Thoughts for the Day
These verses from Proverbs tell us that the virtuous woman is one who is disciplined to rise early and make preparations spiritually, as well as physically, for the day at hand. She is also a capable businesswoman who not only saves, but also has the wisdom to purchase land, and plant a vineyard. Those who are successful and accomplish anything in this world all have one thing in common, and that is a life of discipline. Some people are just disciplined to rise early and plan their day, while those who are godly, may rise early, but their agenda is different -- they rise to pray and seek God before they begin their day.
One of the best habits a person can develop is the habit of prayer and daily Bible reading. This is where our spiritual strength and guidance come from. I like to do what I call preventative prayers. When I have rushed out without prayer in the morning, and later on in the day run into problems, which force me to stop and pray, it is because I have failed to pray preventative prayers (those prayers that would have prevented the problem in the first place). The Lord spoke to me one time that if I prayed about my problems as much as I talked about my problems, I would not even have the problems. Seeking God early equips us to not only hear God for our own guidance, but we can also help those who work for us or with us. The virtuous woman will spiritually feed her household, as well as provide breakfast in the morning.
Verse 16 tells us this wise woman also had the ability to execute business negotiations. She found a field (a piece of land) and looked it over very carefully before she considered buying it. She also took into consideration as to how she would have the time and energy to plant and oversee the vineyard she planned on planting in this field. Planning and organizing are both necessary skills to make any enterprise a success. There is an old adage that says, "If we fail to plan, we will plan to fail." Once plans are made, then the hard part of executing those plans comes into play. Many people are exuberant upon starting a new project, but one must be steadfast, and dedicated to the task, if they aim to see their business a success.
This woman also knew she must not neglect other duties in order to launch out in this endeavor. Those who pursue business endeavors at the expense of neglecting their families are not pleasing to God. It takes hard work and personal sacrifice to take care of both responsibilities properly, so one should "count the cost" before deciding to take on a business endeavor, on top of the domestic duties of family and home. One of the reasons some women become resentful is that many are holding down an outside job, along with the job of homemaking, and the two have become burdensome. The question of whether or not a woman should work outside the home and leave her children in the care of others has been a much debated one in the church. The ideal, especially when children are small, would be for the woman to stay home and rear the family. However, if a woman can handle her household responsibilities plus an outside job, the Scripture certainly does not forbid her from working away from home. The main thing is to follow the Lord's plan for your life and always do things in love. If the Lord is leading us to do something, He will provide all that we need to accomplish it. And whatever we do, we should do it fervently as unto the Lord. We must never be slothful in our business, because how we run our business is a reflection of how much we are allowing the Lord to rule our lives.
Romans 12:10-13:
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.