom as we learned in Proverbs 1, today we read

      "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion." Pr.8:18

So often 'prudence', root word being 'prude', is used in a negative light. We've all heard, "Don't be a prude." Over the years, words such as 'prude' and 'prudence' have lost their popularity and value. Let's find a better understanding of the word.

Prudence is having the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. Synonyms of prudence are good judgement, self control, common sense, forethought, etc. All of which are desirable qualities in all of the human race.

The root word is 'prude'. A prude is a person who is concerned with decorum or propriety. While today being called a prude is not a compliment, it wasn't so in the 1600-1700s. Traditionally, it was associated with wisdom, integrity, usefulness & profit.

So what happened that these words have lost their popularity, and their understanding has become demeaning? I believe, plain and simply, the decline of moral values.

In all honesty, I believe God loves prudes. Not only does He love them, He's calling us to be one. God condones morality, modesty, self control, good judgment, wisdom, all good qualities. In fact He is all good qualities, so might I suggest, our God is prude. He invites us to be imitators of Him as dearly beloved children saying,

"among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking...For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person...has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Galations5:1-5

Doesn't this sound like God encourages a life of prudence?

Now, let's get this straight! Being a prude does not mean God expects us to be a tight-lipped, rigid person. It just means you are concerned with decorum and therefore practice selfcontrol.

Being prude means you are a wise, well-disciplined, teachable, thoughtful, morality practicing person on a mission to claim his/her inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God! What a privilege this should be to us! What a joy! That joy will not cause us to be unhappy, unsmiling and cold, but rather warm, smiling, inviting, gentle and loving to all those around us.


Let's be a bit more of a prude today! It's OK! It's downright beautiful to our Lord!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take a virtual coffee break for your homemaker's heart! Visit the top right side bar and join today!

Sharing with. ...Soul Survivor

Proverbs 7 "Tablet of my Heart"

      "...keep my words and store up my commands
        within you. Keep my commands and you will live;
        guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
        Bind them on your fingers; write them on the
        tablet of your heart." Pr.7:1-4

Throughout scripture we read the promise of life when we obey the Lord's commands. Deuteronomy 30, holds this promise three times.

      "The Lord will again delight in you and make you
        prosperous...if you obey the Lord your God
        and keep His commands." Deut. 30:9-10

        "love the Lord you God, to walk in His ways, and
          to keep His commands, decrees and laws;
          then you will live..." Deut.30:16

         "I have set before you life and death,
           blessings and curses. Now choose life,
           so that you and your children may live." Deut.30:19

 Solomon tells his son to keep his teachings as the apple of his eye. When something is dear to us, whether good or bad, it becomes who we are; our very life. Let's keep God's words as the apple of our eye and store up His commands and promises within us so that His "word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." (Deut.30:14, Romans10:8) Also, so we can "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have." 1Peter3:15

The best way to write God's word on the tablet of our heart is to read His word every day and yes, memorize scripture. I find this to be a tough one. Doable but tough,  and a bit overwhelming! I mean, where do I start?!!

My New Years resolution is to memorize one verse or some section of scripture each month. So, by the end of the year, I will have 12 new things written on the tablet of my heart. Doesn't sound too hard, right? Here's my game plan! Feel free to join - I need motivation and accountability!

   ~ Set small goals. One verse a month! I can do this!

   ~Print out that verse and other verses. Tape them to areas I see regularly, then be intentional about reading them over and over.

   ~Hang a framed verse on the wall. Or update/add to the collections I already have in my home. Not only are these being written on my heart, but also on the hearts of my family! This thrills me!

   ~Practice the verses while driving. Chant it & do the head bang if it helps! :)

   ~Make up a tune for the verse & belt it out in the shower! ...OK, maybe, that's going a bit too far, but sounds fun to me! :)

Deuteronomy 30:20 says "For the Lord is your life", and Colossians 3:4 reads of "Christ, who is your life." Let's keep Him as such by keeping Him as the apple of our eye, and continuously 'storing up' something new on the tablet of our heart!

Proverbs 6 "Trapped By Words"

Ever have something you said come back and bite you in the rear? Get caught in a lie? Or something you said got found out?

We have two choices when our tongue gets us in trouble: PRIDE or HUMILITY.

      "if you have been trapped by what you said,
        ensnared by the words of your mouth,
        then do this, my son, to free yourself,...
        go and humble yourself; press your plea
        with your neighbor!" Pr.6:2-3

Aknowledge you're wrong. Ask forgiveness. Choose humility. Do it asap. Verse 4 says even before you sleep: "Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids."

      "Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter
        like a bird from the snare of the fowler." Pr.6:5

This verse gives an interesting picture. When a bird is caught in a snare, there is much flapping, fluttering & struggling. Because of the captured foot, it never goes any further than the snare allows, which jerks it back over & over again.

This is exactly what happens when we choose pride. We will never be able to grow further than the snare of the bondage of sin will allow. We try to cover up. We struggle to appear genuine. We live in fear of the being found out. We dread the day it'll happen. And it will  happen.  How much easier life could be if we'd chose humility from the start. No fear, no anxiety, no covering up...just peace. Beautiful, restful peace!

Have you spoken harsh words to your child? Spouse? Right now, ask forgiveness. Have you made a degrading comment to or about a co-worker, neighbor or friend? Right now, ask forgiveness.

I've been surprised over and over how relationships have grown, simply because I was quick to be humble enough to ask forgiveness. Sometimes it was rough and the healing took a while, but in the end it was worth it. So worth it.

A few evenings ago, my husband made a smart remark about a new dish I made. "Eat or make your own!" I snapped defensively. The second those words left my mouth I regretted them. So my next  sentence had to be,"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

The evening progressed in complete unity. So much more peaceful than the option of pride would have been. Bless his heart, he ate the dish. Which, by the way, I will not be making again. Pinterest fail!

Seeking forgiveness softens the heart of the offended, making them willing to extend grace to the offender.

So do it early.

Do it first.

Proverbs 5 "Warnings Against Adultery"

Today we are dramatically warned against adultery. In today's society of baring extra skin, its easy to let the eyes wander and thoughts indulge. From billboards to books, aka, mommy porn, let's face it: this isn't just a male issue.

This is what Proverbs 5:5-6 says about an adulteress:

     "Her feet go down to death;
       her steps lead straight to the grave.
       She gives no thought to the way of life;
       her paths are crooked, but she knows it not."

No thought?!! How can it  be? Yet, this is exactly how the enemy works. We are tempted with 'just one more time' or 'it can't hurt to look' or 'just one more book, I'll throw it away when I'm done'. The more we become accustomed to these thoughts, the easier it is to give in, all the while darkening our way, narrowing our view of our eternity to the point where we don't see it at all & we literally give no thought to the way of life. This makes me want to shake her and shout "Wake up, girl! Don't you know

      "a man's ways are in full view of the Lord,
        and He examines all his paths." Pr.5:21


       "At the end of your life you will groan,
         when your flesh and body are spent.
         You will say,"How I hated discipline!
         How my heart spurned correction!
         I would not obey my teachers
         or listen to my instructors.
         I have come to the brink of utter ruin..." Pr.5:11-14

'Pay attention' Solomon wrote in verse 1. I don't think he said it gently. I think he said it adamantly, just like we do when we have something important to say to our child. Maybe he even took his son by the shoulders, got inches away from his face & said, " 'Pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight'. (v.1) Don't go down the road of adultery. It leads only to death!"

Imagine a road map with people walking along the roads. Do the people take the roads marked surest to heaven or do they veer off to the side roads? Dead ends? Literal dead ends.

Dead to life.

Dead to truth.

Death today.

Death tomorrow.

Death eternally.

Wake up!!! Think! "Listen!" Solomon said. Today, right now, if you have a book or magazine or movie that is not edifying to your eternal life, throw it away. 'But it cost money to buy this.' Exactly, but that money wasn't spent wisely. The choice wasn't made in the Lord. Now throw it away! A $15.00 book or movie is peanuts compared to the cost of your eternity. Let's not wait till the end of our lives when we will groan, at the brink of utter ruin.

The beauty in this is, It's not too late, yet!! We don't have to stay dead!! Today if you have the sin of adultery in your heart, rip it out! Give it to Jesus! He can handle it!

Join me in prayer:

Father, help me recognize impurity at it's introduction. Don't let me become callus to images, thoughts and impure ways of the world. Cleanse me of anything not glorifying to You. Lay on my heart anything that isn't edifying to my walk with You, then give me the courage to purge my heart and home of these things. In Jesus, I am an overcomer! May my thoughts, all that is in my home, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, my God.  Amen.
     

Proverbs 4 "A Brighter Light"

  

       

       "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
               shining ever brighter till the full light of day." Pr.4:18

Maybe this morning you watched the sun rise. First there was a small hue of pink. As time wore on the sky became brighter & brighter until finally the sun itself peeped over the horizon giving a grand display of light.

When we first come to love Jesus & the path of righteousness, we have and hold on to a small flicker of hope. As we hold on to and cultivate this small flicker of hope & light, we notice it becomes brighter, growing bigger, stronger and spreading into more areas of our lives. This light penetrates all corners of our hearts and scatters sin and darkness. We become stronger in our faith, more sure of our hope, more reliant on our Maker.

Just like rays from the sun becoming brighter & brighter, so are we as we continue to cultivate this hope. Our light for Jesus becomes brighter & brighter, until one day in glory we have a great blazing crescendo of light bursting into the gates of heaven. (I say burst, because I don't plan to make my entrance with hesitation & timidity!) Oh, what a glorious display of unending, everlasting beauty and perfection!

In today's reading, verses 20-27, encourage us to pay attention to God's words, hide them in well guarded hearts, speak purely and in truth, to stay encouraged and keep looking ahead, to watch how we walk and to not stray to evil ways.

Stay focused! Stay true! Eyes on Jesus to keep your perspective right! Don't let your light grow dim! He deserves a great display.

      "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
        guard it well, for it is your life." Pr.4:13

Instruction obeyed, the flicker of hope & faith held on to,

gives life,

strengthens life,

lengthens life,

speaks life,

breathes life,

is to be your very life.

Hold on to it.

Proverbs 3 "My Sister Wisdom"

Today, I was immediately drawn to  verse 15, where speaking of wisdom and knowledge, Solomon wrote,

     "She is more precious than rubies"

Wait!! I thought that's what is said about a Proverbs 31 woman! Then I noticed that all throughout Proverbs wisdom is referred to in the female sense, using she/her. Let's reread Pr.3:13-18.

     "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious the rubies; nothing you can desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed."

Wow! This sounds very much like the intimidating, yet amazing woman of Proverbs 31, who is precious, profitable, desirable, pleasant, honorable, noble, excellent, praiseworthy, life giving... you name it! I especially like the last verse (18) in the above section of scripture,

     "She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
        those who lay hold of her will be blessed."

Embrace. Embrace? Couldn't that mean hug?!! I don't know about you, but it delights me to think of reaching out and embracing/hugging/grasping wisdom! But, wait! It gets better! Jump ahead to Proverbs 7:4,

     "Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister' "

Gasp!! My sister?!! Whether by blood or in Christ, my sisters are very dear to me, so the thought of embracing & inviting my sister Wisdom, over for a hug and a chat, simply thrilled me to the core!

Today let's reach out and touch, hug, lay hold of our incomparable, life giving, more precious than rubies sister, Wisdom, so that we may be blessed!

Have a beautiful day, dear sister in Christ!




Follow Faithful Feat on Facebook and Twitter!



Shared at....
Teaching What is Good.

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Proverbs 2 "Answering His Knock"

 Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a heavy demanding pounding on the door. Goodness! What's the urgency?! I hustled to the door only to be greeted by a fast talking vacuum salesman saying he has a product that will clean my carpet like no other & would I like a sample? I, still wondering what the emergency was, said, "okay??" He handed me the sample, hustled to his van, got out a sweeper & fellow partner in crime & marched back to  the door. It was then I finally realized they wanted into my home. To me that's invasion of privacy & just plain dangerous, so rather rudely I sent them on their way with, "So now you want into my house? Yeah, not happening! Good day."

Just like these salesmen wanted desperately into my house to market their product, God wants desperately into our hearts, lives & homes, yet He doesn't push His way in. He doesn't bang down the door, yet knocks with a gentle urgency. He doesn't speak loud or fast, yet gets our attention with a gentle deliberate tone.

   "...turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to  understanding,
     and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
     and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
     then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find
     the knowledge of God." Pr.2:2-5

Note the italics. We must,'turn our ears' - listen. 'Call out' and 'cry aloud' - ask. 'Look for it' - search, then He'll give wisdom, knowledge and understanding. We will be able to

    "...understand what is right and just and fair - every good path.
      For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant
      to your soul. Discretion will protect you and understanding will
      guard you." Pr.2:9-11

But, we must first want to hear from Him. We must want to keep cultivating, keep learning, and keep returning to Him. Let's not rudely send Him on His way like He's a salesperson, by dismissing His word & ignoring His knock.

     "He holds victory in store for the upright,
        He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
        for He guards the course of the just
        and protects the way of His faithful ones." Pr.2:7-8

 Join me in prayer...

Lord, as we go throughout our day, nudge us gently to want to hear from You. Give us a desire to hear from You, a longing to dwell in Your presence.  If we seem to be ignoring Your knock, please, bang down the door! Get our attention! We get so wrapped up in ourselves that sometimes we need an all out invasion! Don't let us become callus to Your call.
Father, we long for the victory You hold for us. We thank you for Your shield for our walk and Your protection throughout our days. Amen.