September 2008 Meditation
Let’s continue to look at the word
“virtuous” since Proverbs 31:10 says, “Who can find a virtuous woman?
for her price is far above rubies.” KJV
The Main Qualification Of A Virtuous Woman
Verse
30 tells us what the main qualification of a virtuous woman is – “but a
woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” It is our
relationship with the Lord that makes us virtuous. People look at who
we are on the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). When a
person makes Jesus Christ the Lord of their life, they become a new
creation and God makes them the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor.
5:17, 21). Because God comes to dwell on the inside of us, we are
righteous or virtuous. We are who God made us to be in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 tells us that it is no longer we who live, but Christ
living in us. Our old self died when He died. The life we live now, we
live by the grace of God’s Son who loved us and gave Himself for us.
The more we acknowledge this, the more we will see that we are virtuous
in Him.
Righteous – Another Word For Virtuous
A
synonym for virtuous is righteous. So when the question is asked, “Who
can find a virtuous woman?”, I can say that I am because I have asked
Jesus to be the Lord of my life. My being a virtuous woman has nothing
to do with me…It has everything to do with Christ living in me. It is
up to us to believe who God made us to be. The more we realize it, the
more we will act virtuous. Our actions will line up with what God says
about us.
For example, when a baby is born, the baby has a lot
of potential. As the baby grows and recognizes her potential, she is
able to develop herself in these areas. If she does not acknowledge or
develop her strengths, no one will ever see the talents she has. They
will lie dormant.
As believers in Jesus, we have the potential
to act as Jesus acted on the earth because He lives in us. As a baby
develops in her areas of potential, we develop in our relationship with
God. As we believe what His Word says about us, we begin to act like
Him. We do what is pleasing in God’s sight. Virtue is evident in us.
What Is Morally Good?
If
we refer back to the definition of virtuous, we see it says, “morally
good; acting in conformity to moral law; practicing moral duties;
abstaining from vice; being in conformity to moral or divine law.” What
is the moral law Christians should live by? It is the Ten Commandments.
It is what Jesus stated in Matthew 22 – First, we should love God with
all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Second, we should love our
neighbor as ourselves. If we love God with all of our heart, we will do
what He commands. We will do what is written in His Word. It is out of
fear, respect of the Lord that we do what He says.
When we do
it, people see that we are virtuous. They see God in us. Any time we
attempt to be good in and of ourselves, eventually we will fail. My
desire is that people see God in us because we have spent time with
Him. We are not self-righteous, but righteous in Christ. Thinking about
the fact that we are virtuous in Christ, will make it evident in our
lives.
You Are A Virtuous Woman!!!