Earlier this week, I wrote an entry entitled: Who can find a virtuous woman?
I argued the most important quality in a woman is one that cannot be seen outwardly: it’s virtue. I stumbled across an interesting quote that parallels well with this thought:
Virtue is the beauty of the soul. -Socrates
And almost the same thing was said thousands of years later:
Virtue is beauty -Shakespeare
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. -1 Timothy 6:7-8
When we are born, we have nothing, and yet, somewhere along the way, we find something that’s very destructive to our happiness: expectations. At some point, we go from being content with food and clothing to having great expectations.
We are to hope in God: in the second coming of Christ, and have hope in it. Expecting God to provide for us is both good and comforting, provided that it is within His will. But somewhere along life’s path, we get expectations that are not from God, but from ourselves, and from our own lusts.
[W]e should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; -Titus 2:12-13
What do we expect to receive from God? Even if He hasn’t promised it to us, since we want it so much, and it seems like such a reasonable thing, we expect them. We hope in them. Our life is not complete without them.But there is a great danger in having false expectations. Quite simply, the danger lies in the fact that God does not operate according to our false views of the world!
And when we do not get our expectations met, we are angry. We can become bitter that God has not lived up to our expectations.
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. -Proverbs 13:12
If hope that is delayed makes our heart sick, then why should we hope in earthly things? This world is passing away. Why should we raise our expectations as high as the heavens when we are still upon this earth? The world holds no such promise for us. But for the grace of God, the world does not guarantee our next breath. The world cannot guarantee even the next sunrise. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).
The fruit of the Spirit is joy. The gift of God is eternal life. The gift of His Spirit is charity: selfless love. In these things is found happiness, not in any temporary or changeable thing in this world.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: -Colossians 3:1-5
Sometimes, the way that we perceive ourselves is not how others perceive us, and it’s commonly not how God perceives us either. Usually, we are too proud and self-righteous, but the opposite can also be true: it’s possible to be paralyzed with fear about doing something for God because we think that we’re not good enough, or that people will make fun of us.
“[F]ear not, neither be discouraged.” -Deuteronomy 1:21
This was God’s continual counsel to Joshua as he finally led God’s people into the promised land after serving a punishment of forty years of wandering in the desert. Why did God tell the people so many times to not be afraid? Because forty years ago, when a very critical and consequential decision had to be made, the people were afraid.
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. -Numbers 13:31, 14:1
Certainly the foes that they were to face were formidable, but I think their greatest error occurred when they chose to look at the situation through their own eyes, rather than God’s. Take a look at their perspective when they spied out the inhabitants of the promised land:
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. -Numbers 13:33
Notice that it doesn’t just say that they appeared to be grasshoppers in their own sight, but they also supposed that their enemies saw them in the same way that they saw themselves. They figured, “since we look so small compared to them, they must think that we are tiny and weak too.”
When the people supposed that their enemies saw them as little grasshoppers, they made an obnoxious mistake. Their suppositions couldn’t have been further from the truth! When Israel finally sent more spies into Jericho, a woman named Rahab let them know what everyone really thought of them:
I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. -Joshua 2:9
If they had simply trusted in God, and not looked unto their own circumstances, the Lord would’ve given His people an astounding victory forty years earlier. If only they hadn’t been paralyzed by fear! Looking at the verse above, you can see how false their perspective was about themselves. They weren’t little “grasshoppers” to their enemies, they were a terror and a dread among the nations.
Today, if we have been born again by the Spirit, we have the testimony of Jesus dwelling within our hearts. And because of this, we have been shown a path of absolute conquest. This path is called the will of God, and while we tread it, we are assured victory and conquest over our enemies.
This is not to say that we may go where ever we please, whenever we please. But, if we are in the will of God, we have the assurance of His Spirit to press forward, being ever-mindful of God’s counsel: “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).
The only way we could possibly lose is if we listen to our own doubts and fears, as the children of Israel did so long ago, and esteemed themselves only as “grasshoppers.” This fearfulness is not derived from God, because if we are in His will, He speaks only to strengthen us and uplift us from our apprehension:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; -2 Timothy 1:7-8
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. -Leviticus 25:2
There’s an interesting word in the scripture reference above. The word of interest, at least to me, is: WHEN. God does not say, if you come into the promised land, but, when you come into the promised land, then you shall do the following…
And after telling them that they would surely come into His promised land, He gave a series of commandments concerning this future land, such as letting the fields and crops rest every seven years. But it’s interesting to note that at the time when God had said this, His people were dwelling in tents in the middle of a desert, being fed with manna from heaven every single day.
God could have certainly waited until they were come up across the river Jordan and into the promised land before giving His counsels and laws, but He didn’t. He gave them His words in advance. But, it doesn’t always happen like that.
This was the burning question on the minds of all of Jesus’ followers, to which He responded:
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. -Acts 1:7
At this saying, it appeared as though He had shut the door coldly upon them. Yet, He gave a different answer. He didn’t tell them these deep mysteries that they were seeking into, but He gave them practical advice for today, and for the short-term future. He said:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. -Acts 1:8
Sometimes, it seems as though God is testing and trying our faith, and He doesn’t let us see even to the next day. “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34).
But, it is so contrary to human nature to walk by faith, rather than by our own foresight. It is so contrary to our impulses to sit and wait patiently for the Lord’s calling. It’s against our instincts to walk down a path simply because we know it to be God’s will, even if we don’t see where it’s leading, or what lies at its summit. Doing so requires both faith and patience.
Observe the quiet patience of Job:
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. -Job 23:8-12
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. -Proverbs 31:10
I believe this question was asked to imply that a virtuous woman is not easily or casually found. Chances are you cannot just take a walk in the park and simply find a virtuous woman by looking around.
A big reason why Lemuel (the assumed author of Proverbs 31) asked this question: “who can find her?” is because it is not something that can be easily discovered. It cannot be seen with one’s eyes, as in a moment’s notice.
©iStockphoto.com/redhumv
He did not say: "Who can find a beautiful woman?"
Had the writer of this proverb asked who could find a beautiful woman, the answer would be overwhelming: I can! You can! Everybody can! A woman with outward beauty is quite easy to find, and this is not what God commends in His scriptures, and quite the opposite, as He says “beauty is vain” Proverbs 31:30. And why? Because beauty is mainly inherited and natural: she didn’t do anything to get it.
One reason why God commends virtue is that it’s found within, and it’s developed through a strong relationship with God.
Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear– but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. -1 Peter 3:3-4 (ESV)
If you read the very next verse after the question concerning a virtuous woman, you’ll see the results of this holiness: “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil” (Proverbs 31:11).
This is quite the contrast to the world’s system, which tells men to seek out the most beautiful women, and tells women to seek to be only outwardly beautiful. Yet, this value system invariably ends in mistrust, cheating, and heartbreak. As a famous song has said, “we can’t go on together with suspicious minds, and we can’t build our dreams on suspicious minds…”
In the end, happiness both in this life, and in the life to come, is found through virtue: an inward beauty that is free for all to obtain through Christ, and by His Holy Spirit.
God is more interested in changing your heart than changing your circumstances. -Nick Vujacic
A lot of times when we pray, we’re praying and asking God to change something in our lives. Very rarely does it occur to us that perhaps God places certain trials, certain hardships, certain circumstances in our life to teach us to have greater faith; to help us to learn to trust in Him for our every need; to test and try our mettle, to see if we are genuine in our faith.
Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, …Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. -Judges 3:1,3-4
Above is an example of how God allowed difficult circumstances to persist to see if His people would seek Him and genuinely serve Him. I’ve written about this doctrine in the past, because absence tries fidelity. And God wants to make very sure that we will remain true to Him before He puts us into a position of ministry.
How could we possibly see our present difficulties as something to be thankful for, and even derive joy from? Because it is evidence that God loves us, and that He is developing us into the person that He wants us to become.
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? -Hebrews 12:5-7
But beyond simply being evidence into God’s attentiveness toward us, it also gives God an opportunity to show His power through the weakness of our own selves, and the difficulty of our circumstances. We are continually seeking for God to lighten our load, and make things easier on us, when in reality, I think that sometimes it’s in God’s heart instead to strengthen us to bear our load, rather than to simply always lighten it. That’s what God did with one of His beloved Apostles:
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12:8-9
If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. -Matthew 27:40-43
Even the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Creator of both Heaven and Earth, was not delivered from His circumstances. But rather, He saw that it was all part of God’s plan, and that instead He would overcome His circumstances. “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:24).
And so, if we are to be true followers of Christ, how small and insignificant are many of our present problems when we put them next to our Savior’s ultimate sacrifice! (After all, we’re still alive, aren’t we?) If He has given His very life for us, what is too costly that we could not endure for Him?
The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub [devil], how much more shall they call them of his household? -Matthew 10:24-25
I had sometimes wondered how the Ark of the Covenant was safely transported in Old Testament times. That is, it was kept inside the holy place within the Tabernacle, and only the high priest could enter in to this place:
“And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant . . .But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:” -Hebrews 9:3-4,7
And yet, the Israelites were always on the move, and out of necessity would have to take down the tabernacle, the veil, and also transport the Ark. But how could this be done when the place was so holy that only the high priest could go in, and only with the blood of a sacrifice, and only once a year?
I don’t know how many times I must’ve skimmed past this reading in the Old Testament during my devotions, but a few days ago, I finally noticed it. When they were transporting the holy things, they used a covering:
“And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.” -Numbers 4:5-6
So we see, that something that was so utterly holy that men would literally die to look upon it, was completely nullified of its visible glory by being covered. (It was still not to be touched, but carried on poles.)
And do we not today have a force that is of equal brilliance dwelling within our hearts? For Jesus our Lord has said: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).
And we are to let the light of this divine presence shine before men. Just as the glory of the Lord could literally slay men who handled this glory lightly, so God in a spiritual sense uses His Word to “prick” men’s hearts and break them open and make them manifest before Him. Not for their complete destruction, but for their salvation!
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. -Hebrews 4:12-13
And if we have such a powerful Helper within our souls, what hinders us from being more effective witnesses for others?
In the very same way that the covering on the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament was used to shield others from God’s glory, sin in a Christian’s life shields others from God’s power, love, and salvation.
Having sin and iniquity in our hearts shades out and hides God’s power. For all intents and purposes, even though we are still the same underneath it all, sin will cover our words, our thoughts, our actions, and our prayers: so that nothing will be of supernatural effect. We will be ordinary.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12). What did He mean: “because I go to my Father?” Jesus said that several times in the gospel of John, and He was referring to the fact that once He has been crucified, died, and rose again (thus going to His father), that He would then subsequently send us the “Comforter,” that is, the Holy Spirit.
So in essence, Jesus was saying that we will not live ordinary lives! He will send the Holy Spirit into our lives to empower us! We have an infinite opportunity with God’s indwelling presence. Our dreams are as big as we let God make them; they are as vast as His infinite power. We but one thing gets in the way…
Most people think of repentance as something that is for the lost. Repentance is only for the unsaved. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth! Many churches in Revelation, written to God’s own people, are repeatedly told to repent.
Simply put, repentance means turning from our own ways, and acknowledging and following instead in God’s ways. It means taking ourselves out of the boss’ chair, and letting Jesus sit down in our place.
A good video devotion I made a while back, which is also a chapter featured in Tears from a Lonely God (#8) is entitled, “Unshade My Light,” and it deals with this very same subject in more detail.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16
