Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

To use or not to use.

I recently talked to a friend from a different state who was staying in our home. As I spread the tablecloth in readiness for supper, she said “I don’t know one other mother among my homeschooling group who uses tablecloths.”

“Do you like naked tables?” I asked.

Just as I clothe myself, I love to clothe my table when we sit to eat. Dear young mothers with little darlings all around you, please don’t turn off as you read this It is possible to use tablecloths even when your children are little. You can purchase a pretty tablecloth and a large piece of clear plastic. Place the plastic over the tablecloth and all you need to do is wipe it down at the end of the meal. You need to wipe down the table anyway, and it’s just as easy to wipe the plastic.

There are seasons in life. When my children were little, I used plastic over my tablecloth. Now the children have grown, I no longer need to do this. I am amazed that I don’t have to wash my tablecloth every time we sit for a meal. I find I can use it several times before I notice marks on it. Plus, I like to use different tablecloths throughout the week.

I have a great supply of tablecloths and look for them at Goodwill. I have pretty pieces of material I use as tablecloths. I have some that have been given as gifts, but I’ve never spent a lot of money on them.

I am writing this in reply to some of the comments to the picture of table below. One person wrote: “I don't have the means to set a beautiful table. My plates are all mismatched. Tablecloths are all stained, and candles are a luxury.”

Do you know that it is possible to set a beautiful table even when you don’t have much? Get your children involved. They love to make things beautiful and they are very creative. It may not look professional, but it will be special. Get them to go outside and find some flowers or greenery to put in a vase for the table. Teach them how to set the table correctly. Give each child a turn and encourage them to make the table as creative as they can. It will become a competition with the children to see who can make it the best.

Children should see that the table is the heart of the home. The more effort we put into making it beautiful, the more these memories will be implanted into their hearts.

I think we have placed a low status upon the table in our society today. Let’s lift the standard. I remember reading in John McCain’s book, “Faith of my Fathers” about how his parents came to each evening meal dressed for the occasion, his father in an evening suit and his mother in a long evening gown. I’m not saying we should do this, but it showed the importance they place on the family meal table back in those days.

My husband always comes to the table dressed appropriately. Never in work clothes. He always changes and dresses suitably. Usually in his suit coat.

Another lady writes about the picture below: “I think it’s lovely! However, I don’t have money, or space to buy or store all those beautiful dishes!” Nor do I. I don’t own beautiful heirloom china like my dear friend in the picture below. Most of my dishes come from Goodwill. You can gradually gather sets of the same color. Sometimes I use a different dish for each person for the evening supper. You don’t do the same thing every evening. But you can always make it special.

Another mother says: “I want things simple, so I can focus on my friends and family.” Good statement. People are always more important than things. The children are far more important than the tablecloth and plates. But don’t negate these things, dear mothers. Even if you can’t do it in your most busy seasons (maybe a new baby in the home), do it as you can.

My goal for every meal is to “Make every meal a love affair.”

Love from Nancy Campbell

Picture: http://everydayliving.me/…/tablescape-tuesday-english-coun…/

I think it’s inherent within us to protect our families and our homes, don’t you? I was reminded of this again when I typed the Scripture we discussed yesterday. Psalm 144:14 says: “Our enemies will not invade our land, and there’ll be no breach in our walls.” This is one of the blessings of a nation that follows the ways of God.

But this is what I can’t understand. We have certain senators and congressmen and women who don’t want to protect our nation. They openly want terrorists to come freely into our land. They welcome anyone, even those who can’t support themselves. “Don’t worry. We’ll feed you, house you, and pay your medical bills,” they say. But who pays? Us taxpayers. They want to establish more Sanctuary Cities to house terrorists. This thinking is so unnatural to normal instinct. Normality wants to protect.

We currently have approximately 11.2 million undocumented immigrants living in USA. Some say 12.5 million. In 2017 FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) reported the total cost of illegal immigration at $135 billion a year. Some reports say more and some less.

Interestingly, many of these politicians have fences around their own homes, and some even have guards. We would not be against them doing this. It’s normal. We all desire protection and privacy. But with this mindset, why don’t they want to guard the nation they are paid by us to protect?

God blesses a nation that walks in His ways. "Righteousness exalts a nation” Proverbs 14:34 states. One of the blessings is that we will have no invaders and no breaks in our walls. We will be secure. Sadly, we have thousands of people trying to invade our land, expecting to walk in freely while carrying the flags of their own countries! I watched one young man on the news from the caravan proudly state: “Not even God will stop me coming in!”

If we have any normal instinct within us, we’ll stand for protecting our borders.

Of course, we should welcome those who come legally. We are legal immigrants ourselves. We came to this wonderful country 27 years ago. We then applied for Green cards and became “resident aliens.” We later applied for citizenship and are very proud to be American citizens.

What does God say? The nation that has no invaders will be happy! The last verse of Psalm 144 says: “HAPPY is that people, that is in such a case: yea, HAPPY is that people, whose God is the LORD.”

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

Psalm 144 ends with the wonderful words: “Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!” (Psalm 144:15 (ESV).

Who are these blessed people? And what are the blessings that fall upon them?

Before I answer, let’s look at some other translations to see how they describe “esher,” the double happy word.

“O THE HAPPINESS of the people that is thus” (Young’s Literal Translation)

“HOW BLESSED are the people who experience these things!” (New English Translation).

“WHAT BLISS we experience when these blessings fall!” (The Passion Translation)

Now let’s discover the blessings. We find the first blessings in verse 12. All about our children. God always puts first things first. It describes our sons as well-nurtured plants, flourishing in their youth. We do not keep them like little boys but instead raise them to maturity. The Young’s translation says they are “BECOMING GREAT in their youth.” Did you notice those words? In their youth. Not when they are older.

How sad to see young men today, already in their twenties, and yet still immature. Not ready to take on the responsibility of marriage and family. Sometimes still relying on their families when they should be establishing a new godly family themselves.

Let’s raise our boys to become men who know how to take responsibility. That means gradually giving them responsibility in their youth. To see this happening in your sons is bliss!

Verse 12 then speaks about our daughters growing up strong and beautiful like pillars in a palace. They are preparing to be queens of their own domains. They are fit for royalty. They do not succumb to the worldly and fleshly spirit that woos so many young girls. To watch our daughters grow up pure and godly, prepared, and ready to raise families is also great bliss.

But we must go back further. For these wonderful blessings to happen we must pray the prayer David prayed and to take a stand against deception and evil like David did. David prayed two times in this psalm: “Deliver me and save me from these dark powers who speak nothing but lies. Their words are pure deceit and you can’t trust anything they say. Deliver us!” (Psalm 144:11 (TPT).

In other words, we must keep our children from deception and evil. That means their education. Sadly, today, our public education is being taken over by socialist, liberal mindset. The transgender mandate is now promoted in our schools. Muslim teaching is included in our textbooks, but not Christianity. We won’t grow children described in this psalm while we allow them to be duped and deceived by these evils.

When we raise godly children other blessings automatically follow. Let’s read all the blessings that make the people of a nation happy from The Passion Translation:

“Then our homes will be happy. Our sons will grow up as strong, sturdy men and our daughters with graceful beauty, royally fashioned as for a palace. Our barns will be filled to the brim, overflowing with the fruits of our harvest. Our fields will be full of sheep and cattle, too many to count, and our livestock will not miscarry their young. Our enemies will not invade our land, and there’ll be no breach in our walls. Whet bliss we experience when these blessings fall! The people who love and serve our God will be happy indeed!”

Amen and Amen!

Nancy Campbell

We need to daily invoke God’s protection. Every morning at our Family Devotions we pray for God‘s protection over each one in our family. Do you take time to do this too? Our safety is not of ourselves, but of the Lord (Deuteronomy 33:12 and Proverbs 21:31). Read also Psalm 115:11

GOD IS YOUR TRIUMPHANT SWORD
Another blessing of Deuteronomy 33;29. God’s Word is a sword that is more powerful than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). But God is also a Sword. Only God can cut down the enemy. We cannot do it in our name. Only in His powerful name. God will fight for us as we make our stand for truth and righteousness.

God will not fight for us unless we rise with him. He will not fight for us if we sit back and do not take a stand. We can’t sit on the sideline. We must also get into the battle. We read repeated promises in God’s Word how God fights for us, but He expects us to fight too.

Here are a few examples:
Deuteronomy 7:2, 3:
God’s promise: “When the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee.”
Your part: “Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them.”

Deuteronomy 9:3:
God’s promise: “The Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them (nations greater and mightier . . . cities great and fenced up to heaven. . . a people great and tall . . . giants), and he shall bring them down before thy face.”
Your part: “Thou shalt drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.”

Deuteronomy 33:27:
God’s promise: “He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say . . .“
Your Part: “Destroy them.”

GOD ENABLES YOU TO TRAMPLE DOWN YOUR ENEMIES
Deuteronomy 33:29 (NET) says: “May your enemies cringe before you; may you trample on their backs.” We can experience this promise when we allow God to deliver and protect us. When we trust in our own thinking and own devices, we fail. When we trust in our great God and stand on His side, He fights for us.

And you will have joy!

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

Isaiah 56:1, 2 (RSV): “Thus says the LORD: ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. Blessed (happy happy) is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast.’”

To live a truly happy life we must make it a habit of our lives to execute justice and righteousness. Justice and righteousness are the habitation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). He lives in these anointings. He wants us to also. This is the way to build our families. But its something we can’t do with in our own intelligence or ability. It’s only God who enables us. As mothers, we must press into God to receive from Him. His wisdom. His justice and His righteousness. It’s so easy to do it wrongly when we do it our way. It’s only God’s way that brings joy and happiness into our homes.

Like me, are you challenged by the testimony of Abraham’s parenting? Genesis 18:17, 18 (RSV) states: “I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice” God commands it. It’s not an option. This is what parenting is about. Training our children in the ways of justice and righteousness.

How do you balance justice and lovingkindness? I find this very difficult. How can I do both at the same time? And yet God does. He is 100 percent righteousness and justice and 100 percent lovingkindness. That’s why we need Him to teach us and guide as we parent our children.

Jeremiah 9:24 says: “Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

Do you want happiness to fill your home? Seek God’s wisdom to exercise justice and righteousness. But of course, we must operate it in our own lives before we can impart it into our children’s lives.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

And there is one more! You'll never guess!

It is found in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The word "train" is "hanuk," the verb of hanukkah, meaning "to initiate, dedicate, consecrate." It is not enough to celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. As parents, we are FULLTIME HANUKKAH CELEBRATORS!

When we realize that training our children means to dedicate them to the Lord, it gives us a much larger and loftier vision. Everything we do and plan for our children should be done in the light of dedicating our them to the Lord and setting them apart for His service. It's not a one-time dedication. It is a verb which requires daily action.

When our children are disobedient or don't complete what we have asked them to, we can sometimes be lazy and let it go. But not if we understand we are daily dedicating them to the Lord. How can we let things go when we consecrating them to God's holy service? We have the responsibility to train them to obedient so they will be obedient to the Lord!

As children get older, they can become more worldly and want to do what other worldly teens are doing. We could think, "Oh that's the stage they are going through." But not if we understand that we are daily consecrating them to the Lord. We will pray up a storm. We will fight the devil. We will work with our children to keep them on the narrow road that leads to life. We will do everything to save them from the broad road that leads to destruction. WE ARE PROVERBS 22:6 HANUKKAH PARENTS!

When we "hanuk" our children, it determines how we educate our children. It would be ludicrous to send our children into an ungodly education system each day if we are daily consecrating them for God's purposes.

As we consecrate and daily dedicate our children to the Lord, we recognize they belong to the Lord for whatever time God has for them on this earth. Above everything else, we know that we are ultimately preparing them for eternity.

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL

How did they keep the lamps burning day after day, year after year? God said they had to attend to the lamps every morning and every evening. They had to trim the wicks and pour more oil into the lamps, the oil speaking of the Holy Spirit. Once a day was not sufficient. They had to do it two times a day to keep the light burning

This is a pattern for our lives today. When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He fills us with His light, but it is very easy for the light to dim, or even go out. There are many temptations, deceptions, and evils around that diminish our light, and the light in our children’s lives To keep the light burning, we must tend to it every morning and evening. We need to do this individually and as a family.

A powerful way to keep God's light burning in every member of our family is to have Family Devotions (or whatever you call it in your home) every morning and evening. Each time we come together as a family to read God’s Word and pray together, we relight our lamps. If we fail to do this, our light can go out very quickly.

How big is the flame in your family? We are not meant to be a flickering light, but a great light. If your flame is only smoldering, get back to God's "morning and evening" principle.” It's the only way that works. Let the light in "the holy place" of your temple and your home shine brightly.

Be encouraged.

Nancy Campbell

MAMMOTH SALE!
P.S. Do you wonder how to go about having Family Devotions in your home? A wonderful help for you, which we use every day, is THE DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH. It has Scriptures written for every morning and every evening, plus ideas on how to make this an exciting time with your family. We are currently discounting this book with $10.00 off the retail price. Get it while you can. Scroll down until you come to the AMAZING CHRISTMAS SPECIALS and you can order.

Because they would not bend and turn from God's laws this dear mother watched as Antiochus tortured her fourth, fifth, and sixth sons the same way. The mother had only one son left, her beloved youngest. Antiochus tried to influence the mother to save his life. He promised he would make him rich and prosperous and even a political advisor. She obliged by turning to her youngest son saying: "Son, pity me who carried you in the womb nine months, nursed you for three years, nurtured you, and brought you into this stage of life with care. I beg you, child . . . Don't fear this killer but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death so that in God's mercy I should recover you with your brothers" (2 Maccabees 7:27-29). She watched her last son die before she was put to death herself.

This mother was a nurturing and caring mother. But she had a vision for her children beyond this earth. She raised her sons to fear God rather than man. She raised them to stand for truth, no matter what the consequences. She raised them to see beyond this earth to the endless life of the heavenly.

May God help us to be courageous mothers. May He save us from raising wimpy, mediocre children who are seduced by the humanist trend of an ungodly society. May He anoint us with the mighty power of God to raise children who will have the courage to stand for God and for truth, no matter what persecution they face.

Ephesians 6:13: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all TO STAND.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

(You can read the whole of this amazing story in the Apocrypha in 2 Maccabees chapter seven).

They built a new altar with whole unpolished stones (because the altar had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes), brought in the Lampstand, the Altar of Incense, and the Table of Showbread, and offered sacrifices as God originally commanded. "So they celebrated the rededication of the altar for eight days" (1 Maccabees 4:56).

How does this affect our lives? God no longer lives in the Holy of Holies in the temple, but in our bodies, which are the temple of His Holy Spirit. We are not only the temple of the Holy Spirit, but the "naos" which speaks of the Holy of Holies. This is the word which is used in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:16. What an indescribable truth!

1 Corinthians 6:19, 20: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple (“naos” which is the word for Holy of Holies) of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” You are now the place where God wants to reside in all His glory.

Our temples may not be desolate, but it is easy for us to allow things to come into our lives which grieve the Holy Spirit and spoil and dirty our “naos.” Just as the Maccabees had to cleanse and rededicate the temple, so we need times in our lives when we rededicate our bodies to the Lord.

Therefore, it is a good idea to have a rededication service one night during Hanukah and dedicate our temples again to the Lord. Choose which morning or evening you would like to do this together as a family. Explain it to your children. Ask each one of them to confess to the Lord anything in their lives that grieves the Holy Spirit and to rededicate their "body temple" to the Lord. This includes mom and dad too, of course. Each one can do this silently or aloud, as you feel led of the Holy Spirit.

When we have all dedicated ourselves individually, the father can rededicate the whole family to be a living sacrifice to the Lord and to be set apart for His purposes (Romans 12:1, 2).

I know that the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily as you experience this dedication service in your home.

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

Painting: “The Family at Prayer” by Haddon Sundblom.

In the Bible Egypt speaks of darkness, deception, and the spirit of this world. God does not want us to have any part of Egypt. Read Isaiah 30:1-3; 31:1-3; 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18; and Revelation 18:4. He wants us to separate from the kingdom of darkness. Separate. Severe. No blur. No grey.

When dark thoughts come into our minds, or evil tendencies from the enemy, we separate immediately!

As parents, we must guard against the dark things of evil subtly coming into our home. We must watch the little grey areas. They gradually multiply. You can be outside at dusk and the darkness slowly comes. Then suddenly it is black. We must guard against the encroaching darkness in our homes.

Job 5:5, 6 (GW) speaks of the wicked and says: “The flame of his fire stops glowing. The light in his tent becomes dark.” We must not let the light in our homes become dark. We must expose and push out all darkness and daily open our home to the light of God.

Isaiah 670:1-3: “Arise shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Proverbs 20:27 says "The spirit of man is the candle (light) of the Lord." Have you noticed that when a new baby is born into a family that a heavenly atmosphere fills the home? There is an "awe" that we experience with a new babe. It’s a new light from heaven. Little children are so open to God.

Why then, do many walk in darkness? The answer is in John 3:19-21. We are all born with a light from God, but we can either push back the light or open to the light. It is a privilege for children to be born into a home where parents love God. They kindle the light to make it grow brighter. In an ungodly home, the light with which they are born can be gradually extinguished or often smothered completely.

I believe that every time we say Yes to God and obey the prompting of His Holy Spirit within our hearts, we experience more light in our lives. Every time we say No to God and are disobedient to the Word, we accept darkness. Teach your children this principle, dear mother. Teach them that saying Yes to you and to God will bring them to further light (Proverbs 4:18). Teach them that when they say No to you and \ to God's ways, their minds and hearts will cloud with darkness.

Job 18:5, 6 says: "Yes, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him." I don't want it to be dark in my home, naturally or spiritually. I hate to have curtains and blinds pulled over and everything looking dark. My curtains are always open (just as well I live in the country!). I love the light and the more the better. And it’s the same spiritually. I want more and more spiritual light in my home and less and less of darkness. I'm sure you don't want it to be dark in your home either.

Let's open our hearts and minds MORE AND MORE to the light of God. Let’s encourage our children into more and more of the light and revelation of God. Begin each day by praying, "Oh Lord God, please flood my mind, my heart, and my home with your light, today. Amen."

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

P.S. Other Scriptures: Job 21:17; Proverbs 13:9; 20:20; and 24:20.

In the midst of this thinking Jesus boldly and publically declared, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30). In other words, He confessed that He was God, which of course, He was! This was too much for the Jews who, remembering Antiochus Epiphanes the evil blasphemer, took up stones to stone him (John 10:22-33).

It was no coincidence that Jesus chose this timing to speak these words. Everything about Hanukkah speaks of standing up for truth even in the face of danger.

May we never cringe to speak the truth, no matter what the consequences. "The righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

Below are a list of Scriptures for you to read during the Hanukkah Celebration, if you would like to do this.

As a family, we love to celebrate Christmas, not the tinsel and glamor, but the preciousness of gathering together as a family. Our family gatherings are so special and wonderful. We also love to remember the most amazing event in the world when God sent His Son to this world—into the womb of a woman and to be born as a little baby.

Bible commentators agree that Jesus was not born at this Christmas time when the world remembers His birth. He would most probably have been born around the month of September during the Feast of Tabernacles. However, this time of the year is most probably that time He was divinely conceived by the power of the of Holy Ghost. Incredible. God coming to the earth as a "seed" from the Father. I am in awe.

“Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!”

I am sure you are like me and can do nothing less than fall to your knees in wonder and worship!

However, we also love to celebrate Hanukkah. We love to light the Hanukkah candles each night and to also read Scriptures about the Light during our morning and evening devotions. Why do we celebrate Hanukkah?

1. It is a celebration that Jesus celebrated. Read John 10:22, 23.

2. Hanukkah in the Hebrew means "dedication." God's temple was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC, but the Maccabees family led a revolt against the Seleucid armies and called the nation back to God. After they had driven them out of Judea and Jerusalem, the Maccabees consecrated and rededicated the temple. However, God no longer lives in a temple in Jerusalem, but lives in the temple of our hearts. We like to use Hanukkah as time to rededicate the temple of our lives to God.

3. It is called the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) and also the Festival of Lights. It celebrates the re-lighting of the Menorah. They could only find enough oil for one day, but miraculously the lights kept burning for eight days while they prepared the anointing oil, specifically commanded in the Scriptures. Because this celebration remembers the relighting of the menorah, we like to read Scriptures about God and Christ who are the light and how He also wants us to be His light in this world. We do this at our Family Devotions each morning and evening. And each night we light a Hanukkah candle.

I will post the Scriptures at the end of this article. Read and meditate on them in your personal devotional time. Then choose the ones you would like to use with your family. For each day, you may like to take half the Scriptures at Family Devotions in the morning and the other half in the evening, or whatever works out in your home.

If you have older children, it's a lovely idea for each one to have their own Bible and give a Scripture for each one to read aloud--and to share what they feel God is saying through the Scriptures. If you have little ones, you may only want to take one, or one or two Scriptures from the list and talk about it.

And don't forget to ask your children questions as you read the Scriptures. This is how you learn together.

During the eight days of Hanukkah, I usually send out a post each day telling you a little story about Hanukkah that relates to us as mothers, or a revelation from the Scriptures about the meaning of Hanukkah.. You will be inspired, blessed, and encouraged.

By the way, you may like to take time to read the history of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha. The books in the Apocrypha were not chosen to be part of the cannon of Scripture but the books of Maccabees, 1, 2, 3, and 4 are great historical reading and tell how the Jewish nation was saved from extinction at that time. I am sure God used these brave men to protect His people and especially the coming Messiah. No wonder our Savior, Jesus Christ celebrated Hanukkah.

SCRIPTURES FOR YOU TO READ EACH DAY FOR HANUKKAH

Day 1
God is the Source of Light and gives Light
Genesis 1:3-5
Exodus 27:20-21; 40:24-25; cf. Leviticus 24:1-4; Numbers 8:1-3
Exodus 13:21; Nehemiah 9:12,19
Psalm 36:9
Psalm 104:1-2
Matthew 17:2 (You can read the whole story in Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13; and Luke 9:28-36).
1 Timothy 6:16
James 1:17

Day 2
Jesus is the Light of the World
Isaiah 9:2, cf. Matthew 4:12-17
Luke 1:76-79; 2:27-32
John 1:4-9, cf. Job 18:5-6; 21:17; Proverbs 13:9; 20:20; 24:20.
John 3:19-21
John 8:12
John 9:5
John 12:44-46
Acts 26:22-23
Ephesians 5:14

Day 3
Shine the Light of Jesus to the world
Proverbs 4:18
Isaiah 58:6-8, 10
Isaiah 60:1-2
Matthew 5:14-16
Luke 12:35
John 5:35
Acts 13:47
2 Corinthians 4:4-6
Philippians 2:14, 15

Day 4
God's Word is our Light
Ezra 9:8
Psalm 19:7-11
Psalm 119:18, 105, 130
Proverbs 6:20-24
Luke 24:30-32 (You can read the whole story in verses 13-32).
Ephesians 1:17-18
2 Peter 1:19-21

Day 5
Walk in the Light
Psalm 89:15
Isaiah 2:5
Romans 13:12-14
2 Corinthians 4:4-7
1 John 1:6-9
1 John 2:8-11
Ephesians 5:8-20

Day 6
Out of Darkness into Light
2 Samuel 22:29 (Psalm 18:28)
Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah 50:10
Acts 26:17-18
1 Corinthians 4:5
1 Thessalonians 5:5
1 Peter 2:9

Day 7
Living in God is to live in Light
Psalm 4:6
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 37:3-6
Psalm 43:3-4
Psalm 112:4
Micah 7:8

Day 8
God is the Light of Heaven
Isaiah 24:23; 30:26
Isaiah 60:19, 20
Revelation 21:22-25
Revelation 22:3-5

Blessings, Nancy

Not even eternity will reveal the greatness and the tremendous cost of our salvation. To think God loved us so much that He was willing to give His only Beloved Son to die and shed His blood for our sons. To redeem us from the hand of the enemy. To free us from the kingdom of darkness. To give us eternal salvation.

We dare not ever taken our salvation for granted. When it is time to pray every morning and evening at our Family Devotions, I cannot refrain from thanking God again for His glorious redemption. It is a twice daily habit of my life.

Being saved does not exempt us from the trials and hardships of this life as we walk through as strangers and pilgrims on our way to the eternal realm. But no matter what we face, we can still be happy. We are blessed because we have a glorious future. An eternal salvation. This life is only a vapor ad we rejoice in our life to come.

Don’t you love the promise in 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Do you notice that the afflictions we endure in this life will reap for us a FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT of glory? God uses FIVE adjectives to describe the glory that awaits us!

No need for complaining, despondency, and self-pity. We are saved by the Lord. We are blessed. Rejoice with your family today.

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

Job 5;17 says: “Behold, happy (happy happy) is the man whom God correcteth: therefore, despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.” The NLT says: “Consider the joy of those corrected by God!”

Do you mean to say we are to be happy when God corrects and chastens us? I think the happiness is not while we are being corrected, but what happens to us through the correction.

We need to be reminded of God’s words to us in Hebrews 12:11 (NLT): “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Let’s read the TPT translation: ‘Now all discipline seems to be more pain than pleasure at the time, yet later it will produce a TRANSFORMATION OF CHARACTER, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace TO THOSE WHO YIELD TO IT.”

Why can we be happy when we are corrected? Because as we YIELD to the correction, we grow and mature and our character is transformed. But do you notice the secret? We must yield to the correction. Get out of the habit of resisting and into the habit of yielding.

God doesn’t want us to stay the same. His purposes us to be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). He wants to change us into the image of Jesus “from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

One of the most important things in our lives is to cultivate a soft heart, a heart that is open to receive correction. The hardest part is that God usually uses people to correct us. We’d feel good if it was God doing it. But He uses His agents. Yes, He does it, but through people. He uses our husband, family members, or other people in our lives.

It doesn’t matter how old we are. There’s still more correction to come because God does not want to stop taking us from one glory to another.

Do you want to stay in the same place you are now? I hope not. I certainly don’t. I know God has so much more to do in me. But the way it happens is through correction. Through exposing the things in our lives that displease the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

And here’s a good point to remember. As we keep soft hearts toward God and His correction in our lives, it is an example to our children. How can we expect them to receive our discipline when we reject discipline in our own lives?

What joy when each family understands this basic truth. When husband and wife and children are all open to the correction of the Lord! This is a growing and maturing family.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Painting: Ain Vares Art