December 31

Proverbs 31:10-31
When Debbie and I were little and we could talk our dad into not going to church (a rarity), he would make us sit down in his den and have 'devotion'. More than once, he read this scripture. And then he would repeat a proverb that his grandmother who had raised him and his brother and sister had told him "a bad woman can toss more out the back door with a teaspoon than a good man can shovel in the front door with a coal shovel".
I would like to say that I understood that then or that I understand it now but truthfully, sometimes I am that bad woman with her teaspoon and sometimes I am not.
That is what is good about proverbs. You have something to reach for, something to measure yourself against. And when you fall short, as you invariably will, next day, pick yourself up and try to do better.
The problem for me comes when I see others who SEEM to be that wife of noble character. Envy is really a destructive, hateful emotion. I compare. I contrast. And I fall short and have major difficulty pulling myself up.

So, in that spirit, let us take a good look at this lovely little piece of scripture. First, this is an acrostic. Oh, we can't see it, but in the original Hebrew, it is an alphabetical poem that lists the characteristics of the type of wife to aspire to having. Loyal, faithful, hardworking, trustworthy with money, industrious, and charitable. These are the characteristics that we should aspire to.
What isn't here? Famous, skinny, beautiful, young, up on all the latest gossip, popular,tanned and well-vacationed.
Lots of stuff to be pondered for both the things that attract us and the things that really bring us joy and satisfaction.

NT -- Revelation 22:1-21
The book of Revelation closes with John urging his readers not to amend or delete anything from his work. Remember this was a letter(s) that he was sending out to the 7 churches that John had cared for prior to his exile. Of course, when they got these messages, some would believe every little word, others would recognize them as apocalyptic messages but all who knew him could understand and appreciate the urgency in his words: "Behold I am coming soon!"
For John, this was the crux of his message. Straighten up, do the work of the Lord so that when the Day of the Lord came, you weren't found wanting. And that Day was coming and coming right quick.

But by far, the best ending to this blog is found in our psalm selection for today. It is what I believe with all my heart:

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.



****************************************
Thank you for reading with me, encouraging me, challenging me, the emails, the cards, the phone calls, the tea dates and the luncheons. Grace and peace to each of you.

This benediction was lifted from a daily devotional Follow the Star that my friend Elizabeth Small recommended to me. You can have it come 365 days but I choose the option to just have it come during Advent. As this is my last day's post, I think it is appropriate for us. Today's message (December 30, 2012) closed with this benediction:

"Depart now in peace, for your eyes have seen the salvation which God has prepared for all people. Grow in strength and wisdom and bring forth a harvest of righteousness and praise.
May God smile upon you and make you strong and wise.
May Christ Jesus and his humble birth fill you with awe.
And may the Holy Spirit open your eyes to the presence of God’s Messiah."

Adapted from Nathan Nettleton, www.laughingbird.net, ©2002