Woman of Honor

What does it look like to be a woman of honor? A woman of honor is someone whose life is characterized by being ~ highly respected ~ above reproach ~ full of integrity ~ humble.

"The ideal woman in Proverbs 31 didn't need to boast about her accomplishments. She didn't plan and work diligently so that she could brag about her home, family, or business successes. She acted from a motivation to honor God and serve others. No one who observed her lifestyle could fail to recognize her godly character. She lived with the quiet confidence that, whatever others thought of her, her actions spoke for themselves." (from The One Year Women of the Bible by Dianne Neal Matthews)

In Hebrews 13:18 it says, "desire to live honorably in every way." Look at those words again: "desire to live honorably in every way." In every way! That's about as clear as it gets. In your thoughts, in your speech, in your actions and in your desires, are you acting in a way that is honorable? Whew! This is an impossible task apart from Christ. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Jesus has given us everything we need for life and godliness. (See 2 Peter 1:3-4) We have to make the choice each day to ask for His help and then act on what He tells us to do. If we don't, we are like the one described in James 1:22-23. "Anyone who listens to the Word, but does not do what it says is like a man (woman) who looks in a mirror and immediately forgets what he (she) looks like." One commentator explains it this way, it's like someone who looks in a mirror, but does nothing about their appearance.

How can we, as women, live honorably and have lives which are:

• Highly respected -- by our husbands, children, or friends
  Proverbs 31:25-31
• Above reproach -- in our thoughts, speech, actions, desires,
  Psalm 19:14, Ephesians 4:29-32
• Full of integrity -- in our ways, in our decisions
  Psalm 78:72, Proverbs 10:9; 11:3
• Humble -- not seeking our own honor,
  but continually looking to the interests of others
  Psalm 115:1, Proverbs 25:27; 27:2
  

It begins with an examination of our heart. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I, the LORD, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man (woman) according to his (her) conduct, according to what his (her) deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:9-10) In Hebrews 4:13, it says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Begin right now by asking God to examine your heart and show you the area(s) that are keeping you from being a woman of honor. Give that area(s) to the Lord and ask His forgiveness. "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD and You forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:5

Lord,
I desire to be a woman of honor in every area of my life. As You have shown me those area where I am weak, fill me with Your strength and grace. I KNOW that Your grace is sufficient and Your power is made perfect in my weakness. I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Integrity

In the last post, the Lord had me share about a woman of noble character. Rather than moving to another topic, God is leading me to take a closer look at each one of the characteristics found in a noble woman. So often as believers, we want to rush on to the next thing ~ gathering more knowledge rather than staying put until we've grasped what God wants to teach us. Knowledge in and of itself is a great thing, but if we don't understand and apply it, we only have "more knowledge".

A couple of years ago in the small group I lead on Thursday nights, we studied the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Each time we met we looked at one of the verses. We didn't move to the next verse until God said 'go'. When we came to the verse that talked about hungering and thirsting for righteousness, we stayed many weeks until this truth was worked in our hearts. As a result of our staying, without exception, the women in the study continue to hunger and thirst to know their God more.

Lord, as we take a closer look at the word integrity, help us to "be still" and wait as You reveal Your Truths to us. Show us what integrity looks like to You and work that character in our hearts.

The bible concordances I looked at define integrity as; honesty of heart, without compromise or corruption, ethically sound, morally well adjusted, sincere. In 1 Kings 9:4-5 Solomon is challenged to be a man of integrity. "As for you, if you walk (notice the word if) before me in integrity of heart and uprightness as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'" In Job 2:13, God describes Job as a man of integrity. Even when he was pushed to the limit by Satan, Job remained a man of integrity.

How do you respond when the tests and trials come? "Consider it pure joy, my brothers (sisters) whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perserverance." (James 1:2)

"We can't really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly? God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask Him to help you solve your problems or give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problem; He will stay close and help you grow." (quoted from the Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishing)

Recently a dear woman named Amy from our Church went home to be with the Lord after a nine year battle with cancer. For the past four years I've known her, I never once heard her complain, whine or gripe about her situation. She had numerous rounds of chemo and each time I saw her, despite her weakened appearance, she was always radiant (Psalm 34:5). This last year was especially hard for her. Not only was she battling cancer, but this past December, her young adult daughter died suddenly. Did Amy complain, (Philippians 2:14-15) or get angry with God? No! She drew her strength from Him. None of us will truly know the depth of pain she experienced from losing her daughter, and the degree of pain caused by the cancer, yet she remained strong because of her steadfast faith in her faithful God. (Psalm 57:7-10) Amy was the epitomy of a woman of integrity. Are you?

As you look at your own life, what qualities of a woman of integrity do you display?

Would others say you remain radiant and steadfast regardless of your circumstances?

In Hebrews 1:3, Jesus Christ is described as the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of His being. How are you representing your Savior? How does your life reflect His glory? In the video series "Living Beyond Yourself" Beth Moore said, "Lord, let Your glory fill me so much that you push out my old nature."

Lord,
You know my heart. There are no secrets with You. Please search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24; Jeremiah 17:9-10) Make me into a woman of integrity; honest of heart, without compromise or corruption, ethically sound, morally well adjusted and sincere in my walk with You. Show me any sin in my life that is keeping me from being a woman of integrity. I confess it now and thank You for Your complete forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)

Character Matters

Several weeks ago I was meeting with a young woman for Bible Study. God led us to Proverbs 31. We read verse 10 through the end of the chapter. After reading all the verses we went back to verse 10. "A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."

As we looked at the verse, we thought about what a person of noble character looks like. The first image that came to our minds was a (medieval) knight. A knight is someone who has integrity, is honorable, strong, dependable, determined and confident, etc. Although none of us have been called to be knights, we are called to be women who have a noble or strong character; women of integrity, honorable, strong, dependable, determined and confident.

Let's look a little deeper into what each of those words mean:

• Integrity- soundness of moral principle, undivided, honest ~ "In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2:7


• Honorable - highly respected, characterized by integrity, upright ~ "The fear of the Lord teaches a man (woman) wisdom, and humility comes before honor." Proverbs 15:33


• Strong - having great physical power, not mild or weak, zealous, firm, not easily upset, tenacious or showing power to endure. ~ "Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devils schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11


• Dependable - reliable, trustworthy, committed ~ "But blessed is the man (woman) who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." Jeremiah 17:7


• Determined - firmly resolved, doesn't give up ~ "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galations 6:9-10


• Confident - full of conviction ~ "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2 Corinthians 3:4-5

From the list above, what qualities or characteristics of a noble woman does your husband, family, or friends see in you? Are there areas where you feel weak or inadquate? Give them to the Lord and ask Him to work those qualities in you. Pray the corresponding verse related to the quality you struggle with every day and watch as God begins to work that quality in your heart. There is power in God's Word and His Word does not return void.

~ ~ ~

Loving Father,
Help me to be a woman whose character is noble and strong, filled with confidence that can only come from You. Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. May they who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your Word.