Day 65 – 90 Days in Proverbs - Favor and Glory
Proverbs 11:16 [NKJV] A gracious woman retains honor, But ruthless [men] retain riches.
The Hebrew word translated gracious here means to find favor in the eyes of someone; to be acceptable to him. And who is it that we are working to find favor with, sweet sisters? It is God, Himself, isn’t it?
You know who found favor with God? Mary, mother of Jesus. Luke 1:30 [NKJV] Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Interestingly, finding favor does not seem to be an action verb either in Proverbs 11 or in Luke 1:30. It seems to be a gift of favor bestowed on someone. The favor of God is not something we can earn, any more than we can earn His love. He chooses to give us favor, and love, because of who He is, not because of what we have done.
Having found or received favor with God, then what? According to Proverbs 11:16, a woman who has found favor retains honor.
The word translated “retains” means to grasp, hold, support, attain, lay hold of, hold fast.
The word translated honor could also be translated “glory” and is used in the phrase “glory of the Lord” in Exodus 16:10 and other verses.
So, to put that all together, let me suggest this – a way that we could reword Proverbs 11:16. We might say, “The woman who has been given favor by God, holds fast to His glory.”
As with all our goals as Christian, Jesus is our example. Luke 2:52 [NKJV] tells us And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. And in John 1:14 [NKJV] we read, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus had the Father’s glory and favor. He held onto the glory of the Father by the life He lived – a life of love and service. He preached the gospel, fed hungry people, healed others, cast out their demons and lived a life of integrity – in other words, He did the works the Father sent Him to do.
That is how we will hold fast to God’s glory as well. The glory of the Lord is in us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to live lives that serve others and, thereby, glorifies the Father. We don’t hold tight to glory by keeping it to ourselves, but by using it to serve others.
We have the favor of the Lord, my sisters, because He loves us, not because of what we have done. However, we must hang onto His glory by using our lives to glorify Him. If every thought, word and deed is done to glorify God, then we are holding tight to His glory. You have His favor. Hold tight to His glory, gracious sisters. Seek to be a woman who has been given favor by God, and, therefore, holds fast to His glory.
Prayer — Father God, Thank You for Your favor, Your love and Your mercy. Thank You for Your favor, though I have not earned it. Help me, help us, today to hang onto Your glory by using the Holy Spirit in us and the resources at our disposal to honor you, to serve others and to do good works. We want to hold tight to that glory, Your glory, by spreading it out into the world. Help us to do so. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Your thoughts —
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