Devotional – Life in the Palace

^{A Queen can appreciate God’s gift of Role Models}

When you find treasure, it is wise to secure it and ensure that you work to increase the value of it. The wise woman who finds an answer to a question, and a solution to a challenge utilizes what she has found and ensures that it enhances her life. Grow where you are planted; that is the word of wisdom I received from a man who I sat beside the plane while on a trip overseas; it sounded good at the time, but it was beyond my comprehension in the moment. He further explained; wherever you are in your life at the moment, embrace it, and grow from all the experiences you have. When you outgrow the space, life will transport you to another better place for you to grow again.

Hmmmm!!! That is some wisdom; I saw things from a different perspective afterwards and never forgot that profound lesson. I learned later that he was a life coach for celebrity basketball playerS. Did I even know what a life coach did? I Of course not; I know now, that he had himself learned quite a bit about life and basketball, so he dedicated time to helping other basketball players to manage the challenges of the sport and achieve success. You may be wondering what does a life coach to basketball players have to do with being a Model Woman?

As I reflected on the words the man spoke into my ear, I also think of how they have impacted me; in observing the positive difference they have made in my life, and the changes I have experienced in my life, all because I heeded his words, I know now that he must have been an Angel sent by God to help me to gain wisdom at a time when I needed it the most. Further, I can’t help but reflect on my childhood days; I remember always looking around for women who I could strive to be like. Being a girl was hard, or so I thought; I just didn’t quite understand what it was all about, and I needed help, I wanted answers to so many questions.

Even as I got older, the questions still lingered; I pursued higher education, dated and had children, and while the answers didn’t come, I continued living the best way I knew how. You can only imagine the result of that process. YEP!!! You guessed right; “confusion and mis-steps”, for the most part that is. All things considered there was a Rescuer close by Who took note of my lingering need, and desperation; He reached out to save me -His name is JESUS.

Today’s Devotional is titled: Model Woman; it’s a phrase I never really could coin on my own. As I sought direction for a topic for today, these words came in my spirit; there is no doubt that they are inspired by the Holy Spirit. I remember receiving an answer to a prayer: “Lord, please show me how am I to live my life to please You”? The answer came through the Scripture at: Proverbs 31:10-31. At that point, I discovered treasure; I met a woman who made my jaws drop- my first thought was: “she must be some sort of magical character”. I would soon find her to be a friend; a guide, a coach who would help me to find answers to many of the questions I had – she was for me, a Model Woman.

I took the advice of the man on the plane, and purposed in my heart to grow where I was planted. Proverbs 31:10-31 is where the Holy Spirit planted me for a long while until I had a clear understanding of the value of the attributes of the Virtuous Woman. You can see now why the vision is The Virtuous Woman Project; the training arm is The Virtuous Woman Academy, and the vision brand is Virtuous Spring Water. All the answers I had about womanhood were answered through the life of the Virtuous Woman we meet in Proverbs 31:10-31. She is herself, a Queen, a woman of faith, love, hope, charity and all that is noble. She is a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. She is admirable to say the least; I couldn’t help but to love her and desire to emulate her; after all, she seems to have It all worked out; surely she can teach me a thing or two, or three, or even four.

When the Scriptures prepare to introduce this stunning woman, a question is asked:

Who can find a virtuous woman?

Proverbs 31:10

To better understand the key word: “virtuous”, let us look at what the dictionary says:

Having or showing high moral standards.

Google Online Dictionary

High Moral standard? Isn’t it true that we have been told that we are not to think too “highly” of ourselves; after all, we are made of flesh, born in sin, and shaped in iniquity. All that is a fact, but what is the truth is what the Scripture says about what our King has done for you and I:

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God..

Corinthian 5:21

This is the reason that we can indeed strive to show high moral standards; we are designed to do good, so we must Dare to Do Right. For this same reason, we can, and should admire the Virtuous Woman, and strive to emulate her character. She is a godly woman who God favours, so we can have confidence that when we do, we will reflect the image of our Creator, and in essence become the Righteousness of God. Does this goal sound too hard to achieve? We may think so, but we should also give thought to what Jesus says in Scripture:

My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

St. Matthew 11:28

Like singer sister, Mary Mary sings:

“…nobody told me the road would be easy, but He didn’t bring me this far to leave me”.

Can’t Give Up Now, by Mary Mary

There will always be challenges as we journey through life; but one truth we must know is that our God and King always has a ram in the thicket. He will not leave us to wander around in the dark; the Virtuous Woman, is our ram. For the great wisdom that her life can teach us, we do not have to reinvent the wheel, or get lost along the way as we walk the path of faith. She is a Model Woman who we can follow and be confident that we will end up at a good place. In embracing her teachings, and striving to emulate the characteristics of “virtue”, we will undoubtedly become like her – Virtuous. In the same way that she can positively impact our lives, so too can we be a light for the path of many girls who will see our lives as something to be admired, and emulated.

As Queens, we have a calling, and a responsibility to be a Model Woman for the women of the future. When we endeavour to live uprightly, other women can have the opportunity to learn from the wisdom we have gained so they can be safe, and enjoy success. By design, women are the carriers of the seed that gives birth to every human- male and female; we therefore have an awesome responsibility to be the kind of women who can be emulated. It is actually a small price to pay when we consider the many lives we can touch with just the one we have. Jesus was surely right when he said “His burden is light”. This task is easier than having our children groping around in the dark trying to find answers about their existence; instead, they can rely on the wisdom of a godly mother whose prayers will help them to find the path that leads to life.

In having a Model Woman for a mother, aunt, sister, younger women will not need to look far to see who they can become when they embrace God’s righteousness, and live by the high moral standards; such as we were designed to live by. Can you imagine if Sarah, Miriam, Ruth, Naomi, Hannah, Esther, Elizabeth, Mary and many other godly women who we meet in Scripture decided that the path of faith was too heavy a burden for them to bear. We definitely wouldn’t have their stories to read so our faiths can be strengthened.

As a Queen, there is no burden too heavy for you, because you are the Daughter of the greatest “Burden Bearer” Who charges us to:

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

We have the story of a Model Woman whose life can teach us much wisdom, and help us to gain knowledge and understanding. The Virtuous Woman is a treasure to the woman who desires to please God, and become her best self. As she studies her life, and emulates her character, she will find that she will grow and change into a closer image of Christ. Soon, she too becomes a Model Woman who the King can entrust with a crown and a throne. He knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that she will accept the responsibility to be a light in a darkened world, and in all she does will bring Him glory. This woman is a Queen, a Daughter of the King; she will receive all that she needs from the store gates of Heaven, because she Sold Out, and committed to Living in Truth. She knows and accepts the responsibility to be a Model Woman so her life can be a light for others. She will Ask, Seek and Knock, and her King will grant her the desires of her heart. In performing all her Virtuous Works, It will be said of her:

Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.   

Proverbs 31:31

There is great value in being a Virtuous Woman; embracing this standard will prove to be beneficial to you and many other women who will witness the Power of God in your life. Be encouraged to take the journey that will lead to being a Model Woman

MODEL VIRTUE, YOUR LIFE WILL GUIDE OTHERS TO GOD’S LOVE