The Centrality of Repentance
I recently participated in a Sunday School class on another extrememly challenging picture of womanhood (II Timothy 5.9) in addition to reading a great series on the Good Works of Christian women at Girl Talk on the same text. Our Sunday school teacher noted that the best place to begin in striving for godliness (male & female) is not to "gut it out," but to begin with repentance.
I hope these little challenges will not simply be a matter of conquering tasks and pegging up accomplishments, but will be used in our relationships with the Father to highlight life & relational areas in need of repentance.
2 Comments:
In my personal in-depth study of Proverbs 31 I am seeing the heart of the woman and it is humbling!
The focus is NOT the physical works of her hands, but the intense love of those she serves that compels her. It is not out of the question that the first place she turns is confession/repentance so she can be completely emptied of self and filled to over-flowing with the Holy Spirit.
The bottom line is that the Prov. 31 woman is a woman living a Spirit-filled life.
I will end my long post with a couple of great quotes from the Keil & Delitzsch commentary:
"That which impels the housewife to this labour is not selfishness, not a narrow-hearted limitation of her care to the circle of what is her own, but love, which reaches far beyond this circle."
"...she places care for her house above her own comfort, this care is to her a joy and a satisfaction."
Thank you, Mrs. J for spurring us on to Godliness!
Great thoughts Ruby---thanks!
I'm hoping to get a month long challenge out for July, so please keep dropping by!
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