The Virtuous Woman

"Who can find a virtuous woman?

for her price is far above rubies."

{ Proverbs 31:1 }

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Material On This Page Courtesy Of Lucia Partain

www. luciasblog.com

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”  

Hebrews 12:1-4

Hebrews 12:1-4 is a powerful passage!  It compels us to serve God faithfully, laying aside everything that might hinder our relationship with Him, that is, sin.  The writer of Hebrews stresses our faithfulness to God by reminding us of the many heroes of faith from the Old Testament, whom he calls a great cloud of witnesses.  The Hebrew brethren doubted the value of their faith and faithfulness to Jesus.  All these Old Testament witnesses testified of the faith by their example, for we can only receive God’s reward by our steadfast faith and commitment to doing God’s will despite our trials and difficult circumstances in life.  Like these faithful men and women, we must reject anything that keeps us from achieving our heavenly goal.  To serve God faithfully, we must lay aside sin.  Christians are runners who must endure, for they must do God’s will with longsuffering and steadfastness.  We are also soldiers, warriors who must never turn away and flee from the enemy in the face of battle, for there is great reward in being faithful till the end.  We must not cast away our confidence with its great reward but endure to receive the promise (Hebrews 10:35-36).  God will reward those who live by faith (Habakkuk 2:3-4).  He will despise those who shrink or drawback to their destruction.  Those who become entangled in the material pursuits and affairs of this life (things that don’t necessarily appear to be sinful) will not achieve victory.  It will be impossible for them to serve God faithfully.  

Running the race of faith demands righteous works of faithful service to God.  Turning away from sin is not enough, for we must also serve God faithfully for a lifetime to receive our reward.  Running the race is not for quitters but winners, for they run with patience and longsuffering until their last breath.  Jesus, our Lord, is our most excellent example of one who endured shame and hostility, despising the shame without quitting or fainting.  He is the Author of the New Testament faith and the perfecter or finisher of our faith.  He finished and perfected it when He came to earth to do the Father’s will. He brought every detail of the divine plan into effect (Hebrews 10:1-10).  But to accomplish this, He had to endure shame, even though He despised it.  The cross was not just a source of pain and torture but also of shame.  They crucified only the lowest of criminals (Galatians 3:18).  One who was hung on a tree was cursed.  To Jesus, the cross became the most shameful and despised way to die.  Yet He endured all this because of the joy set before Him!  He knew the great blessings that He would bring to mankind because of His faithful service to God. He made the gift of salvation available to all souls.  The Author of our faith teaches us a great lesson about suffering hardship, for He suffered for us.  He is our victorious and courageous inspiration.  So we must run our race with endurance, keeping our eyes on Jesus and the reward and blessings set before us.

May Jesus’ example motivate us to serve God more faithfully despite our hardships in life.

Luci 

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!"

Isaiah 5:20-21

For many years now, modern "Christians" have been ashamed of the simple absolutes of Jesus' teachings. They tell us that we  must change our morals according to the times to be relevant and listen to the latest charismatic teacher. Large numbers have followed these "Pied Pipers" into the moral decay that now surrounds us. What fools we have become! Satan must be very pleased with the broken homes and the abandoned children wandering around without a clue as to how to live the wonderful life that Jesus taught. Seriously now, do you really believe that the amazing Creator of the heavens and the earth could not give us a book that would always be relevant until the end of time?! Do you see any evidence that the Progressive leaders of our day are wiser than the Prince of Peace who is seated at the right hand of the Lord of glory?!
Do you see how Satan has already won much of the battle?! How often do you seek diligently for some way to make a practical application of any Bible teaching? Even after fully understanding the God-given insight that the Scriptures present about world history? Let us awaken to what is happening!! The Bible, the revealed Word of God, is not out of date! The Bible has practical application. Each truth that Adam and the patriarchs needed is still needed today. 

I.   MORAL DECAY:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.  24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.  26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions... 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done... 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."  (Romans 1:18-32)

• Loose Morals:

Sadly, we're living in times of loose morals and decaying standards of righteousness. Our world justifies and rationalizes all forms of lawless behavior. Just take a look at the following.

1. Our educators and theologians have waged war against the absolutes of the Bible and left us with “relativism.” 
2. We now have two generations of consequences, forty years of degeneration. 
3. Most churches are not always sure what is right or wrong because they are afraid of “legalism.”
4. Our young are not sure what is wrong with fornication if the two love each other. 

Christians must remember that wrong is always wrong. We must not think like the world, justifying sinful behavior in certain circumstances! Wrong is always wrong, even if you never get caught! We must remember that God sees all things.

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." (Prov. 15:13) 

• We Cannot Hide Our Sins From God:

Although we can hide our sins from everybody else, it is impossible to hide them from God.  We cannot get away with it! Wrong is always wrong, even if it seems that "the ends justify the means." You may think you are doing something for an honorable cause, but the honor of the cause still does not justify lawlessness. The end never justifies the means, for "everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4)In today's rotten, corrupt society, many justify the practice of living together to help determine if they are compatible or not before marriage. But guess what? God calls it fornication. It won't work with God because it is still evil and sinful, although you think it is good and okay.

"And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just."  (Rom. 3:8) 

Wrong is always wrong, even if others are doing much worse lawless deeds than you. For example, a man who believes that it is okay to lust after a woman, ignoring that Matthew 5:28 says he is committing sin. 

"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Although you might think others are worse than you, you still will be sentenced to eternal destruction on the Day of Judgment. He thinks it is okay because others are committing much worse sins than he is. However, he must remember that adultery in the heart, like any other sin if not forgiven, will send us to eternal destruction.  And we cannot be forgiven if we do not repent! Period! Wrong is always wrong, even if it doesn't bother you or prick your conscience. Many people train their conscience to accept sinful behavior. And just because certain sins don't prick our conscience and make us feel guilty does not guarantee that it is not a sin before God.
Wrong is always wrong, even if the crowd is doing it! The Word of God says,

 "You shall not follow the crowd to do evil... " (Exodus 23:2) 

Christians must not expect to blend in with the world and conform to sin. Instead, they must take a stand against all the works of darkness and seek righteousness as faithful servants of God, even though our society may deem certain evil works as acceptable. Although our society accepts abortion, homosexuality, fornication, and adultery as legal, they are still wrong and sinful. Remember, wrong is always wrong, and we must live like we believe it!   When everyone does what is right in his own eyes, there is danger!! 

"In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  (Judges 17:6) 

1. We must stop denying God's Word as the ultimate source of all authority in heaven and earth. 
2. We must start revering God as the only Lawgiver and keep all His commandments. 
3. We must start recognizing God as the only Standard of all righteousness. 
4. We must change our hearts.

"Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end."  (Psalm 119:33)

The Bible claims that man is not wise enough to define moral issues without Divine revelation. The Bible is the only absolute standard for right and wrong, which all men must obey. When a person thinks he is wise enough to determine right from wrong based on his own human wisdom alone, he demonstrates his foolishness and not wisdom!

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  ((Proverbs 3:5, 6)

"Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding."  (2 Corinthians 10:12) 

God has declared, 

 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) 

Jesus' Words will judge us on the last day.

"The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day."  (John 12:48) 

God's revealed Word is perfect. No man can improve on it. It is the only standard by which our lives will be judged. Our eternal destiny will depend on our obedience to it. We must learn it and obey it instead of trying to change it to suit ourselves! God will judge us according to His revealed Word on that final Day of Judgment.The sheep follow the Shepherd in objective ways. They move in the direction the Shepherd leads them:

1. In marriage.
2. The family.
3. Lifestyle.
4. Peacemaking.
5. Economics.
6. And every pursuit of life. 
7. 
   

Such was the case of King Josiah, of whom God said, 

“Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him”  (2 Kings 23:25). 

May that be said of all of us!! 

CONCLUSION:

Therefore, as the salt of the earth, we must not compromise our “savor.” 

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.  14 'You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'" (Matthew 5:13-16)

God's people must uphold what is right and oppose at all costs what is wrong. In doing this, we set an example of righteousness for all around us to contemplate. We must oppose all evil and lawlessness, contrary to the teachings of God's Law, His Word. We must be willing to understand and help others to acknowledge the folly of human wisdom.

"For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.'"  (1 Cor. 1:19-21)

Human wisdom is at war with God and is pure foolishness.

"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot."  (Romans 8:7) 

"For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness,' 20 and again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'"  (1 Cor. 3:19-20)

As Christians, we must reject earthly human philosophy and wisdom.

"That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."  (Philippians 2:15-16) 

We must be blameless and harmless, children of God without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world. This is the duty of all Christians. Is your light shining, or has it become polluted by a worldly and corrupt worldview?May we reject all earthly human philosophy and wisdom and instead submit to God's Law and Lordship.  May we never deceive our hearts claiming our own foolish ideas but God's ways and thoughts, submitting to the rule of His Son, our Lord, and Savior.  May God rule in our hearts forever.  May God preserve us from all the corrupt and toxic ideas of those who oppose His Son, Jesus Christ.  Finally, like little children, may we have an open heart that we might believe, understand and cast away all confusion associated with these false systems of humanist thought.    

Luci