Charm is deceptive and beauty does not last, but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised -  Proverbs 31:30  

The book of Proverbs ends like it began – with an emphasis on the fear of God (see Proverbs 1:7 and the first blog post from August 1^st).

Here, in a long passage about the kind of woman a young man should look for, the writer summarizes it all by saying a truly beautiful woman is one who fears the Lord.

This means she has a big view of God. She lives in constant awe of God. She gives glory to God in all she does. She trusts God’s commands for her life. 

This is what I pray for my three daughter – that they don’t chase after the latest fashions as much as they chase after Jesus; that they spend more time in God’s word than they do looking in the mirror doing their make-up; that they would be so confident in God's love that they don't feel desperate for the approval of boys. 

I pray this because it cannot be manufactured by us as parents. We can give them bible knowledge. We can talk to them about the love of Jesus. We can demonstrate what it means to put Jesus first (though imperfectly). 

But to have their hearts full of awe and wonder, hunger and passion – that is something only the Holy Spirit can produce in them.

So I pray.

And as I pray for them, I am reminded that Jess and I need a constant refilling of the fear of the Lord as well, so that the good news of Jesus never becomes old news. 

Otherwsise, we too are prone to putting too focus in the things of this life that are fading away. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR COMMENT SECTION

1. In this verse it names charm and beauty as things not worth putting too much value in; what else is "deceptive" and "does not last" that we tend to put too much focus on? Could it be our homes? Our cars? Having certain symbols of success? What else? 

2. How can we know when we are putting too much focus on any of these things? What are indicators they have become more weighty in our hearts than God? 

3. Only God's Spirit can light the flame of awe and fear and reverence for God in our hearts. But what are habits and disciplines you can do that act as kindling for that flame? What helps stir your affections for Jesus?