TLIC Family. PROVERBS. DECEMBER 5: STRONG.

THINK TOGETHER.

Do you like hard work? Why or why not?

READ TOGETHER

Proverbs 31:15-17. ¹⁵She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. ¹⁶She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷She dresses herself with strength    and makes her arms strong.

Yesterday we learned that wisdom is excellent. Do you remember what that means? It is noble, courageous, mighty like a valiant warrior or superhero. Now we get to see what being excellent looks like, and it looks like working hard. What kinds of hard work is the wife in this passage doing? Providing food for her family. Buying land and planting a vineyard. Staying physically strong – her arms strong.

Notice that this wife and mom is not just working hard for her own gain, but for others. Her hard work is motivated by love and honor. She gets up early to provide even for her maidens, her servants. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t the maidens get up early for her? Maybe. But she doesn’t use people for her own gain. She also buys land to plant a vineyard. Why a vineyard? Because it will supply her community with something they need year after year, while also allowing her to provide for her family.

This is wisdom. Not just working hard, but working hard for others. Our hard work should benefit the people that we live with in our household and in our community, not only ourselves. Some people want to work hard to get rich, or to get promoted to more powerful positions. Not wise people, though. The wise work hard because it honors God and it honors the people around us.

The Apostle Paul says that we are saved by God so that we can do good works. We aren’t saved BY our good works, but we are saved FOR good works. Like the woman in Proverbs 31, God wants all of us to work hard for his glory and for the good of other people, just like Jesus did. And Jesus is not done working hard. He is always at work in your heart to make you more and more loving and kind.

Because of Jesus we know God is working hard in us.

With Jesus we can work hard for the glory of God and the good of others.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Plan a day of working hard together as a family for the good of others. Is there anything your church is doing to help others this Christmas?  

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, make me aware of how you are working hard in me today. Amen.