WHOSE TABLE?

“They shall enter into my sanctuary,
and they shall come near to MY TABLE to minister unto me”
(Ezekiel 44:16).

I wonder what kind of table you have in your home? Is it round, square, or rectangular? Is it old or new? It doesn’t really matter what it looks like. The real question we have to ask ourselves is: who does our table belong to? Is it my table? Or is it the Lord’s table?

If God dwells in our home, it is God’s table.

Did you know that God loves tables? Before there were ever tables on earth, God had a table in eternity. When talking to his disciples one day Jesus told them about His table in heaven and said to them: “That ye may eat and drink at MY TABLE in my kingdom” (Luke 22:30). God ordained a table for Himself on earth which was placed in the Holy Place in the tabernacle, and later in the temple. He also wants a table that belongs to Him in your home.

Everything changes when you understand your table belongs to God. It changes how you conduct your meals. It changes what you do at your table. We feed our bodies, but God is present to feed our souls and spirits.

We notice four wonderful things about the table in the above Scripture:

1. WE HAVE TO COME

We have to COME to the table. We have to ENTER into His sanctuary. We have to understand that our table is a sacred place because it is God’s table. When we understand it is God’s table, we won’t want to miss being at the table to meet with Him.

We cannot taste the delights of God’s table unless we come to the table. How many precious hours families miss together because life’s programs stop them from sitting at the table together. They may be good activities, but they deprive us from the best.

2. WE HAVE TO COME NEAR

God reminds us to come NEAR to Him. God doesn’t want us to be far away from Him. He doesn’t want everything else in the world to captivate our hearts. At the table we come near to one another and near to God. He wants to be present at your table with you. Invite Him to come and expect Him to be with you.

3. WE HAVE TO COME TO HIS TABLE

It’s not our table, but HIS TABLE. If it was our table, we could perhaps forget about it, but because it is His Table, we must be faithful to come to it.

4. WE HAVE TO MINISTER TO HIM

God reminds us that the table is where we MINISTER UNTO HIM. God had His table in the Holy Place in the tabernacle. Every single day the twelve loaves of bread sat upon the table. Every week the priests placed fresh bread on the table. Then, they ate the loaves that had been sitting in the Lord’s presence, fellowshipping with God and one another. Even though they had been sitting for seven days the Mishnah tells us that they were still hot and fresh.

The table was never without bread. It was called the “continual shewbread” (Leviticus 24:5-8 and 2 Chronicles 2:4). Even when they traveled to a new place the continual bread could never leave the table (Numbers 4:7). It was also called the “presence bread,” and the “bread of faces” because the bread, which is a type of Christ, reveals so many of His attributes and character.

God always has bread on His table. It’s there every day for us. It never runs out. We never have to go hungry in our souls and spirits. Therefore, at our table each day, at the end of the meal, we open God’s precious Word and read it. It ministers to us and to our children. It prepares them for life. It prepares them to face the world. We cannot do without it or we starve spiritually.

Not only does God minister to us by filling us with His eternal bread, but we minister to Him as we pray and praise Him together. He waits for us to minister to Him at the table. As mothers, we also have the privilege of serving God at His table in our home by lovingly preparing meals and gathering our family to a fresh and bountiful table, naturally and spiritually.

Don’t vacate God’s table. He waits at His table in your home to meet with you, to feed you, and to have fellowship with you.

Be encouraged,

Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Thank you, Father, that You love tables.  Thank you for wanting to be part of our table, which is truly Your table. Help us as a family to be faithful to come to Your table daily to feast with You and with one another. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

The table is our trysting place,

To meet with God and see His face,

To join together with each other,

Brothers, sisters, Father, Mother,

To talk and laugh, share our goals,

And fill our tummies and our souls.

A PERSONAL GOD
TO YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN

“And I will establish my covenant between Me and you
and your descendants after you in their generations,
for an everlasting covenant,
to be God to you and your descendants after you”
(Genesis 17:7 NASB).

We feel the heartbeat of God in His words to Abram, “I will be God to you.” He wanted to have a personal relationship with Abram. God also wants to have a personal relationship with you--every day and all through the day. He is the One who seeks us out. As John the disciple confessed, “We loved him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

When David prayed to God, he prayed to One who was very personal to Him. Over and over again he addresses God as “MY God.” David understood God as the God of creation and King over all, but he daily experienced God personally in his life. He not only addresses God as “MY Lord, and MY God,” but also . . .
MY Buckler,
MY Defence
MY Deliverer,
MY Exceeding joy,
MY Father,
MY Fortress,
MY Glory,
MY Goodness,
MY Help,
MY High Tower,
MY Hiding Place,
MY Hope,
MY Judge,
MY King,
MY Light,
MY Mercy,
MY Portion,
MY Refuge,
MY Righteousness
MY Rock,
MY Savior,
MY Shield,
MY Shelter,
MY Shepherd,
MY Song,
MY Song in the night,
MY Strength,
MY Strong Habitation,
MY Strong Refuge,
MY Strong Rock,
MY Strong Tower,
MY Trust,

David experienced God personally ministering to him in all these ways. And this is how God wants you to experience Him too. Is he your Light? Is He your Righteousness? Is He personally your Shepherd? Take each one of these attributes of God one by one, and seek to know Him personally in all these ways.

But this promise is not only you. It is for your children too. God states that He wants to be “GOD TO YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS AFTER YOU.” He wants to be God to your children. He wants them to know Him and experience Him personally in every part of their lives. This is more important than all the education you give your children. They can be the most educated children in the world, but if they don’t KNOW GOD, the One who created them, died for them, and who planned their destiny before the foundation of the world, they are deprived of their destiny.

In John 17:3 Jesus said: “And this is life eternal, that they might KNOW THEE the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Amen.

When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, he proclaimed the words: “For the promise is unto YOU, AND TO YOUR CHILDREN” (Acts 2:39).

Claim the wonderful promise in Isaiah 44:3 (NET): “I will pour my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your children.”

There is no greater task you can have as a mother than to lead your children to know God personally. The more you come to know Him, the more you will be able to lead your children to know Him.

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“My Father, You are my Savior, my Shield, my Shelter, my Shepherd, my Song, my Strength, my Strong Habitation, my Strong Refuge, my Strong Rock, and my Strong Tower. I want to know you personally and experience You more and more in all Your attributes. Please lead me closer to you day by day. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

A LOVELY AND BEAUTIFUL LIFE

“Live a LOVELY life among the heathen.”
(1 Peter 2:12).

I was arrested by the above words “a lovely life” as I read through William Barclay’s translation of the New Testament. I checked the words in my Greek Lexicon and yes, Barclay’s translation is correct. The word “kalos” means “beautiful (even more than lovely), good, honest, worthy.”

I also noted the word “lovely” in Matthew 5:15, 16: “A lamp is not lit to be put under a bowl. It is lit to be put on a lampstand, and then it shines for EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE TO SEE IT. Just so, your light must shine for everyone to see, so that, when they see the LOVELY THINGS you do, it may make them want to praise your Father who is in heaven.”

Can people describe my life by the lovely things I do? Can they describe your life this way? Where does it start?. Our light first shines for everyone in our home to see and then shines out to neighbors and people around us. How do they see this light? By the lovely things we do and say.

Do we speak lovely words to our husbands? Do we speak lovely words to our children? It’s hypocritical to speak nice words to others outside the home if we are angry, shouting, and nasty in the home.

If we are born again, Christ dwells in us by His Holy Spirit. He wants to live His lovely life through us with all His love, joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, and kindness, etc. Let’s yield to the life of Christ who lives within us and live a lovely life today--doing lovely things and speaking lovely words.

But the Bible not only talks about a “a lovely life” but “a beautiful life.” We read about this beautiful life in 1 Peter 3: 3-6. It tells us about the women who lived “in the old time,” or as one translation says, “once upon a time.” Once upon a time, way back in history, women made themselves beautiful in a different way than now. But it is a way that is very precious to God. Let’s read about it in a few different translations so we can really get the picture:

New Century Version: “In this same way, the holy women who lived long ago and followed God made themselves beautiful, yielding to their own husbands.”

New Living Translation: “You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands.”

Are you getting the picture? Let me give you one more passage where the word “beauty” is mentioned SEVEN times! Once again it is in William Barclay’s translation: “Your beauty must not be the superficial beauty which depends on elaborate hair-styles and expensive jewellery and the wearing of fashionable clothes. No! Your beauty must be the beauty of your inner character and personality. It must consist of the beauty of a gentle; and serene character, a beauty which the years cannot wither, for in God’s sight that is what is really precious. This was the beauty with which once upon a time consecrated women, whose hopes were set on God, adorned themselves. They accepted the authority of their husbands. It was in this that Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master.” Did you count the word “beauty” seven times?

God never commands a husband to make his wife submit to him. God’s commands the husband to love his wife like his own body and as much as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25-33). It is something she does of her own volition, from her own humble heart of submission to the Lord. Submission is an adorning. It is how we clothe ourselves, and it is an adorning that makes us beautiful.
Why is submission a beautiful thing? Because it is the same attitude of Jesus who submitted to His father’s will. Although Jesus was God He was willing to leave glory and become a man, humble Himself, even to the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5-8).
Do we make ourselves ugly with a stubborn and rebellious heart? Or do we make ourselves beautiful because of our sweet, submissive spirit?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

Dear heavenly Father, Please fill me with your Holy Spirit and enable me to live a lovely and beautiful life, especially in my home. Help me to speak only lovely words to my husband and children. Help me to keep a sweet and submissive spirit which is of great price in your eyes. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I’m putting more importance on inward beauty than outward beauty.

THE HUMILITY OF GOD

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself, and became obedience unto death, even the death of the cross”
(Philippians 2:6-8).

What is Christmas today? Christmas trees, decorations, lights, tinsel, parties, Santa Claus, and an over abundance of food. Total antipathy to the very first Christmas!

The first Christmas was celebrated in poverty. In fact, it was more than poverty. It was degradation. Today, if a couple were so poor that they had to have their baby in a dirty animal stable, the Social Services would take their baby away from them. But, 2000 years down the line, it seems that the humility of Christmas has been forgotten.

I think it would be good to remind ourselves of the true reality of Christmas, don’t you?

1. The humility of Mary

Mary was a humble maiden with a humble lineage. She was not a royal princess. She was not a High Priest's daughter. She was not rich. Mary herself confesses in her song, "He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.... He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree” (Luke 1:48-49). But God chose this unknown virgin to bring forth His precious Son. He chose her because she was a willing vessel. Often those who have everything materially are not willing vessels.

God does not look for riches and material possessions. He looks for women with obedient hearts -- mothers who welcome to their hearts the children God sends them. He looks for those who have the same spirit Mary had when she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy Word" (Luke 1:38). She was totally surrendered to the will of God. In the face of poverty, ridicule, rejection, and estrangement, she embraced this child who would be the Savior of the world.

I will never forget going to the famous art gallery in London and seeing a painting of Mary with the caption: “Be it unto me according to thy word.” It was such an anointed picture. The artist captured the look of total submission and abandonment to the will of God upon her face. I looked and looked at it for hours.

2. The humility of Joseph

Joseph was a humble carpenter from a humble village. Do you remember that Nathanael said of Jesus: "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). Jesus was spurned by his fellow residents of Nazareth who asked: “Is not this the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55).

3. The humility of His birthplace

Jesus was born in a stable, most probably a cave, with the dirt, smells, and messes of the animals all around. He was then laid in a stone feeding trough, fit only for the animals. Jesus was born to be King, but God didn't provide a palace for His Son in which to be born. He didn't provide a doctor, nurses, and hospital. There was no cradle beautifully draped with lace and frills. Only straw! Was there even that? No Christmas card paints the true reality of the scene.

If this was the beginning of the Son of God, why do we, the sons and daughters of God, expect that we should have all the niceties of life? Of course, if God blesses us with them, we receive them with joy, but should we expect them? Everything surrounding the birth of Jesus was humble.

It is interesting that in the body of Christ we have the "Faith movement" and the "Discipleship movement" and so on. But has anyone ever heard of the "Humility movement"? We don't take to this aspect so well, do we? And yet this is how God planned for His beloved Son to be born. And this is how he lived all through His life. Shouldn't humility also be the hallmark of our Christian experience?

I think that God revealed His heart in the place He chose for His son to be born—the lowliest and humblest place possible. God loves the poor. He promises to raise up the poor. He watches over them. Even in the birth of His son, He related to the poorest of the poor.

It is also amazing to think that God chose to bring forth His beloved Son through the process of birth. He could have sent him down from Heaven on a chariot of fire! He could have sent a legion of angels to escort Him from the majesty of heaven. But no! He chose for His Son to be conceived and nurtured in a womb, to be born of a woman, the way God planned for all human life to come into this world.

Surely this raises birth to a high estate. What a privilege to give birth and give life to children, the very same way that Jesus came into the world? How blessed we are as women.

4. The humility of Jesus' dedication

After the days of a mother's purification, the parents took the baby to the temple to be dedicated. They had to bring a lamb to be sacrificed for the dedication. However, if they could not afford a lamb, they brought two turtle doves or young pigeons (Leviticus 12:6-8). The account in Luke 2:23-24 tells us that Joseph and Mary brought doves or pigeons. They belonged to the poor class. They couldn't afford to bring a lamb. God chose the poorer class to bring forth the King of kings and Lord of lords.

We don't have to own our own home and have all the modern conveniences before we are ready to have a baby. All we have to have is willing and welcome hearts. God always provides for the children He sends. The poor who have children are richer than the wealthy who reject children.

May God pour out His Spirit upon you at this very special season. as May God keep all our hearts focused on the humility of His birth, rather than tinsel and toys.
Love from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for leaving the glory of heaven to come to this earth. Thank you for humbling yourself to become a little baby. Thank you that you came to die for my sin. How can I ever thank you adequately? With all my being I worship and love you. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

"That the Great Angel-blinding light should shrink
His blaze, to shine in a poor Shepherd's eye;
That the unmeasur'd God so low should sink
As Pris'ner in a few poor rags to lie."

~ Richard Crashaw