PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | Episode 34 – Every Good Thing

Episode 34: Every Good Thing

God has given us every good thing we need to enable us to mother in victory, rest, joy, cheerfulness, patience, and longsuffering. How can this work in our daily lives?

Plus, Cherish Allison joins me again for this pod. She talks about life in the Allison family—family communication and interaction. We have the power to make the kind of life we want in our family lives.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Lovely to be with you again. Yes, I've got Chalice with me . . .

Cherish: Cherish.

NC: See? I'm always mixing them up! Do you mix your own children up? I was always doing that when I was raising our children. I'd go to call one of them, and I'd go through the whole lot of them to get the right name.

Cherish: Mum does that.

NC: Yes. But anyway, I'm going to get Chalice to talk to you more in this session too . . .

Cherish: Cherish! (laughing)

NC: I can't win. Anyway, at the end of the last podcast, I shared how I love to write down what the Lord is saying to me, because I would forget. Many times, in the morning, while I'm in the Word, I get this great revelation and understanding. If I didn't write it down, at the end of the day, you would perhaps ask me, “Hey, what did you get from the Word this morning?”

And I would think, “Oh, help. What was it? This day has been filled with so much, and I've been so busy, and I can't even remember.” But I can go back to my book. I've written it down. I haven't lost it.

Now I do believe, that when God sees our expectancy, our faith, and that we really don't want to miss what He says, that He will give more to us.

When we're not really concerned, when we're “Oh well, what does it matter if I forget that,” is He really going to give us more? I believe what the Word says that He gives those who have much, He gives even more. I think that when He sees, that yes, we treasure what He gives us, and we don't want to forget it, and we write it down.

Now I know some of you darling mums have got little babies and toddlers all around you. And you think, “How will I have time to write stuff down!?” I understand that. I went through those seasons too. I remember when I had three children in 17 months. I had twins for my second.

Then I had four under four, and so on. Those were such busy, busy, overwhelming, tiring days. And yet, wonderful days. Oh, glorious days, even in the midst of my tiredness. They were still wonderful.

I didn't have time to write like I can now. But I did try. Instead of having a book with maybe a whole page where I could write something, I would get a journal for the year that would have about four days on one page. Then, even if I could just write one Scripture, even if I didn't have time to write anything about it, I would try and do that.

I've still got some of those books, and I have to confess, there's lots of gaps also, because some days I just didn't even have time to write a Scripture. But I did what I could.

God knows, because there are seasons in our lives. There are seasons where we have all little ones all around us. But these darling little children, they grow, and they get bigger. Somehow you have more time. Even when another baby comes on, you've now got older ones who are helping to do things in the home. It still is easier. So, you do what you can in the season that you're in. If you're able to do this, well, do it, because it will bless you.

I thought I'd just give you a little revelation I got just a couple of days ago. It's written here in my book. Otherwise, I most probably would have forgotten it.

I was just reading the story in Genesis of how Abraham's servant, I think it was Eliezer. It doesn't say the name, but Eliezer was his chief servant, so it was most probably him. It says: “And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed” (This was to go and get a bride for Isaac)” for all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose, and went.”

I was arrested by those words, “And all the goods of his master were in his hand.” Dear ladies, everything that's written in the Word is written for our learning. Everything is a type, even the stories. Even every little thing that happens in the stories, they are literal stories, they actually happened.

But there is more. The Scripture has layers. It starts off with the story, the literal thing that happened, or the literal promise that is going to happen. But then it goes down, and it's also a type that can speak to us today. And it goes down and down into depths and depths. The more we meditate, the more revelation God gives.

As I read this, that all the goods of his master were in his hand (Eliezer was his servant) and he had everything of Abraham's at his disposal to use for the good of Abraham's house.

Now lovely ladies, we are more than servants in God's Kingdom. Jesus has made us, not just His servant, but His friend. We are more than His friend, we are His begotten children. We are more than His begotten children. Romans 8 tells us that we are joint heirs with Christ. And all that Christ Jesus is heir to, we are heir to.

I mean, we can't hardly take that in, but it is the Scripture. Most of us don't walk in the truth of it. We don't walk in the truth of hardly anything in the Scriptures! But we've got to start walking in it.

This here is the type of this whole revelation truth. All the goods of Abraham were in the hand of Eliezer. He could take what he wanted. He took ten camels, but there were loads more cannibals. Not cannibals! (Cherish laughing) Camels! He just took ten of his master's camels, because that's all he needed for this trip. But whatever he needed, if he needed 100, he would have taken 100, because they were at his disposal.

Now all the promises that are in Christ Jesus are ours. All that is in Christ is ours, precious ladies, all the good things. This Scripture reminds me of a wonderful Scripture in Philemon, verse 6. This Scripture was a Scripture that totally catapulted me into victory as a young mum.

I started off living by my feelings, up some days, down the next, according to how I felt. But that's a lousy way to live. We're not meant to live by our feelings. We are meant to live by the Truth of the Word of God. Every word, and Jesus said, every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

This is how we are to live, lovely ladies. Is that how you live, by the truth of what God says about you in His Word? Or by your feelings? No, let's get out of that rut of living by our feelings and come into all that God has promised us.

Now in Philemon 1, verse 6, it says that “the communication of your faith may be effectual,” effective, working, working out in your life. Do you want your faith in your home, as a mother with all your little ones around you, to be effective? Well, it goes on to tell us how, so let's listen.

“That the communication of your faith may be effectual by . . . “ How? “By the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus.” So what it's saying is, all the good things that are in Jesus are in you, because He dwells in you. That's a fact. That's the truth.

If Jesus dwells in you by His Spirit, and He does if you are born again, that means everything that is in Jesus--all His victories, His peace, His joy, His rest, His patience, His longsuffering, that's all in Christ. Those are all the beautiful, lovely, good things in Christ. If He's in us, well, they're in us. So, all at our disposal. Are you getting the message?

Isn't it incredible? It's just as Eliezer experienced. All the goods, every good, wonderful thing of his master's house was available to him. Now we, who are God's children, joint heirs with Christ, all the good things that He has promised us, all the glorious good things of the attributes of Jesus that are in Him are in us, and at our disposal.

So lovely darling mums, every day in your home, you can walk in victory. You can walk in rest. You can walk in joy. You can walk in victory. You can have patience when you want to blow your top!

Yes, because, not that you've got it. Your flesh just stinks! Mine stinks. It always wants to do the wrong thing. But Christ dwells in our hearts, and it's His life we yield to. In every situation, when we're feeling mad, angry, our temper's getting up. Instead of yielding to that, we yield to Christ.

“Thank You, Jesus, for Your patience. It lives in me. I'm full of patience. Thank You, Jesus.”

When you're tempted to be despondent and down, and give into a self-pity trip, that's just giving into your feelings! No! Yield to the Life of Jesus in you. Thank You, Jesus, for Your Joy! I am filled with the Joy of the Lord, because Christ dwells in me. He is Joy!

You see, we yield to His Light. We yield to His attributes, which are in us. They are all at our disposal. They are for you. You don't have to get into a state, and your stomach tied up in knots, and get into a terrible stress mode, because Christ dwells in you. He is rest.

He lives in rest. You can live in rest if you yield to His rest. “Thank You, Jesus. You are Rest. You live in me. I take of Your rest. I trust You. I bask in Your rest. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You. I don't have to take all this stress. I just give it to You, Lord. Thank You. I'm just going to live in Your rest. Thank You.”

So all the good is at your disposal. This word “good.” It's just a very ordinary word, we think. We use “good” all the time. “Oh, you're having a good day?” “Oh, that's good!” “Oh, wow, I love that. It's so good!” “Good.” We're always using that word.

The Biblical word “good” is amazing. Because, I think I have shared with you before, that we read a word in the Bible, and then we look it up in the Hebrew, and we blow our minds, because it has so many meanings, the fullness of that word.

Look, this is what the Lexicon of the Hebrew Words for just this little ordinary word “good” is.  Now let me tell you. It says it means “pleasant, beautiful, excellent, lovely, delightful, joyful, fruitful, precious.” Wow, I can't read that. Yes, “sound, cheerful, kind, correct, righteous, the right, virtue, happiness, pleasantness, moral goodness, bountiful, gracious, glad, merry, sweet, prosperity, pleasing, pleasure.” All those words combine to explain the word “good.”

What does the Scripture say? All these good things, that beautiful description, are all in us, all at our disposal. And then, oh, be blessed dear mothers. Don't yield to your feelings. Yield to the Light of Christ that dwells in you.

Now tell us, Cherish! You've been sitting while I've been talking!

Cherish: That was amazing. I was relaxing.

NC: You were relaxing in His rest. Amen. I want to ask you another question. Tell me, what do you love best about being in your family?

Cherish: Oh, I love it when we all get together, and we fellowship. Every night, our family will, I mean, we'll all be busy in the day with all different types of stuff. But once we sit down together in the lounge, we just talk about everything and anything. And it's that's just, oh, that's something I cherish.

NC: Yes, Cherish cherishing. Well, it's true, because I think there's nothing I love more than popping over. I wonder, do you say that in America? Popping over. That's a real New Zealand thing. We often say, “OK, I'll just pop over.”

We love to pop over to your home, especially after supper, when that's exactly what you're doing! You're all sitting around the lounge, and you know, everyone of their different ages, all doing their little things. But you're all together, fellowshipping one amongst the other. It's so wonderful.

Arden is here recording, and I know you love to do the same, don't you, Arden? Even though Arden and Esther are married now. How often when we pop over, they've popped over too, just enjoying the beautiful family fellowship.

I just love that. I think that's what family is all about. It's communication and fellowship. A lot of families are not experiencing this today. They're too busy. They're too busy going here, going there, involved in too many things.

Dear mothers, we can get involved in too many things and miss out on the simple joys of family life, these joys that are so precious, and make such wonderful memories. Just sitting together and talking, communicating. I think in your family nothing is unsaid. If there's a problem, or something's happening, you all talk . . .

Cherish: Oh yeah, everything comes out. (laughing)

NC: There's nothing hidden.

Cherish: Oh, no, no. But it's fun.

NC: Yes, and Serene and Sam, their mum and dad, they don't allow anything to be hidden. And it all comes out, and everything is discussed and communicated. That's the center of family life, that's the strength of family life.

But we have to make that happen. And that's something your parents have chosen, is that they haven't gotten hooked in all the extracurricular activities. Because that usually is for one person, or just a couple in the family. They want to keep the family together.

Now I remember when you were young. If you could just see Cherish sitting here. Cherish is so strong. I mean, she is sooo strong. Look out if you're doing an arm wrestle with Cherish! You won't win. Also look out when you get a massage from Cherish. Oh my! If you want a really strong massage, come to see Cherish! She's very strong.

When she was young, she was amazing at gymnastics. She was so strong and agile. They took her for a few times, didn't they, because your mum and dad realized you were so good. So they went along a few times, and, “Oh, wow, this girl! We could train her for the Olympics!” They just wanted you to get so involved.

Then your mum realized, this is not the life. You would just be involved every day. It would take over family life. So they quit it. So you never lacked by quitting. Your whole life would have been running around like a lunatic. You wouldn't even know the joys of family life that you experience today.

Cherish: I wouldn't even know my cousins or my brothers and sisters.

NC: Yes, that's another thing. You have your brothers and sisters, and then your cousins. The life that you have with them, well, actually, here on the Hilltop, is like, what would you say? A young people's group every day and night of the year. It's so wonderful, because they have so much communication together too. But it's just such a wonderful life.

You know, dear mothers, we do make the life that we want for our family. We determine what we want. Some families, they determine that they just want to be running around everywhere, taking their children here, there, and everywhere. They'll be all good things, I know that, because I know all of you want to do good things. There are so many good, good, good things you can do for your children.

But sometimes these good things are not the ultimate best. We miss out on a lot of the really best and most wonderful things because we're too busy doing “good” things! So we do have to watch that.

I really encourage you to make family life. Did you know, it doesn't just happen? You have to make it. You've got to decide what you want, and you have to make it happen. It will be such a blessing in your family.

Yes, of course, now you're earning some money. You're saving up. Why do you want to save some money?

Cherish: I really want to go to Israel, go and see all the amazing cool places.

NC: Yes, maybe I'll have to come with you. Or you'll have to come with me. I've been to Israel, let me see, about five times. But you can never go too many times. You're never the same again, once you have been. So that would be wonderful. Any other places you want to go?

Cherish: Oh, I want to go back to Liberia and visit some of my family there. My older sister, she's thinking of going next year to do some stuff over there.

NC: Yes, when Sam and Serene adopted, they adopted five children from Liberia, no six, I think. I lose count. But there were three of you.

Cherish: Yes.

NC: So you've got Selah, and Isaiah, and you. Three siblings. The others weren't siblings. So Selah is married, and she has six children. She has three of her own, and then Selah went back to Liberia and adopted another three from Liberia, because they were family members whose parents had passed away from the Ebola over there, and so on.

They were grieving that they had family members, little children who were left with no one to care for them, so they brought them back, and now she has six little children. She is doing such a beautiful job. Selah is the most beautiful wife and beautiful mother.

Isaiah, some of you may remember praying for Isaiah. He had a terrible car accident. It was a head injury, and they didn't think he would even live. If he did, they didn't think he would ever come out of a nursing home. But God answered our prayers, and your prayers, and he came out. He is doing so well today.

And then there's you. So there were three siblings. Selah, she is wanting to set up an adoption agency, isn't she?

Cherish: Yeah.

NC: So she's going back there to do that. Oh no! Before we finish today, another thing! Although Cherish has graduated now, when Serene was homeschooling her, she'd give the girls projects every day. Essays to write; always getting them to write, because writing is so important. Some days she'd give them a subject to write or write a poem. I've read some of your poems, and they're so lovely.

I want to look here at the one you wrote when little Solly was born. Solly, her name is actually Solace Ling, but we call her Solly. Solly is about ten months now, isn't she?

Cherish: I should know, but I don't know. (laughter)

NC: She grows every day.

Cherish: She's getting so big now.

NC: Read this poem you wrote when she was born.

Cherish: All right So it goes:

Solace Ling

 

My dear lovely sister, Solace, so kind and so sweet.

You're a bubble of sunshine I'm so privileged to meet.

As I fondly gaze upon your face, I see a wonderful glow

Filled with love and joy which I pray will stay as you grow.

My dear little sister, God will use you for much more.

Small right now, but in time you'll bless people galore.

Beautiful Solace, we welcome you into the arms of the Beloved.

He will be your Guide, your Shelter, your Protector from above.

NC: Yes, tell me how you enjoy Solly.

Cherish: Oh, my goodness! She is definitely a bubble of sunshine in our house, the sweetest little cute thing.

NC: How do you love having another baby come into the home?

Cherish: Oh! It's definitely another amazing new thing. It's just, I don't know, it's a whole new environment. I just love it. I never get tired of babies.

NC: Oh, so you're hoping that Mommy will be able to have even more babies yet.

Cherish: Yes!

NC: Yes, yes, (Laughter) Oh, now I remember when you wrote this one, about America. Wow.

Cherish: Yes, I forgot about that.

NC: I know. But I had it just lying around. Yes, and I found it today, and I said, “Wow, this was Cherish's poem.” So read it. Wow.

Cherish: You can read it.

NC: No, because you've got to read it. It's a powerful poem.

Cherish: Hope I can do it right.

AMERICA

America, America, oh, can't you see?

America, America, it's time to fall on your knees,

Our country is raging and falling apart,

Evil is attracting our very own hearts,

It's time to come back to the arms of God

And leave behind the evil of this world.

Our Father in heaven, who's watching above,

Wants to give each one the Gift of His Love,

We just have to be willing and allow Him in,

He is more than ready to wash away our sins,

America, America, turn back to God Who waits

With His arms wide open; it's never too late.

NC: That's powerful! Oh, now that you have graduated, you mustn't stop writing poems. You've got a gift for them.

Cherish: This one, the America one, I was actually . . . I did this on my own. It was not for my school.

NC: Wow, it wasn't for school? You just got a burden to write.

Cherish: Yeah, I was sitting down, and I had, you know, I had a paper and pen. I was praying to God and everything, but I mean, God literally gave me that poem. I just kept on writing it. It was just like, God gave it to me.

NC: That is so wonderful. Yes, one more! It's about shining our light. I like that one.

Cherish: So this one is called . . . 

IS YOUR LAMPSTAND LOCKED UP?

Is your lamp stand locked up in the basement to waste away?

Or is it shining fervently throughout all of the day?

Is your lamp shining brightly so the lost can see?

Or does it stand in the dark, withering like an old tree?

Do you fill up your lamp and never let it go out?

Or do you let darkness cover it and fill it with doubt?

Let's be a lampstand that shines out firm and strong

Blinding out everything that's evil and wrong.

NC: That is so great! I love to come over and read the poems and stories you girls are writing. That's why I had some of them here. I pinched them! (laughter)

Yes, well, our time has gone so quickly again. I love to pray for you each time, but I even found a prayer that Cherish had written. So I'm going to get her to pray it for yourself. I think you could pray it with her, and we can all pray it for ourselves as Cherish reads it. OK, darling?

Cherish:

“My life won't change truly, apart from being with Christ.

Instead of dwelling on stuff that doesn't matter, I want my first thought in the morning to be about thinking and praising Him.

God, You never created me for my own self, my own pleasure, my own fulfillment, my own desires. You created me for Your image, for Your likeness, for Your love.

Father, I put off every work of the flesh. I say these things shouldn’t own me and never will.

God, I thank You for being my Father.

Lord God, I put on Your tender mercies, Your loving kindness, and I rejoice that Your heart is inside me. I rejoice that I look through the eyes You behold in the Father.

Thank You for changing me. Amen.”

NC: Amen. Thank You, Lord God, for changing each one of us. We yield our lives to You again, that You will change us, that we will allow You to change us, that we will not stubbornly stay in our rut, but that we will let You change us and grow us into Your image. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”