The psalmist exclaims in Psalm 84:1 (NLT), "HOW LOVELY is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies." He yearned to dwell in the house of the Lord. There was no place he wanted to be more.

Because Jesus Christ died and rose again, we now have the privilege of living in His presence continually. Yes, in the midst of all that is happening in your home. With your little ones needing you all at once. No matter what you are facing, Jesus wants you to "abide in Him" (John 15:4, 5, 7). Dwelling in the One who is all wisdom, love, peace, and holiness. It is the most lovely place to be. It is the most powerful place to be--He is the Lord of the armies of Heaven!

Sadly, we don't always live where God wants us to live in our daily lives, do we? We forget what Ephesians 2:6 tells us that He has "raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

What is the result of dwelling in Him? Psalm 84:4 goes on to tell us that those who dwell in His presence "will be singing Your praises all the day long." All day long? "You don't know what's going on at my house," you reply. Dear mother, you can experience this "how lovely" as you dwell in Christ Jesus. Instead of allowing your circumstances to overcome you, live in Christ.

Thank Him that you live in His presence where there is fullness of joy. Thank Him that you are seated with Him in the place of authority and power over all your enemies challenges.

Have a LOVELY day.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Did you get to see this movie when it came to the theaters? It is very powerful. It is now out on DVD. We watched it again as a family on the weekend. If you haven't seen it, I'd encourage you to get hold of it. It really exposes what is being taught in our colleges today--and of what can happen when even one young person is not afraid to stand up for truth.

Our eldest son (manager of the Newsboys and who got the inspiration for this movie) were with us for supper on the weekend. He shared so many amazing stories and miracles of lives that have been changed through the movie. He shared one story of how, after seeing the movie, a young teenage boy who was at lake with his family, wrote on the sand, GOD'S NOT DEAD. His father gave him a fist bump and he went out in the boat. Very tragically, there was an accident and he didn't come back alive. But what a victory that his last words were GOD'S NOT DEAD. And because of this wonderful truth, he is alive in eternity.

Now in the making for the future is BELIEVE, and GOD'S NOT DEAD II.

Love from Nancy

Last night Serene and the children stayed with us again. This morning our discussions were on many different subjects. One of them was Israel.

I shared a Scripture I read this last week that I hadn't noticed before. "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance" (Deuteronomy 32:8-9).

My Bible references Genesis 10:5, 25, 32; 11:5-9; and Acts 17:26). God first apportioned this land in the center of the earth for His people before any other nation. And that was even before the birth of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was already in His plan and heart from the very foundation of the world. He allowed the Canaanites to live there until Israel had grown into a nation and were ready to possess the Lord.

Again in Exodus 6:4, 8 (Knox), God reminds the people of the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they were sojourning in the land of Canaan as pilgrims to give them this particular land for "AN EVERLASTING POSSESSION" (Genesis 17:8). They sojourned the land but it was not yet their home, but at the appropriate time He led them back to make it their home.

No matter what we think best in with our humanistic minds, nor what propaganda we listen to on the liberal media, it will not stand against the eternal Word of God which will last forever. God gave this land to Israel for an everlasting possession, and what we think will never change this fact. The best idea is to get on God's side. It's scary to be on the wrong side of God.

Blessings from Nancy

We have been discussing how God wants us to overcome and conquer in life. Another description the Bible uses is to "reign in life" (Romans 5:17). To reign means to rule and live like a king, and as believers, we are now "kings and priests" (Revelation 1:6 and 5:10).

What does this mean? It means that our circumstances, our difficulties and tribulations, and even our frustrations and disappointments should not overpower us. We can live on top of them, not by our own strength, but by the power of the resurrection life of Christ who dwells within us. We can even look down upon them because positionally we are seated in Christ Jesus in heavenly places where He rules at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6). Oh, don't we fall far short of all that Christ has done for us and wants to effectively work in us each day?

Lift your vision today, dear mother. I know you will face many frustrations and challenges as you live life and mother your children today. Don't let them overpower you. Instead, lift up your eyes to the Lord, thank Him that He, the Conquering Christ, dwells in you. Thank Him for the victory. Praise Him that you have an opportunity to reign. You can't reign if you don't have something to reign over!

And let's be encouraged by the two million precious believers who are being persecuted right now around the world. They are facing "tribulation, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, peril, and sword" and yet they are conquering and reigning in their suffering (Romans 8:36-37). Our little problems fall into insignificance in the light of their suffering.

Be encouraged to reign in your home today. Love from Nancy Campbell

In my post about raising young men I cited 1 Samuel 10:12 where Joab encourages his soldiers to "play the man." The word in the Hebrew is "chazaq" and means "to be strong, courageous, valiant, to conquer." What the Bible is saying is that it is the characteristic of men to be strong and courageous to protect their homes and their nations.

Every time it talks about being strong and courageous in the Knox translation, he translates it "play the man." You will notice how over and over again God inspires His leaders and His people to be courageous and "play the man." I'll list the Scriptures here for you. They are very powerful and I am sure you will want to print them off for your husbands and sons.

God told Moses to "Give charge to Joshua, bid him take heart and PLAY THE MAN" (Deuteronomy1: 28 and 3:28).

Moses charged the Israelites, "PLAY THE MAN, and keep your courage high; there must be no cowardice, no flinching before them" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

"Then Moses summoned Joshua, and said to him in the presence of all Israel, PLAY THE MAN, and keep thy courage high" (Deuteronomy 31:7, 23).

God charged Joshua, "Courage then, PLAY THE MAN . . . PLAY THE MAN thou must, and keep thy courage high, carrying out faithfully the law my servant Moses enjoined on thee; never swerve to right or left and thou shalt order thy life truly. . . . Courage and A MAN'S PART, that is what I ask of thee; no room for fear and shrinking back, when the Lord thy God is at thy side wherever thou goest. . . . Courage, then, PLAY THE MAN" (Joshua 1:6-9, 19). Do you notice that he encourages him to play the man four times in this one message?

David charged his son Solomon who was to be king in his stead, "Do thou keep thy courage high and PLAY THE MAN" (1 Kings 2:2).

Joab to his army, "PLAY THE MAN, fight we valiantly for our people, and for the city walls that are sacred to our God" (2 Samuel 10:12 and 1 Chronicles 19:13).

"David charged Solomon, "Courage, then, my son; the Lord be with thee, and prosper thou ever. Build a house for the Lord thy God, as he has promised . . . PLAY THE MAN, and keep thy courage high, never doubting, never daunted. . . . To the task, then! The Lord will be ever at thy side" (1 Chronics 22:11, 13, 16).

David to Solomon again, "Here is this house to be built, the Lord's sanctuary; on thee his choice has fallen; courage! To the task!" (1 Chronicles 28:10,).

"PLAY A MAN'S PART said David to Solomon; courage! To the task! Never doubting, never daunted; the Lord thy God will be at thy side, never failing thee, never forsaking thee, and see that thou hast strength to do all that must be done for his temple" (1 Chronicles 28:20).

God encouraged King Asa through the prophet Azarias, "But you, take courage; never slacken your resolve . . . Upon hearing the inspired words of this prophet, Asa's courage rose" (2 Chronicles 15:7, 8).

When the king of Assyria ;came to fight against King Hezekiah, he gathered the people for war and encouraged them, "PLAY THE MAN, he said, and keep your courage high; let there be no shrinking, no faint hearts, at the sight of the Assyrian king and the hordes that follow him; we have many more on our side than they on theirs. Theirs is but mortal strength; we have the Lord our God to aid us, and fight on our side" (2 Chronicles 32:7, 8).

God spoke to Daniel, "Nay, fears are not for thee . . . Take courage, and PLAY A MAN'S PART! With that, I found my strength again; Speak on, my Lord, said I; thou hast put new heart into me" (Daniel 10:19).

"Take heart, keep high your courage, all you that wait patiently for the Lord" (Psalm 31:14).

What is a man's part? To be strong, courageous, and valiant. May God give wisdom and anointing to train our sons accordingly.

Be encouraged. Nancy Campbell

Here is a poem for your sons to read, or even better, to learn:

GUARD YOUR LIFE--Body, Soul and Spirit!

Keep yourself pure, spirit, body and soul,
And keep your mind absolutely whole!
If a bad thought creeps in, send it flying!
It will save you heartache and lots of crying.

If you resist the devil, he will surely run
And you’ll have victory in the name of God’s Son,
The name that has power to conquer all sin,
Confess His name and send evil for a spin!

God promises to help you keep your mind clean
When from God’s Word you read and glean.
As you fill your mind with God’s Word every day
There will be no room for the devil to stay!

Remember to pray! You can’t live without prayer,
It should be as familiar as breathing air!
Prayer brings the victory and wins the day
When temptations come along the way.

Never stay on the fence, choose what is right,
Choose what is holy in God’s sight,
Hate what is evil, love what is pure
And no matter what, you will endure!

~ Nancy Campbell

What a privilege, and yet great RESPONSIBILITY to raise sons. We are raising them to be family leaders. Many of them will also be leaders of organizations, communities, churches, and even strategic positions in the nation. To us is given this great privilege of training them.

But God doesn't leave us floundering. He shows us how He wants us to do it. 1 John 2:14 gives a picture of what young men are to be like: "I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." The inspired Word of God lists three things we must impart to our sons:

Do any of you remember doing Sword Drill as a child? I used to do it when I was a child and then I did it with my children as they were growing up. It's a great way to help them get used to looking up Scriptures and finding their way around the Bible. They love it.

I used to get all the children stand in a line with their Bibles on their heads and hands by their sides (that's good posture practice)! Or you could do it as in the picture, or get them to hold up their Bible like a sword. I call out a reference (e.g. 1 Timothy 3:16) and say, "Get set, r-e-a-d-y, GO." Or you could use the word, "CHARGE!" They immediately grab their Bible and look for the Scripture. The first one to find it reads it out loud. It 's good to give some references from the Old Testament and some from the New.

Have fun teaching your children to use to use the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).

Love from Nancy

Serene and the children stayed with us last night seeing Sam is away in China at present. As Serene read her Bible this morning she commented, "I used to read my Bible on my iPhone, but I now like to use my Bible. When they see me on my iPhone, they automatically think I am working on Trim Healthy Mama or doing research, but I want them to see that I love the Word and it is my sustenance and wisdom for the day."

Most mornings at our home we have great theological discussion, and often on other subjects, too. This morning this topic became our discussion. I agreed with Serene. Now that most people have the Bible downloaded on their iPhones or iPads, they don't need to pick up their Bible. I feel sad about that. Yes, I have the Bible downloaded on my iPad. I love it. On my King James Bible download I can click on any word and it takes me to the Hebrew or Greek word and also gives me every other place where that same word is used. Most informative. Did you know that sometimes there are 20, 50, or even 100 or more different words translated in the English from the same Hebrew or Greek word?

I also have many other translations downloaded and although I read the King James Bible, I love to refer to other translations.

But I like to use these helps alongside my Bible. I like to hold my Bible. I love my Bible. When I go to church, I take my Bible and my iPad. I follow the Scriptures in my Bible, but can refer to a word on my iPad that I would like more understanding about. I feel sad that it is rare for people to carry their Bible to church these days. Even most preachers preach from their iPhones. I'm certainly not against this, but I love to see the Bible open. There is something about it!

And can I let you in on a secret? I often feel disconcerted when people open their iPhones when I am speaking. I can never be sure if they are really following the Scriptures or if they are just checking their emails. Sadly, I have noticed women texting! Can you imagine how distracting that is? It can just about make you forget what you are saying!

Serene went on to say that her husband, Sam, reads the Bible on his phone. However, when he was away doing contracts, the guys would all play games on their phones. Although Sam was reading the Word, they most probably thought he was playing along just like them. He didn't want them to think this, so purchased a little pocket New Testament to read during those lunch hours.

The Bible is a testimony! I like to read it when flying. People get convicted seeing someone reading the Bible. They don't get convicted by iPhones.

I am not sharing these thoughts as law--just how I feel about it. If you joined our morning or any other time discussions in our home, you would soon find that we don't all agree. We all love to share our convictions as this is what sharpens one another. My husband constantly says, "We don't have to agree with one another, but we do have to love one another."

Love from Nancy

As we discuss together how to overcome difficulties and tribulations in our lives, I would like to list for you the Scriptural principles. Isn't it wonderful how God always gives the answers for everything we experience in our lives? And God's kingdom principles work. They are usually the opposite to how we would respond in our fleshly nature, but they are the victory principles.

1. WE OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OF GOD (Revelation 12:11). We cannot overcome the devil, or our tribulations, without being covered by the precious blood of Jesus. We must be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb--we cannot have salvation any other way. We must constantly plead the cleansing, healing, and powerful blood of Jesus over our lives and the lives of each one in our family.

2. WE OVERCOME BY THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY (Revelation 12:11). Our Christian life is a confession. We are born again by not only believing, but confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 10:9-10). We continue our walk with Christ by holding fast to our confession (Hebrews 10:23). We will never give up our confession, even in the face of persecution. We have no victory of our own, except confessing our victory through Christ, the Conqueror who dwells within us.

3. WE OVERCOME BY BEING WILLING TO GIVE UP OUR LIVES FOR THE GOSPEL Revelation 12:11). Overcomers are radical for God. The halfhearted will succumb to temptation.

4. WE OVERCOME BY KNOWING THAT CHRIST WHO LIVES IN US IS GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE FACE IN THIS WORLD (1 John 4:4). "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because GREATER IS HE that is in you, than he that is in the world." And, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

5. WE OVERCOME BY NOT VACILLATING. We cannot overcome if we are not totally persuaded, assured, and confident of our faith in Jesus Christ and His blood to redeem us, and in the infallible and immutable truths of the Word of God. The devil can easily knock us down when we are tossed to and fro by what this or that person says. We cannot overcome in our circumstances if we are not totally versed in, and assured of, the promises of God.

1 John 5:4 says, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." The word faith is "pistos" and means "confident in divine truths, being persuaded and faithful to the truth."

Dear precious mothers, let's walk in these principles and teach our children how to walk in them. We have a responsibility to teach them to be overcomers. We must teach them how to overcome sin and temptation; how to overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; and how to overcome self-pity and the "poor me" attitude when things don't go their own way, or when they face problems.

We teach them mostly by our example (how they see us react to difficulties in our lives), and by richly filling them with God's truth.

Have a wonderful OVERCOMING DAY.

I send blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

Yesterday I wrote about overcoming the challenges of our daily lives. But I sit here humbled and embarrassed. How small and insignificant (although they seem big to us) are the difficulties we face in the light of the lives of the early believers. Paul wrote to the Roman believers who were experiencing  "tribulation, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, and violent death by the sword." They were like "sheep for the slaughter" in the face of their persecutors. And yet what did Paul write to them? "In all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through him that loved us" (Romans 8:35-37). "In ALL these things"? Yes.

May God help us to overcome in each of our daily troubles. As we overcome in the little things we'll become practiced and ready to overcome in the bigger things--and even persecution that we could face in the future. We must teach our children these victory principles as we prepare them for what may lie ahead.

How did these early Christians become more than conquerors, even in the face of persecution and death? Only one way. Through Christ who demonstrated His great love to us upon the cross. Through His death upon the cross Jesus Christ conquered sin, death, and hell! There is no problem you face that He has not conquered. And this One who loved you and died for you now lives in you. You have His conquering power dwelling in you. What more do we need?

I love these other translations of this Scripture:

CEB says, "But in all these things we WIN A SWEEPING VICTORY through the one who loved us."
AMP says, "We gain a SURPASSING VICTORY."
GW says, "The one who loves us gives us an OVERWHELMING VICTORY IN ALL THSE DIFFICULTIES."

Be blessed and encouraged today, Nancy Campbell

The overcomers are those who overcome. We often lament the problems and difficulties we constantly face, but if we didn't have troubles and tribulations we'd have nothing to overcome.

I remember when my oldest son set out on a huge new venture and unfortunately lost millions of dollars. I remember asking him in the midst of these difficulties, "How are you getting on with all these problems?" He looked back at me and replied, "Mother, I don't have problems, only challenges!"

I think of all the cheerful challenges we have been facing this week on the Campbell land. On Monday, Arden (Serene's son) had an accident on his four-wheeler and hurt his leg very badly. He is currently unable to walk which it makes it difficult when he is responsible to haul the water for their home (he comes twice a day to our place to get the water), get the hay, care for the animals, and now that Sam is in China, be the man around the house.

Tuesday at our home no water came out of taps. When that happens we know there's a serious problem. But what a problems for? To overcome. Our water comes from a spring about a mile away. It took most of the day, with four helpers on the job, trying to find the problem. At 74 years, Colin was climbing up and down cliffs and all manner of things. Praise the Lord by the end of the day they had fixed it temporarily.

Tuesday night (of course it happens while Sam is away) the Allisons lost two of their cows. They found one Wednesday morning bloated and upside down with its eyes rolling back in its head--and its innards coming out. It looked as though there was no hope for this poor beast. But with Arden out of action the cousins (Zadok, Sharar, and Crusoe) got on the job. You've never seen anything like it. Crusoe put his hand right up its butt about four different times to relieve the pressure and put all the intestines back in the appropriate place.

They dragged the cow up the steep hill on a tractor, used a winch to lift the cow up and eventually get it back on its feet (all this taking a good long time). By the mid-afternoon this cow (that most would have given up for dead) miraculously stood up and is now walking and eating! All because some boys would not give up! They were overcomers.

I have also faced my challenges this week--and the week is not even over! What does Jesus say about all this? "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). We should not be surprised at tribulations. They are part of living in this imperfect world. We can be full of cheer in the midst of them because. . .

1) we have another opportunity to overcome, and
2) because the One who has overcome the world lives in us!

This is the greatest victory of all. How can we go under when Christ who dwells within us has already overcome?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Continuing our discussion on children learning to obey:

I know, dear mothers, it's easier said than done to teach our children to obey. One mother wrote that her young daughter flatly refuses to obey her! What on earth can we do? We are not dealing with robots. Do you sometimes wish they were robots who would just do everything you asked? Instead, we are dealing with flesh and blood. Yes, I said the word, flesh.

We all have our sinful fleshly nature which is disobedient, selfish, and rebellious. This is a big enemy to fight in our children. How can they learn to be obedient without the power of the Holy Spirit helping them?

This is why I believe that we should pray for our children to come to an experience of salvation at a young age. In 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul reminds Timothy that "From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." It is the Scriptures that prepare our children to receive Christ.

Read the Word to your children daily. Pray that God will prepare their hearts to receive Him. When they receive Christ into their hearts, they have the power of the Holy Spirit living within them to help them fight against the flesh. You are then able to teach them how to live in victory. You teach them, as you seek to do yourself, to say no to the flesh and yes to the Holy Spirit.

When your child is in a rebellious state you can say to them, "This is your sinful nature that is wanting you to be like this. This is your "old man." But God has given you a "new man." You have Jesus living in you and He wants you to be obedient, loving, and kind. Stand up strong and say no to this bad spirit, and instead, say yes to Jesus." Then pray with them that God will help them to yield to Christ who lives in them instead of their sinful flesh.

Your children can learn from a young age the principles of walking in the Spirit which is the only way to victory for adults and children.

Love from Nancy Campbell

I received a number of requests from my post yesterday: "What do I do when my children won't obey right away?" "What do you do to get them to obey consistently?" "What are practical tips for following through?" And so on.

I believe there is one important principle we have to understand before we can expect obedience. We must teach them to listen before we can teach them to obey.

Therefore, when you tell your child to do something, you must speak to them face to face. Make sure they hear you. If they are very little, you may ask them to repeat back to you what you have asked them. Now you know they have heard you. Once they have received your instruction, explain that true hearing results in action. As soon as they hear what you say, they must immediately go and do it.

When they are little, you may take them by the hand and do the task with them to teach them that the moment you ask, they perform the action. It's hands on learning. They then learn to get into the habit of doing this. As they get older, you must give appropriate discipline for not obeying your command.

We have a friend who has this motto. "As soon as I read something in God's Word I immediately try to put it into practice." This is a great way to read God's Word. We train our children to have this attitude as we teach them to do what we ask right away. It is what God expects. He expects nothing less than obedience.

Obedience is an important theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The attitude of Christ from eternity, and as He faced the cross, was "Not my will, but thine be done." Philippians 2:6 tells us that He "became OBEDIENT unto death, even the death of the cross" and He wants us and our children to have this same attitude.

Are we training our children to have this attitude? Of course they will fail. They are human. But we daily train them. It takes consistently on our part. It is being obedient ourselves to God's plan for us as parents. If we are disobedient to teach them how to obey, how will they learn to be obedient?

I'll share more of ways to help them obey in the next post.

Love from Nancy Campbell

How important do you feel it is to teach your children to obey you? It's easy to let it slip, isn't it? It's easy to get into the habit of telling them to do something over and over again before we expect obedience. It's easy to ask them to do something and not press through to make sure they obey.

What are we teaching our children when we do this? We teach them to disobey. We are lay a foundation for disobeying God.

God's plan is for parents to teach their children how to walk with God. And that first requirement is obedience. Acts 5:32 says that God gives the Holy Spirit "to them that obey him." And Hebrews 5:9 says He gives His salvation to "them that obey him."

If we don't get into the habit of training our children to obey, how will they suddenly want to obey God? In fact, God looks upon disobedience as rebellion and witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:22-23).

Ask God to help you to be a faithful parent to prepare your children for a life of obedience to God?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell.

1 John 5:19 ESV tells us that, "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one." If this world is in the grip of the evil one, how do we live without getting pulled into its grip? How do we keep our children from its control? We've got to swim upstream.

It's not easy to swim upstream, is it? It takes all your effort. The moment we relax, we start floating downstream again, away with the current of the evil one. That's why we have to constantly fight the good fight of faith. We must fight it ourselves, and for our family. We must teach our children the principles of swimming upstream.

As children get older, and especially into their teens, they are prone to being swept into the current of this world system. We must teach from a young age how to constantly fight the battle and swim upstream.

Here are some pointers:

1. Penetrate your children with a godly and biblical worldview. How they live and think is determined by their worldview. Remember, the public education system teaches your children a humanistic worldview.
2. Teach them to pray. Establish daily prayer times with your children.
3. Fill them with God's Word. Don't let anything deter you from Family Devotions each day with your family.
4. Regular fellowship with the people of God (Hebrews 10:25).
5. Teach them to say no to the flesh and the devil and yield to Christ who dwells within them.

What will take them, and even ourselves, downstream?

1. Compromising with the world (1 John 2:15-17).
2. Tolerating sin. God does not tell us to tolerate, but to obliterate! Ephesians 5:22 says, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather REPROVE them."
3. Undisciplined time with media.
4. No daily habit of prayer and reading God's Word.
5. Hanging around with the wrong company. Proverbs 13:20 says, "He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." I raised my children on this Scripture. Young people will go the way of those they hang around with. Guide them into wise company.

Are you a swimming upstream family, or merrily floating downstream with the current of this world. Remember, when you are floating, you don't even realize you are going downstream until it is too late.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

When you have an opportunity to go out to enjoy yourself, who would you rather go with? Some girlfriends? Or your husband? We will always want to go with our best friend, won't we?

In Titus 2:4 the older women are exhorted to teach the young women to "love their husbands." The Greek word used here is not agape (God's divine love which goes beyond the love of man). It is not "eros" which is sexual love. We need to experience both these in our marriage, but the one God uses in this passage is "philandros." This is a friendly, affectionate love.

We are not only to love our husbands, but to be friendly and affectionate to them. Throughout the day we should take every opportunity to cuddle, kiss, hug, and touch. The more we do this, the more we release love to each other. We have to work at being friendly. We can so easily forget about it in the challenges of the day and the tiredness of the evening.

We should speak to them as though we were speaking to our best friend. Do we yell at our best friend? Do we give the silent treatment to our best friend? Exodus 33;11 tells us that God spoke to Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." He told things to Moses that He didn't tell anyone else. There is a special way we speak to friends. Usually polite, sweet, kind, and with respect. This is the same way we should speak to our husband.

If our husband is our best friend, we'll love him even when he's not so nice; even when he's being difficult. Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loveth AT ALL TIMES."

Another wonderful thing about friendship is learning from one another, encouraging one another, and sparring one another on to greater intellectual and spiritual heights. My husband and I love to discuss subjects together (especially from God's Word), and we don't always agree. How boring that would be. My husband says, "We don't have to agree with one another, but we do have to love one another." Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Forget Girls' Night Out! I'd rather go out with my husband (or stay home with him) than anyone else in the world. And that's after over 51 years of living together!

Love from Nancy Campbell

Further to my today's post: Have you read the story of C. T. Studd, a famous cricketer in England, who gave up everything to serve the Lord in China? He wrote . . .

Lord, send us lion-hearted men
With good courageous habits
Who ne’er will run from the devil’s gun
Like hares and bunny rabbits!

He also wrote a poem about Chocolate soldiers versus real soldiers and how chocolate soldiers melt when things get too hot! One of the stanzas says . . .

For genuine soldiers are heroes
"Chocolate soldiers" are shams
The soldiers of Jesus are lions
Not hares or timid lambs.

I am sure your boys will love memorizing these lines.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell