Solomon reminds us at the beginning of Proverbs that this book is for "gaining wisdom and instruction". At the end of this book Solomon decribes the attributes of the wife of noble character. But is this passage about what a wife should do to please her husband and family? No, it is more about what we as people need to do to please God! In God's eyes, marriage is husbands and wives complementing each other and not competing against each other. Marriage should be about love, about submission, about leading, about unity, about working together, and to fear and have faith in God. To fear God is to see Him as He really is - righteous and holy, and to recognise who we are - sinful and not worthy of Him. The fear we have of God should not drive us away from Him, but draw us closer to Him.

Nabal, a Calebite, was very wealthy but was a man who was very mean in his dealings. His wife Abigail was in complete contrast to Nabal. She was an intelligent woman who was approachable, understanding and quick thinking. This was shown when one of the servants tells Abigail what Nabal has done to offend David. Her response was immediate and deliberate in making amends for Nabal's mistake. In Abigail's meeting with David she shows that she is wise and God fearing. In her speech to David she highlights key attributes of God that are critical to David's well being, as well as our own, in that God provides the direction, protection, correction and completion in our lives. Abigail shows true servanthood, even when David invites her to become his wife after the death of Nabal. Abigail was willing to do what was required of her by God. God invites us to one His servants. Are we willing to do what He requires of us?

Ruth is a short book tucked away between Judges and 1 Samuel that tells one of the most deeply touching stories in the whole Bible. It is not first and foremost a love story however. It is the story of God on mission to bring back people to Himself. The story of Ruth is a beautiful picture of this redemption. Ruth was a widow and foreigner, living in a strange land. Circumstances had reduced her to a life of poverty. She was an outcast, destitute and needy, and she could not save herself. She needed her life redeemed. Really Ruth's story is that of every person in this world. It foreshadows the life of Jesus, who entered this world to become our kinsman-redeemer and to buy us back to God.

Sarah's life was one of ups and downs with the main issue for her being childless. She was faithful to her husband Abraham and had no hesitation in following him when he is called by God to leave their country. With the arrival in Canaan, and ten years after the promise from God that Abraham and Sarah would give birth to a child, Sarah, still childless, decided to take matters into her own hands by offering her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abraham in order to fulfil God's promise - but this was not meant to be. How often do we take matters into our own hands without having God involved? 25 years after His promise, God delivers, and Abraham and Sarah have a son. We are to trust in God's promises to us, look to the cross and to say it is not in my strength that I am able. It is our trust, faith and hope in Him by which we can be made right.

Martin Luther King once said, along these lines, "If you haven't got anything worth dying for, then there is nothing worth living for". This has been a recent reflection for our nation as we remembered Anzac Day and the sacrifice made of our fallen soldiers. As Paul comes to the end of his life he starts to contemplate what's worth dying for - and it is all about Jesus. Becoming a Christian does not mean an easy life. We will face spiritual battles as we go against Satan and our own evil desires. We will fight, but it won't be us, it will be Jesus fighting for us, who dwells within us. In our Christian life, we are in a race, not to win, but to finish. But like any race, we need to take the time to prepare and focus - to seek God's guidance and direction for our lives. As Christians we run the race together, to be an encouragement for each other. When you come to the end of your life, will you be able to say what Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith"?