Ruth 4:16 tells us that "Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it." The word "nurse" is "aman" and is broad in its meaning. It not only speaks of nurture, nourishment, and caring for a child. It also speaks of stability and faithfulness.
This Hebrew word is translated in the KJV by these words: faithful, sure, believe, long continuance, assurance, establish, trust, verify, trusty, stand fast, and steadfast. What wonderful adjectives to think about when you are mothering or foster-mothering. It is not a flighty task. It takes faithfulness, continuance, and steadfastness even when we don't feel like it. But as we seek to work out these characteristics in our mothering our children will have a sure foundation, confidence, and trust.
And remember, dear mother, that these attributes are the attributes of God. You show your children what God is like when you mother in this way. Deuteronomy 7:9 describes God: "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the FAITHFUL (aman) God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."
It is also used to describe God's eternal Word. Psalm 93 5 says, "Thy testimonies are VERY SURE (aman)." We can totally rely on them. Read also Psalm 19:7 and 111:7.
Motherhood is stickability, continuing on, and faithfulness through thick and thin.
Blessings from Nancy
Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Everything comes back to the family. Marriage and family were the first institution God designed--before church and before government. They were in the heart of God in eternity, even before He created the world. Therefore God has blessed parents and given them authority and anointing to "be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue, and take dominion . . . " (Genesis 1:28).
What happens in the nation is a picture of what is happening in the family. We are watching the decline of morality, the fear of God, knowledge of God's Word, and people living in truth in integrity. We see the breakdown of marriage, the fragmentation of family life, more and more children being born out of wedlock, violence in our streets, and our jails filled with young people who have not known a stable home life.
The prophet speaks God's Word to the people of Judah and tells them they are nation that do not listen to the voice of the Lord God, nor do they receive correction. Consequently truth is perished and cut off from their lips (Jeremiah 7:28). This same word is being spoken to the nation today; not only to the nation but to each family, because this is where it starts.
Are we raising children who love and listen to God's Word? Are we raising children who know how to receive correction and discipline? Are we raising children who know the truth and who can discern and cut through the deception that is around them?
I know this is a huge task. It's not something you can do on the side. It's a full time career. But your career of mothering determines the destiny of the nation. If children come out from your home with rebellion in their hearts and not knowing how to receive correction, they help the nation on a downward path.
However, if from your home come children who love the truth, who have soft hearts, and are willing to receive correction and discipline in order to grow, we assist our nation to be a great nation. We are preparing our children to have stable marriages. We are preparing them to build strong families. And when this happens we will have a strong nation.
It all hinges on us, dear mothers. Let's forget about all the other pursuits that entice us away from our greatest destiny. We have great and important work to do. We are training children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and future generations to transform the nation.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
"Likeness to the infinitely glorious Creator constitutes the chief dignity of our nature. And the intelligent, pious mother looks upon her infant offspring with adoring gratitude to God, as possessing that likeness (Genesis 2:7). . . . And though the moral likeness of its blessed Maker is defaced by the fall of our first parents, still, in thousands of instances, by means of early tuition and the prayers of the faithful mother, the child is created in Christ Jesus in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 2:10 and 4:24).
"What, then can be the greatness, dignity, and honor of her who is the appointed medium of such amazing powers and blessings! Must not mothers feel their high distinctions? Should they not frequently be invited to contemplate them?
In this, the security, the prosperity, and the happiness of our country, and even the welfare, the regeneration of the world, are involved."
~ Jabez Burns (1805-1876).
In Ezekiel 44:23, 24 we read that the priests were to "teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statues."
Parents also have the responsibility to teach their children the difference between what is right and what is wrong. And mothers have to be judges. Constantly throughout the day you can face arguments and disruptions with your children that you have to umpire. Peace does not come through tolerating the disarray or the rebellion, but dealing with it. Instead, we teach our children to show love to their sibling rather than fighting them. We teach them to speak the truth rather than giving into lies. We teach the difference between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane. If we don't do this, we'll live in bedlam in our homes.
This principle continues in society. I could hardly believe the responses from recent post, "Do We Have our Heads in the Sand?" The common reaction was that we must not judge. In other words, they've joined the "Religion of Tolerance." If we were to tolerate every wrong thing in our homes, they would become chaotic. No wonder this is what is happening in our society today.
Dear mothers, let's not be those who give in to the thinking of society all around us that tolerates any lifestyle that people want to embrace. It's not enough to say, "Well, I would never do that, but I can't criticize them for doing it." This is not what the Bible says. We are told to expose and reprove all evil (Proverbs 24:23-25 and Ephesians 5:11). We are to be "the light of the world" exposing and pushing back the darkness and evil.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Jeremiah 15:19 reminds us to stand strong and not be lured back to worldly ways, deception, and humanistic thinking: "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 homeschooling. 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
I love the affirmation of the psalmist in Psalm 119:31, "I have STUCK unto thy testimonies." Do you cling to God's Word? Of course, before we can stick to it, we have to know it. We can't stick to something we don't know. In fact, I think this is why many are not glued to God's Word. It's because they are trying to cling to something they are a little hazy about. We have to get the Word into our heart and into our mouths (Isaiah 59:21).
This last statement really enables us to stick--and that is getting into our mouths. When you constantly confess the Word and speak it out, you'll find it easier to stick to. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us HOLD FAST the confession of our faith without wavering." Speak out the affirmations of your faith every day.
What about your children? I am sure you want them to be those who will STICK TO THE TRUTH and the principles of God's Word. Fill their minds with God's Word, but make sure it gets into their mouths too. If it is not in their mouths it won't stick. It's sad to see children grow up in a Christian home and become unstuck!
Be a sticker and raise stickers! Amen.
Are we aware of the accelerating of the indoctrination in our public schools away from everything that relates to God and family. Or do we have our heads in the sand? Islam is now taught in many of our schools, but the Bible, the Ten Commandments, and prayer are out! One of our children's textbooks says, “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah.” Some history books teach that Muslims discovered America and that Jerusalem is an Arab city. That’s just some of the “history” that students in America’s K-12 classrooms have been taught in recent years–with the help of taxpayer money.
And what about the gay agenda which is radically and subtly becoming more and more part of the school agenda? Liberal educators teach students that being a homosexual is not much different from being left-handed. They are encouraged to be "open-minded" and try this lifestyle before deciding their preferred sexual orientation. This is only tip of the iceberg of what is happening while we merrily go along our way.
Every father and mother is vigilant in protecting the physical bodies of their children. But what about their souls and spirits? As Bible-believing parents, how can we send our precious children into this system, a second home away from home, to be indoctrinated against all that we believe? Don't we want them to have an education that affirms and enforces what we believe?
The psalmist stated in Psalm 119:30 "I have chosen the way of truth." I am sure this is also your testimony. But are we choosing "the way of truth" for our children? If so, we'll be rescuing them from this system where they are subtly indoctrinated in a humanistic and atheistic agenda.
We go back to the first Psalm to find who God blesses: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, not stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night" (ESV). Every day children sit in the seat of scoffers in our public schools. You can't find one mention of God's Word, let alone delighting in it, in all the hours they spend there each day, each week, and each year.
Psalm 1 tells us what happens to the wicked counselors. They are like the chaff that the wind drives away. They will not stand in the time of judgment, and their way ends in destruction (Psalm 1:4, 5). Why send our children to receive counsel that will be blown away like the wind? Instead, bring them home where they can be filled with the truth that "lives and abides forever" (Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23; and 1 John 2:17).
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
"By the sovereign ordination of the Almighty, she gives birth, not to a being of a mere momentary existence and whose life will perish as that of the beasts of the field, but to an immortal! Her sucking infant, feeble and helpless as it may appear, possesses within its bosom a rational soul, an intellectual power, a spirit that all-devouring time cannot destroy--which can never die--but which will outlive the splendors of the glorious sun and the burning brilliancy of all the material host of heaven! Throughout the infinite ages of eternity, when all these shall have answered the beneficent end of their creation and shall have been blotted out from their positions in the immense regions of space, the soul of the humblest child will shine and improve before the eternal throne, being filled with holy delight and divine love and ever active in the praises of its blessed Creator."
` Jabez Burns (1805-1876).
I would suggest, dear mothers, that you read this over more than once to comprehend the power, honor, and eternal blessings that have been given to you as a mother. Nancy
"Nor did they know how to blush" (Jeremiah 8:12 NKJV). It is easy to become numb to the evils around us, for the very reason that they are all around us! We live in a fallen world filled with the devil’s perversions and all manner of abominations. But can we still blush?
We cannot control evil, but we can stay sensitive to its offensiveness. We don’t want to turn into haughty prudes with hardened hearts. We pray with compassion for the lost and reach out our hand into their world of pain, but can we still blush? Evil should jar our spirits.
Have I become desensitized to the things that should make me blush as a daughter of our Holy God? Is TV constantly in the background with its lewdness and humanism seeping into the atmosphere? Could I watch this movie and be comfortable if Jesus sat beside me in the flesh? Would I lose my temper and justify it because I had a headache if God was over for dinner? Actually, He is over for dinner every night!
What do we accept through the gates of our hearts and homes that doesn’t even bother us, and yet should make us blush?
~ Serene
God's Word is amazing. And the more we read it, the more we behold His character and His heart for mankind. In Psalm 8:1 and 3 we read about the glory of God's creation and the heavens. But right in the middle of these acclamations to God's glory verse 2 pops up: "Because of Your adversaries, You have established a stronghold from the mouths of children and nursing infants to silence the enemy and the avenger" (HCSB). This Scripture reveals how God sees babies and little children. They silence the enemy, the devil who hates children and wants to eradicate life every way he can by contraception, sterilization, and abortion.
Genesis 3:16 is the first prophetic promise of the Messiah who came through the womb of a woman to bruise the head of Satan and bring salvation and deliverance to the world. The womb of the woman is still the vehicle through which babies come, eternal souls born in the image of God and with a God-consciousness and bent toward God. Children naturally love God and respond to Him and as this is taught and fostered in a godly home they can grow up to be mighty men and women of God. Of course, this inborn response to God can be squelched by ungodly parents.
What happened after Jesus rose up in indignation and cast out all the money-changers from the temple (Matthew 21:14-16)? The children filled the temple crying out "Hosanna to the son of David." It was the children who filled the temple with the glory of God (Matthew 21:14-16) and Jesus then quoted Psalm 8:2.
Dear mothers, please understand the power of bringing forth the "godly seed" from your womb. Every baby that is born is another opportunity to destroy and silence the enemy's evil plans. The more children born to godly families, the more righteousness will fill the land and the more evil will be defeated. (Psalm 127:5).
Can I share with you again one of my favorite quotes by Frank Boreham?
"We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions abroad, when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies at home. When a wrong wants righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, GOD SENDS A BABY INTO THE WORLD TO DO IT. That is why long, long ago, a Babe was born in Bethlehem."
Blessings from Nancy
There are exceptions, but God does not reveal Himself to us unless we really want Him and seek Him. After Jacob had wrestled with the angel all through the night, the angel wanted to leave and said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh." But Jacob would not let Him go and said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (Genesis 32:24-30). The angel (most probably the Son of God in human form) could have left of His own volition, but wanted to see how much Jacob really wanted Him.
One time the disciples were out on Lake Galilee. The wind was strong and they were toiling in the waves. Jesus came by walking on the water "and would have passed by them" but they cried out to Him and He came into the ship and the wind ceased (Mark 6: 47-51).
When the Canaanite woman came to Jesus to ask Him to heal her daughter, He did not even answer her. The disciples wanted to send her away because she kept bothering them. but she would not give up. Eventually Jesus said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Still she would not give up and because of her persistence Jesus healed her daughter (Matthew 15:22-28).
Do you remember when the two disciples were walking to Emmaus? They were dejected and sad because they thought Jesus was going to deliver them from the Romans but was now dead. Along came this stranger, Jesus Himself but unknown to them, and revealed all the things in the Scriptures concerning Himself. Their hearts burned within them as He talked with them, but eventually they arrived at Emmaus and Jesus "made as though he would have gone further." But the disciples "constrained him" to stay with them and come in for supper (Luke 24:13-32). Because of their insistence that He come to their home, He made Himself known to them as they ate together.
Dear wives and mothers, do you want God to come and bless you and your children in your home? God does not stay around if we don't have time for Him. He comes to those who will not let Him go. He comes to those who really want Him to reveal Himself to them. That's why it is important to make time to meet with God as a family each day. God tells us in Exodus 20:24 that when we make an altar to Him That He will come to us and bless us. This does not mean we make a physical altar, but a time and a place where we commit together as a family to meet with Him--allowing nothing else to interfere with this time.
When we allow everything else to get in the road and eclipse this time, He knows that we are not really seeking after Him. He sees by our actions that all the other things in our day are more important than Him.
Are you going to let Him pass by, or are you going to say, "God we want you to come to our home. We are going to make a time each day when we gather as a family to meet with you and where we cry out to you to meet with us"?
Alexander Maclaren writes, "If we do not desire Him to stay, He will go, unless we keep Him."
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
What makes does a door swing open? It's the insignificant hinges that we hardly ever notice. And yet without the hinges the door cannot open or close. And so it is with our daily life. It cannot function without the seemingly common and insignificant things of life.
Making beds, sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning up the house seem so commonplace. But they bring order which is Godlike. Plus, it makes the home function. Washing dishes and doing laundry can also seem humdrum. But they reveal cleanliness which is Godlike.
Smiles, hugs, and kisses and courteous attitudes may seem inconsequential but they change the whole atmosphere of the home and because they change the home to one of love, peace and joy, they are part of changing the world.
Preparing a meal seems a common-place thing, But is not unimportant. It reveals servanthood which is also Godlike. And it prepares the way for greater things--family togetherness, fun, and fellowship, feeding the soul and the spirit. It also establishes a pattern for the next generation. The gathering around the family table for meals is declining in USA. Some apartments today don't even have stoves. If children do not grow up with family meals, how much more will they digress in the next generation. Will tables be eliminated?
Some think it is a lowly thing to stay at home and nurse a baby, change diapers, care for little ones, and guide and teach their growing children. But this so-called lowly thing in the eyes of society is huge in the eyes of God. It is the highest career He has given to women. It is God's ultimate plan for you if you are blessed to be married and have children. And without mothers embracing their role the world would come to a halt! We may be involved as one writer calls it, "the dust of the small duties" but we make the world function!
The little things you do in your home every day make the world go round.
Love from Nancy Campbell
Alexander Maclaren writes: "Unless religion is communion, it is nothing." True Christianity is a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. However, this same principle relates to us as families too.
Family life is togetherness. It is relationships. They take time to build. If we don't make an effort to keep the family relating together, it is easy for everyone to start going their own ways. The family becomes fragmented instead of being built together.
Of all the animals God created, He chose to call us His sheep. Sheep have a flock mentality. They cannot survive on their own. They are only content when in the flock. Psalm 107:41 tells us that God also makes "families like a flock." He wants us to be together.
A wonderful way to fellowship together is at the family meal table where we encourage discussion and heart and soul dialogue together. I hope you have the same rule that we do at our family table that no one is allowed to bring IPhones or IPads to the table. I cannot think of anything more rude than people texting or checking their messages while sitting with the family. It's bad enough seeing families do this at a restaurant, let alone in the family home. We sit around a table for the purpose of being able to look at one another in the eye as we share together.
Many blessings. Nancy Campbell
Yesterday we talked about mothering with zeal. However, I must mention that this kind of mothering attitude will get you into trouble. Are you ready for this? The description of Jesus in John 2:17 is taken directly from the prophetic Psalm 69:9 (ESV) where it says, "Zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me." We can read it again God's Word translation, "Indeed, devotion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."
When you become passionate for mothering, when you embrace it with all your heart, when you are homeschooling and not living according to the status quo of our society you will receive insults. Most people don't like zealous mothers. They don't like mothers who keep having the children God has planned for them from eternity as they are subconsciously convicted of their own attitude.
But that's nothing compared to how Satan hates zealous mothers. They are his biggest threat! They are dangerous to his kingdom. Mothers who have embraced the mandate God has given them to receive His children and raise them to be mighty men and women of God who know the power of God and know how to destroy the works of the enemy get in the road of Satan's plans. He wants to eliminate children. And the ones who are born, he wants to get hold of and indoctrinate them in his deceptive ways.
Therefore, dear mothers. Don't worry about the insults and the reproaches. You can expect them when you are zealous for building a family for God. And how did Jesus combat the insults that were thrown at Him? "He answered him never a word" (Matthew 27:13, 14). You are doing a GREAT WORK. You haven't got time to come down to your adversaries or insulters.
Nehemiah 6:3 says, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Dear wives and mothers, you are doing a wonderful work as you build your home and family for the Lord. In fact, we should daily keep in our minds what we are doing--building a house to God. We should have no other motive. I am sure you think of your home as "the house of the Lord" for God longs to dwell in your home and fill it with His presence.
What kind of an attitude should we have as we build our home to the Lord? I am sure it should be the same attitude Jesus had for His house. Speaking about Jesus John 2:17 (ESV) tells us: "Zeal for your house will consume me." Some other translations say "devour me" (NET) and "burns in me like a fire" (GNB).
How are we going about raising our family and mothering from day to day? Are we doing it out of duty? Or just because there is no one else to do it? Are we doing it with a groanings, complainings, and sighings? Or are we filled with zeal that burns in us like a fire? If this is not your attitude, ask God to give it to you. Ask Him to give you His vision for building your home which is ultimately helping to build a nation and godly generations.
As you get up each morning ask God for His zeal for the mothering mandate He has given to you. Is there a big pile of dishes waiting for you to do? Go at it with zeal. And there's all that laundry stacked up-- approach it with joy. Are you homeschooling? Do it with excitement. Tackle each task you have to do with all your heart--aboundingly, diligently, fervently, faithfully, heartily, joyfully, mightily, thankfully, and willingly. Did I make these up? No, every one of these attitudes toward work, and our mothering is the greatest work, are in God's Word.
Can you imagine what will happen when mothers across the land embrace their great career with the zeal of the Lord? Look out world!
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
For those who are like the Bereans mentioned in Acts 17:11 who checked the Word daily to see if what Paul was saying was true, here are the Scriptures to look up. You will be double blessed as you look up the Scriptures. These are good attitudes, and good memory verses, to teach your children too.
Jeremiah 48:10; Psalm 110:3; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Matthew 25:21, 23; John 9:4; Romans 12;11; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 15:58; Galatians 6, 10; Ephesians 6:6-8; Philippians 2:14, 15; Colossians 3:17, 23, 24; Hebrews 6;10; and 1 John 3:18
Dear mothers, you are doing a GOOD WORK. This is confirmed in 1 Timothy 5:10 and Titus 2:3-5. But sometimes you feel as though you are hardly making it, that you are not accomplishing much, and it's all so hard. Yes, it is hard in your own strength, but God does not intend you to do this great work on your own. He stands behind you with all His power. He waits to give you His wisdom. He wants to refresh you and strengthen you as you trust Him.
Although it is in the chapter about freely giving (isn't motherhood all about giving?), 2 Corinthians 9:8 is a wonderful promise to you as mothers: "And God is able to make ALL grace abound toward you; that ye, ALWAYS having ALL sufficiency in ALL things, may abound to EVERY good work." ALL is repeated three times in this Scripture. God does not half enable you. He does not give you half enough strength and sufficiency to mother your children. He gives you ALL that you need!
I'd like to capitalize every word in this Scripture as every word is so poignant. Let's try it this way too: "And GOD IS ABLE to make all grace ABOUND toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may ABOUND to every GOOD WORK." The word "abound" in the Greek means "more than abundant, more than you need." It's the word that used to describe the seven baskets of food that were LEFT OVER after Jesus fed the 4,000 plus (Mark 8:8).
What more do you need? I think you need to write or type this Scripture out in big letters and pin it up where you can see it.
Love from Nancy Campbell
"We must move from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts, to praying about the things that are breaking His heart." This quote from Margaret Gibb speaks to my heart.
Are over 57 million babies aborted since Roe v. Wade in 1973 breaking God's heart? What about the nearly 32 million that have been murdered in the womb just this year? Is it breaking our hearts also?
Are the young girls and teens who are deceptively and destructively sold into sex trafficking breaking God's heart?
What about the little children who have watched their parents crucified or their heads chopped off by the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria? Is it breaking God's heart?
Are our hearts breaking over the millions of Christians being tortured and imprisoned for their faith in over 60 countries of the world?
What about the millions of souls that are yet unreached for Christ? I know it is breaking God's heart as He waits with patience for He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Will we let God break our hearts with what breaks His heart? Will we become a praying family who cries out to Him for the great needs in the world? Are we ordering our day as a family to make sure we make time to pray for what is on God's heart?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
God's plan for fathers is to be the loving providers, protectors, and priests of their home.
God's plan for mothers is to be the loving nurturers, nourishers, and nestbuilders of the home.
NANCY
Just as God called the promised land "a land that flows with milk and honey" so the land of motherhood we live in is a good land. It's the best land God has for you. In Jeremiah 2:7 (NASB) God says, "I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled my land." Another translation calls it "a garden land."
God intends your land of wifehood and motherhood to be a fruitful land and a good land. There are so many wonderful blessings to possess. Embrace the blessings of your land. Live in the goodness of your land. It's a land of preservation, security, joy, and fruitfulness.
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 land where God wants to bless them. They move out of the domain where God has placed them. His blessings are IN the land, not out of the land.
Blessings from Nancy
I have always loved the testimony of Abraham's servant when he went to find a bride for Isaac. "I being in the way the Lord led me," he testified He didn't have dreams, visions, or lightning in the sky. He just obeyed his master, Abraham, who told him to go back to Haran and find a bride there.
Are you looking for God's guidance and for Him to show you His will? Don't sit around waiting. God steers a moving vessel. Do what is at hand. If God has blessed you with children, you are in the perfect will of God as you embrace mothering your children in your home. Be obedient. He will gently lead you according to His will as you fulfill what He has given to you now.
God led Abraham's servant as he walked along his obedient way. You can trust God to guide you also as you keep being obedient to God's truth. No guidance comes without obedience.
Love from Nancy