Everyone has enemies. Sometimes an enemy may be just one really bad person, like a Goliath. Or enemies may be a group wanting to cause or watch our utter annihilation. Some want to ruin our characters, jobs or minds. These enemies are of Satan (1 John 2:9-12), and God constantly says not to fear any human or anything in nature, regardless of how powerful and dangerous. Some of our enemies include the following. Humans: Hateful, rotten ones. Moses’ last words to God’s people included, “When you go out… against your enemies, and see horses… chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord… is with you” (Deuteronomy 20:1). Satan: The Adversary, a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is powerful, but God says that his fate is sealed already (Revelation 12:9). So, what is there to fear? Sin: We must attack sin with all our strength, not fearing to conquer what keeps us from being special in God’s eyes. Death, Pain and Shame: Jesus destroyed the power of shame and pain by dying on the cross, as well as the power of death by His resurrection. God said, “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). God taught the Israelites how to fight (Deuteronomy 20:1). Today, He expects us to fight against our enemies, using His armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). God says we are to unite and …

David said in Psalm 4:8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” When God delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, He had made every provision for their journey, not the least of which being their safety. Exodus 13:17-18 reads, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” Verses 21-22 read, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” These symbols of God’s divine presence before the people were of such significance that they did not move unless the pillars of cloud and fire moved. Exodus 40:36-38 concludes the book by saying, “Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if …

Matthew 14:22-33 tells us about the time that Peter began to sink in the sea. There are a number of lessons that should help us when we begin to sink in sin. We even sing about “sinking deep in sin,” and this song evidently came from this section of Matthew. In this article, we will notice the storm, the Savior and the sinking. The Storm (22-25a) In thinking about the storm, I want us to notice the problem of a storm, the people of the storm and the principle of the storm. First, the disciples were facing a real problem. They were in a troubled sea. There was a problem of distance as they were in the “midst of the sea.” There was a problem of danger as the boat was “tossed with the waves.” There was the problem of darkness as it was at the “fourth hour of the watch at night.” They were right in the middle of the problem and did not see any way out. Think about the people in the storm. We expect wicked and sinful people to be troubled and have problems, and, of course, they do (Proverbs 13:15; Isaiah 57:20-21). Yet, these people were “His disciples” (22). They were following Jesus, but here they were in the midst of a real problem. Consider the principle of the storm. The principle taught here is that even disciples of Christ will sometimes find themselves in the midst of trouble and surrounded by problems. Even God’s greatest servants were not …

Several years ago, I was watching the landing of one of the space shuttles on television. There was a station break, and an advertising of a well-known breakfast drink came on. The spokesman for the product spoke of man’s destiny and how it will be attained. He said that man’s destiny lay among the stars, and the way he would reach that destiny would be by a space shuttle. The Bible has something to say about man’s destiny. Jesus said that there are only two ways that lie open to man—the broad way and the strait way. He also stated that “no one comes to the Father but by me.” Yes, man has a destiny. For the disobedient and the unfaithful that destiny is eternal torment. For the righteous, those who love God and keep His commandments, it is eternal happiness in Heaven. One may reach the first mentioned destiny without any effort on his part—just do nothing, believe nothing and obey nothing. The other destiny, Heaven, will not be reached by a spaceship, but through Jesus Christ and obedience to His will. What is your destiny?

When I was a kid, there was a cartoon that came on television about two lab mice which would try every night to take over the world. Every night, they would fail, but that would not slow down their determination. They wanted to take over the world. As individuals, we sometimes want to be in complete control. We want certain things done, and we want them done our way. However, do we not realize that this kind of selfish and self-centered mindset leads us toward a life filled with sin? In Genesis 3, we read about Adam and Eve sinning in the Garden. Eve, being tempted by the serpent, saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and that it could make her wise, and she took, ate, and gave it to her husband. Adam, likewise, took and ate as well. Adam and Eve sinned before God because they disobeyed God and instead, they did what they wanted to do. Sin happens when we as human beings decide to do things that we know God has forbidden and when we decide not to do things that we know God has commanded. Selfishness is sin, and it leads us toward more sin in the future. Before time began, God knew that He was going to send His Son to die on the cross for mankind. He knew mankind would sin and, that at times, we would be selfish and self-centered. It is amazing to see how God’s plan for …

I woke up early today, anticipating all I had to do before day’s end.I have responsibilities to fulfill today.My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have. Today I can complain because the weather is rainy, orI can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. Today, I can feel sad that I don’t have more money, orI can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan mypurchases wisely and guide me away from waste. Today, I can grumble about my health, orI can rejoice that I am alive. Today, I can lament over all that I didn’t have when I was growing up, orI can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born. Today, I can cry because roses have thorns, orI can celebrate that thorns have roses. Today, I can mourn my lack of friends, orI can excitedly embark upon a quest of being friendly. Today, I can whine because I have to go to work, orI can shout with joy because Godhas given me the power to “create” wealth. Today, I can murmur because I have to do housework, orI can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelterfor my mind, body and soul. Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.Here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.What today will be like is up to me.I get to choose what kind of day I will have! Have a really Great Day—unless you have …

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). The differences in Peter and Judas are many. Peter was an honest and a just man who stumbled sometimes, and his acts of denial of Jesus were without excuse. On the other hand, Judas is described as a thief, and his life ultimately came to be guided by avarice and not by faith. Hence, he betrayed Jesus. One difference, however, is their reaction to their betrayals of Jesus (Peter by his words, Judas by his actions). When Peter realized what he had done, he went out and wept bitterly. However, Peter proceeded with a determination to do better and became a solid, mature leader among God’s people. Peter experienced “godly sorrow,” which brought about repentance. Judas, on the other hand, experienced “the sorrow of the world.” When he realized the effect of his actions (apparently, he did not think that they would really hurt Jesus), he returned the money and then went out and hanged himself. He was sorrowful about the results of his actions, but he did not really attempt to change his life. He simply took his own life. Could Judas have been forgiven? The answer is yes. However, it would have taken a godly sorrow that brought about a change of heart, and ultimately a change in life. Judas was not willing to take that step, so he took the “easy” way out. When …

Solomon said much about the fool. The Book of Ecclesiastes has dozens of references to him. Yet, in Ecclesiastes 10:19, Solomon sums up the life philosophy of the fool. This philosophy is described in three statements. Have we learned anything? We live in a world that has these same warped views. It is a world that embraces the warped philosophy of the “good life.” Money, food and alcohol continue to plague us when not viewed correctly.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice. (Philippians 1:12-18) During Paul’s imprisonment, there were many things that he could have spent his time considering. He could have worried about his situation, grown depressed over why these things were happening to him or grown angry at the unfairness of being imprisoned simply because he proclaimed the Truth. Instead of any of these things, he rejoiced because, through his imprisonment, the Gospel of Christ was being proclaimed in every corner of Rome. The brethren were bolder in proclaiming the Word. Even those who did not accept the truth of Christ and were only speaking with ill will were talking about it. Either way, Christ was being proclaimed. We …

One’s example is powerful! We learn, listen and live by example. People copy what they see others doing. Notice two illustrations. In the 1934 film, It Happened One Night, Clark Gable removed his shirt and he wasn’t wearing an undershirt! Every man wore an undershirt! It is said that the sale of undershirts in the United States dropped by 75% as a result. People copy. The makers of the 1982 film E.T. approached the confectionary maker Mars about having M&Ms used in the film. Mars, for some reason, said “No.” So, the film makers went to Hershey’s. The result was that E.T. ate Hershey’s Reece’s Pieces, which were relatively unknown at the time, but sales went through the roof. People copy. Notice Great Bible examples: Abraham had great faith (Romans 4:20), Joseph was great in forgiving (Genesis 50:20), Moses was a great leader (Exodus 14), David was great at courage (1 Samuel 17) and Jesus is our perfect example (2 Corinthians 5:21). Notice seven Habits of highly effective Christians (1 Timothy 4:12-16). Thomas Jefferson, in writing to John Adams once said, “As Christians, we must realize the world is judging Christianity by us!”

If one does not accept alternative lifestyles, he is viewed as the problem. We are seeing a complete change or rebellion within our USA society against past generations’ morality. Our society is being led to believe and to accept promiscuous lifestyles such as homosexuality and same-sex marriage as completely normal, which must be approved by everyone. If one rejects this, he is marked as over the line. The term “over the line” is an idiom that is defined as “beyond what is accepted” or “to change from being acceptable to being unacceptable.” According to many within our society, to reject or not to embrace unrestrained lifestyles, one refuses what is totally acceptable. Accordingly, a person is marked as one who has gone beyond what is accepted, and therefore, he is over the line. Christians have had many formal debates, both oral and written, over many years. I have before me a book chronicling a debate between a Christian and an atheist. The proposition discussed, and the title of the book is The Existence of God—A Debate. The Christian debater was James D. Bales of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. The atheist in this debate was Woolsey Teller, Associate Editor of The Truth Seeker and one of the founders of The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. The discussion was held at Harding in October of 1947. This is not the only debate concerning similar propositions. Between non-believers and Christians, there was an accepted normal standard of right and wrong. In past generations, …

The Bible is replete with the names of persons who found favor in the sight of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Following are just a few names. We read in Genesis 5:23-24 that Enoch “walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Elijah “went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). Thus, these two men of God did not die as Hebrews 9:27 states death comes to all men. Abraham trusted in God inasmuch he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18). The writer of the Book of Hebrews (11:17) and James in his epistle (2:21) declared that in God’s sight, he did offer up his son. Abraham was truly a “friend of God” (2:23). God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). The angel announced that Mary, who “was betrothed to Joseph,” would “bring forth a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20, 21). The apostle John, was, without doubt, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26). It is written that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and Lazarus” (John 11:5, 36). There were five men mentioned in the Old Testament who had endeared themselves to God. They were Moses, Samuel (Jeremiah 15:1), Noah, Daniel and Job (Ezekiel 14:14, 16, 18-19). The Lord …

One thing that has hindered my evangelism in the past is getting sidetracked with questions that are not particularly pertinent. When a person asks a question, I want to give an answer, but that often leads to more questions. So, we quickly get off track and get lost chasing rabbits, which accomplishes very little. Looking at Jesus’ ministry style has helped me see that I don’t have to or need to answer every question immediately or directly. Often in Jesus’ ministry when He was asked questions, He would not answer the questions directly. For example, in Luke 10:26 when a lawyer asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life, Jesus responded by asking him what is written in the Law and how he understood it. At the end of Mark 11, Jesus’ authority was challenged, and instead of answering questions directly, He asked about the authority of John’s baptism. Since Jesus didn’t feel the need to answer every single question directed to Him, we don’t need to feel like we have to answer every question directed to us either. Often, it is better if we don’t. We will fare much better in evangelism if we don’t. Do not permit extra questions to derail you from your task; don’t get lost chasing rabbits. Stay focused on your task, and after a foundation has been laid, then you can take more time to answer one question at a time.

Many have asked the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?” Some have answered by saying, “He was a great teacher, a good man or a prophet.” Some have thought that Jesus was wholly man and not God at all. They say His beginning was with His birth into the world. Some believe that Jesus was the most glorious of God’s creation, but still a creature. Still some others say Jesus existed in Heaven from the beginning with God the Father as His Son. Then, there are those who believe Jesus to be one of the incarnations of God, who appeared in the world in different forms, at various times. They believe in recurring manifestations of God who appeared in human form to give direction to men on earth; so, they think that Jesus was one of these appearances of God made on earth. Conflicting views arise about the Person of Jesus Christ because people speak from hearsay and the opinions of men. However, if we want to learn and to know the truth about Jesus Christ, then, we must go to the primary source of information about Him, that is, the Bible. Who is He according to the Bible? Let us investigate biblical testimony in order to evaluate and to determine what God’s truth on the subject is. According to the Bible, Jesus is unique in both His Person and His purpose. He wasn’t just some spiritual leader, teacher or a prophet during His time on earth. Instead, He was both …

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). We find our faith challenged on a number of occasions as we go through life. Such is certainly the case in the process of growing up. Some become so unsettled by the problems that are raised that they begin to have doubts as to the correctness of their faith in Christ. During these difficult times of uncertainty and perplexity, we may wonder what we can do, and this is especially a concern for young people. First, do not for a moment think that you are the first person who faced doubt. Such has happened in the lives of countless believers, but their faithfulness to God shows us that attacks do not have to destroy one’s faith (1 Corinthians 15:58). Second, do not think because you have doubts that you are a wicked person. It is often the case that some doubts originate in the lower levels of moral living, but there are many perplexities that do not originate there. This prayer will help: “Lord, we believe, help thou our unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Third, do not think that your case is hopeless and that you will never settle your doubt. Be patient and give yourself some time to study the problem. Fourth, do not throw overboard all you believe just because at the present time you are unsettled on this point or that point. Don’t give up. …

In Exodus 20:8-11, God instructed the Hebrews to take a day off. It is in this passage that one learns that the Lord commanded the Sabbath because in six days He made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested (Genesis 2:3). For centuries, as seen in the Old Testament and till the time of Christ, Jews rested and observed the seventh day of the week as a Sabbath unto the Lord. Yet, today biblical Christians meet on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week or Sunday, as they have since the beginning of the church in Acts 2. The shift in the calendar was monumental. Something catastrophic happened to effect this change in the day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the first day according to the Jewish calendar! This monumental event that changed history was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as we read in the Gospel records (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19), which are eyewitness accounts that Jesus Christ arose from the tomb on the first day of the week. After His resurrection, we never find Christ meeting with His disciples on the seventh day or Sabbath. However, He especially honored the first day by manifesting Himself to the apostles and others on four separate occasions (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:34, 18-33; John 20:19-23). Again, on the next first day of the week, Jesus appeared to His disciples (John 20:26). Nothing but the resurrection …

The statesman and one of the founders of our Republic, Benjamin Franklin, once said, “Give me 26 lead soldiers and I will conquer the world.” He was not referring to the military, but to the 26 letters of the English alphabet and the printed page (printed from lead-based letter type). Each of the letters or characters of the English alphabet is so vital to language that we rarely give such a thought. Without characters, there would be no words. Without words, there would be no sentences. Without sentences, there would be no paragraphs. Without paragraphs there would be no story. What a thought—you have to have words to convey thoughts—and you must have the characters to formulate the words for the thought! Characters matter! Without characters, you cannot look up a word you do not understand in the dictionary. I once had a classmate who said that he made it a practice to study 10 words from Webster’s Dictionary each day. That was 40 years ago. Imagine his command of the English language if he kept that practice! Our English translations also present the challenge of understanding the definition of words being utilized in the context at the time the translation was made. Words may change meanings, sometimes changing greatly. For example, I publish a blog I deliberately entitled “The Bully Pulpit.” Some are quizzical about the name “Bully Pulpit.” I even had one or two insist I should change the name because it might give someone the wrong impression (e.g., a …

One truth that should give each Christian encouragement and confidence to keep on keeping on in the Christian life is our promised home in Heaven! Paul said, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1). No matter what happens to the present, physical body, we will have a new body in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). The Physical Body The present, physical body is not meant to be permanent. The word “earthly” indicates “of this world.” It is the same word translated “terrestrial” [bodies] (1 Corinthians 15:40; John 3:12; Philippians 2:10; 3:19; James 3:15). The word translated “house” [“home” ESV] usually refers to a literal, structural house but can refer to a person’s life (Matthew 7:24-27) or, as in 2 Corinthians 5:1, a person’s body. On earth, our human body is but a “tent” [“tabernacle” KJV], which indicates a temporary body for this earthly realm. “Tent” here is not from the usual Greek word for “tent.” The word occurs again only a few verses later (2 Corinthians 5:4). The Greek word is used in an apocryphal work called the Wisdom of Solomon (9:15) and throughout the papyri to refer to the human body (Kruse 112), which meaning certainly fits this context (2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10). The persecutions Paul endured could have at any moment resulted in his death (2 Corinthians 1:8; 11:23-27). From a Jewish perspective, the use of this …

All of us are interested in learning more about our heritage. Who were our ancestors? What kinds of things did our ancestors pass on to us? Do we look like some of them? Perhaps some still own family lands from generations ago. I am a genealogy buff. I love learning more about my ancestors. Not only have I researched my background, but I have explored Alice’s also. I have several notebooks of family history for both of us. I’ve traced my family back to where family on my mother’s side left England on the good ship Francis to come to America, approximately in the year 1634. I’m the 12th generation from there. The traveling manifesto even states that a young girl who was not a family member came to this country with them. There is no indication who she was. I’ve often thought maybe she was a household servant, but who knows? My interest in genealogy has been so strong that when our grandchildren were small and we were out driving, when we’d come to a cemetery, they’d say, “Pa-pa, we are not going to go there are we?” We’ve walked through lots of cemeteries and looked and taken pictures of lots of headstones. Not only am I interested in familial history, but I’m also interested in our Christian heritage. From where did we come? Who were our ancestors? What are we doing here? Where are we going? How is this all going to come to pass? Perhaps you, too, have posed …

A few moment ago, while reading Titus 3:4, I was struck by three things that I had never noticed before in over 50 years of Bible reading. I am convinced that if I lived for a thousand more, I would keep on finding new things. First, when the older women are told to “teach” (KJV) the young women, the word is neither “matheuteusate” as in Matthew 28:18 nor “didaskontes” as in Matthew 28:20, both of which are translated “teach” in the Authorized Version. The word here is “sophronizosin.” This word involves more than verbal instruction. Its approximate meaning is “to train to have sound judgment, wisdom, prudence and discretion.” This training would doubtless involve example, action, correction as well as instruction. Second, the text does not merely say that the older women are to teach the young ones how to love their husbands and children, but to teach them to be lovers of their husbands and children. This involves both the teaching them what they should be and how to wisely accomplish that which they should be doing. Have you considered the importance of both those concepts in many areas? To love your enemy is commanded, but one needs to know how to do it. To give as prospered is commanded, but one may have to do more studying to find how to give as prospered. To take the Lord’s Supper is important, but how is also important. So, when older women teach younger ones to be lovers of husbands …

I suppose everyone would like to view himself as reasonably mature concerning all the facets of life, whether as a family man, a worker or as a citizen in the community as assessed by one’s friends and acquaintances. What about maturity of faith? Do we know enough about faith to be able to properly judge a mature faith? James advises us that the mature faith is both exclusive and inclusive in character (3:13-5:20). The mature faith excludes envying and strife, the enthronement of pleasures, speaking evil of brethren, sins of omission, the improper use of wealth, grudge holding, vacillation and hypocrisy. On the other hand, the mature faith includes purity, peace, forbearance, compliance, mercy, humility, resisting the devil, mourning for sin, spiritually sound business practices, patience, dependence on godly prayer and the conversion of the lost. No doubt all of us have room for growth unto maturity. May each of us have the courage to commit himself to possess the character of faith presented by James so long ago. Such a commitment will surely sponsor the favor of the Lord and the receipt of blessings unanticipated in kind and measure.

They came to His place of prayer to arrest Jesus. He did not show any evidence of guilt in the way He reacted. When the armed mob approached Jesus, He did not try to escape. Instead, He stepped forward, and His captors fell backward in fear (John 18:6). When Peter defended Him with a sword, Jesus stopped and rebuked him (John 18:10-11). Then, Jesus healed the man whose ear Peter had cut off (Luke 22:50-51). Jesus would not quit doing good to those who hated Him! At His trial by Jewish religious leaders, false witnesses attempted to convict Jesus of wrongdoing, but their accusations did not agree (Mark 14:55-59). Finally, the ultimate question was put to Jesus. He freely answered it, confessing that He was the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 26:63-64). That was enough for the high priest. The court made no attempt to hear evidence in support of the claim Jesus had made. Their decision was immediate: “He is deserving of death” (Matthew 26:66). It was not the testimony of false witnesses, but His own confession that brought the wrath of the religious court down upon Jesus. Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, later came and told the religious leaders, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). The Roman governor Pilate also repeatedly declared that he found no fault in Jesus. Herod examined Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate uncondemned. Pilate’s own wife believed Jesus was innocent, and she tried to persuade her husband not …

“There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem” (Mark 15:40-41). It is true, when you examine the pages of Scripture, that Jesus did not appoint any woman to serve in the capacity of an apostle during His earthly ministry. Spiritual headship in the kingdom of God has been assigned to males (1 Corinthians 14:33-35; 1 Timothy 2:8, 11-15). This doesn’t mean, however, that the role God has given women is unimportant or unnecessary. What a needed part the women mentioned in the above Scripture had to play in Christ being able to fulfill His work as Savior! The term in the Greek translated “minister” means to do anyone a service, care for someone’s needs and is an inferred service rendered, bringing advantage to others, to help. They offered real benefit to Christ. What are some of the ways they ministered to Jesus? Luke pointed out, “…and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means” (Luke 8:3). Those who had financial means helped support Jesus that He could be free to fully carry out the will of God. There were no doubt other tasks they did to His benefit. Mark …

It is obvious King Lemuel’s mother wanted the best for her son (Proverbs 31). She warned him against improper relationships with women and the dangers of alcohol when carrying out the important duties of a king. She also gave him a beautiful picture of the type of woman who would make a wonderful wife. The worthy woman has her family’s respect. Her husband places his full trust in her. “She does him good and not evil All the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:10-12). She is such a help to him that he is known among the leaders of the city in which he lives (Proverbs 31:23). Her children speak well of her, and her husband praises her (Proverbs 31:28-29). The wise use of money is characteristic of the worthy woman. Her hands are busily at work, toiling well into the night making yarn (Proverbs 31:13, 16-19). Her labors include making things to sell to merchants. She watches her family and provides for their needs (Proverbs 31:24, 27). Food will be prepared for her family, even when it means getting up well before the sun rises (Proverbs 31:14-15). Every member of her household has warm clothing. She strives to look nice, wearing fine linen and purple (Proverbs 31:21-22). The words of a worthy woman are filled with wisdom and kindness (Proverbs 31:26). She is not like the young widow who spends her time gossiping and telling others how to conduct their business (1 Timothy 5:13). She would not be a …