Pastors Blog
David Crosby 07/28/09
You Excel Them All
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.-Proverbs 31:31This woman is going to be praised. In fact, her children "arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her" (Proverbs 31:28). She is supposed to be praised, according to verse 30. And now we are told that "her works bring her praise at the city gate."If only God is truly worthy of our praise, then why is this excellent but imperfect woman receiving praise? Is this really ...
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David Crosby 07/27/09
You Excel Them All
Here is the one reference to God in the poem of the virtuous woman. She is a "woman who fears the Lord."
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David Crosby 07/24/09
You Excel Them All
Virtue is never a flash in the pan. It comes with a life-time guarantee of integrity and faithfulness. Virtue is not a matter of doing a few things well. It is a matter of the "cure of souls," the development of an inner life that values most what matters most to God. Virtue shows itself externally, but it is a matter of the heart.
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David Crosby 07/21/09
You Excel Them All
Our children are pretty hard on us, especially when they are young. As they age, they usually mellow in their criticism and may even be susceptible to some admiration of the parents that embarrassed them as teenagers.
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David Crosby 07/17/09
You Excel Them All
The "bread of idleness" is an interesting phrase, don't you think? Where does that come from? Is idleness like a poison that one can consume? I wonder.
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David Crosby 07/15/09
You Excel Them All
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. -Proverbs 31:26Faithfulness is a key dimension of excellence in living. This person of virtue has confidence in the future in part because she inspires the confidence of her family and friends. They know that they can trust her in any situation to do what she believes is best for all involved. She is faithful.Faithfulness begins in our relationship with God. If we love him, then we want to be like him. And he is perfectly ...
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David Crosby 07/10/09
You Excel Them All
I enjoy seeing this godly woman laughing. The New American Standard Bible translates the phrase, "she smiles at the future." The King James Version reads, "She shall rejoice in time to come."
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David Crosby 07/08/09
You Excel Them All
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. -Proverbs 31:24Virtue is not the work of a moment or a minute. It is the work of a lifetime. We cannot take "virtue pills" to immediately change our character. We cannot count on instant changes to our inner being. Instead, those who strive for excellance take on a task that does not end this side of heaven.We do not finally arrive on this journey to excellence. We continually strive toward the goal, but we do not ...
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David Crosby 07/07/09
You Excel Them All
Here is a husband whose position of respect is in large measure connected to the woman he has married--and he knows it. Some of the elders who sit with him are objects of pity because they have not married well. Some are objects of scorn because they have shown such poor judgment in domestic matters.
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Katie Hodas 07/06/09
You Excel Them All
The concern for bed coverings I can appreciate, though not aesthetically. I have no eye for color or matching patterns or compatibility between comforter and curtains. These things usually escape me though I can see such attention to detail if I slow down enough to notice.
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