Proverbs 31 Woman

photos from google

I just want to share a chapter in Proverbs that we had talked about during a bridal shower I'd attended last December, 2012. 

It was not my first time hearing it. I actually read it many times already, but not really meditated on its meaning. 

A Proverbs 31 Woman is the standard of God. It is what our Heavenly Father wants us to be. It was way different from the standard that our world have. 


To be a Woman of Noble Character will be very difficult for us but  not impossible to achieve especially if we ask God to mould us to be like it.

The message was from one of our 'ate' in our church. Her name is Faith Tamayo. I see in her how it is possible to be a Proverbs 31 wife and mother.

Happy reading! 

Proverbs 31:10-31 ~ This chapter in the bible shows GOD's ideal wife and a mother.. and being able to share this on AM's bridal shower was a great opportunity and honor for me to be GOD's servant..

At first I was thinking to share 1 Corinthians 13, since this chapter is very much special for our soon to be bride (those who are close, and knows the story of Tom's proposal to her, will understand why.. lols!!), and then I prayed for GOD's guidance and wisdom, after 3 days before the bridal shower itself.. I had Proverbs 31 as my devotion, and as I read each verse, I felt GOD speaking to me, and molding me, and reminding me the importance of my role as a wife and as a mother, and then I realized why not share this one, and so I finally have a topic.. besides, who knows better of what will satisfy us, but GOD alone, the creator of everything.. and Proverbs 31 is the best role model of becoming the Ideal woman GOD wants every wife and mother to be.. ",)

Now what is an Ideal woman for you?? would that be a woman with a Pretty face?? Smart?? Talented?? with vital statistics of 36-24-36 or Coca-Cola body as they say??

As I read Proverbs 31:10-12 ~ 10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

This shows that a GOD's ideal wife is "Valuable" - This shows that to be submissive and supportive is very important.. and its not just on your first 2 yrs of marriage, GOD says "all the days of your life" ( I just added this now) what an example to follow.. and so working together with our husband to reach the goal and not against him, is very important..
>> Having twin boys is not easy as it looks.. (I know they look cute, my husband said, that's because they both look like him..lols!!) especially for a 1st time mom like me.. and when the time come, that my ML is soon to end.. my husband and I need to discuss things.. and that means me submitting to my husband, and giving up my career (I was a hotelier during that time), and for a woman like me who is used to be independent, I could have said all the excuses I could think of, and justifications like "Oh, I don't want to be a burden to you" "oh what will others say" "oh this is my dream, I just can't let it go like that" "I don't want to live a boring life, I want to be productive" and I thank the LORD for giving me wisdom and the right words to answer my husband, and that is simply saying "Okay.. I understand.. I am with you"

truly praying before you talk really helps.. its like having JESUS as your center.. and from that day, until today, I have no regret of choosing to be an intentional, hands on wife and a mom to my kids.. for I never felt so productive, and joyful, as I am today.. plus my life verse "Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." that GOD keeps on reminding and guiding me, in every decision I make.. (let me add also, that is very important than when you marry someone, you know that you can submit to him, and that you are definitely ready to give up yourself and with GOD's help, yes we can be a Proverbs 31 wife)

and then I continue reading verse 15 to 27.. This shows that GOD's ideal wife is "Hard working"
>> each verse shows that she works hard at home.. and then I remember reading this, however the one who wrote it was not mentioned:

"Do you know what the most demanding job in the world is?? being a mother and a wife.. Think about it, a mother has to be a nurse, teacher, psychologist, dietician, housekeeper and chef.. etc" - Anonymous

which I agree.. for truly it takes hard work to build and maintain a family.. (so ladies.. don't get lazy when it comes to you own husband and kids.. for serving them, is serving yourself) ",)


as I continue reading verse 28-31- as a woman this part is what we like most, the feeling of being appreciated.. and GOD's ideal wife is "praised"..

Proverbs 31:28 -31 ~ 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

>> if you are good and faithful wife and a mother, you don't have to say it to your kids and husband.. your husband and kids will be the one saying it to you, and will even be proud of saying it to others.. "My wife has a good heart, she takes good care of me" "Oh I can't wait to be home and see my wife" "My mom is a good mom" "I just want to be like my mom"

oh what a joy to hear it right?? besides, who knows you better, but your husband and kids.. and of course when others are inspired by your life, praises will follow you, as it said by GOD himself.. ",)


Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

^10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Do Not Worry

Let us define first what is the meaning of the word WORRY.

According to Merriam Webster:

a. mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated

b. an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation

Cause of worry : 

1. trouble

2. difficulty

3. struggle

4. problem

Based on the meaning given above, we could conclude that worrying can bring negative feeling, and stress. We could also say that it can affect our health and our well being. 

All of us worries, since all of us are thinking about our future and experiencing difficulties.

Last Oct. 24 to 31, worrying really attack me big time. My daddy was rush in the hospital because of dizziness and low blood pressure. Then he needed to be confined in the ICU. And our bill in the hospital was increasing. 

Those instances makes me really worried. Especially when I think about the amount we should settle when daddy would be discharge in the hospital.

But what God had done during those days was to remind me this verses in the Bible. It was like He is telling me not to worry about the hospital bills and my dad's sickness because through this event he will show me His power and love for me. All I need is to trust Him completely. 

You see, the more we worry, the more we are not trusting our Heavenly Father. That is why I think this verses was spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ because He knows that in our lifetime, we would experience worrying about the things that are happening in our lives. And this verses are to guide and remind us the importance of trusting Him with our all. 

Isn't it amazing how Jesus knows the things that we need? 

Matthew 6:25-34
New International Version (NIV)
Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:33

My friend and I chatted last night, and as we talked about life and stuff, the Holy Spirit reminded me this verse.

Last youth summer camp, our camp speaker, told us that we people only see the promises in the Bible but haven't completely understand that before we have that promise, we need to seek God first with all of our heart, soul and mind. We need to love Him above anything else in this world. 

We were given a challenge to offer our lives, and dreams to Jesus. And aim to follow His example when He walked here on earth. 

It will be hard, and we will fail everyday, but the grace of God is always there to help us in our walk with Him. And the reward of following Jesus is far more greater than the sacrifices that we make.

Have a blessed day!

Song of Solomon

When I first read this book, the first question that entered my mind is anong message ng book. For me ang weird ng mga words. Hindi ko na-grasp yung meaning ng text.

On one of our CGs, naging topic namin yung book of Song of Songs. Yung mga CG member ko hindi din nila gets yung context. For them, ang weird din nito. I told my CGs that I will study it so I could explain to them why God had included this book in the Bible.

As I studied and meditated the Song of Solomon, God revealed to me the following:

(Song of Solomon is a conversation between a bridegroom and bride. God is the bridegroom and we are the bride.)

1. How unworthy we are to be called His bride.

“Dark am I, yet lovely,
    daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.^[c]Do not stare at me because I am dark,”

With the original sin that we had from our first parents plus our personal sins, we are like filthy rags. We are covered with darkness and are depraved.

“I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night.”
 I have taken off my robe—
    must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
    must I soil them again?”

God is already calling our names, already pursuing us, pero tayo pa yung ayaw sumagot sa tawag niya. He is knocking in our hearts but we won’t open it. Si God na yung gumagawa ng ways ayaw pa natin. Another thing why we are so unworthy of Him.

2. How God loves us.

“How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes are doves.”

Despite how we disobeyed our heavenly Father, He still loves us. Kahit gaanong katigas ang mukha natin, He still wants us to be with Him in His kingdom. He sent His son here on earth to be crucified and died for our sin just to save the people who are filthy and undeserving.

In this book, God also revealed His sweet side and how affectionate His words. And He longs to tell us those sweet lovely words.

“Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.”

These are the words our hearts long for. A sweet, loving words from our Heavenly Prince. Imagine, Jesus is telling us that we are His precious darling, the one He loves. It is the most sweetest thing that we could hear.  Pero hindi natin nakikita or naririnig dahil we are occupied sa pagmamahal natin sa sarili natin.

3. How should we love God

"All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s
house,
to the room of the one who conceived me."

The woman search the one her hearts loves. Just like the woman in the book of Song of Solomon, we need to continue to seek God until our whole being loves Him. Meaning, lahat ng ginagawa natin is ang focus na is si God at hindi yung sarili natin.

"My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand."

The woman in the book, describes her love with a very sweet words. And she's so proud of her Lover. We should be like her, proud that we have Jesus in our hearts. Proclaiming our love for Him in our actions and words. Sharing what He had done on the cross.

I hope when you read this post, try to read the book of Song of Songs. And let God speak to your heart. :)

Woman in the Bible: Ruth

I wonder what’s with Ruth to have her own book in the Bible. Ano kaya yung gustong sabihin sakin ni God sa buhay ni Ruth?

As I search deeper sa naging buhay ni Ruth, I found out that she’s a gentile with a very sad past who got to know God and accepted Him as her Lord. Not only accepting God but she also follows God.In her book, she was describe as a woman with a noble character.

Siguro hindi naging madali kay Ruth yung changes sa life niya. Iba yung environment and culture na pinang-galingan nya. Pero she found happiness in the faith that she embraces kaya nakayanan nya yung hardship na meron sya.

She also live her days in God’s grace. Being a widow nung panahon before, wala silang income, they only depend on the grains left during harvest season. I saw how she trusted God to provide for her needs.

I also admires Ruth for the care she showed for Naomi. She had the right to left her, go back to her parents and marries another man, pero she stays by Naomi’s side. Work from day till night during harvest. Also, she’s so obedient sa mother-in-law niya.

Because sa naging traits ni Ruth, naging siyang part ng genealogy ni David and ni Jesus Christ. From her sad, messy life, she accepted God, follow God and God did wonderful things in her life.

Realization: What happened in Ruth’s life can happened sa life ko. Pinakita sakin ni God yung life ni Ruth that from a simple woman, ginawa ni God na extraordinary yung naging life ni Ruth, she just followed and obeyed God. Not easy but with God’s grace, I can be like her. :)