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.

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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.