Worthy of Praise - A Grateful Son's Thoughts on Mother's Day
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An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm,
 all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, 
and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night 
and provides food for her household 
and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; 
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength
 and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. 
Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff,
 and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor 
and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household,
 for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; 
her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates
 when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; 
she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, 
and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, 
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household
 and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed;
 her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, 
but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
 but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. - Proverbs 31:10-30 |
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Our world likes to put people up on pedestals. We love to create a following. We allow the biggest names and the brightest stars to capture our attention and steal our hearts. The media is proof of our passions. The news-stand keeps us up to date on who's hot and who's not. We have daily TV shows, thousands of websites and countless blogs dedicated to giving us the latest scoop on the man or woman of the hour. We label people as idols and encourage others to love and praise them.
Our society enjoys having someone to worship. We flock to people for almost any reason, and sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. Sometimes it's talent, sometimes it's beauty, sometimes it's a family name, but whatever the reason, we quickly and willingly become obsessed and consumed with them. We will idolize them, honor them and praise them.
Our world does a great job of telling us who we should love and praise, but thankfully we have the Scriptures to re-orient our thinking. The Bible reminds us that we should reserve our worship for God, and that He should be our primary object of adoration. We should worship Him alone. However, He also tells us that there are many people whom we should praise and use as examples. One group that certainly deserves our attention is God-pleasing and God-honoring women.
Proverbs 31 teaches us the value and the worth of a godly woman. Solomon says that she is more precious than jewels and that she is worthy of praise. I am blessed to have a mom who truly exemplifies this proverb.
She loves and serves her God, her family and her friends.
She works tirelessly and prays faithfully.
She is humble and gentle, but willing to confront.
She is kind to the needy and respected by her peers.
She loves her God, studies His Word and participates in His work.
She is a faithful wife, mom and friend.
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
I hope that I honor and love my mom well every day, but especially today I want to honor and praise her. She doesn't seek praise, and she would be the first one to tell you that she's not perfect, but she is the kind of person that I enjoy praising.
My mom is wonderful. She will probably never fill a stadium or have her picture on the cover of a magazine. She may never be seen by the world as rare or honorable, but the Word of God says that she is worthy of praise. The Scriptures say that a godly woman is more precious than jewels and I know that I am blessed to have a mother who fears the Lord.
We live in a world that worships the beautiful, the famous and the rich. We allow them to consume our thoughts and drive our priorities. I pray that we will learn to see people the way God sees them. I pray that we will learn to honor those who God honors, and praise those who He praises.
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
 but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Thank you Lord for gracing me with a God-fearing mom!
I love you mom! Happy Mother's Day!
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