Proverbs 31 as a professional woman - Part 18
Dear loyal readers, I trust you’re blessed and highly favoured.
Thank you for joining our continuing discussion about success principle 6, which says that Proverbs 31 as a professional woman is “nourished and healthy – spirit, soul and body”.
As I mentioned before, when you read Proverbs 31:10-31, you get the sense of an excellent woman who has a surrendered heart and who is in all things guided and led by the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-7).
The last four parts of our discussion has focused on the practical approach that Proverbs 31 as a professional woman takes to ensure that her spirit is “nourished and healthy”.
Today I’ll focus on how she keeps her soul “nourished and healthy”.
I know it sounds a bit unorthodox to consider infusing the idea of her soul’s nourishment and health as a component that reflects her success, but I enjoin you to consider this from a transformational perspective. The nourishment and health that I’m referring to here – where her soul is concerned – is mainly premised on sanctification, avoiding the temptation to compromise her soul for profit, loving God with her all and ultimately finding her rest in God.
Sanctification:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV reminds her that “the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Why would God be interested in sanctifying her soul?
Because in Genesis 2:7 (KJVAE), after Elohim breathed life into her, she became a living soul and in Psalm 23:3 AMP, God refreshes and restores her soul as He leads her on the right path for His name’s sake.
With this in mind, she knows that her success is not built on forfeiting her soul to gain a profit (Matthew 16:26 ESV). Meaning that “she is aware that her success is actually God’s success expressed through her because her job is from God and only He can help her succeed through the application and revelation of His wisdom” (see parts 2 and 9).
Love:
In Matthew 22:37 ESV, Jesus Christ gave the highest command, which is that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Notably, in part 2, I mentioned that "although she is a professional with a demanding job, she doesn’t over-love the job.” In part 9, I also mentioned that “through loving God with her all (Mark 12:30), everything else becomes secondary, even the desires of her heart (Psalm 37:4). So, she doesn’t allow her professional accomplishments, rewards, status, job title or anything else in her life to compete with God’s love and His glory (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).”
Rest:
Notably, Mathew 11:28–30 reminds her that Jesus Christ encourages her to come to Him with her burdens so that she can find rest for her soul in Him. In part 5, I mentioned that “Elohim – in all His power, glory, might and splendour – didn’t complete creation in one day. He paced Himself by using six days to magnificently complete creation, congratulated Himself at the end of each task by noting that it was good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31), and, on the seventh day, He rested (Genesis 2:3).”
Jesus Christ, during His time on earth, also took some time to find rest from His work (Mark 6:31, Mark 2:27, Mark 6:32).
In sum, the soul’s rest referred to above is both spiritual and physical rest. It is deeply connected to the understanding that her success is not just based on physical rest – she must first establish spiritual rest for her soul, which is found in the Lord.
Why?
Because spiritual rest precedes physical rest and the presence of His Presence provides rest (Exodus 33:14).
Shalom.
DISCLAIMER: ‘Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman’ under the theme ‘Embodying and Manifesting Godly Wisdom, Success Principles and Effortless Femininity in the Workplace’ is not posited on trying to read the professional woman into Proverbs 31 because this will produce an absurd result. However, I have opted to take a principles-based approach that widens the scope to be applicable to any professional woman – regardless of her age or status.
*For more context about who I am and why I’m writing this column titled ‘Spirit, Soul and Body’, I encourage you to Google search my previous articles titled ‘A New Season’, ‘Seeing God’s Glory Through My Tears’ as well as ‘Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman’ (the introduction as well as parts 1 to 17) – all published by the Namibian Sun newspaper. I welcome your comments, inputs, queries or concerns. Kindly address them to [email protected]
Thank you for joining our continuing discussion about success principle 6, which says that Proverbs 31 as a professional woman is “nourished and healthy – spirit, soul and body”.
As I mentioned before, when you read Proverbs 31:10-31, you get the sense of an excellent woman who has a surrendered heart and who is in all things guided and led by the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-7).
The last four parts of our discussion has focused on the practical approach that Proverbs 31 as a professional woman takes to ensure that her spirit is “nourished and healthy”.
Today I’ll focus on how she keeps her soul “nourished and healthy”.
I know it sounds a bit unorthodox to consider infusing the idea of her soul’s nourishment and health as a component that reflects her success, but I enjoin you to consider this from a transformational perspective. The nourishment and health that I’m referring to here – where her soul is concerned – is mainly premised on sanctification, avoiding the temptation to compromise her soul for profit, loving God with her all and ultimately finding her rest in God.
Sanctification:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV reminds her that “the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Why would God be interested in sanctifying her soul?
Because in Genesis 2:7 (KJVAE), after Elohim breathed life into her, she became a living soul and in Psalm 23:3 AMP, God refreshes and restores her soul as He leads her on the right path for His name’s sake.
With this in mind, she knows that her success is not built on forfeiting her soul to gain a profit (Matthew 16:26 ESV). Meaning that “she is aware that her success is actually God’s success expressed through her because her job is from God and only He can help her succeed through the application and revelation of His wisdom” (see parts 2 and 9).
Love:
In Matthew 22:37 ESV, Jesus Christ gave the highest command, which is that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Notably, in part 2, I mentioned that "although she is a professional with a demanding job, she doesn’t over-love the job.” In part 9, I also mentioned that “through loving God with her all (Mark 12:30), everything else becomes secondary, even the desires of her heart (Psalm 37:4). So, she doesn’t allow her professional accomplishments, rewards, status, job title or anything else in her life to compete with God’s love and His glory (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).”
Rest:
Notably, Mathew 11:28–30 reminds her that Jesus Christ encourages her to come to Him with her burdens so that she can find rest for her soul in Him. In part 5, I mentioned that “Elohim – in all His power, glory, might and splendour – didn’t complete creation in one day. He paced Himself by using six days to magnificently complete creation, congratulated Himself at the end of each task by noting that it was good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31), and, on the seventh day, He rested (Genesis 2:3).”
Jesus Christ, during His time on earth, also took some time to find rest from His work (Mark 6:31, Mark 2:27, Mark 6:32).
In sum, the soul’s rest referred to above is both spiritual and physical rest. It is deeply connected to the understanding that her success is not just based on physical rest – she must first establish spiritual rest for her soul, which is found in the Lord.
Why?
Because spiritual rest precedes physical rest and the presence of His Presence provides rest (Exodus 33:14).
Shalom.
DISCLAIMER: ‘Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman’ under the theme ‘Embodying and Manifesting Godly Wisdom, Success Principles and Effortless Femininity in the Workplace’ is not posited on trying to read the professional woman into Proverbs 31 because this will produce an absurd result. However, I have opted to take a principles-based approach that widens the scope to be applicable to any professional woman – regardless of her age or status.
*For more context about who I am and why I’m writing this column titled ‘Spirit, Soul and Body’, I encourage you to Google search my previous articles titled ‘A New Season’, ‘Seeing God’s Glory Through My Tears’ as well as ‘Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman’ (the introduction as well as parts 1 to 17) – all published by the Namibian Sun newspaper. I welcome your comments, inputs, queries or concerns. Kindly address them to [email protected]
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