PROVERBS 31

The Woman Who Fears the LORD

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.
She seeks wool and flax,
    and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant;
    she brings her food from afar.
She rises while it is yet night
    and provides food for her household
    and portions for her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it;
    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She dresses herself with strength
    and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
    Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
    and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor
    and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
She makes bed coverings for herself;
    her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates
    when he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
    she delivers sashes to the merchant.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
    and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.”
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.

CALVARY’S ANTHEM

HEAVENLY FATHER,
Thou hast led me singing to the cross
where I fling down all my burdens and see them vanish,
where my mountains of guilt are levelled to a plain, 
where my sins disappear, though they are the greatest that exist,
and are more in number than the grains of the sand; 
For there is power in the blood of Calvary
to destroy sins more than can be counted 
even by one from the choir of heaven.
Thou hast given me a hill-side spring 
that washes clear and white,
and I go as a sinner to its waters, 
bathing without hindrance in its crystal streams.
At the cross there is free forgiveness 
for poor and meek ones,
and ample blessings that last for ever; 
The blood of the Lamb is like a great river of in nite grace 
with never any diminishing of its fullness 
as thirsty ones without number drink of it.
O Lord, for ever will thy free forgiveness live
that was gained on the mount of blood; 
In the midst of a world of pain
it is a subject for praise in every place, 
a song on earth, an anthem in heaven, 
its love and virtue knowing no end. 
I have a longing for the world above 
where multitudes sing the great song, 
for my soul was never created to love the dust of earth.
Though here my spiritual state is frail and poor, 
I shall go on singing Calvary’s anthem.
May I always know 
that a clean heart full of goodness is more beautiful than the lily,
that only a clean heart can sing by night and by day, 
that such a heart is mine when I abide at Calvary.