Greetings,
As leaders in the body of Christ we must set an example in:
- Living to do good, being secure in who we are, and living for the family name.
- Being trustworthy and knowing we have full access to all that Jesus has.
- Knowing Jesus and knowing Jesus knows us.
- Expanding the boundaries of the posterity of Jesus.
- Doing good for Jesus’ name.
- Being living examples of who Jesus is.
- Seeing ‘relationship’ as the purpose of our hands and our hands as the empowerment of ‘relationships’ in life.
- Living to embrace new things.
- Living for purpose and not comfort.
- Having a 100-year plan and seeking to change the world through generational inheritance.
- Strengthening ourselves because we live to bring salvation to people and situations around us.
- Living for purpose at all times and having a good testimony that is obvious to the community we live in
- Always being ready to establish the testimony of relationships
- Caring for the poor and the needy – living to give life to others
- Living without fear and setting an example to lead others into a testimony of God’s mercy and overcoming grace
- Seeing ourselves as holy and royal and living our lives accordingly
- Making decisions for others based upon who we are, not what they deserve
- Knowing who Jesus is and knowing His influence in the city – knowing the power of His name
- Living to influence others beyond our own lives – giving them life in all things.
I believe that the Proverbs 31 woman is an example of the body of Christ as the church, the wife of Jesus. Here are some more attributes of the bride of Christ that we must inspire in the body of Christ:
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.
The church, as the Proverbs 31 woman, lives in a culture of strength and honor and she gives strength and honor to others. Her testimony is one of strength and honor in every season of her life. Others know who she is and honor her for it is evident in the testimony of her life. She is clothed in the testimony of Christ. She lives by faith and has no fear for tomorrow. She knows that the One who is in her is greater than anything in the world around her.
Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She has the keys to the future. She speaks wisdom that is filled with love for others. Faith towards God is the motivation of her heart and her mind. It is obvious in all that comes off of her life. It is seen in her life-giving ways. Her way is a way of life and not of death. She is a giver and not a taker.
Proverbs 31:27 She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
She is always awake for the sake of the ways of her household. She is never idle in her actions or purpose. She speaks love and not judgment. She doesn’t live to satisfy her own needs, but to give life to others.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:
The fruit of her house is the testimony of the children of inheritance. When you see her, you see Jesus. The supernatural testimony of His name is obvious in all that she is and does. She hears the words of her husband as He speaks blessings to her.
Proverbs 31:29 “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.”
She is lifted up to rule for the favor of God is upon her life. She is the Church, the ekklisiea, the many membered body of Christ commissioned to bring the life-giving influence of God in the earth as the womb of God in the restate of the generations of men.
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
She lives in awe of the Lord and the power of prayer. She doesn’t pray the prayes of those who do not know God. She is not focused upon her own needs, but she is fully engaged in the will of the Father and the glory of His name as one with Jesus Christ in all things.
Proverbs 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.
What she puts her hand to is fruitful and confirms her life-giving authority in the earth. The fruit of her life and fruit of her labors is seen through the life she brings to the world around her. That life is for her time and for the successive generations of inheritance in the earth.
As leaders in the body of Christ we must set an example in, and leading the church in:
- Living in a culture of strength and honor and give strength and honor to others
- Living by faith and have no fear for tomorrow
- Being responsible with the keys to the future
- Being awake for the sake of the ways of Jesus
- Living for the fruit of children of inheritance
- Hearing the words of Jesus in all things
- Living to rule in life with the favor of God in all we are responsible for
- Living in awe of the Lord and the power of prayer
- Putting our hands to the work of life-giving authority in all things
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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