Thoughts for the Day
These verses tell us how the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 is a woman of strength and perseverance because she does the things that are good and right, that cause her business to prosper.
Verse 17 uses the expression "girdeth her loins" which means to "gird (up) one's loins;" and according to Webster's Dictionary, this term means "to get ready to do something difficult or strenuous." Therefore, we know that this woman was the kind who prepared herself to tackle tough jobs. We all face difficult situations in life, at times, and if we are to overcome them, we need to be strong at the onset of them, whether they be physical, mental, or spiritual trials. How do we strengthen ourselves in the face of life's challenges? We need to do the things that cause us to be in good health spiritually, mentally, and physically. Man is a trichotomy and is composed of three parts (he is a spirit, with a soul, who lives in a body.) The soul is composed of our mind, emotions and will. Each part affects the other parts, so our goal should be to remain strong in all three of them.
The spiritual man must be fed spiritual food, which is gained by feeding (reading and meditating) upon the Word of God, the Bible. The soul of man is strengthened by study that enlightens the mind (intellect) and emotions; while our physical man must be strengthened with the right kind of diet and good exercise. Obviously, one can get "out of balance" in any of these areas.
With so much emphasis on proper eating and physical exercise here in America, it has caused many to examine their lifestyles. Many people have now become imbalanced by putting too much emphasis on the physical man, while neglecting the spiritual man. The Lord desires this area also to be in balance, as our physical condition, if it is not properly cared for, affects our spiritual condition. The spiritual man should always be given top priority, as its influence over the physical man is greater than the physical man's influence over it.
1 Timothy 4:8: For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
We need the proper balance between neglecting our bodies, and giving them too much attention. One of the greatest sins in the United States is gluttony. Food has become the god of millions. Jesus has never been made "Lord of the Fork." The Word of God has much to say about man's eating habits. Many sicknesses that are plaguing mankind stem directly from unhealthy eating habits. How should Christians eat? Are all the so-called health foods the answer to our diet problem? The Word of God has the answer to our questions, as to what is healthy for us to eat. So many have been eating according to the tradition of men instead of seeing what God's Word says about this subject. If we do not eat by the Word of God, our eating habits will be dictated by the patterns of the country in which we were born and by our upbringing.
True strength comes by taking care of every area of our lives; then when we face trials, we are able to overcome because we are strong physically, as well as being strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
Verse 18 says the virtuous woman examines her merchandise to make sure it is good and she also is one who does what it takes to make sure her work is good and acceptable. Physically, it may, at times, take extra hours and "burning the candle" at night to complete a particular job and see that something is finished. Spiritually, her candle will not go out when her night of trouble, sorrow, fear, doubt, etc., come to try and stop her. She prevails because she is spiritually, mentally and physically strong.