Proverbs 31:20 Lesson 11

Welcome! I pray you are safe from fire or flood.
I have a wildfire close to my home. Please keep my community in your prayers.

Proverbs 31:20
She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.

1 Samuel 25 tells us the story of Abigail, Nabal and David.
Abigail was the wife of Nabal. David and his men had been keeping watch over Nabal and his vast flock and when David sent messengers to Nabal asking for food. Nabal refused. This angered David and he was coming with some of his men, 400 of them to be exact, to kill Nabal and all he owned. Abigail was told of this by a servant and acted quickly. She brought him and his men food and drink and talked him out of killing Nabal. David changed his mind, because of what Abigail had done. A short time later Nabal died and David married Abigail. They had a son and named him Daniel. He is the Daniel from the Book of Daniel in the Bible. Abigail certainly is a Proverbs 31 wife and fits this verse very well.

I love the graphics Robin provided in this lesson, especially the animals. 

Gratitude

1. Large tanker planes fighting fires

2. Cal Fire

3. Helicopters

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah

Proverbs 31 - Lesson 10

Welcome! Hope you are having a blessed Sunday.

Proverbs 31:19
She puts her hands to the distaff
and her hands hold the spindle.

distaff - a stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning.
spindle - a slender rounded rod with tapered ends used in hand spinning to twist and wind thread from a mass of wool or flax held on a distaff.
(see photo) Click on image for larger view.

One of the women in the Bible who fits today's verse is Lydia. You will find her story in
Acts 16:14-15.
Lydia was the first documented convert to Christianity in Europe. She was a merchant who sold purple cloth and dye used by the Jews in the temple.
When she hears the Apostle Paul preach by the river, God opens her heart and she converts to Christianity. She offers her house to Paul, which indicates she is either a free woman or a widow.

I'm really enjoying reading and learning about all these women in the Bible.
If you would like to join us here is the link to Robin Sampson's lessons:
https://biblejournallove.teachable.com/p/proverbs-31-bible-journal-class
The lessons are available for one year.

Gratitude
1. The color purple
2. Firefighters
3. Family

Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,
Deborah

Proverbs 31 Challenge - Lesson 9

Hello! I pray you are having a blessed day.

Proverbs 31:18
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.

What is your thoughts about "Her lamp does not go out at night?"
1. Do you think she stayed up late in the night to work?
2. Do you think she was able to keep the lamp burning all night due to her contributions to the household's budget? (Either by earning money or being thrifty.)
I think it may be a little of both, but I lean towards #2. After all, a girl's got to sleep sometime. *smiles*

Priscilla from the New Testament is the woman we are studying for this lesson.
Priscilla, along with her husband, was a tentmaker. She was a prominent woman and one of the first missionaries in the early church. The Apostle Paul stayed with them in Corinth for 18 months, working, traveling, studying and preaching. Paul was also a tentmaker.
Priscilla's name was mentioned before her husband's name in four out of six references.
Some scholars believe she may have been the author of the Book of Hebrews.
She was loyal to her husband, her friend Paul, the church and to Christ.

Gratitude

1. Studies that make time fly

2. Creativity

3. Cooler temps

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah

Proverbs 31 - Lesson 8

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

Proverbs 31:17 (NIV)
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

That sure describes Ruth, our woman of the Bible for this lesson. She worked day after day gleaning the left-over barley from the harvest in Boaz's fields to feed her mother-in-law and herself. Ruth is a generous, determined, loyal, patient, strong and loving woman. The way she cares for her mother-in-law is a lesson we can learn from.
Boaz, a kinsman, later takes Ruth as his wife and she gives birth to Obed. She is not a young woman, estimated to be about 90 years old. She is not the only women of the of Bible to conceive at an old age. Their son, Obed becomes the father of Jesse who becomes the father of David and so the lineage of Jesus begins. Some say this is the purpose of the Book of Ruth to show the lineage of David.
I love how God shows that everyone, regardless of race, nationality, status or gender is important to Him and how He uses "little" things to accomplish His great plans.

Gratitude

1. God's love for everyone

2. God's great plans

3. The Book of Ruth's inspiration

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah

Proverbs 31 Challenge - Lesson 7

Welcome! It is so nice that you stopped by.

Proverbs 31:16
She considers a field and buys it:
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

Lesson 8 will be the second part to this lesson of Naomi & Ruth. We are taking a break and letting our teacher, Robin heal from an illness. We will be slowing down the lessons, probably only two per week, as most of us fall behind for one reason or another.

Naomi and Ruth's story is one of loyalty, determination and dedication.
My favorite verse is:
Ruth 1:16
"Where you go I will go
and where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people
and your God will be my God."

Ruth says this to her mother-in-law, Naomi when Naomi decides to go back to Bethlehem after her husband and two sons have died. The famine is over and she wishes to return to her homeland. Naomi tells her two widowed daughters-in-law that they should return to their families. Orpah returns home, but Ruth says the above verse to her mother-in-law.
To give up everything she has ever known, her family, city and religion, to follow and stay with Naomi is a very brave and loyal thing to do.
I wonder how many of us would have done the same?
Not sure I would have been able to do that.

I only did a little verse mapping today. After the art work I wanted to add it didn't leave me much room, but I managed to find some history on Bethlehem and Moab.

One fact is that they are 136 miles apart, so Naomi and Ruth traveled quite a distance to get home. 

The picture of Naomi, Ruth and Orpah was painted by William Blake. 

Gratitude

1. Friendships

2. BFF

3. Rain

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah

Proverbs 31 Lesson 6 and Hannah

Welcome!
Hope you are having a blessed day.

Proverbs 31:15
She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.

Hannah's story, found in 1 Samuel 1-2:11, is one of faith and diligence. Hannah prays to God for a son and God finally grants her prayer.

1 Samuel 1:27
For this child I prayed,
and the Lord has granted me
my petition that I made to Him.

petition - make or present a formal request to (an authority) with respect to a particular cause.

Commentaries:

Michelle Osherow tells us that Hannah represents the character of the earnest petitioner and grateful celebrant of divine glory. Hannah was an important figure for early English Protestantism, which emphasized the importance of private prayer. The Jerusalem Talmud took Hannah as an exemplar of prayer. The story of Hannah is the Haftarah reading for Rosh Hashanah.

Nelson's Bible Commentary 1 Sam. 1:27
Hannah offered a testimony of what God had accomplished on her behalf. By telling others, she exalted God and praised Him for His gracious acts towards her.

Gratitude
1. Answered prayers
2. Children
3. My sons

Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.

The link for the Proverbs 31 class if you would like to join us.
https://biblejournallove.teachable.com/p/proverbs-31-bible-journal-class

Blessings,
Deborah

Lesson 5 - Proverbs 31 Class

Welcome and hello!
Thanks for stopping by.

Proverbs 31:14
She is like the ships of the merchant:
she brings her food from afar.

(How easy it is for us today to find "food from afar" in our local markets!)

The woman of the Bible for this verse is Phoebe.
Her story is found in:
Romans 16:1-2 (NIV)
I command to you our sister Phoebe,
a deacon of the church in Cenchrea.
I ask you to receive her in the Lord
in a way worthy of his people and
to give to her any help she may need
from you, for she has been a benefactor
of many people, including me.

NIV = deacon
KJV = servant
CJB = shammash

deacon - an ordained or appointed minister ranking lower than a priest.
syn. = cleric, clerk, ecclesiastic, minister

benefactor - a person who gives money or other help to a person or cause.
syn. - patron, donor, supporter, sponsor

Cenchrea, now called Kikries, is a port of Corinth. It was a place of some commercial note and the seat of an early church. (Rom. 16:1-2)

My never ending supply of washi tape was added to enhance the beautiful graphics provided in this study.

Gratitude

1. Ships

2. Food from all over the world

3. Benefactors

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah

Lesson 4 - Proverbs 31 Class

Happy Sunday and Welcome!

Due to working the past two days, I am a little behind in my studies. This will always happen on Friday and Saturday with catch-up on Sunday.



Proverbs 31:13 (NIV)
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

The woman we are studying for this verse is Dorcus, also know as Tabitha and her Hebrew name is Tavita.
Dorcus' story is found in Acts 9:36-42. She was a generous seamstress to the poor, especially widows. She is thought to be a widow of means that allowed her to care for the poor.  She died and Peter was sent for and he brought her back to life. God used this miracle to make believers of those who heard about her story.

I love the hexagon graphics Robin gave us for this story and all the little sewing tidbits. She also made a verse mapping sheet for us to explore deeper. She is so generous. I added my own washi tape again. I have an embarrassingly large amount of the stuff. lol

I wanted to include the link for this study again, just in case you'd like to join us.

https://biblejournallove.teachable.com/p/proverbs-31-bible-journal-class

I can't say enough good things about the lessons she writes and the graphics she provides. It is an exceptional bargain for learning about the women of the Bible and studying Proverbs 31.

Gratitude
1. Cooler weather!
2. A caring family
3. Semi-retirement

Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.

Please keep my cousin, Nancy in your prayers. She is experiencing mild liver transplant rejection.
May I pray for you. Please leave me a comment below and I will add you to my prayer list.

Blessings,
Deborah

Lesson 3- Proverbs 31

Good afternoon and welcome!

Today's verse is Proverbs 31:12 (NIV)
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

The woman we are focusing on for this verse is Esther, one of my personal favorites.
(Seems I have a lot of favorites when it comes to the Bible. *smiles*)

Esther was born Hadassah. Her story, The Book of Esther, is the basis for the celebration of Purim in the Jewish tradition. Purim commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who was planning to kill all the Jews. Esther's determination to save her people was a very brave thing to do. My favorite verse from her story is:
Esther 4:14
...And who knows
but that you have come to your royal position
for such a time as this?

Have you ever felt you were at the right place at the right time?
Or that you had gone through something terrible that caused something good to happen?
Esther had, but her position saved her people.
We don't always know or understand God's plans, but if we remember to have faith and believe in Him we can overcome so many things.

Gratitude
1. Esther's inspirational story
2. Grace from God
3. My readers

Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.

May I pray for you?
Please leave a comment and I will add you to my prayer list.

Blessings,
Deborah

Lesson 2 - Proverbs 31 Challenge

Thanks for popping in! Welcome.

Lesson 2 of Proverbs 31 Challenge is verse eleven.

Proverbs 31:11 (NIV)
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

CJB
Her husband trusts her from his heart,
and she will prove a great asset to him.

Robin is bringing in women of the Bible who fit the theme of the verse.
Today we learned about Rahab and trust.

Once again I added some of my own washi tape (don't you love that green vine down the right hand page!) and verse mapped a little.

I looked up synonyms for trust and value.

Trust - confidence - belief - faith - reliance

Value - worth - usefulness - benefit - profit

How important is trust to you?

It is very important to me. Once trust is broken it is hard to get back. I have trust issues with a family member. They lied to me on several occasions and although I forgave them and still love them, I can't trust them anymore. There comes a point when you have to say - enough.

In Rabbinic literature Rahab marries Joshua and their descendants include the prophets Jeremiah, Hilikiah, Seraiah, Mahseiah and Baruch, and the prophetess Hulda.

They are also the parents of Boaz from the Book of Ruth. Boaz marries Ruth and their son is Obed, father of Jesse and grandfather of David.

I love the history stuff!

Gratitude

1. Biblical heroines (so inspiring)

2. Verse mapping

3. The ability to create

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah

Lesson 1 Proverbs 31 Challenge

Hello and Welcome!

Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

A Rabbi I know says Proverbs 31 was written by King Soloman about his mother.

The first lesson in Proverbs 31 is done. I found it thought provoking and insightful. She spoke about worth and reminded me - I AM a daughter of the KING!! I am!

She gives us lots of pretties in the downloads to make our pages special.

I added a little of my own washi tape to the wonderful downloads. There are too many to use on just two pages!!

Of course, those of you who really know me know that I turn any Bible study into Verse Mapping. Just can't help myself. *smiles*

I am working on Lesson 2 that I will share tomorrow.

Gratitude

1. Robin Sampson

2. Washi tape

3. Working AC (Yea!)

Ephesians 1:16

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings,

Deborah