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Spring Cleaning of the Heart… Part 3 “The Work Life”

Today’s Spring Cleaning of the Heart is concentrating on the Work Life of the Modern Proverbs 31 Woman. For the Spiritual Life checklist, click here. For the Home Life checklist, click here. And for the Work Life, see below. 😉

God is so merciful and gracious, ready to pardon, and to help us in our weaknesses. Ask Him to help you work through these lists. They are not at all comprehensive – just a few thoughts spurred by this amazing example of a Godly Woman. God’s desire is to make us into His very best. Let’s let Him have His wise way with us.

Work Life

Vs. 13- She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands [to develop it].

Am I motivated to be a willing worker? _____
Do I work “as unto The Lord” (Eph. 6:7) in whatever task is set before me? _____

OR do I complain and resent when work is to be done?

16a- She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties];

Do I “consider” (pray) before I “buy” purchases that will steal time and attention from my other responsibilities? _____
Do I “consider” (pray) before I “accept” new responsibilities offered to me, or asked of me? _____

OR do I “court neglect” of my family, home, and spiritual life in how I spend my money and time in things that end up overwhelming me?

16b- With her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

Do I use “saved time”, “saved strength”, and “saved money” wisely? _____

OR do I squander additional resources?

Vs. 19- She lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

Do I use make use of the talents and skills God has given me? _____

OR do I waste my time and talents in seeking idle pleasures?

Vs. 20- She opens her hands to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].

Am I ready to “reach out” and minister to others in need? _____

OR do I stay so self-absorbed that I have no idea of needs, nor time to help meet them?

Vs. 22a- She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry.

Do I wisely and prudently use my resources and abilities to help make our home a beautiful and comfortable place? _____

OR Am I home so little time that it doesn’t matter to me if it is an inviting place?

Vs. 24- She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].

As I do my work, am I known for being covered in “fine garments” (righteousness of Jesus Christ)?____
Do I work in such a way that I lead others to want the freedom of this God-given righteousness? _____

OR do I join in on idle, unholy, or worthless talk and activities – where no one knows where I stand with Jesus?

25b- She rejoices over the future [the later day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!

Have I done everything I can possibly do (at this time) to prepare for the future of my family? _____

OR are there important issues that must be addressed and I keep putting them off? What are they? What is a plan to address these issues?

Vs. 31- Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]!

Can I truly say I am being and doing the very best I can be and do? _____

OR are there areas I know God is convicting me about where I can be/do better? What are they? What is a plan to address these issues?

“Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshippfully fears the Lord,
she shall be praised.

Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates of the city.”

Proverbs 31:30-31

May the Lord have His way in each of our hearts, and may we let Him make us “squeaky clean!”   A blessed weekend to you all~

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Spring Cleaning of the Heart… Part 2 “The Home Life”

Hi friends. How’s the Heart Cleaning going? If you missed the last post, we’re talking about Spring Cleaning of the Heart this week. To catch up, start here.

Today, we’ll look at a checklist concerning the Home Life of the Modern Proverbs 31 Woman. Remember – absolutely no condemnation here – just a few questions to pray through with the Lord, asking Him to show you those hidden areas that need a little additional scrubbing.

Happy Spring Cleaning of the Heart~ Part 3 will be posted on Thursday.

Home Life

Vs. 11- The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil.

Can my husband be confident and secure in:
• How I spend time? _____
• How I spend money? _____
• What I say? _____
• What I do? _____
• How I manage children, home, work, or other responsibilities? _____

OR does he have to “cover” for me in any dishonest way?

Vs. 12- She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.

Do I encourage, comfort, support and bless my husband:
• In our relationship / friendship? _____
• In our home? _____
• In my words to him? _____
• In my interest in him, his work, and what he enjoys? _____
• In front of the children? _____

OR do I “nag him down” and “drag him down”?

Vs. 14- She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her household’s food from a far [country].

Do I do the very best I can to provide nourishment for my family? _____
Do we make the most of meal times, spending that time in fellowship together? _____
Do I consider it a privilege to serve my family in this way? _____

OR do we all do our own things and I let them fend for themselves?

Vs. 17- She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

Do I do what I can to make myself strong for my God-given tasks and roles in life:
• Spiritually? _____
• Mentally? _____
• Physically? _____

OR have I settled for being weak, soft, and “unable”?

Vs. 21- She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet.
Is my household “covered” in Jesus by way of His great mercy and grace and shedding of His blood to redeem us?


Is it evident that I love Jesus and have a relationship with Him? _____
• Do I make having a relationship with Jesus seem desirable to my family? _____
• Do I speak of Jesus to my family and model and teach them the way of a closer relationship with Him? _____
• Is Jesus an active part of our homelife? _____

OR is my family easy prey for being “snowed over” by satan and his darts of deception?

Vs. 23- Her husband is known in the [city’s] gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

Do I encourage my husband to be a wise and hard worker (therefore a leader) by:

• Praying for him? _____
• Showing an interest in his job? _____
• Supporting him in his job? _____

OR do I resent, nag and complain about how much he has to work?

Vs. 26- She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].

When I open my mouth are my words:
• Kind? _____
• Encouraging? _____
• Merciful? _____
• Wise and useful? _____
• A blessing to others? _____
• Humble? _____
• True? _____
• Tempered with grace, patience and gentleness? _____
• Spoken in the Love of Jesus? _____

OR are they bitter?
OR are they critical?
OR are they unforgiving?
OR are they foolish and idle?
OR are they hurtful to others?
OR are they full of pride?
OR are they false?
OR are they demanding, impatient and harsh?
OR are they spoken in the love of myself?

Vs. 27a- She looks well to how things go in her household,

Do I take responsibility for running my home? _____
Is my home a place of peace and a refuge for my family? _____

OR is my home a place of chaos that “runs itself”?

27b- And the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.

Do I use with wisdom and discretion in:
• My words? _____
• My thoughts? _____
• My time? _____

OR are my words, thoughts, and time consumed with laziness, idle activity, facebook, blogs, twitter?

Vs. 28a- Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied);
Do I set forth such an example of living that:
• I would want my children to want to be “just like me”? _____
• My children know that I love them? _____
• My children know that I love Jesus? _____
• My children respect me? _____
• My children feel blessed that I am their mother? _____

OR would I be ashamed if my children turned out “just like me”?

Vs. 28b-29 – And her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying] Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with strength of character that is steadfast in goodness] but you excel them all.
Can my husband honestly say of me that I am:
• His partner and help-mate? _____
• His “Number One Prayer Warrior”? _____
• A serving wife, desiring to meet his needs? _____
• A forgiving wife? _____
• A deeply devoted, and unselfishly loving woman? _____
• An excellent wife to him? _____

OR can he say that I am:
• A hindrance to him?
• A selfish wife?
• Often recalling and using against him of all of his faults and failures
• Devoted to myself rather than to him?

Ouch~ my toes are a little sore. God and I have some work to do! How about you?

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Spring Cleaning of the Heart… Part 1 “The Spiritual Life”

Hello my friends~  I pray that you are still basking in the joy of the Truth that Easter brings: the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ over all we feared dead and hopeless!  May we never get over the hope of LIFE we have in Jesus Christ!
As I was praying about what to post on the blog this week, the Lord kept bringing these posts to mind.  So that’s just what I’m going to do.  I’ll be doing a little Spring Cleaning of the Heart myself, and pray that God will use these re-posts for His glory as He cleans the crevices of our hearts. 🙂
~Jennifer

Spring Cleaning of the Heart ~ Part 1

Do you “Spring Clean” your house? I remember my mom doing this each spring and fall. {For the record, I always dreaded it!} We’d have to help her pull out and clean around every piece of furniture, all the baseboards, air out rugs and curtains, wash the windows, deep dust everything that sits around, and clean out our closets and drawers. As a teenager, it was a drag. But after it was done, our entire family always enjoyed the results.

I’m grateful for a mom who took such good care of us and our home, and set this wonderful example for us. Thanks, Mom! Unfortunately, and probably to my mom’s chagrin, even though the example was set, I’m not much of a spring-cleaner. I clean more the FlyLady way. But whenever I do get the family involved in getting our home in tip top shape, we all enjoy the results. In fact, we did a little bit of this last week & it feels so good to live in “clean.”

What we occasionally need to do with our homes, we also need to do with our hearts. It’s good to take an inventory every once in a while and go through a deep cleansing process, pulling out the furniture, cleaning the baseboards, and wiping all of those hidden cobwebs out of the corners and ceilings of our hearts – the place where Jesus dwells in us. It feels so good to live in “clean.”

This week, I’m posting a Spring Cleaning Checklist for the heart. I’ve based it on Proverbs 31, and divided it into 3 portions. No condemnation here! Just a modern look at this example set before us, and a few questions to help us think and pray it through.

A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman –
who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels
and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Proverbs 31:10

Lets face it… We all want to be like this amazing woman… yet her standards are so high, and many of her activities are so foreign to our modern lives, we tend to think that being like her is almost unattainable. It’s not, though. Living as a modern Proverbs 31 woman is definitely attainable. I personally haven’t attained it yet, but I’m pressing toward that goal, with The Lord’s help. 😉

With each choice we make, if we will choose to obey God’s Word and God’s voice, we can be like this woman! He will help us.

To see areas where we are resembling this remarkable example, and areas where we need a little improvement, below is a check-up. I’ve divided my list into three segments: Spiritual life, Home life, and Work life. Take the Spiritual Life check up today, and come back in the next few days for the other two.

*Remember: Let yourself be convicted, if necessary. But don’t let the enemy condemn you! Pray through this and ask the Holy Spirit to help you choose an area or two to work on improving, and celebrate the grace God will give you to change. Then, you and those around you will enjoy the fresh benefits of this Heart Spring Cleaning!

Spiritual Life

Vs. 15- She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.
Do I arise early enough to:

• meet with Jesus and become Spiritually filled (so that I can start my day “in the Spirit” rather than “in the flesh”?)

• gather my thoughts and plans for the day (so that the day – especially the morning – runs smoothly)

OR do I stumble out of bed and into my morning focusing only on myself?

Vs. 18a – she tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good;
Can I say that what God has done in and through me is “good”?

OR am I having a hard time with bitterness over my circumstances?

18b- Her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].
When going through a difficult time do I allow God to continue to work through me and use me to shine for His glory?

OR do I quickly withdraw from God and others into a self-destructive mode?

22b- Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made].
Am I clothed:

• In The Garment of Salvation – Have I given my life to Jesus?

• In Robes of Righteousness – Do I daily confess my sins and allow Jesus to cleanse me and cover me with His righteousness?

• In Fine White Linen –which signifies “the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God’s holy people).” (Rev. 19:8)

• In Modesty – Do I dress in a way that brings God glory and not myself?

OR Am I spiritually and physically underdressed?

Vs. 25a- Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure;
Do I possess:

• The strength and security that comes from who I am in Jesus?

• The dignity of a refined and forgiven daughter of the King?

OR do I constantly wonder if I am loved or forgiven?

Vs. 30- Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!
Do I

• Love Jesus more than I love “looking good?”

• Seek to be beautiful in God’s eyes?

• Let God help me be beautiful in the eyes of those I love?

OR do I
• Spend more time and effort on my looks than on my relationship with Jesus?
• Seek to be attractive to the world?
• Try to impress others with my beauty?

Just some things to ponder with the Lord… I’m pondering too… and praying for all of us as we Spring Clean a bit of our hearts.

(More to come.)

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