“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” (Proverbs 31:10)
A woman never needs to flaunt her physical attributes to get a man's attention if her ultimate goal is to own his heart forever. But let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus and, if the man is walking uprightly before God Almighty, romance, among other virtues, will spring forth like the morning dew rests upon parched earth in the sweet morning air and choice honey shall continually drip willingly from the relational honeycomb.
The virtuous woman possesses qualities of high moral character which are the trademark of leadership and great indicators of spiritual maturity. She keeps the attention upon Christ in her presence and points man ever in the direction of life's Royal Diadem, the eternal jewel whose light her eyes reflect in the darkness of this world.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
Brian L Hunter is a ghostwriter, editor, literary critic, self-publishing consultant, music educator, and freelance writer. ~ The Ministry Of Writing Helps www.koalendar.com/e/meet-with-brian-l-hunter
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Devotional For Daughters Entry 4
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
You expect too much, my friend. You desire, quite cerebrally, the love of some who are wholly yet incapable of the reality, for they know not God. Forget the romantic notion that assumes even all who are related to you naturally by blood will love you by default, though we all dream of such a utopia. No, the truth is that there are some, in even your own family, who delight in the idea of misfortune in your life. They can only see lack in your life because it’s all about what they have and what you have not attained. They are spiritual parasites and differ not from other pimps and opportunists in this world. However, having quite foolishly said in their hearts that there is no God, such self-sufficient thinkers are powerless to love anyone outside of themselves with anything but mere affection or the kind of love brought to mind by the great city of Philadelphia. No, agape, the very concept of the God kind of love, does not register upon the scale of knowledge such worldly geniuses, their friends, or their neighbors could possibly comprehend in their present unregenerate state. But, regardless of what is directed at you, you are called to a higher level of virtuosity and commanded to love even as you are loved of God. Neither sticks nor stones nor hateful attitudes nor outright betrayal, shall give us justification to cease bearing all such people, faithfully believing in all such people, hoping in all such people, and enduring all such people. Love never faileth. (1Corinthians 13:4-8) Hath Christ not loved us enough to lay down His life for us when we could not have been more unlovable than we were? “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) Considering the fullness of grace we have all received in Christ, shouldn’t we be more longsuffering with those whose hearts are yet darkened by the natural tendencies which once plagued us also? Love, after all, is neither a type of song nor something to be manufactured in a bedroom. Love serves (Galatians 5:13), covers (1Peter 4:8), and is born only of God (1 John 4:7-8). Although the counterfeit thereof feels good and satisfies the flesh, its only purpose is deceit. Lord, as you are love, shape us and mold us into a more perfect image of you. In Jesus’ name, “who being the brightness of your glory, and the express image of your person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Hebrews 1:3, 4) Be love, beloved daughters, and you shall know the love of your Father who art in Heaven. Amen and amen.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
You expect too much, my friend. You desire, quite cerebrally, the love of some who are wholly yet incapable of the reality, for they know not God. Forget the romantic notion that assumes even all who are related to you naturally by blood will love you by default, though we all dream of such a utopia. No, the truth is that there are some, in even your own family, who delight in the idea of misfortune in your life. They can only see lack in your life because it’s all about what they have and what you have not attained. They are spiritual parasites and differ not from other pimps and opportunists in this world. However, having quite foolishly said in their hearts that there is no God, such self-sufficient thinkers are powerless to love anyone outside of themselves with anything but mere affection or the kind of love brought to mind by the great city of Philadelphia. No, agape, the very concept of the God kind of love, does not register upon the scale of knowledge such worldly geniuses, their friends, or their neighbors could possibly comprehend in their present unregenerate state. But, regardless of what is directed at you, you are called to a higher level of virtuosity and commanded to love even as you are loved of God. Neither sticks nor stones nor hateful attitudes nor outright betrayal, shall give us justification to cease bearing all such people, faithfully believing in all such people, hoping in all such people, and enduring all such people. Love never faileth. (1Corinthians 13:4-8) Hath Christ not loved us enough to lay down His life for us when we could not have been more unlovable than we were? “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) Considering the fullness of grace we have all received in Christ, shouldn’t we be more longsuffering with those whose hearts are yet darkened by the natural tendencies which once plagued us also? Love, after all, is neither a type of song nor something to be manufactured in a bedroom. Love serves (Galatians 5:13), covers (1Peter 4:8), and is born only of God (1 John 4:7-8). Although the counterfeit thereof feels good and satisfies the flesh, its only purpose is deceit. Lord, as you are love, shape us and mold us into a more perfect image of you. In Jesus’ name, “who being the brightness of your glory, and the express image of your person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Hebrews 1:3, 4) Be love, beloved daughters, and you shall know the love of your Father who art in Heaven. Amen and amen.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
Devotional For Daughters Entry 3
“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a virtuous woman, having been fearfully and wonderfully made in the very image of the ultimate desirableness (Psalm 139:14), making the most of her God given glamour and physical grace, adorned with the refinement of a gentle and quiet spirit as well as the fervent fires of faith and prayer. Such stewardship is to be commended and applauded by all who love righteousness. If the daughter of the Most High God maintains an awareness of who she represents and who has made her as she is, she will in no way act uncomely and shall seek always to glorify her Father which art in Heaven. It is at the center, the mind of Christ within her, that Boaz shall find and cover her virtuosity with his robe. It is her character and not her looks that induce such devotion and welcomes sanctity home. It is the righteous man who is blessed in his search and the righteous woman who is thereby found waiting upon the Lord. My brethren, the Lord saith, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8) To both brother and sister I therefore admonish you to “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14) God is the master builder, the composer that shall join together the intended themes into a symphony most pleasing to His ear.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a virtuous woman, having been fearfully and wonderfully made in the very image of the ultimate desirableness (Psalm 139:14), making the most of her God given glamour and physical grace, adorned with the refinement of a gentle and quiet spirit as well as the fervent fires of faith and prayer. Such stewardship is to be commended and applauded by all who love righteousness. If the daughter of the Most High God maintains an awareness of who she represents and who has made her as she is, she will in no way act uncomely and shall seek always to glorify her Father which art in Heaven. It is at the center, the mind of Christ within her, that Boaz shall find and cover her virtuosity with his robe. It is her character and not her looks that induce such devotion and welcomes sanctity home. It is the righteous man who is blessed in his search and the righteous woman who is thereby found waiting upon the Lord. My brethren, the Lord saith, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8) To both brother and sister I therefore admonish you to “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14) God is the master builder, the composer that shall join together the intended themes into a symphony most pleasing to His ear.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
Devotional For Daughters Entry 2
“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)
On the original Mickey Mouse Club, Annette Funicello sang a song entitled “How Will I Know My Love?” The question is an important one; how does a woman know “when” she has been found? If she waits for the man with the money, the house, and the big paycheck, she could be wrong. If she requires a certain look, body type, or je ne sais quoi – her own self determined ideal which must be met by any suitor, then she has defied Scripture and done the finding herself rather than trusting God to deliver Boaz to her doorstep. Don't rush into an Ishmael; wait on the promised Isaac!
So, how can a woman recognize Boaz “when” he shows up in her life? Well, we can learn a lesson from the Book of 1 Samuel. The older, stronger, more handsome sons of Jesse would have appeared to be more suitable choices to be anointed as king. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Now, let’s make the connection to Proverbs 18:22. God makes it clear that men are to do the finding (find= acquire, attain, earn, gain, get, obtain, procure). When women do the searching, are they not in error? Now, on to the question of how she can know Boaz and thus know when she has been found. This will require some prayer. Ps. 43:4 says “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.” The story of how Nehemiah rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem indicates that the joy of the Lord is to be our strength (Neh. 8:10)
When a man indicates a godly interest in a woman and meets certain spiritual requirements (i.e. single, growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ {2 Peter 3:18}, faithful and accountable to church leadership, able to support a household {1 Tim 5:8}, willing to love like Christ and sacrifice himself for his bride {Ephesians 5:25} -- ), then there is an indication that this man may just be Boaz. However, instead of relying on the opinions of her friends and family, any discerning woman would do well to bring the issue to the altar first, and then seek the prayerful council of a senior leader such as her pastor or a seasoned mother in the church. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
Most importantly, the prospective bride would want confirmation that the Holy Spirit is leading this man in his choice. The best way to know a man’s heart is not by what he says to you, but rather by what he says to God. Therefore, pray together often with the man and ask God to reveal the truth to you. Then, if he asks for your hand and wants to put a diamond on it, your spirit should bear witness with the Holy Spirit, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Brothers and sisters, when you enter into marriage you enter into an agreement with God. Do not take it lightly and trample the blood of Christ under foot just to satisfy the lust of the flesh for a season. Do your due diligence and not only check the man out yourself, but have him thoroughly checked out. A background check is not very expensive. What has he not told you? You need to “know” this man before you allow him to know you.
Be more concerned about living, and moving, and having your being in Christ your Savior than you are concerned with the man’s smooth words, constant smile, and dreamy eyes. FOCUS, sister. Do you see the fruit of the Spirit in this man? If not, then he is not Boaz. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22) Do yourself a big favor and please God at the same time by making it a point to not only read, but study (2 Timothy 2:15) the entire Book of Proverbs before you even get serious about dating Mr. Right. Let God show you the difference between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now. Too many women are finding themselves being taken for granted, abused, misused, used up and left for dead, etc. because they mistook Bobo for Boaz. Who you are in Christ and who you marry need to converge and take each of you higher in the Lord. Don’t get clowned, wait upon the Lord and be found with renewed strength. Hallelujah! The joy of the Lord, not a big bank account and a smile, is your strength, Woman of God! You are a precious daughter of The Most High God and He has prepared the way before you. Let your steps be ordered in His Word in regards to all things and you shall be prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8).
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
On the original Mickey Mouse Club, Annette Funicello sang a song entitled “How Will I Know My Love?” The question is an important one; how does a woman know “when” she has been found? If she waits for the man with the money, the house, and the big paycheck, she could be wrong. If she requires a certain look, body type, or je ne sais quoi – her own self determined ideal which must be met by any suitor, then she has defied Scripture and done the finding herself rather than trusting God to deliver Boaz to her doorstep. Don't rush into an Ishmael; wait on the promised Isaac!
So, how can a woman recognize Boaz “when” he shows up in her life? Well, we can learn a lesson from the Book of 1 Samuel. The older, stronger, more handsome sons of Jesse would have appeared to be more suitable choices to be anointed as king. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Now, let’s make the connection to Proverbs 18:22. God makes it clear that men are to do the finding (find= acquire, attain, earn, gain, get, obtain, procure). When women do the searching, are they not in error? Now, on to the question of how she can know Boaz and thus know when she has been found. This will require some prayer. Ps. 43:4 says “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.” The story of how Nehemiah rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem indicates that the joy of the Lord is to be our strength (Neh. 8:10)
When a man indicates a godly interest in a woman and meets certain spiritual requirements (i.e. single, growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ {2 Peter 3:18}, faithful and accountable to church leadership, able to support a household {1 Tim 5:8}, willing to love like Christ and sacrifice himself for his bride {Ephesians 5:25} -- ), then there is an indication that this man may just be Boaz. However, instead of relying on the opinions of her friends and family, any discerning woman would do well to bring the issue to the altar first, and then seek the prayerful council of a senior leader such as her pastor or a seasoned mother in the church. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
Most importantly, the prospective bride would want confirmation that the Holy Spirit is leading this man in his choice. The best way to know a man’s heart is not by what he says to you, but rather by what he says to God. Therefore, pray together often with the man and ask God to reveal the truth to you. Then, if he asks for your hand and wants to put a diamond on it, your spirit should bear witness with the Holy Spirit, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Brothers and sisters, when you enter into marriage you enter into an agreement with God. Do not take it lightly and trample the blood of Christ under foot just to satisfy the lust of the flesh for a season. Do your due diligence and not only check the man out yourself, but have him thoroughly checked out. A background check is not very expensive. What has he not told you? You need to “know” this man before you allow him to know you.
Be more concerned about living, and moving, and having your being in Christ your Savior than you are concerned with the man’s smooth words, constant smile, and dreamy eyes. FOCUS, sister. Do you see the fruit of the Spirit in this man? If not, then he is not Boaz. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22) Do yourself a big favor and please God at the same time by making it a point to not only read, but study (2 Timothy 2:15) the entire Book of Proverbs before you even get serious about dating Mr. Right. Let God show you the difference between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now. Too many women are finding themselves being taken for granted, abused, misused, used up and left for dead, etc. because they mistook Bobo for Boaz. Who you are in Christ and who you marry need to converge and take each of you higher in the Lord. Don’t get clowned, wait upon the Lord and be found with renewed strength. Hallelujah! The joy of the Lord, not a big bank account and a smile, is your strength, Woman of God! You are a precious daughter of The Most High God and He has prepared the way before you. Let your steps be ordered in His Word in regards to all things and you shall be prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8).
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
Devotional For Daughters Entry 1
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:12-14)
Fallen man is particularly susceptible to the power of influence and this weakness is greatly exacerbated by the bestowing of titles and authority over others. Authority gives license to the deepest prejudices and hidden agendas, wings to the haughtiest indifference, and increased avenues of operation to the total depravity inherent in the human heart. Odd is the politician who is not corrupt and so-called good men have been an anomaly historically. Perhaps the most abused position of leadership in our society is marital husbandry. Women are often subjected to the most horrific atrocities of violence and abuse at the hands of those in this world that were designed and designated to love, serve, cover, and protect them. This ought not to be so in the Body of Christ.
It is no secret that we condition children to accept gender roles at an early age by giving dolls to our daughters so that they can learn to be docile caretakers and submissive playmates. Simultaneously, in our kindergartens, nursery schools, and living rooms, militaristic action figures and toy guns encourage our sons to compete, dominate, and assert their most violent tendencies upon a universe viewed as hostile. These messages are then reinforced by the media advertising of gender specific products and the subtle enculturation that seeps into the psyche through sitcoms, movies, and reality programming on television that perpetrates the message that it is a man’s world and women had better be as sexy as a supermodel if she wants to win the prize of man’s attention. Whether the attention won thereby is positive or negative, lustful or loving, godly or demonic seems irrelevant.
Demand honor and respect from the opposite sex, my daughters and sisters. Demand it and do not ever settle for anything less than the level of dignity and reverence reserved for daughters of The Most High God for whom Jesus Christ died. You may have been a prostitute like Gomer (Book of Hosea). Yet, since you are now in Christ, old things are passed away and all things regarding you have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). With the blood of God’s Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, you, Woman of God, have been redeemed. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Therefore, there should be no disparaging comments on your Facebook page about how sexy your pictures are, Women of God. You should not allow men to be slack or flip in the way they address you, approach you, or “holler at” you. The Word of God admonishes us to overcome our sinful nature and to “Mortify therefore our members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5, 6) Modest dress for women, as instructed in 1 Timothy 2:9, aids in keeping the pornographic subconscious bull’s-eye from being subtly painted upon the body of every woman by the salacious minds of unregenerate men. If the pornography industry does not prove this point, then we may as well also believe that the earth is flat and that man evolved from apes contrary to the Word of God. If you desire to be a boy toy or a sex object, then I continue to pray for God to anoint your eyes and draw you ever closer to spiritual consciousness by His loving kindness and longsuffering. No sermon can open your eyes to your own self-worth, sister. Only God can change your heart and impress upon you the love and glory and peace you deserve and shall possess in Him.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
Fallen man is particularly susceptible to the power of influence and this weakness is greatly exacerbated by the bestowing of titles and authority over others. Authority gives license to the deepest prejudices and hidden agendas, wings to the haughtiest indifference, and increased avenues of operation to the total depravity inherent in the human heart. Odd is the politician who is not corrupt and so-called good men have been an anomaly historically. Perhaps the most abused position of leadership in our society is marital husbandry. Women are often subjected to the most horrific atrocities of violence and abuse at the hands of those in this world that were designed and designated to love, serve, cover, and protect them. This ought not to be so in the Body of Christ.
It is no secret that we condition children to accept gender roles at an early age by giving dolls to our daughters so that they can learn to be docile caretakers and submissive playmates. Simultaneously, in our kindergartens, nursery schools, and living rooms, militaristic action figures and toy guns encourage our sons to compete, dominate, and assert their most violent tendencies upon a universe viewed as hostile. These messages are then reinforced by the media advertising of gender specific products and the subtle enculturation that seeps into the psyche through sitcoms, movies, and reality programming on television that perpetrates the message that it is a man’s world and women had better be as sexy as a supermodel if she wants to win the prize of man’s attention. Whether the attention won thereby is positive or negative, lustful or loving, godly or demonic seems irrelevant.
Demand honor and respect from the opposite sex, my daughters and sisters. Demand it and do not ever settle for anything less than the level of dignity and reverence reserved for daughters of The Most High God for whom Jesus Christ died. You may have been a prostitute like Gomer (Book of Hosea). Yet, since you are now in Christ, old things are passed away and all things regarding you have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). With the blood of God’s Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, you, Woman of God, have been redeemed. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Therefore, there should be no disparaging comments on your Facebook page about how sexy your pictures are, Women of God. You should not allow men to be slack or flip in the way they address you, approach you, or “holler at” you. The Word of God admonishes us to overcome our sinful nature and to “Mortify therefore our members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5, 6) Modest dress for women, as instructed in 1 Timothy 2:9, aids in keeping the pornographic subconscious bull’s-eye from being subtly painted upon the body of every woman by the salacious minds of unregenerate men. If the pornography industry does not prove this point, then we may as well also believe that the earth is flat and that man evolved from apes contrary to the Word of God. If you desire to be a boy toy or a sex object, then I continue to pray for God to anoint your eyes and draw you ever closer to spiritual consciousness by His loving kindness and longsuffering. No sermon can open your eyes to your own self-worth, sister. Only God can change your heart and impress upon you the love and glory and peace you deserve and shall possess in Him.
© 2012 Brian L Hunter
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