PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

"David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death" 1 Chronicles 22:5

Although David had a vision to build God's house, God told him that he would not be the one to build it. Instead his son, Solomon, who was maybe only 20 years when he came to the throne, would build the house. But, that didn't let David off the hook. He prepared everything that Solomon would need to build this "exceeding magnificent" house. In fact, the Bible says that "he prepared abundantly before his death." He prepared gold, silver, iron, brass, and cedar trees in "abundance." He organized "workers of stone and timber" and "all manner of cunning men for every manner of work" to enable him.

This also gives us a vision for the next generation. Young people can start preparing for the home they will build for the Lord while they are in their parent's household. This is where they learn to build as they see the way their parents build.

We should provide all we can to prepare them for their marriage and the family God will give to them. Some of this will be material things that they will need for their home. I think it is a good idea to encourage our daughters to have a Hope Chest, or a Glory Box* as we call it Downunder. This gives them an incentive to put things away for their home, rather than wasting their money on useless and unnecessary things that are unneedful.

However, we should provide more than material things. We provide an opportunity for them to learn and know what is needed to build a marriage and home. I think this is one of the most beautiful blessings of homeschooling. Because daughters are in the home, they learn how to manage a home. They learn how to cook for a big family, how to organize a home, maybe how to begin a home business, and in the art of teaching as they teach younger siblings. They don't come into marriage unprepared, untrained, and confused. They come prepared and ready to embrace a family and establish a strong and godly home that will affect the nation.

As you know, I have young ladies who come to stay in our home to help with the ministry of Above Rubies. Most of them are girls who have graduated from homeschooling and are between the ages of 17 - 25. Colin and I constantly say that "We have the cream of America come to us." At the moment I have four wonderful girls. I call them "The cream on top of the cream!"

As I was writing this devotion I thought I would ask them about their lives at home. Mariah is the oldest of 11 children. What does she do at home? She cooks all the meals for the family and does all the grocery shopping, learning how to shop economically and balance the family finance. She handles the laundry and helps school the younger children. Her mother is free to give more time to homeschooling the older children and other household management. Mariah also shared that she learns so much from her mother as she observes her attitude in the home and toward her husband. As she learns from her mother how to show respect to her father, she is preparing for marriage and how to respect her future husband. And, she knows how to manage a very busy office, which she does here very efficiently.

I talked to Lisa. She is the oldest of 10 children. She also does meal planning, grocery shopping, gardening, canning, and laundry. She said she is learning how to find better and efficient ways to handle the laundry for 12 people in the home (and I am sure there is plenty with eight brothers).As well as this, she has her own business of teaching the piano to 33 students. They are also an amazing singing family and sing together at many functions. How I love it when their family come to the Wisconsin Above Rubies Family Retreat and sing for us.

We also have Jackie with us. Jackie is one of eight children. Once again, she helps keep the family running smoothly with grocery shopping, cooking, canning, and laundry. They also have a big garden and she helps her sister in the spring who has a green house business. She teaches her siblings science and history.

Each summer she directs a musical drama in their community, including a live orchestra, which is a huge project. She has already directed Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Fiddler on the Roof. Oh yes, she sews for friends, too. My, she is the most amazing seamstress. She has been sewing the most wonderful aprons for Above Rubies readers while she has been with us (which will soon be available on www.aboverubies.org). Keep checking.

They are also a singing family and perform at churches, women's meetings, historical societies, and nursing homes.

Daughters who are at school and then off to college and away from the home do not have the same opportunity for family training. Many of these young ladies come into marriage with no idea of how to cook, manage a home, and often without a vision for children. Instead they have been programmed with a humanistic and feministic mindset which is a negative in establishing a marriage and family.

What about our sons? Once again homeschooling is a great blessing as fathers can often include their sons in their daily business. Fathers have more responsibility than sending their children off to school. They need to teach them how to work hard and hopefully how to build their own home. I love to see my sons-in-law periodically take their sons with them to their work so they can learn how to do a day's work and also learn how to run a business. Instead of being immature boys, they become "plants grown up in their youth" (Psalm 144:12).

Zadok, at 19 years is already establishing his market garden business. He is called, "Zadok, the Natural Farmer" and we often hear the Rota-tiller still going at 2.00 am in the morning! Arden, at 14 years, has also caught the vision and is ready to plough up their field and get going in the organic growing business too.

 How can we prepare abundantly for our sons and daughters to build strong families if they are not home? How can we prepare them to be parents if we have stopped babies coming into the home and they do not see their mother nursing and caring for little ones?

David made sure he provided everything that was needed for the building of the house before he died. We should also make sure we leave a legacy on how to build a great marriage and family to our children and grandchildren before we pass away.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
www.aboverubies.org

* Here is a poem I wrote for my adopted daughters when we gave them a cedar "Glory Box" for Christmas one year.

My Glory Box

I dream of the day I’ll walk down the aisle
In a pure white dress with a beautiful style!

I pray for my man that he’ll be righteous and true,
Hard-working, faithful, and really “true blue”!

I pray he’ll love children and have a father’s heart
And from our marriage covenant never depart!

I will wait with patience for this godly man
And while I am waiting I’ll prepare and plan.

I’ll make myself ready in every way
Purifying my heart and character each day.

I’ll seek to be honest in all that I say
To keep my marriage from going astray.

I’ll fill my “glory box” with goods for my home
And make it a place from where we’ll never roam.

I will gather treasures, useful and rare
To make our home a place that is fair.

I will be ready to make my home a delight
Filled with God’s presence, His love, and light,

Enhanced by the assets I save in this chest
To make our home a “glory," the very best!

Mom Campbell

BALANCED PARENTING

“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, for in these things I delight, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Isn’t this the most wonderful Scripture? I memorized it recently.

The more we know God, the more we know how to live. The more we understand of God, the more we understand how to parent, because He is the originator of parenting.

God is so vast, beyond the imagination of our finite minds, and not one name is enough to describe Him. In this Scripture we see three attributes of His character which are inseparable from Him.

LOVINGKINDNESS

This Hebrew word, chesed is one of the most wonderful revelations of God in the entire Bible and is closely related to “grace” in the New Testament. It reveals His unfailing love even when we don’t deserve it, His mercy, His forgiveness, His loyalty, His goodness, and His kindness.

But, it is not a general kindness; it is a kindness which involves two parties. It speaks of God’s covenant with Israel which is an everlasting covenant. His dealings with Israel show how He deals with us. Because of their waywardness and rebellion, God had to continually judge and punish His people. Because He is God, He cannot let go His justice and righteousness, and must execute judgment on sin. Eventually, He could not tolerate their evil any longer and scattered them to the four corners of the earth.

But, God had made a covenant. He is lovingkindness (chesed). His lovingkindness will not let go. He will not wash His hands of Israel, nor of us. He judges, but never gives up. Rebellion cannot destroy His love. It is the essence of that lovely old hymn, “O love that will not let me go.”

After vomiting the Children of Israel out of the land because of their sin, He sends hundreds of promises through His prophets to tell them that He will one day bring them back to the land again. We are now seeing these prophecies come to pass. We saw the miracle of Israel become a nation again on May 14 1948 and now Jews are pouring back to the land from all over the world. This is God revealing Himself as chesed.

It is also related to the old English word, “troth.” Have you ever heard it before? At the end of their vows, the bridal couple say, “And thereto I give thee my troth." All our children used these original wedding vows on their wedding day. I was so pleased that our grand-daughter, who was recently married, also used the same vows. It was quite fun on the wedding rehearsal night as Ben and Chanel practiced saying “troth.” It’s not an easy word to pronounce! It means that the couple are confessing publically that they will be faithful to their marriage covenant.

JUDGMENT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

The Hebrew word for "judgment" is mishpat and should be translated justice. Justice is the use of authority to uphold execute what is right. It is acting as a judge and rendering the proper verdict—God’s verdict.

The Hebrew word for “righteousness” is ts’daqh and very similar to justice. It is a legal term and is also related to two parties keeping their covenant. God is the ultimate law-giver and He abides by His own standards.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

How does this all relate to us? If we want to know God, we must come to understand God on these terms for He delights in these attributes. If we are going to teach our children what God is like, we must learn to parent with these three attributes. How can we do it? It seems beyond us, doesn’t it? But, the more we press into God, the more we will understand and the more He will teach us.

Yes, we must uphold the standard of God’s righteousness in our home. We must execute justice when our children rebel and refuse to obey. We must execute discipline. We cannot let these things go and think it is insignificant, for in doing so, we refuse to know God and refuse to show our children what God is like.

On the other hand, God’s chesed will overpower our every motive in dealing with our children. It is related to the New Testament agape love which is only God’s love. Our love can give up and wane, but God’s love never gives up.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please help me. I want to know you more and more. I want to know you in your lovingkindness, justice and righteousness. Please teach me and help me to parent the way you parent us. Thank you, Father. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am parenting God’s way, not my own.

For further reading, go to these links:

Justice in the Home - http://bit.ly/JusticeInTheHome

Love in the Home, Is it Possible? - http://bit.ly/LoveInTheHome

DILIGENTLY ! 

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou rises up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

We know this Scripture back to front, don't we? But are we actually doing it? Last week we found that God wants His words to be in our mouth and in the mouths of our children. How will that happen? By our diligently teaching them.

The word "diligently" in the Hebrew is shanan and means "to pierce through, to sharpen, to whet, to engrave, to enforce, to inculcate, and to teach incisively." This is far more than passive reading, isn't it?

When we had Family Devotions together this morning, my husband not only read the Word to us, but pierced into our lives. As he read from The Daily Light on the Daily Path, which is compilation of Scriptures on a certain theme, he asked questions. He asked if we could remember the rest of the Scripture he was reading. Some Scriptures were very powerful and we repeated them out loud together.

Let's look at some other translations of this Scripture which help us to really get the message.

Amplified Bible, "You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the minds and hearts of your children."

Century English Version, "Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning." God's words certainly have to be in our hearts in order to talk to our children about them all the time, don't they?

New Living Translation, "Repeat them again and again to your children."

The Jerusalem Bible, "You shall repeat them to your children and say them over to them..."

Message Bible, "Get them inside of you and the get them inside your children." I like that, don't you?

Modern Language, "You shall impress them deeply upon your children."

Have you got it? Now, dear sweet mother, what are you going to do about it? We can't be passive about it, can we? We must be faithful to not only read the word to our children but to what? Engrave, teach incisively, impress them deeply, impress them diligently, pierce through, sharpen, whet, enforce, inculcate, repeat them again and again, and get them inside your children. Am I like a broken record? Perhaps we need it until this really becomes our lifestyle.

May we become mothers whose mouths are filled with God's Word who are training children whose mouths are filled with God's Word.

Love from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Oh Father, please save me from "mouthing off" to my children, but instead having my mouth filled with your Word. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am training children to overcome by "the word of their testimony"!

IN YOUR MOUTH!

"As for me, this my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever" (Isaiah 59:21).

What a wonderful promise to claim for our children and our children's children. But these words will not be fulfilled without our participating.

Where does God want His Words to be in our lives? In our hearts? Yes, we must hide God's Word in our heart. In our minds? Yes, His Word should constantly we must allow the Word of God to fill our mind. In our spirit? Oh yes, God's Word should richly fill our spirit. But God wants something more.

He wants His Word to be in our mouth! He wants His Word to be in the mouth of our children, and their children, and their children forever.

Did you know that our walk with God is all to do with the mouth? We are born again into God's family by confessing with our mouth, and that's how we continue our walk with God.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." A person is only half saved if they do not confess with their mouth.

Everything we believe in God's Word will only be truly effective in our lives as we confess it. God wants His Word to be constantly popping out of our mouths. Can you repeat a Scripture right now without having to run for your Bible? What about your children? Can they spontaneously speak Scriptures from their mouths? Is God's Word so drilled into your children that it easily drips from their mouths? I believe this is why it is so very important to establish Family Devotions every evening and morning where we read God's Word to our children and take time to memorize it together. It won't just happen; you have to make it happen!

God never wants His Word to depart from our mouths. In fact, the real Hebrew meaning is that they "will not withdraw from your mouth." From generation to generation, God wants His words to fill the hearts and mouths of our children. His Word must never withdraw from their mouths. In fact, this is why we raise children--to speak! This is the vision for parenting.

Psalm 127:4-5 says, "As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." We raise them to be filled with God's Word, so they are able to contend for their faith and speak truth to whoever they meet, even in the gates of the city and the land!

Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success."

Once again, we get the same message. It must not depart out of our mouth. How can this happen? By meditating day and night. The word "meditate" has a larger meaning in the Hebrew that we would think. It means...

1. To ponder and meditate.

2. To mutter, to whisper, to speak the Word to yourself.

3. To speak the Word out loud.

You can't get away with it. It has to come out of your mouth. Mother, If the Word is not coming out of your mouth, it will not become part of your children's lives. If it is not coming out of their mouths, how it will it pass on to the next generation?

God's plan is "from henceforth and forever." What is your vision? What can you start doing today to make this happen in your family and the coming generations?

Love from Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"I thank you, dear Father, for the power of your Word. It is life and truth. I want your Word to be more than a written Word. I want it to be flesh and blood in my life. I want your Words to drip from my mouth. Please help me to be diligent in my own life and in imparting the Word into the mouths of my children. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am raising children to speak God's Word!