Straight From Pastor Ey

Image credit We have heard, “Happy wife, happy life.” (Or, for the husbands, “Happy spouse, happy house.”) A Proverbs 31 woman is not only a happy wife. She also makes her husband happy. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. … Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. (vv. 11-12, 23, ESV). I remember a story where a rich businessman and his wife stopped at a red light in an intersection. Then, out of nowhere, a homeless guy suddenly sprayed water with detergent on his BMW’s windshield and wiped it dry with his squeegee. He was about to scold the guy but the wife stopped him. She recognized him as the guy she used to date. So, out of pity, he gave him more money. Driving away, the businessman was all smiles. The wife asked why he’s grinning from ear to ear. He proudly answered, “Aren’t you happy you married me and not him?” She retorted, “If I

Image credit For Mother’s day, two kids gave a plant as a gift to their mother. They even broke their piggy banks to have enough money to buy that plant. However, the mother noticed the sad faces of her kids. When she asked why, one of them answered, “There was a bouquet that we wanted to give you at the flower shop. It was really pretty but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on it that said, ‘Rest In Peace.’ We thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace so that you can rest. ” [1] Seriously, a mother’s work really requires a lot of energy. Image credit The most creative job in the world involves fashion, decorating, recreation, education, transportation, psychology, romance, cuisine, literature, art, economics, government, pediatrics, geriatrics, entertainment, maintenance, purchasing, law, religion, energy and management. Anyone who can handle all those has to be somebody special. She is. She’s a homemaker. [2] Becau

Image credit King Lemuel asked, “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?” (Proverbs 31:10, NLT) We already saw that the Proverbs 31 woman is a wise person, not a perfect one. Since  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10b, ESV), to become such an excellent woman is to fear the Lord. Yet, somehow, there are women who feel that they don’t measure up. They may even claim that, since it’s about the search for a queen, they don’t fit the descriptions in verses 10 to 31 (unless they get to marry a king). But, we already pointed it out that it’s not just about choosing a queen but about choosing a wife also. Image credit Again, let’s read Proverbs 31:10 in another Bible version: “Who can find a virtuous wife ?” (Emphasis added, NKJV) The phrase “virtuous wife” can be translated “excellent wife,” “woman of valor,” “worthy woman,” or “a woman of noble character.” It’s interesting that Ruth, the Moabite woman who remained faithful to our God even

It’s not just a song for Disney’s “Tangled” movie. (One portion goes like this: “Don’t forget it / You'll regret it / Mother knows best.”) Twice in Proverbs we see the exhortation not to turn our backs from our mother’s instructions. “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching ” (1:8, ESV. See also 6:20. Emphasis added.) In chapter 31 we read the instructions of King Lemuel’s mother, who was not named in the book. (King Solomon, the primary author of Proverbs, compiled not only his proverbs but also the sayings of other wise men such as Lemuel. Read 1 Kings 4:29-34. Ecclesiastes 12:9.) Image credit Probably, the Queen mother taught him the descriptions of the noble wife in verses 10 to 31. I believe she was concerned about the choice of her son’s wife. Elsewhere in Proverbs, we read that a man’s wife could spell the difference between his success or failure.   An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brin

Image credit Guess who is the most-hated woman in the Bible?  Was it Eve? Or, the evil Queen Jezebel? Or, Samson’s Delilah? Surprisingly, in the Engage blog, Sandra Glahn answered, “None of the above.” I have a hunch that the most-hated woman in the Bible is… the “woman of noble character” in Proverbs 31. One friend whined to me, “I can’t stand that Proverbs 31 lady. I feel tired just thinking about her.” Who can blame us? P-31 is so competent—so intelligent, industrious, and strong—that she intimidates your garden-variety believer. (That’s all of us, right?) She certainly challenges anyone suggesting that the ideal wife has no independent thoughts, or that she’s unintelligent, dainty, and fearful. It’s easy to shy away from P-31 because we identify so little with that kind of perfection.  [1] Who wouldn’t be intimidated with this ideal woman? Just read Proverbs 31:10-31 and you’ll know why. One gets the impression that to be a noble wife, she has to be perfect.

Image credit I read somewhere about a woman who was praying whether it’s God’s will for her to join a tour in the Holy Land or not. She has the money, the strength and the time. But she wanted to know if it’s God’s “perfect will.” Before she slept, she noticed that the plane they would take is a Boeing 747. When she woke up, she had no doubt that it’s God’s will. How? She woke up with the 7:47 time on her digital clock. For her, it’s a sign from heaven! Really now? So, imagine I was in a mall during lunchtime. Almost every restaurant and fast food chain are crowded. I was praying for a place to feed my starving body. Then, lo and behold, I saw an empty seat in a donut store! Does that mean it’s God’s will for a diabetic like me to eat there? Image credit Signs. Thanks to Gideon who “fleeced” God (read Judges 6:36-40), there are believers nowadays who would demand a sign from God before they would obey Him. But the experience of Gideon cannot be our standard today