Submitted by: Pastor Tom Beutler, Watson & Hamburg Baptist Churches

Proverbs 31:9 “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” 31:28 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”
Every one of you should read all of Proverbs 31.
In the church as well as in the nation, after God, nothing is more important than the family. Because as the family goes so goes the world. In our country, there are many different kinds of families, single parent families, couples without children, extended families where two or more generations live under the same roof, and there are families where both parents work just to survive.
I believe the key to the success of the family and I believe the Bible teaches it. It is the wife and or the mother from both the old and the new testaments. From looking at many families, from personal experience we see a godly woman can make or break a family. Men, don’t get me wrong, the Bible says you are to be the spiritual leader of your home. It is your responsibility to teach your children the word of God and teach them how to pray and to witness by example. But the fact is all too often it is Mom who teaches the children Christian values and Christian practices. It is the wife most of the time who keeps the husband going to church or leads him to Jesus.
We hear about a lot of different women. There are beautiful women, career women, sophisticated women, and liberated women. Sadly, we don’t hear much about a godly woman or a virtuous woman, or a worthy woman, because the world is not interested in them. We need godly women to put men back on track so we can put our churches back on track. The world needs the strength and stability of godly women. They are needed in the home, in the community, and in the church!
You find Godly women where you find women in the word of God, where you find women who center their life on God. The verses we read today are a challenge to women to use their talents in as many areas as possible to bring honor to God, their family and themselves. We see this virtuous woman is a capable woman. She has strength of body and mind, she is trustworthy, she shares the load of the family, she is chef, clothes designer and maker, interior decorator, gardener, educational director, budget keeper, sweetheart, and mother. She gives to the poor and the needy.
Running a home is so important. Home is where character is built, happiness is created, and souls are prepared for eternity. A good woman provides for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of her family. She keeps her eyes open for opportunities and she keeps the light burning late at night and early in the morning, but nothing keeps her from caring for her family. This woman is praised by her husband and her children. Proverbs 19:14, “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers; and a prudent wife is from the Lord. This virtuous woman fears the Lord and gets her strength from him. The real worth of a woman is her devotion to God.”
The same is true of a man. What we need in the church, our homes, and in our country are moms and dads who are willing to place their success on the resources of God and stand firm against the forces coming at the family, the home, the church. Our children, all the children, need to experience the love of Jesus. That is up to us – you and me. Lord, we thank You for all the families and everyone else. Guide them to follow Jesus in the name of Jesus. AMEN