Health & Freedom Abundant Life Newsletter
Abundant Life Newsletter - Vol 5.1.1
Proverbs 31
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
2 What, my son? And what, the son of my womb? And what, the son of my vows?
3 Give not they strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
How many times we have read this passage with dread. Will we ever be virtuous? YES! It dawned on me awhile back that this is discussing a woman’s whole life, all the seasons. And eventually, when she is a gramma, her children rise up and call her blessed. The main point is that she fears the Lord. And due to that priority she grows strong in all her responsibilities over time. We should be comforted by this proverb, because if we continue in the word of the Lord, we will be like her.
A Parable
One day, the Man came down a long Road. He had been walking a long time. He was going home to his Father. He knew the way very well. His Father had given him such clear directions that he knew exactly how he should go. But it was such a hard journey, because he kept having to stop and rest his Body.
His Body was not cooperating. He kept telling it, “Peace, peace.” But still it lamented. The heart was telling the lungs that they should alternate their pumping like the heart. And the foolish lungs would try. The kidneys taught the intestines to sing, “This is the way we wash the blood, wash the blood, wash the blood… so early in the morning.” So they sang in earnest and stopped extracting nutrients from the food going by. The hands were organizing a support group and had the arms and elbows convinced that the man would get there much faster, if they would not swing, but smack the ground like the feet. The feet complained that they were doing all the work and wanted everyone else to take a turn for them on holidays. So the Man felt very fatigue and sat on a bench to rest. He very much wanted to get home, but he must wait for his Body to recover.
For the body is not one member, but many….
TRAGEDY IN WACO
My heart was sick when I saw the buildings engulfed in flames and realized what I was viewing. It is ironic that April 19, 1993 is exactly fifty years after the Warsaw Ghetto Massacre of 1943. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, on Jan 18 the Nazis (National Socialists) entered the ghetto to assemble a shipment of Jews and were met with surprising armed resistance by the underground Jewish Combat Organization. After four days the Germans withdrew until April 19 when SS chief Heinrich Himmler launched a special Aktion to clear the ghetto by force in honor of Hitler’s birthday, April 29. The 19th was also the first day of Passover that year.
Before dawn, 2000 SS men and troops attacked the ghetto. The one-sided battle continued until May 16 when Jewish ammunition was exhausted. It took the Germans 28 days to kill or deport to Treblinka over 56,000 Jews. At the end, the Nazis blew up the Great Synagogue of Warsaw. SS Major General Stroop wrote his report, “The Warsaw Ghetto Is No More.”