Though God chose all Scripture to be penned by men, He did not decree that all of the wisdom therein, would come only from men. Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic poem based on the Hebrew alphabet; an oracle a mother taught her son. A son, who was a king.

King Lemuel is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, except in the opening of this famous passage of a what a biblically submissive woman truly looks like—in spirit, and in the practical applications of her every day life. Most scholars believe King Lemuel is King Solomon (also called Jedidiah) since the names have similar meanings, and King Solomon wrote most of Proverbs. Lemuel means "devoted, or belonging to God" and Jedidiah (Solomon's other name) means "beloved of the LORD (2 Sam 12:25).

While it is uncertain who King Lemuel was, what is certain is that God chose for this wise counsel from a mother to her son, to be recorded—that men may know what a godly woman looks like, and women may know that her greatest "adorning...[is] the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." (1 Pet 3:4).

I read our sons God's Word, in the womb and out. I did this because I knew giving them the Word of God was the greatest way to love, protect, and provide them with everything they need for this life and the next. As soon as a hint of delight and intrigue sparkled in their eyes for the opposite sex, I began to read and teach them Proverbs 31:10-31, Ephesians 5:22-33, 1 Timothy 2:9-15, Titus 2:3-5, and the book of Ruth  (to demonstrate what all these Scriptures looked like in the life of a woman whose first and greatest love is Jesus Christ the Lord). I not only read and taught them the Scriptures of what a woman who loves and fears the Lord looks like, but I also imperfectly endeavored to live it before them.

Additionally, I prayed for our sons to be attracted to women who are most attached to the Lord, and to be repulsed by women who are most attached to this world and their sinful desires. I still pray this now. I've developed a habit of praying for their future wives—that God would protect them from the enemy's schemes, keep them pure, and bless them with wisdom from above. I pray that God gives our sons women whom He deems will be suitable help-meets for our boys, so that they may not be hindered, but rather, encouraged to be the men God commands them to be (Ps 1:1-3). I pray for our sons to find and become one with women of noble character, because they are not a dime a dozen, but are rare treasures—far more precious than any jewel found on this earth. And just as priceless jewels must be sought out with great patience, wisdom and diligence, likewise, I pray my sons will diligently seek to find women who fear the Lord and seek to adorn themselves with good works of faith—for the glory of God, for the welfare of her household, and for the good of the church and community in which she joyfully lives and serves.

I've always told my sons that Christ is my First Love, their Daddy is my Second, and they are both securely tied for Third. They didn't like being told this at first, but as they grew older, they learned the value of having a mother whose love and devotion for Christ is preeminent.

Just as a father must teach and demonstrate what kind of man they want their daughters to be attracted to, likewise, a mother must do the same for her sons.

The idiom, "dime a dozen" is reported to have originated from the 1800s when certain foods like eggs, fruits, etc. were sold for a dime a dozen. It soon became well-known that if you could purchase something for a dime a dozen, it was a very ordinary, common, and ubiquitous item. And therefore, this idiom is still used today with the same purpose and meaning: to describe something that is common and easy to find.

Physically attractive girls are a dime a dozen. Whether you turn on the TV, go to a movie, look at magazines, books, billboards, or walk about any public area, you will find attractive women galore. Women with beautiful eyes, beautiful hair, beautiful figures, etc. Women who are fashionable and avant-garde (unorthodox or daring; radical). These kinds of women are truly a dime a dozen. Though these women's lives are valuable in God's sight and ours, they are common and easy to find because they make themselves common and easy to find by exposing what ought not be exposed and delight in catching the eye of any man...single or married.

But the godly woman is not so easy to find because she doesn't expose herself. She's not wearing skin-tight clothing, detailing every curve of her body. She's not in stiletto heals or short skirts, dresses or shorts in order to bring attention to her legs. She's not wearing gobs of makeup and fake additions to accentuate features she doesn't have (long eyelashes, voluptuous lips, etc.). No, a godly woman who loves and fears the Lord will do all these things differently. She will wear makeup in moderation, she might wear mascara, but not falsies; she may wear blush, but not colors that scream "Hey, look at me! I'm blush!" A godly woman may wear jewelry, but she will not wear something that others will want to steal from her. And she will not wear jewelry that cost her so much, she has nothing to give to the poor and needy.

A godly woman dresses modestly, rather than drably (there is a difference). A woman who fears the Lord dresses outwardly to display what God has done, and is doing, inwardly. Having been saved by God's grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, women who love the Lord outwardly adorn themselves in a way that befits a princess of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Her outward beauty is simple, so that her greater beauty, the Spirit of Christ within her, can effortlessly shine (2 Cor 4:5-6)!

Because a woman who loves and fears the LORD knows the greatest treasure is within her (the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ), her greatest desire is for this treasure (not herself) to be made known for all the world to see—that all may fear and put their trust in the LORD (Ps 40:3)

So what has been and still is my counsel to my sons until the day the Lord brings them godly women to become one with? It is this: attractive girls are a dime a dozen, but a godly woman is a rare treasure. Like a rare jewel, a woman who loves and fears the Lord is difficult to find, but she is of more value than women who love and fear this world.

Therefore sons, with much prayer, great patience, wisdom, and diligence, seek for yourselves women whose lives (not mere words) radiate these Scriptures, "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain, She does him good and not harm, all the days of her life." (Prov 31:10-12), "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." (Prov 31:30-31), "likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works." (1 Tim 2:9-10).

What are some practical attributes of a woman who adorns herself with good works? She is a humble and faithful student of the Word, a joyful servant of all, a sacrificial giver, she seeks to love others well rather than seeking to be well-loved by others, she's a good listener, a wise counselor (because her counsel will be from God's Word)—these are just a few visible traits of what a godly woman adorns herself with.

And finally sons, if you will not ready yourselves and take seriously what God calls men to be, then be assured, you are not ready to be married to a godly woman...or any woman for that matter. Therefore, pray that God will make you an Ephesians 5:25-33 and 1 Peter 3:7 man, so that He will bring you a Proverbs 31 woman, whose joy and delight will be to love you and your children well, because she loves the Lord Jesus most.

"House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."

-Proverbs 19:14

During my praise and quiet time this morning, one of the chapters included in the Bible reading plan I use, was 2 Corinthians 11. When I got to verse 30, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.", I realized this is something I rarely do. I often boast of Christ crucified (as every Christian ought), and I often boast about the good works of God displayed through the hands of His children. I've boasted about my Lord Jesus' power made perfect in my weaknesses. But today, it hit me...I don't often boast about things that show my weakness.

It's difficult to do because I don't know what's enough or too much. And to be honest, I try to forget about all the pain and weakness I constantly feel, because who wants to hear about it? Most people don't. I've had numerous occasions when I've tried to share and either the person is clearly disinterested or they interrupt and change the subject to something funny or cheerful. Some people wrongly judge me and think I'm making excuses to get out of volunteering for something, or serving them somehow. Others think I'm a hypochondriac and am just making all this up for attention because I don't look sick.

And that's the most difficult struggle with my "illness"—it's not easily visible to the naked eye. It's only visible to the loving eye. But sadly, it seems the loving eye, is the one most of us rarely use to see God, others, or ourselves. We look at one another with a roving eye, a rolling eye, a disinterested eye, an envious eye, the eye of hatred and disgust, and the eye of arrogance and false-piety. Rarely do we look up to our awesome Father God with the eye of holy love, adoration and gratitude, and thus, rarely do we look at one another that way.

If we're honest, we'll admit, that the majority of the time we look to our Father is when we want to feel better about ourselves, our situation, or sadly...even our sins. Rarely do we look to our Father to wound our pride and sin-filled desires with His faithful rebuke and rod of discipline. There's nothing wrong with looking to the LORD for comfort and help (we're commanded to). But our sights are unbalanced if we rarely, or never look to Him for the latter.

To the naked eye, I look well. As a matter of fact, some even say I look fit, healthy, and vibrant. I'm 47 years old and our oldest son is 23, yet I'm often mistaken for his sister, girlfriend or wife. By the sheer look of things, I appear to be the picture of health. But I'm not. Inside, I'm a mess. Inside, I look like my son's great-grandmother. And I'd rather look old on the outside than feel this way on the inside.

But since I was convicted to boast in the things that make me weak, let me give you a glimpse of some of those things.

I had to have my first emergency surgery eight years ago when my gall bladder burst, causing me to have sepsis. I have sixteen titanium screws, two titanium rods, one titanium plate and five artificial discs holding my spine together.

I still have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, two kidneys that don't clear well, oral lichen planus, degenerative disc disease, hyperparathyroidism, migraines, and sick sinus syndrome. I have a host of other conditions, but I think you get the picture. My insides are a train wreck. This is why I've had eight surgeries in seven years, countless procedures in between, multiple ER visits and hospital admits, and more specialists than there are colors in the rainbow. And this is why I'm in constant pain and weakness.

But for whatever reason, my wise, good and sovereign Father God has chosen my outside to appear to be the complete opposite of what my insides look like. This makes it difficult for most people to see how much I'm hurting daily and how truly difficult simple tasks like, eating, cooking, cleaning, and meeting someone for lunch or coffee is for me.

It takes a loving eye to notice that I'm pressing firmly on the side of my face, next to my ear because I'm in extreme pain while talking or chewing due to the discs dislocations on both sides of my jaw. It takes a loving eye to notice that I keep changing positions whether I'm standing or sitting because I'm hurting so bad and have to move constantly in order to shift the pain from one area to another. Due to my rebellious nature, I'm somewhat ambidextrous and can do many things with my left hand just as well as I do them with my right. So it takes a loving eye to notice that I'll start eating, writing, cooking or doing things with my left hand rather than with my right because my right shoulder, arm and hands are too weak, or they're in too much pain to move.

Only those who look at me with the eye of love, can see all these little ways where I exhibit how much pain and weakness I'm suffering from right before their eyes. And thus, most of the time, I suffer in obscurity—but I'm never alone. Through it all, my gracious Savior, who's suffered and endured more pain and heartache than any human being can imagine, understands how I feel and has compassion on me. Compared to what Christ suffered for my sake, everything I just mentioned here is like a cake walk. It's not even in the same league. But I will boast today, and endeavor to boast more often, of the things that make me weak, so that it can be more clearly seen that if I can do anything, no matter how small or easy it may seem to others, it is only by the great might and grace of God that I am able to do anything.

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong...For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us...So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, so we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal...[Therefore] I do not consider my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God...[for] Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

-2 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Acts 20:24, Philippians 2:17

May God teach us all to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom, and die to self daily, so we can live for Christ daily.

**NOTE: Before you comment or send me an email with remedies and an array of solutions for all these things that make me weak, please know that it's due to the severe damage done to me because of the sins of others whom I will never publicly shame, and therefore, will never publicly mention. Thank you for understanding.

We must pray for our President's repentance before he suffers severely from waving his fist at the LORD of hosts, the Lord Almighty who is, and who was, and who is to come (Rev 1:8).

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month." -President Barak Obama

On Tuesday, May 31, 2016 President Obama made a proclamation demonstrating his utter foolishness and wickedness. Ever since the President took office in 2009, he has been contending supremacy with God. And now, sadly, to increase his enmity with God, he openly and unashamedly blasphemes the name of our holy and awesome LORD. In this audacious act of megalomania, our President is attempting to rename and recreate what the LORD Almighty has said is good (a man is a man, a woman is a woman, both created in the image of God, Genesis 1:27).

Our President is suffering from severe self-deception, therefore, knows not what he is doing. He truly believes, along with the LGBT community and their supporters, that being a lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender is something new. It is not. Which is why, by His grace and extreme act of kindness and mercy, the LORD God lovingly admonishes His image-bearers to refrain from such heinous acts against His holy name.

King Nebuchadnezzar tried to contend supremacy with God and the LORD Almighty struck Nebuchadnezzar with madness so that he crawled on his hands and knees and ate grass like an animal. It wasn't until he humbled himself before the LORD and repented of his arrogance that he was restored (Dan 4:24-33). 

King Herod also tried to contend supremacy with God and the LORD Almighty caused him to be eaten by worms, and he died (Acts 12:21-23).

These are only two examples of numerous occasions recorded in Scripture of people who dared to contend supremacy with God, and the destruction they brought upon themselves. Our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. May He grant our President repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

And may our magnificent Father God grant all His children the strength, discernment and wisdom to lovingly and unashamedly proclaim His excellencies to all people. And may our gracious and merciful Father remind us that our sins are just as heinous before His sight. We are no better than anyone in the LGBT community or those who support them. We, like every human being God has created, have sinned grievously against our holy God and only by His grace have we been granted the gift of repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 2:4, Eph 2:8-9).

Therefore, let us not boast in what we ourselves have done nothing to earn. But let us strive to share the Gospel with the lost, that they may also hear, believe, and be saved.