So encourage each other and build each other up,
just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
This is the third of our summer campaign for 2022 and our desire is to continue to grow in these virtues as we journey towards the end of 2022 and start 2023. Over the summer month we encourage each other to ‘Be Loving’ and to ‘Be Brave’ and now we want to finish our campaign by encouraging each other to ‘Be Inspiring’.
Love is a very active verb and it takes bravery to love. It is as we put love into action bravely that we can become an inspiration to others around us.
So how are we defining ‘Be Inspiring’ as we conclude our campaign? To be inspiring is to add value to someone’s life or to a community of people. It is to help people see possibilities and to bring the best out of people so they could become, reflect and be empowered to become what they were created to be.
As followers of Jesus Christ, sealed with God’s Holy Spirit, I believe God wants us to be an inspiration where he has placed us, starting with our families and friends, neighbours and colleagues and then the wider people we encounter. God wants our lives to bring the best out of others and speak the best of those we encounter.
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She finds wool and flax and busily spins it.
She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.
She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night.
Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.
She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.
She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm
clothes.
She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders.
She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants.
She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:
There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
So what inspirational qualities did this woman possess that we can also learn from today and carry into our month and use to be an inspiration to others.
Whilst this writing starts with the header ‘a wife of noble character’ we can safely assume it wasn’t being a wife that made this woman noble, those qualities were already inherent in her and she applied them to her relationship with her husband and to others.
It is true to say that who we are will follow us around and have a bearing on all our relationships.
So what inspirational act can we learn from this virtuous woman
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life
This woman was a blessing to those in close proximity to her, she radiated blessing to those around her. Her partner in life increased rather than diminished in stature because of her influence.
She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar.
This is not someone who works for others, she has the skill to be industrious and find items to buy and sell so she can take care of her own home
She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
She leads by example and is prepared to do what she asks of others. Her staff admires her because she is at work before them and sets out chores for everyone to do so they can contribute to the day.
She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She has an eye on the present and also the future and acquires items that will increase in value and be a blessing.
She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.
This was a woman who looked after herself physically because she knew the value of health to being able to achieve your goals and dreams. She was not lethargic about life but kept herself in a physically good condition so she could continue to be a blessing
She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night.
Some people branch out to do something for God, their community and for themselves but what they do bears no tangible fruit and costs them time and effort. This woman is result oriented, she works hard to make sure her efforts are profitable
She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.
This woman had a view that went beyond her family or her staff. She understood the truth that those who help the poor are helping God and God blesses them. Her profits were not to be kept for indulging herself it was to be used to enhance the life of others
She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
We are encouraged to study the ants, they labour away in the summer months so that in the winter month they have surplus to survive. This woman had no fear for the lean and difficult months because she had a plan in place.
Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:
This woman’s life had an impact on those close to her, she was a woman of influence. Her husband is respected and admired by others and her children admire and praise her. When those close to you, those who see you behind closed doors and those who know you well sing your praises then you know, you are doing something right.
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
This is a woman who understands the power of words, so she is careful to make sure her words build rather than destroy, they add courage rather than deflate others. There is a saying that ‘Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.’ This woman practised this truth.
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
When you compare this woman with others she is head and shoulder above others. She inspires other people who are capable in what they do to not just rest on their laurels but to reach out for more.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
What has shaped this woman’s life? How did she become the person she is and have become? Her secret is simple and also attainable to everyone. Her source is not for an elite group of people but accessible to everyone who understands that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This was a woman who have put her trust not in perishable things but in someone that is unchangeable and eternal
So what can you do to inspire others to do good?
Our text for the month states: “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing”. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Here are a few ideas of how you can inspire others
Our vision is to be a church where people flourish, growing in the knowledge and love of God and reaching out in the spirit of generosity.