Proverbs 31:16 “She
considereth a field and buyeth it; with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.”
Hebrew definitions:
Considereth: to
plan, consider, think, imagine
Field: to spread
out, new ground
Buyeth: accepts
Planteth: a drop, to
ooze
Vineyard: garden
The Amplified Bible reads like this:
“She considers a field before she accepts
it, expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by
assuming others. With the saving of time and strength she plants fruitful vines
in her vineyard.”
If you are running around like a chicken
with your head cut off, doing this and that and accomplishing very little, this
verse is for you. The Word says the wise woman considers carefully new ground
before she accepts the responsibility of it. The word “field” is directly
related to the words “stretcheth” and “reacheth” in verse 20. All three words
are defined as—to spread out or to spread forth. Though the virtuous woman is
filled with desire to do the work of God, has the goods, and is eager to
stretch out, there are things to be considered: Will the taking on of new
responsibilities result in the neglect of others?
Too often in our minds, “Yes” is the
spiritual answer to all responsibilities presented to us, especially if the one
presenting is our leader. I also know that when you fellowship with
God regularly—you are so full that you feel like bursting at the seams. You
want to do something! You want to Save the World! And I certainly do not want
to quench that fire! I just want you to burn in the proper direction and obtain
maximum results.
I learned this the hard way and would like
to spare you some avoidable disappointments. Allow me to share my experience:
When I received the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit, I went wild. I should have been locked up for at least a year. I
desperately desired my husband to be saved but instead of winning him “Without
a Word” by my Godly behavior as I Peter 3:1 says to do, I said “Yes” to nursery
ministry, prayer ministry, street evangelism, part-time worship leader ministry
with extra practice days, bus ministry, assistant to the children’s church pastor
and I cleaned the church! Now how’s that for being spiritual? A man in our
church called a friend of mine and me the “Righteous Sisters!” I never said
“No.” I genuinely thought “Yes” was the only answer God was pleased with and I
used it often. It was my choice and I was
eager to do it all. I dragged my baby around with me or left her with her daddy
for safe keeping while I did the work of the Lord. On top of that I tried to
preach my husband into the kingdom
of God in all my
self-righteousness.
It was a sudden realization that hit me like
a Mack truck one Sunday night sitting “alone” in church. I had been working
hard for a year, thinking all the while, I was doing everything I could for
God. I wondered why nothing had improved at home. As a matter of fact,
everything had gotten worse. I had come to the end of myself (finally), and the
Holy Ghost spoke to me. He said, “Stop Everything!” I understood Him. That is,
I understood what He meant, but I could not grasp the “Why” of it. Yet, His
voice was so loud and real inside of me I could not deny it. I went to my
pastor after church and told him I had to stop everything and give my whole
attention to my family. He recognized immediately that this was God and he
fully agreed. I went home and loved my family. Two weeks later, my husband gave
his heart to the Lord. (Note: A few weeks before this, I
learned to keep my mouth shut and stop preaching to my husband).
Let me clarify a couple of things so that
you understand completely where I am coming from. I did not stop going to church
during this time. I realized the importance of the Word and the need for
fellowship with the Body of Christ, but I stopped the extra-curricular
ministry activities that kept me away from home more than was necessary. I
continued to intercede for prayer requests spent more time in the
Word and in fellowship with God. I took that extra time and energy to teach my
daughter the things of God and deliberately focus my attention on my husband. I
Peter 3:2 in the Amplified Bible says that we are to reverence our husbands.
The word reverence includes many things, but one thing in particular that was
harder for me to do was to “adore” him. I discovered during this time of
deliberately focusing my attention on him, that as I purposely adored him even while
my flesh screamed in agony, I began to change. It was an amazing miracle to me! No telling how many marriages
would be saved if we would just submit to God and fight past the flesh to find
only what God can make of us. God revealed His grace to my family. I am forever
grateful for His wisdom.
Every ministry I had taken part in is a
necessary ministry in the church, and had I acted wisely and expanded prudently
(as God moved me, instead of man), I am certain I would not have had to “Stop
Everything!” but by this time, the neglect of my family had resulted in a
critical situation.
The word “planteth” in this verse shows us that fruitful planting is a gradual process---One drop at a time. When my
husband started coming to church with me a few weeks later, I was once again
tempted to go beyond prudence, but the wisdom of God this time spoke otherwise.
I was restored to ministry according to the Will of God instead of my own will.
So ladies and gentlemen, I hope the Holy Spirit is
revealing to you that “No” is sometimes the most spiritual answer. Never
neglect your family for the “sake of the Gospel.” When I finally learned this,
I began to plant fruitful vines in my vineyard.
