Summary: 7 of 7. The writer of Proverbs detailed a successful marriage from the standpoint of a competent wife. A wife’s competence completes a successful marriage. Who is a competent wife? A competent wife/woman...

A COMPETENT WIFE/Woman-part 7—Proverbs 31:10-31

Competent—1)“Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully; 2)Efficient & capable.

Competence is something needed in all areas of life...

Climbing Mt. Everest(VBS Theme)—Challenges are only conquered with competence, or the result is defeat &/or death!

School—Every grade school, collegiate or professional sport demands competence.

Every grade school grade, every college level course, every post-grad curriculum requires some type of determinative testing.

Fishing—Every successful sport-fishing tournament demands competence on the part of the fishermen/women.

Every successful commercial fisherman exhibits competence as he supports his family thru it.

Pilots—Every successful sea captain must exhibit competence in piloting skills in order to accomplish the task consistently & meaningfully. People’s incomes are at stake.

Airplane/Jet—Competence in the cockpit is needed because people’s lives are at stake.

The writer of Proverbs detailed a successful marriage from the standpoint of a competent wife.

A wife’s competence completes a successful marriage.

Who is a competent wife?

What makes/characterizes a competent wife?

There is no higher calling than to be & have a ‘competent’ wife!

We have found previously that

A competent wife/woman Competently...

1. Is RARE & PRECIOUS(:10)

2. COMMITS(:11-12)

3. PROVIDES(:13-15)

4. PREMEDITATES(:16)

5. Is STRONG(:17)

6. Is INVOLVED(:18-19)

7. Is COMPASSIONATE & GENEROUS(:20)

8. CLOTHES(:21-22)

9. MARRIES(:23)

10. NETWORKS(:24)

11. REJOICES In HER FUTURE(:25)

12. PROJECTS(:26)

13—A competent wife/woman...

Competently ATTENDS TO(:27)

Explanation:(:27)Watches

:27—“She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.”

The virtuous wife always “watches”(attends to) to her “household’s” “ways.” The choices & actions of her family are important to her. She is attentive to alleviation & mediation so that her family will prosper. She is proactive in her family’s direction. She is attentive to relating to her individual children’s needs.

Her children do not “raise themselves,” nor are they dependent upon ‘their village’ for guidance because they receive it at home.

Again she is no slacker(:15). Laziness(“Idleness”) is far from her door. She does not avail herself of or partake of that by which slackers/sluggards are sustained.

“Watches over/Looketh well”—hpu tsaw-faw’—Qal Participle Active—1) To look out or about, spy, keep watch, observe, watch. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To lean forward, i.e. To peer into the distance; by implication--To observe, await.

“Ways”—hkylh hal-eey-kaw’—Noun Fem.—1) Going, doing, traveling company, way—1a) Going, walk, marching, doings, 1b) Traveling company, caravan. Strong—A walking; by implication--A procession or march, a caravan. Used 7X.

“Household”(See :15, 21)—tyb bah'-yith—

“Eat”—lka aw-kal'—1) To eat, devour, burn up, feed. Strong—1) To eat, devour, burn up, feed.

“Bread”(See :14—“Food”)—Mxl lekh'-em—1) Bread, food, grain. Strong—Food(for man or beast), especially--Bread, or grain(for making it).

“Idleness”—twlue ats-loowth'—1) Sluggishness, laziness. Strong—from lue[a primitive root; to lean idly, i.e. to be indolent or slack]; Indolence. Used 1X.

Argumentation:

Ezek. 3:16-21—“Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman[hpu] for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, & give them warning from Me: “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ & you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, & he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness & commits iniquity, & I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, & his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. “Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, & he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

**Ezek. 33:1-11—“Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, & say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, & the people of the land take a man from their territory & make him their watchman[hpu], when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet & warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet & does not take warning, if the sword comes & takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman[hpu] sees the sword coming & does not blow the trumpet, & the people are not warned, & the sword comes & takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s[hpu] hand.’ “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth & warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ & you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, & he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions & our sins lie upon us, & we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’ “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way & live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”

**Heb. 10:24-27—“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, & fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

**1Tim. 5:9-10—“Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, & not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.”

**Prov. 22:6—“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

**Titus 2:1-5—“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

**Ps. 127:1—“<> Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.”

**Gen. 18:17-19—“And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great & mighty nation, & all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children & his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness & justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

**1Tim. 3:4-5—[A(n) bishop/overseer]“one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);”

1Cor. 7:12-15—“But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, & she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, & the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

Illustration:

A ‘junkyard dog’ is a watchdiog/If a stranger approaches the fence-gate-premises, the dog warns of that fact/The dog is trained &/or allowed to attack unwelcome intruders/Competently ATTENDS TO

‘The Fish Dock’ is family owned & operated by the Baldurssons(my son-in-law’s dad) begun in the summer of 2015 in Closter, NJ/They offer ‘fresh imported Icelandic fish’ & also ‘take & bake’ prepared meals/The family must be attentive to every aspect of the business/No one can do it for them/They may become solvent enough to afford more help but ownership & decision-making for the business is ultimately seated in the family/Competently ATTENDS TO

Application:

?You Competently ATTENDS TO?

?You a Competent Wife/Woman?

14—A competent wife/woman...

Competently BLESSES(:28-29)

Explanation:(:28-29)

:28—“Her children rise up & call her blessed; Her husband also, & he praises her:”

The virtuous wife/woman is an absolute “blessing” to “her children” & “her husband.” They have nothing but “praise” for her as first-hand witnesses to the integrity of her life of godliness, witnessing that she is “blessed” of God.

Those to whom she has dedicated her life are a “blessing” not only to her but to all around them. Thus they “bless” her in return.

“Children”—Nb ben—1) Son, grandson, child, member of a group. Strong—A son(as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense(of literal & figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., [like ba[Father], xa[Brother], etc.]).

“Rise up”—Mwq koowm—Qal Perfect—1) To rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up. Strong—a primitive root; To rise(in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive & causative).

“Call...Blessed”—rva aw-shar'—1) To go straight, walk, go on, advance, make progress. Strong—a primitive root; To be straight(used in the widest sense, especially to be level, right, happy); figuratively--To go forward, be honest, proper.

“Husband”(See :11, 23)—leb bah'-al—1) Owner, husband, lord—1a) Owner, 1b) A husband, 1c) Citizens, inhabitants, 1d) Rulers, lords, 1e) (noun of relationship used to characterize - ie, Master of dreams), 1f) Lord(used of foreign gods). Strong—A master; hence--A husband, or figuratively--Owner(often used with another noun in modifications of this latter sense).

“Praises”(See :30, 31)—llh haw-lal'—1) To shine—1a) (Qal) To shine (fig. of God's favor); 2) To praise, boast, be boastful. Strong—a primitive root; To be clear(orig. of sound, but usually of color); To shine; hence--To make a show, to boast; & thus--To be (clamorously)foolish; to rave; causatively--To celebrate; also--To stultify.

:29—“Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”

The wife described within this poem is superior(“excels”) all those “daughters” around them who have also lived strongly in integrity.

She is singularly above & beyond all others.

“Many”—br rab—Adj.—1) Much, many, great—1a) Much, 1b) Many, 1c) Abounding in, 1d) More numerous than, 1e) Abundant, enough, 1f) Great, 1g) Strong, 1h) Greater than. Adverb—1i) Much, exceedingly. Noun Masc.—2) Captain, chief. Strong—Abundant(in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality).

“Daughters”—tb bath—Noun Fem.—1) Daughter—1a) Daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin—1a1) As polite address. Noun Proper Fem.—1a2) As designation of women of a particular place; 2) Young women, women, 1a3) As personification, 1a4) Daughter-villages, 1a5) Description of character. Strong—A daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally & figuratively).

“Done”—hse aw-saw’—Qal Perfect—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make. Strong—a primitive root; To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.

“Well/Virtuously/Nobly/Noble things”—lyx khah’-yil—Noun Masc.—1) Strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army—1a) Strength, 1b) Ability, efficiency, 1c) Wealth, 1d) Force, army. Strong—probably--A force, whether of men, means or other resources; An army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength.

“Excel”—hle aw-law’—Qal Perfect—1) To go up, ascend, climb—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To go up, ascend, 1a2) To meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat, 1a3) To go up, come up(of animals), 1a4) To spring up, grow, shoot forth(of vegetation), 1a5) To go up, go up over, rise(of natural phenomenon), 1a6) To come up(before God), 1a7) To go up, go up over, extend(of boundary), 1a8) To excel, be superior to. Strong—a primitive root; To ascend, intransitively--Be high or actively--Mount; used in a great variety of senses, primary & secondary, literal & figurative.

“All”—Added—

Argumentation:

**Ezek. 34:20-27—‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat & the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side & shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, & scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, & they shall no longer be a prey; & I will judge between sheep & sheep. I will establish one shepherd over them, & he shall feed them--My servant David. He shall feed them & be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, & My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with them, & cause wild beasts to cease from the land; & they will dwell safely in the wilderness & sleep in the woods. I will make them & the places all around My hill a blessing; & I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, & the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; & they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke & delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.”

**Zech. 8:13-15—“And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah & house of Israel, So I will save you, & you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’ “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Just as I determined to punish you When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I would not relent, So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem & to the house of Judah. Do not fear.”

Rom. 13:8—“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

**1Tim. 2:8-15—“I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath & doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety & moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, & holiness, with self-control.”

**Eph. 5:25-27—“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church & gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify & cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy & without blemish.”

Prov. 5:18-19—“Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer & a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.”

Illustration:

I recently ‘played hooky’ & took the family(Me, my wife, oldest daughter, & 2 grandsons) tubing down the Ichetucknee River after lunch on Saturday(July 11, 2015)/Near the north entrance to the state park, we pulled into the Ichetuckness Tubing Center(ITC) where a man was sitting relaxed in the shade/We all piled out of the car/After we had gotten settled, the man spoke up & asked if we were going tubing/I answered his question affirmitively & he immediately took me over to the holding pens for the tubes/There were hundreds of them!/He pointed out the different types & related their rental prices/He offered some tips after determining our needs but he left it totally up to us as to which tubes we would use/We each picked out the tubes we wanted & handed him the cash/While another employee tied the inflated tubes to the luggage rack, the man offered us hamburgers—I thought he was trying to push us into buying burgers—“How rude!” I thought, until he said they were free! The burgers were left over from a church fellowship of some type!—So Wesley got a free burger/The man informed us that the North Entrance was closed to tubing & that only 750 people are allowed & it closed quickly around 8 o’clock am!/Then he gave us directions to the South Entrance where at Dampier’s Landing there is no ‘body’ limit/We had a great day & a nice float down the river because the man(name unknown) Competently BLESSED us!

Application:

?You Competently BLESSES?

?You a Competent Wife/Woman?

15—A competent wife/woman...

Competently RISES ABOVE(:30-31)

Explanation:(:30-31)Fears God

:30—“Charm is deceitful & beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

“Charm”—‘the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration.’ Here is spoken of the “charm” which the flesh affords.

A ‘merely’ “charming” wife/woman is a “deception” to any man. Such “charm” is an outward show hiding an inward lack of integrity. Unfortunately ‘charm” can be a mere learned behavior(of which the author speaks) rather than the true godly “charm” of the heart seated in God thru Christ.

Television shows abound with women(& men) who have no idea, concept, or inkling that “charm” arises from true godliness, thus they are “deceived” & beset with bankrupt relationships.

Physical “beauty” is also an untrustworthy attainment as it is but a momentary vapor in “passing.” It is a farce to look no further than such outward aspects of womanhood when choosing a wife.

It is not that the aspects of “charm” & “beauty” are bad or ungodly, but only that these alone without godliness are not fitting for a lasting, loving relationship which supplies the respect a family needs in any community.

In contradistinction to “charm” & “beauty” there is the “woman/wife” “who fears the LORD.” Her inward connection & commitment to her personal God, YaHWeH, is apparent & this is the driving force in her integrity. Such a “woman” is worthy of being boasted upon(“praised”).

“Charm”—Nx khain—1) Favor, grace, charm—1a) Favor, grace, elegance, 1b) Favor, acceptance. Strong—Graciousness, i.e. subjective--Kindness, favor or objective—Beauty.

“Deceitful”—rqv sheh’-ker—Noun Masc.—1) Lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood. Strong—An untruth; by implication--A sham (often adverbial).

“Beauty”—ypy yof-eey'—1) Beauty.

From—hpy yaw-faw’—V.— a primitive root; properly--To be bright, i.e. by implication--Beautiful.

“Passing”—lbh heh’bel—Noun Masc.—1) Vapor, breath—1a) Breath, vapor, 1b) Vanity (fig.). Adverb—2) Vainly. Strong—Emptiness or vanity; figuratively--Something transitory & unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb.

“Woman”(See :10—“Wife”)—hva ish-shaw'—1) Woman, wife, female—1a) Woman(opposite of man), 1b) Wife(woman married to a man), 1c) Female(of animals), 1d) Each, every(pronoun). Strong—irregular plural, Myvn naw-sheeym'; A woman(used in the same wide sense as vwna en-owsh').

“Fears”(See :21—V.—“Afraid”)—ary yaw-ray’—Adj.—1) Fearing, reverent, afraid. Strong—Fearing; morally, reverent.

“Praised”(See :28, 31)—llh haw-lal’—Hitpael(reflexive/reciprocal) Imperfect—1) To shine—1a) 2d) (Hithpael)--To boast, glory, make one's boast, 2f) (Hithpoel)--To act madly, act like a madman. Strong—a primitive root; To be clear(orig. of sound, but usually of color); To shine; hence--To make a show, to boast; & thus--To be (clamorously)foolish; to rave; causatively--To celebrate; also--To stultify.

:31—“Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.”

The virtuous wife/woman is the recipient of the very “fruit of” that which she brings about thru her integrity. Her varied labors return personal blessings to her(:10, 11, 17, 20, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30). Her “works” will precede & follow her to the “gates” of every city where people recognize & abide in truth. There she will ‘boastworthily’ shine (“praise.”) before all. Such is the wife of every man’s dream & such is the husband of every woman’s dream.

“Give”(See :15; :24—“Supplies”)—Ntn naw-than’—Qal Imperative—1) To give, put, set—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend, 1a2) To put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate, 1a3) To make, constitute. Strong—a primitive root; To give, used with greatest latitude of application(put, make, etc.).

“Fruit”(See :)—h:ydy yrp:m—yrp—1) Fruit—1a) Fruit, produce(of the ground), 1b) Fruit, offspring, children, progeny(of the womb), 1c) Fruit(of actions) (fig.). Strong—Fruit(literally or figuratively).—&—dy yawd—1) Hand. Strong—a primitive word; A hand(the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from Pk[See :13, 16b], the closed one); used(as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally & figuratively, both proximate & remote.

“Works”—hsem mah-as-eh'—1) Deed, work—1a) Deed, thing done, act, 1b) Work, labour, 1c) Business, pursuit, 1d) Undertaking, enterprise, 1e) Achievement, 1f) Deeds, works(of deliverance & judgment), 1g) Work, thing made, 1h) Work(of God), 1i) Product. Strong—An action(good or bad); generally--A transaction; abstractly--Activity; by implication--A product (specifically,--A poem) or generally--Property.

“Praise”(See :30)—llh haw-lal’—Piel(intensive/intentional or repeated/extended) Imperfect—1) To shine—2b) (Piel)—2b1) To praise, 2b2) To boast, make a boast. “Gates”(See :23)—rev shah'-ar—1) Gate. Strong—An opening, i.e. Door or gate.

Argumentation:

**Lk. 1:30-55—“Then the angel[Gabriel] said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb & bring forth a Son, & shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, & will be called the Son of the Highest; & the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, & of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered & said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, & the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; & this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Now Mary arose in those days & went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, & entered the house of Zacharias & greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; & Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice & said, “Blessed are you among women, & blessed is the fruit of your womb! “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham & to his seed forever.”

**1Pet. 3:1-6—“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good & are not afraid with any terror.”

**Eccl. 12:13-14—“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God & keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

Acts 9:27-31—“But Barnabas took him[Saul/Paul] & brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, & that He had spoken to him, & how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in & going out. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus & disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea & sent him out to Tarsus. Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, & Samaria had peace & were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord & in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”

**Col. 3:22-24—“Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord & not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

**Lk. 12:4, 5—“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, & after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”

1Pet. 3:10-16—“For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil & do good; Let him seek peace & pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil. And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, & always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness & fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”

**Jn. 16:33—“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

**1Jn. 4:2-4—“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, & every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, & is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, & have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

**Rom. 12:21—“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

**1Jn. 5:1-13—“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, & everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God & keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water & blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water & blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, & the Holy Spirit; & these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, & the blood; & these three agree as one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, & that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

Illustration:

At the beach—Building your house on stilts/All your neighbors build ground-level, finding a loophole in the flood-zone laws/Your home costs are higher...but your house survives the storm, while others are inundated/RISES ABOVE

Application:

?You Competently RISES ABOVE?

?You a Competent Wife/Woman?

CONCLUSION:

Visualization:

Climbing Mt. Everest takes competence.

Action:

A competent wife/woman Competently...

13. ATTENDS TO(:27)

14. BLESSES(:28-29)

15. RISES ABOVE(:30-31)

1. Is RARE & PRECIOUS(:10)

2. COMMITS(:11-12)

3. PROVIDES(:13-15)

4. PREMEDITATES(:16)

5. STRONG(:17)

6. INVOLVED(:18-19)

7. Is COMPASSIONATE & GENEROUS(:20)

8. CLOTHES(:21-22)

9. MARRIES(:23)

Pts. 13-15 Presented 07/12/2015pm to:

FBC Cbelle

206 Storrs Ave(A Ave. SE)

Carrabelle, FL 32322