Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

I think we sometimes forget that God's Word is for all generations, and that includes our 21st century. God, who created mankind, designed and planned the way for us to live. And what was His plan? Marriage and family life. Because God planned it, it is the healthiest and happiest way to live. Sadly, we don't always see the evidence of this today, do we?

Why? Because people are too modern for God, even though He is the same, yesterday, today and forever! They think the "ancient paths," the principles God established in the very beginning, are too old fashioned for them.

We live in a humanist and deceived age. There are bypaths everywhere and many of them look wise and good, but if they veer off the highway of God's plan, they'll eventually take us down a road of destruction.

Jeremiah 18:15 MLB says, "My people have forgotten Me... they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, and have walked in bypaths, not the highway." This is the way it is translated in most versions, but the ESV says they "walk into side roads, not the highway." The NLT says they "walk in muddy paths." Moffat's translation says that they "take to bypaths of their own."

The Hebrew for "walk in bypaths" is translated in other places in the Old Testament as "desolation, astonishment, or waste."

Are you on THE highway, or walking a bypath? Make sure you and your family are filling your minds and hearts with the Word daily. This is the only map to keep us on the highway, and unless we constantly refer to it, we often don't realize we are on a bypath.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."

Love from Nancy

After my post, Why Don’t we Like Obedience?, it seems that many are desperate to establish order in them home again. What can you do? Here are a few thoughts.

1. Take some time (????) to sit down and think about your home and how you want it to run (maybe this evening when the children are in bed). Write down your vision. Write down your plan for how you can make it happen. Think of a schedule for the day. You don't have to be too rigid, but you do have to have a plan of action. If you don't, nothing will happen and you'll keep going the way you are. My constant affirmation is: Nothing just happens, you have to make it happen!

2. Some things you need to think about. All children need to be up and dressed (and if old enough), beds made by breakfast time (and hopefully you will have devotions together after breakfast). Appoint jobs for each member of the family so the kitchen can be cleaned up and laundry on the way for the day. All children need to be involved from the youngest to the oldest. Make sure everything is cleaned up before you start homeschooling. I am just getting you started. You can think about the rest of your day. But, make sure you also think about how you will prepare your evening meal and when you will start.

3. Share the plan with your husband and ask him for any changes or better ideas and pray over it together.

4. Gather the family together at a suitable time. Share with the family that you can't keep going the way you are. A family must run smoothly and so you have got a great plan to make it happen and you are all going to be involved. Then share the plan with the family and tell them their appointed tasks. You can also print it out for the fridge so they can all see it.

5. Be excited about it and let the children catch the vision. When you start your tasks in the morning, aim for a time to get them finished. No dawdling about! Teach your children to work hard and fast. Isn't this how you are training them? You are training them for the future! They must know how to work hard, fast and joyfully! If tasks are done by a certain time, put a star on the fridge. At the end of the week, if there are a certain number of stars, plan a celebration. Go out for ice-cream. Have a special meal, or purchase a little gift for each of the children who played their part. Incentive is great. There is nothing wrong with giving incentives.

The above are a few thoughts to get you started.

Love, Nancy

God's kingdom is based on obedience, starting with the God-head. Even Jesus Himself, the Son of God, was obedient, obedient to the death of the cross--and we are commanded to have this very same attitude (Philippians 2:5-8).

Every blessing hinges on obedience. God told His people in Isaiah 1:19, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." And yet why do we resist obedience? We are so prone toward the flesh, aren't we? We want to do it out way, and yet it never brings blessing.

We cannot run our homeland unless it is based on obedience. Titus 2:5 commands us wives to be obedient to our husband. We set the example for our children who to be obedient to us. When obedience is established in the home, the home runs smoothly.

When a wife resists her husband, there is no peace. When children are not trained to obey, there is chaos! No mother can enjoy mothering disobedient children. No wonder many mothers don't like mothering. They have children who are out of control.

Establish obedience in your home and the blessing of God will come down.

Love from Nancy

Jeremiah 15:19 reminds us to stand strong and not be lured back to worldly ways, deception, and humanistic thinking through the words, "Let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them."

It is very clear in the New Living Translation, "You must influence them; do not let them influence you!" I am sure you constantly hear conflicting voices and reactions against what you believe. You are laughed at for embracing more children. You are scorned for homseschooling. Are you influenced by these comments? They should roll us off like water on a duck's back. We know we are walking in truth. Why should we be affected by the ignorant and deceptive words of others?

The Message Bible is even more powerful in its translation, "Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them. I'll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. They'll attack you but won't put a dent in you because I am at your side, defending and delivering."

Stand tall, dear mother. Stand strong. Constantly influence others as you speak words of truth. Don't be influenced by their words. Even when you are attacked with words, it won't even put a dent in you because God is with you. Praise the Lord.

Love from Nancy

God speaks to us individually, but did you know that He also wants to speak to us as families? God is vitally interested in our individual lives, but He also sees us collectively as families. This is the way He planned for us to live, as families. Jeremiah 2:4 says, "Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the FAMILIES of the house of Israel."

God wants not only you and your husband, but also your children to hear His words. This is why it is paramount to come together as families, evening and morning, and listen to God speak to us as a family as we read His Word.

We discuss together what He is saying to us a family. We learn together as a family. We press on in the ways of God together as a family. We pray together as a family. We do not leave our children behind.

As you hear God speaking to you as a family, you will be cemented strongly together as a family.

Love from Nancy

Have you blown it? You've fallen again! You feel as though you have failed! Don't despair. God has put a principle in the universe that we fall we will get up again. Isn't that great? Jeremiah 8:4 says, "Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not repent?"

If you've fallen, just get up again! That's the way! Isn't that how we encourage our little ones when they are learning to walk or when they are learning anything new as they grow older? This is the same way God treats us. He knows that we are weak and frail, but He encourages us to get up again. If you have sinned, repent and receive God's forgiveness which flows freely to you through His blood that He shed for you.

Psalm 37: 23-24 says, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand."

Even if you fall seven times in one day, you can get up again each time (Proverbs 24:16, Psalm 145:14 and Micah 7:8). Praise the Lord.

Love from Nancy

Here are the 15 specific blessings God pours out upon us in our land of motherhood. Take some time to look up these wonderful Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 15:4 says, “The Lord shall GREATLY BLESS thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it.” And you must read Deuteronomy 28:8; 30:16


Blessings of fruitfulness (Genesis 1:28; 22:17; 28:3; Deuteronomy 7:13-14; Psalm 107:38; 115:14).
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb (Genesis 49:25).
Blessings of weddings and celebrations (Jeremiah 33:10-11, cf. Jeremiah 7:34; 16:9; 25:10).
Blessings of bread and water (Exodus 23:25).
Blessings of God’s watchful care (Numbers 6:24-25).
Blessings of peace (Numbers 6:26; Psalm 29:11).
Blessings upon all that we do (Deuteronomy 2:7; 14:29; 15:10, 18; 16:15; 23:20; 24:19; 28:8, 12).
Blessings of health (Deuteronomy 7:15)
Blessings on our children (Psalm 115:14; 147:13b; Isaiah 44:3).
Blessings if we live in the city or the country (Deuteronomy 28:3).
Blessings on our cattle and produce (Deuteronomy 28:4-5, 11; Psalm 132:15; 107:36-38).
Blessings on our daily walk (Deuteronomy 28:6).
Blessings of reigning instead of servitude (Deuteronomy 15:16; 28:13).
Blessings of lending to others instead of borrowing (Deuteronomy 15:16; 28:12).
Blessings on our land and gardens (Deuteronomy 30:16; Psalm 107:37).

Love from Nancy

I have been speaking lately about the land that flows with milk and honey. I take the descriptions that God gave of the physical land of Israel and relate them to the land of motherhood that God has brought us into. I noticed again this morning in Jeremiah 2:7 that God says, "I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled my land."

God intends your land of wifehood and motherhood to be a fruitful and good land. There are so many wonderful blessings to possess. (I'll share with you some of the blessings in another post). When we embrace all the "fruits and rich bounty" that God has provided we will live in His blessings.

God's plan for the land of motherhood is good, but we have do it His way. When we think our way is better we end up in confusion.

Isn't it sad that many despise the land of motherhood? They leave the land to find other lands, but in doing this, they leave behind the blessing of God, for His blessing is in the land, not out of the land.

Love from Nancy

Can I let you in on a secret? You cannot build a successful marriage when your life is "all about me." Selfishness never works. Expecting to be served and pampered doesn't work. Even Jesus did not come to serve, but to serve and give his life (Matthew 20:28).

The only way you find your life is by giving up your own life in serving others (Mark 8:35). Marriage is the perfect relationship to experience this victorious way of living.

Here's a project for you. Can I encourage you to change your thinking from "it's all about me" to "it's all about him"? Instead of dwelling on what your husband is doing wrong and how he is not doing this and that around the home etc, why not think of all the ways you can bless him.

Starting from today and for the rest of this week, think of at least two special things you can do for him, say to him, or write to him each day. Why not surprise him by initiating sexual intimacy instead of waiting for your husband to make the first move? And don't forget to have a lovely meal waiting for him each evening as he comes home.

Think creatively. Think out of the box. Think about him instead of you!

Love from Nancy

Who is your marriage all about? Is it all about you? Many couples live together, but are not bound together, or enjoy life together. They started off with great love, enjoyment and enthusiasm but now their relationship is pretty boring and cold.

Why is this? I believe it is because of the "all about me" syndrome. What is my husband doing for me? How is my husband serving me? I have a right to be whom I am and do my own thing. Soon the couple are living their own separate lives instead of being cemented together.

The very first marriage principle that God gave is oneness. Genesis 2:24 states that the married couple are to be "one flesh." We are not separate entities. We are one. We should think oneness. We should be yielded to one another to be "one flesh" as much as possible. We should be yielded to one another in one spirit, mind, and purpose to build our marriage and family. We haven't got time to be pursuing our own life. We have been blended as one to build a family that is strong, , powerful and will impact the world. This will only happen through oneness.

Love from Nancy

When we commit to establishing Family Devotions in our family, our children become aware that we honor God's Word. It’s not enough for us to go to church on Sunday or Saturday, but our children need to know that we can’t get through one day without the sustenance of God's precious Word.

When we make it a commitment to read the Word and pray together morning and evening, they know that we truly are Bible believers and praying parents.

If your children do not see you honoring the Word of God each day, will they think it is something worth studying and reading? If we do not gather with them to pray together every day, will they get a vision for prayer?

The children see by our lifestyle what is important to us. What do they see? A materialistic attitude, trying to keep up with the Joneses, and following the crowd? Or do they truly see that God is the priority in our lives?

Love from Nancy

Your children gain convictions about the sanctity of life by observing your attitude about children. If your attitude is against having more children, they subconsciously imbibe that children are a commodity to have according to your plans, rather than gifts to be embraced by God because of His eternal plan.

What about eating together at the table? Even in homeschooling families, this biblical tradition (Psalm 128:3) is being lost today as they get caught up in all their extra-curricular activities. I know that all these activities are very good. Satan, the deceiver, never entices us with things that are evil, but with things that are “good, pleasant, and wise” (Genesis 3:6).

If we don’t sit together for meals, what are we teaching our children? What example do we give them for when they establish their family life? Will they grow up always eating out and not establishing this biblical premise?

As you begin teaching again today, remember that your biggest teaching is your lifestyle.

Love from Nancy

Your children learn the true roles of male and female by watching your lifestyle. I didn’t need to go to a seminar on this subject either. I saw it clearly in the lives of my parents. My mother was an anointed homemaker and godly, submissive wife (although full of spark and forever getting the giggles)! My father was a real man (not a trace of wimpiness in him). He was known as a man’s man in a man’s world. But did he want my mother to compete with him? No. He reveled in her femaleness and the beautiful feminine clothes she sewed. She always dressed like a queen and he was so proud of femininity.

It’s amazing what theological truths we teach our children in our daily lives. When your husband sits at the head of table each evening, the children subconsciously become aware that he is the head of the home. And when he leads them in Family Devotions, the children understand that he is the priest and leader of the home. He is also teaching them how to live family life when they start a family.

You prepare your children for life by your daily attitudes and how you cope in times of stress. They observe whether your trust is in God or whether you cave in because you trust in your own resources.

More tomorrow.

Love from Nancy

There are so many wonderful resources and curriculums for you to use in teaching your children, aren’t there. However, what do you think is your most powerful teaching tool? Can I tell you what I believe it is?

It is your lifestyle!

Your children will learn more from watching you and your husband than from all the curriculums you will ever purchase. You teach them how to have a successful marriage (or an unhappy marriage) by the way you and your husband relate to each other. My parents gave me an amazing example of a godly marriage. I know this set my husband and me on a path of a wonderful marriage for nearly 50 years. All our children enjoy rich and wonderful marriages. Neither Colin and I, or our children, have been to a marriage seminar. We received it by example which is the most powerful way.

More about our lifestyle tomorrow.

Love from Nancy

Driving to an Above Rubies retreat recently, the GPS directed us to “Go right… Go left.” “It would be nice to be told clearly what to do in every situation, wouldn’t it?” I commented.

A passenger in the car voiced, “I wish I had a GPS for my life.”

Praise God, we do have a God-directed GPS for our life. It is operated by the Holy Spirit who speaks to our mind and heart. Isaiah 30:21 says, “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

But we have to listen very carefully to hear God’s voice. We can’t just turn up the volume. We have to tune our ears to hear and train them to listen.

How do we know it is God’s voice amidst the many deceptive voices in the world? It will never violate God’s Word. I sometimes hear mothers saying, “I have peace about my decision” and yet their decision does not line up with the Bible. They feel peace because they have chosen the easy way. It feels good and there’s no more challenge or difficulties. God doesn’t always direct us into the easy path.

There is a peace that is deceptive. May God give us ears to recognize His voice and hearts to discern the truth. And let’s get into the habit of listening to His voice. As we listen to Him directing us in the little things throughout the day, we’ll be in the habit of hearing His voice for the major decisions of life.

Love from Nancy

1 Timothy 2:15 tells us that we will be “saved in childbearing.” Does this mean that we will be saved from having a painless childbirth experience? Some women experience this but it is not what the Scripture is saying.

The word “saved” is “sozo” and has a wonderful rich meaning. It comes from a root word, “saos” which means “safe.” That’s nice, isn’t it? But it also means “to be healed, preserved, protected, delivered, and made whole.” On a number of occasions Jesus said to people, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” The word “whole” is “sozo,” the same word used in 1 Timothy 2:15.

How blessed we are when we embrace the plan God has for us as women. We will be saved from deception, and we will be preserved and protected physically. Science is now catching up with God’s truth and more and more studies reveal that the more babies a mother births and nurses at her breast, the more physical blessing she receives. She is also protected from the epidemic of female cancers.

Thank you, Lord for your protection and care and for the perfect plan you have for your female creation.

Nancy

I do trust you enjoyed a wonderful Resurrection Sunday yesterday, remembering how our Savior rose from the dead. At church we sang the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Soar we now, where Christ has led, Following our exalted Head; Made like Him, like Him we rise; Ours the cross, the grave the skies.”

The truth of our salvation is that we are identified with Christ. When He died, we died (to sin and the flesh); when He rose, we also rose to walk a new life; and we now sit with Him in heavenly places at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:5-6).

You do not have to continue to being a victim to sin and your fleshly desires. You do not have to keep giving in to outbursts of anger. Positionally, you are now seated with Christ. Begin to see yourself where God has placed you. You are “in Christ Jesus” where you live in peace, rest and joy. Not only are you “in Christ,” but Christ is “in you,” giving you the power to walk in victory as you daily manage your family life. You have authority “in Christ” to have power over the temptations of the flesh.

Walk in your home today in the fullness of the salvation that Christ Jesus has provided for you. He did not die in vain, to leave you groveling in weakness and to the power of sin, but He died to save you from your selfishness and from “this present evil world” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 and Galatians 1:4-5). What a redemption!

Nancy

Colossians 2:6 says, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.” How did we receive Christ? By faith. How are we meant to continue walking with Christ? By faith. It’s so easy to forget this in our daily lives, isn’t it?

Perhaps you have just worked on your budget again. Humanly speaking, there is no way you could fit another baby into your family—your house, or your car! But did I hear you say, “humanly speaking”? Remember, we don’t walk with God by humanistic reasoning, but by obedience to God and faith in God’s promises. God is bigger than our circumstances and our situation. He is the God of the supernatural.

Now that we walk with God, we don’t trust in our natural resources and reasoning like everyone else around us. We trust in God who is able to do beyond what we can think and reason.

Love from Nancy

Isn’t it wonderful to know that God is working in us by the power of His Holy Spirit? He does not leave us unattended. He puts the desire in us to want to please Him and walk in His ways. Do you sometimes feel like a failure and feel like giving up? Don’t despair. God has never given up on you and He never will! He began a good work in you and will keep on working His good work in you until you meet Him face to face (Philippians 1:6). Oh yes, He is going to keep on working that good work in your husband too, so don’t give up on him either!

Philippians 2:13 says,“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” The word that is used of God “working” is energeo (sounds like energy, doesn’t it?) and it means He works “mightily, effectually, and fervently!”

But get this! The word that applies to us is the same! The word to “do” His good pleasure is the same word, energeo. As we yield to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, He actively works in us so that His life is effectually energized and revealed in us.

Today, I am praying that God will work in me a soft, sweet, sensitive, and submissive heart to God, to my husband and to those around me. What do you want God to work in you?

Love from Nancy

I have always been inspired by the words in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, A Psalm of Life—“But to act, that each tomorrow find us farther than today.” I believe that each day should be a new day of learning and enlightenment, don’t you? We should never allow ourselves to become stagnant. How boring is that?

2 Peter 3:18 says, “But GROW in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” If a plant does not grow, it is because it is dead! Growing and increasing is part of LIFE!

Each new day we are to grow in grace of Jesus Christ, learning and experiencing more of His victorious life working in us. We are to grow in knowledge, especially the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ for “in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). There is always more and more to fathom, learn and experience.

Doesn’t it make each new day exciting? Every new day is an opportunity to learn and experience more of Christ and more facets of wisdom and knowledge! (Wow, my Above Rubies helper just showed me something new and helpful I can do on the computer when editing! I love learning something new!)

A great question you can ask your children at your Family Meal Table this evening is, “What was something new you learned today?” Ask each child to share something—this gets them into the habit of always wanting to learn and expand their knowledge. They’ll want to hear from Mommy and Daddy, too!

Love from Nancy