Abide

Abide

The Classical Greek writers used the word meno meaning, "to stay,” “stand fast,” “remain” or “abide.”  It has the idea to remain at home, or stay where you are and not wander off.
The word translated "abide" is one of the Apostle John's favorite words. He uses it 34 times in the Gospel, and 19 times in his letters. The word meno means to dwell at ones' own house, to stay as a guest in someone’s home, to abide or to sustain unbroken fellowship with someone. To have a friend who abides is to always be present to help you in time of need.
The apostle John uses it to say God "abides" (meno) in Christ. He dwells in Him and therefore has a constant influence upon him. The divine presence is continually operative in Him. Jesus said, "I am in the Father and the Father is in Me . . .The Father, who remains (meno) in Me, does His own work" (John 14:10). In John 10:38 Jesus said, "the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."  
How does Jesus accomplish what He does? His answer was, "the Father abiding in Me does His work." Jesus is the one person who was completely at the disposal of the Father. He told His disciples, "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me. . ." (Jn. 14:11). Jesus made Himself available to the Father.
The evidence of "I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me" was His perfect character. Jesus was different and you could see the difference in His behavior. He spoke what the Father told Him to say (Jn. 14:10; cf. 7:16; 12:49-50; 14:24). Jesus not only said what the Father told Him to say, but everything He did was the Father's working in and through Him. "The Father abiding in  Me does His works" (Jn. 14:10). "The Father living in Me . . . is doing His work" and the evidence is what you see.
In John 14:20, Jesus took the idea of relationship one-step further when He spoke of the Holy Spirit and the believer. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also. In  that day you shall know that I am in My father, and you in Me, and I in you" (John 14:18-20).
When Jesus said that believers "abide" in God, it pictures a relationship bound to Him by the Holy Spirit whom they received when they believed on Christ. The idea is to remain in vital union with God or in Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life.
In the First Epistle of John, the apostle says this vital union of remaining in Christ will make a difference in our behavior. The one who says he abides (remains or resides) in God ought himself to walk just as Jesus walked. Meno indicates a close, intimate and permanent relationship between the believer and God (1 John 2:6, 24, 27; 3:6).
Furthermore, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than  these he will do; because I go to the Father" (Jn. 14:12). "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (Jn. 14:13-15).
Jesus is not speaking of fantastic spectacular miracles, but the preaching of the Gospel. The "greater works" is the taking the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving work to the ends of the earth and seeing a great harvest of souls. The preaching on the Day of Pentecost is an excellent example of these “greater works.” When we serve Him according to His will He will answer our prayers, and we can see Him do great and mighty things in and through us.
He wants us to make ourselves available to Him even as He made Himself available to His Father. We are to ask what Jesus would ask the Father. We have the Holy Spirit abiding in us to guide us. The limitations on the prayer promise is the intimate union and harmony with Christ that nothing will be asked out of accordance to His will.
The apostle John says in this vital union with Christ, Christ or God abides (meno) in the believer (John 6:56; 15:4). It is an intimate, personal relationship with Him, for Jesus says He lives in us. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides (meno) in Me and I in him" (Jn. 6:56). We appropriate that abiding relationship by faith. Jesus said, "I live in them." He occupies a place in us as His dwelling place. It is a permanent relationship with my soul and exerts its power and authority over my life. The abiding presence of Christ in the believer is His permanent residence in Him and His supplying that is necessary to produce fruit in his life. Again, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the spirit of Christ refer to the same person.
John 15:4, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me." The Vine is our positional source. "Keep on abiding in Me." Jesus is emphasizing the permanence of position such as maintaining unbroken communion and fellowship with the person in whom He dwells. He is saying: "Remain united with Me." “Remain in unbroken fellowship with Me.” “Remain in vital union with Me.”
The point Jesus is making is for the believer to maintain unbroken fellowship with Christ. The believer has now made his spiritual residence in Christ. His abiding place is in Christ Jesus. The house has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Nothing now stands between the believer and Christ.  It is a holy fellowship. There is no better analogy than the vine and its branches. The believer draws his spiritual life and energy from the indwelling One.
We abide in Christ and He in us when we enter into a personal relationship by putting our trust in Him as our Savior. Have you appropriated Him into your personal life? (Jn. 6:54-58) Are you continuing to persevere in His teachings? (Jn. 8:31; 1 John 2:19, 24). Are you obeying His commandments? (Jn. 15:9-10) We cannot produce spiritual fruit that will bring glory to God without a continual abiding in Him. We cannot produce God's kind of fruit without the life of God within us. The remaining in Him produces fruit. 

Key Scriptures

1. When God invites us to come and join Him in what He is doing, it is an invitation to an intimate personal relationship with Him. We are to Him as a branch is to its vine. If we are to bear His kind of fruit it must be in relationship to Him. We can do nothing apart from drawing our strength from Him (John 15:5).
2. When we produce quality spiritual fruit, it depends entirely on the life of Christ being reproduced in the believer. There are no short cuts to fruit (Galatians 5:22-23; Hebrews 12:11). The "fruit" Jesus is expecting are deeds of love that demonstrate our relationship to God. Jesus does not expect works from us to earn God's favor, but evidences of life in the branches.
3. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" "No one," thunders the apostle Paul inRomans 8:35-39. Our abiding in Christ does not depend upon us, but on making ourselves available to Him. The Holy Spirit abides in the believer forever (John 14:16). The issue in chapter fifteen is on our relationship to God in bearing fruit. Salvation is not the subject.
4. If we are abiding in Christ, we will have a rich prayer life that supplies rich fellowship with Him (Jn. 14:13-14; 15:7, 16).
5. When we walk like Christ, we will always abide near Christ. The nearness of Christ always invites us to come and enter into unbroken fellowship with Him. That which makes a man "holy" is the perpetual abiding of the Holy Spirit within him. We become like those with whom we associate.
6. To abide in continual dependence upon Christ is to keep yourself in the position of child-like-trust and dependence upon Him.
7. Jesus said He could do nothing on His own; therefore we can do nothing on our own. Everything about abiding means we must remain united with Him just as the Son remains united with the Father.

Abiding Principles and Practical Applications

John 6:54-58; 15:4-10, 16; 8:31; 14:10-14, 18-20; 1 John 2:6, 19, 24; 4:12, 15; Romans 8:35-39

For Further Study

You in Me and I in You 
John 15:1-6 Life in the Vine
John 14:12-15 Alive in Christ
Jesus the True Vine John 15:1-11
Galatians 2:20 Our Vital Union in Christ
Abiding in the Holy Spirit John 15:26-27 
Abide in the Holy Spirit
Abiding in Christ
Living the Christian Life
Fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Psalm 91:1 Secure Shelter in the Storms of Life
Appropriating Christ Daily
Faith and the Bible
Our Supreme Passion
Message by Wil Pounds and all content on this page (c) 2005 by Wil Pounds. Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent. Scripture quotations from the New American Standard Bible (c) 1973, and 1995 Update by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 

Valentine's 2012

So you know the tradition right? Fancy fancy fancy fancy. Well this year was the same :) Dating our kids on Valentine's Day is something we all look forward to as a family.

Handsome 4 yr old

Pretty (and slightly toothless) 6 yr old

So cute 8yr old

Dad who is NOT 30 yet

Mom who is 30! (sigh) and who doesn't know how to act like a grown up in front of the camera .... proof below

Me and my valentine. :)

And the following shot is what usually happens at some point when we are trying to do family pictures...

It was, yet again, a great night. Going around the dinner table taking turns naming things we love about each other and God. This year it made me cry.. probably for womanly hormone reasons, but it was still sweet and memorable. :)

These little people will only be under our roof for a short time. They are on loan from God. I hope they feel treasured and loved.

Struggling

Today is Ian's due date. I hurt. I am anxious. I am grieving. I am hopeful that the God of comfort will meet me where I am and pour out His love on me today, because I so desperately need it.

When I am hurting He is there:

"I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you." Psalm 139:7-12

And He cares and will use it for His GLORY:

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. " 2 Cor 1:3-5


"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28

From my Beth Moore study I am affirming these things today:
God IS who He says He is
God CAN do what He says He can do
I am who God says I am
I can do all things in Christ
God's word is alive and active in me
I'M BELIEVING GOD!

On Borrowed Time

Trying to keep perspective this morning. Taking a shower and mourning the loss of my precious little life. It happens briefly from time to time. Rather than dwell in the pain and aching heart, I have been trying to replace my thoughts. This morning it was a matter of perspective.

The last couple years have been full of extreme ups and downs, and at times more overwhelming than I thought that my heart could bare, but God has faithfully seen me through. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in a downward thought spiral, poor me I lost a baby, poor me I have had failing health, poor me I have battled depression and anxiety, poor me...

But in reality JOYFUL am I - I lose sight of the fact that I am on borrowed time.

Nearly 10 years ago now I went to the urgent care complaining of a side cramp. I NEVER went to the doctor, let alone for a cramp, but I found myself there. The doctor discovered a large mass under the right side of my rib cage and sent me for an immediate CATscan. The results were shocking. I had a mass that was the size of my entire abdomen. The first doctor said it could require a full hysterectomy - I got a second opinion. I was getting married in 4 months - I wanted a family. Surgery was required and ASAP.

I was scared. I remember laying my head on my mom's lap and just sobbing, "I don't want to die." I had never had surgery before and this seemed like a big deal. Since they didn't really know what was going on it was terrifying. Mom brushed her hand over my head and said, "Angelina, you are not going to die, God has plans for you." I believed her.

I remember waking up from the anesthesia, Jeff and my parents and his parents by my side. The next thing I remembered was the doctor telling me that they had taken my left ovary. WAIT! NO!..my insides screamed. I knew they were taking my right one but my left one too. Later I found out that the mass they felt up under my right ribs was attached to my left ovary. It was 5 pounds and full. They said it was like a large orange. They had to make an incision from my belly button to my pubic area to pull it out and it almost didn't fit. But there was more news. There had been a cyst on my other ovary as well and they had to take part of that too. We were 20 years old, barely, and were going to have to start trying got get pregnant as soon as we were married since there was only a 20% chance we could conceive and odds were fertility treatments would be needed.

Then the doctor looked at my mom and I and told us the pathology came back. The cyst they removed was full of cancer. Had it leaked or burst I would have died. The doctor said I would have died within the next year had it not been found. That meant before my 21st birthday.

And here I sit. Typing on my borrowed time. God has a plan for me. Jeff and I have been able to conceive 5 times and have 3 beautiful children. I have been given a new life and family on time I may never have had. There is no poor me! Only THANKFUL me! BLESSED me! Me who needs to keep perspective and be thankful for this day, because it may never have been.

My Humbling Moment

So at our house - there has been sickness for a few days. High fevers, coughs and runny noses. Just when I thought the fevers were gone, they would spike again. One time reaching 106.8 - well that one time being last night. So I loaded up the two little sickies and took them to the ER. J and M both got nose swabs for the flu and chest x-rays.

The doc came back and said, "Well neither one has the flu. BUT.. both have pneumonia." So they were prescribed antibiotics and sent home. I knew they must have been miserable because they put themselves down for naps yesterday AND they were so well-behaved at the hospital. I got lots of compliments. I knew the lethargy and fevers were the cause of their quiet and sweet manner, but I just graciously accepted the compliments. Hey - I enjoyed my moment of looking like a great mom :D.

Anyway.. these are the faces of my sickly children.

And this one below, he is the one that did a work on my heart this morning.

I sent all the children upstairs to do their morning chores. J cried (which I understand, she had a fever of 102). Her chores were simple, get her clothes on, make her bed, brush her teeth. It wasn't going to kill her - even though she acted like it was.

So after she came down and threw herself to the floor I told her she need to go to the corner and collect herself. L came down to check on her. I sent him back upstairs, very frustrated that he was still in his pajamas and none of his chores done. It had been like 15 minutes. I could feel my chest tighten with frustration. Sometimes dealing with sick kids overwhelms me. Why can't the healthy one just do what he is told and make my life easier? I spouted off some comments about my disappointment. He didn't respond, but just went about his chores.

When J was let off of time-out she went upstairs to find that her brother had made her bed and cleaned her room first. Here I was fuming at the fact that he was disobeying - when in reality he was serving. I was humbled and proud. What a sweet boy with a sweet heart.

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. " Proverbs 15:1
L had every right to defend himself against my accusations of being disobedient. He could have come back with a defense, but he was silent. He was respectful and he was creating peace in our home because he knew I was not.

I am humbled. He has been so good picking up the slack of the other kids' chores. Helping without complaint but swift "Yes Ma'ams" and a joyful willingness to help his brother and sister and I just expected it of him. I took those moments for granted instead of praising him. I very easily could have broken his helpful little spirit this morning. I offered my humbled apology and enthusiastic praise and recognition of his wonderful heart. Not but a few minutes later he was helping his sister and hugging his brother.

I am one proud mama.. and thankful the Lord uses my children to teach me, grow me, and cause me to search my heart. Why didn't I think to clean her room for her out of love? Why was I so quick to anger? Why do I ALWAYS justify myself when wrongfully (or rightly for that matter) accused of something instead of being silent?

Time to pray about some things! And praise God for the work He is doing in my son.

He Restores

My heart aches as I replay conversations with friends I have had over the past few days. Life is hard. It has unexpected and almost unbearable moments. There is deep sorrow, agonizing pain, paralyzing fears, and crippling shame. Thankfully a sweet friend reminded me today that it is also SHORT!

In what will feel like no time passed we will be in eternity. A place for those who loved Jesus to be free of the troubles of this world. The pain of this world. The hurt of this world. This disappointment of this world. The hopelessness of this world. We will be in a place of wonder, peace, comfort, love, justice, HOLINESS. The troubles that are so pressing here, the ones that strangle us and choke the life out of us at times, will be no more.

The last year of my life has been chaos. A marriage in shambles and relationships broken, yet God restored. A baby so desperately wanted, to only be held in my hand for moments and then taken away, yet God restores. Anxieties so overwhelming that I couldn't function or breathe, and yet God restores.

Now I am in place of peace.. a place ONLY found in Him. Because I seek Him, because I cling to Him, because I realize how desperate I am for Him. In this place I have been praising Him for all the restoration in my life. Things only He can do!

Who can heal relationships that have shipwrecked? Who can mend hearts crushed by the devastation of losing a child? Who can calm the storms that rage within a person's soul? How are those things explained apart from the miraculous and loving hand of God?

The question I keep asking myself is one that I taught my kids in Sunday school this week. What am I going to do with my second chance(s)? How am I going to live out a life of thankfulness and gratitude? The answer I am finding is that I am going to continue to surrender. I need to surrender my thoughts, my wants, my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my husband, my children, my friendships, my every moment to Christ. To be obedient in the big and the small. To TRUST God by actually trusting God. Not doubting that He is who He has proven Himself to be.

I need to step up my game. I am tired of Satan winning. I am tired of watching families be torn apart. I am tired of watching people I love be tormented by mind games that Satan plays. I am tired of watching Christians be paralyzed by complacency and comfort. I am tired of not being strong enough to make a difference. I am tired of not being who God made me to be because the world drowns out my passion and makes me weary with the hardships of this life.

This world is a blip when put in light of eternity. Too much is at risk for me to be passive anymore. Too much hangs in the balance for me to not take full advantage of my second chance. So I am going to be much more proactive about my faith. I WILL be on my knees - literally my knees - for the families that Satan is trying to pull apart. I WILL be on my knees for the sick in health and the sick in spirit. I WILL pray for those who don't have the strength to pray for themselves. I WILL be in the WORD daily.. because how can I adequately live out THANKS to Him if I don't spend TIME with Him.

AND I WILL NOT BE ASHAMED! Shame will cripple me NO MORE!

He has restored me for a purpose and I want to live out that purpose fully!

Forgiven Much

This photo was on Ann Voskamp's blog this morning. It resonates with my soul.

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit," Titus 3:5

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

"We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things." 1 John 3:19-20

Even when my heart condemns me, I have been forgiven much.

Self Check

By: Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I find it easy to rush right through a day without taking time to evaluate whether I’m doing the right things from the right motives. Sometimes I need to stop and examine my life.
The Puritan writer, John Fletcher, used a series of questions to examine his heart.

• Do I have pride?
• Am I dead to all desire for praise?
• Do I have the presence of God in my life?
• Am I free from the fear of man?
• Do I embrace the cross in every way it presents itself to me?

It's important to take some time on a regular basis to stop and take stock and place our lives under God's divine searchlight.

• Am I willing to give up my ease and my convenience to minister to others?
• Am I ready to give up a point when I am contradicted?
• Am I content with whatever is or may be, feeling that God, the Author of all events, does and will do all for my good?

How easily I am led astray

I am weak. I am. My thoughts easily get turned from the things of God, to the things of the world. It is a sad confession. I wish that I was so strong in faith that I never struggled in little areas of my life, but I do.

For ME media is a huge coercion to selfishness. To focus on things, lots of pretty things, that distract me from heavenly purposes and lead me to self. But when I allow myself to be bombarded with it my heart is not as sensitive to the effect it has on me. From the time I became a Christian I have been called to give up secular music. I remember in High School purposing to not listen to it, and then being in the car with a Christian girlfriend and she had Christina Aguilera on in her car. I thought, "well surely I am being too dramatic in my following of Christ. Christians don't have to cut out all secular music". So I allowed it back in. Granted I was guarded in what I listened to, but I still listened. *Now - I understand that not all Christians feel conviction about what type of music they listen to, and that is not even the purpose of this post. I'm getting to it.*

This past year I was listening to really bad stuff. It started innocent, listening to some main stream music and then it progressed. I was downloading songs of the billboard top 100 every week and adding them to my iTunes library. It was an impressive collection of junk I had accumulated. Eventually I became desensitised to exactly how bad what I was listening to had become and it started to change me.

Music wasn't responsible for the dark pit I had gotten myself into, but it contributed. I was constantly listening to lyrics that encouraged selfishness, focus on sex appeal, partying, lust of possessions and other things contrary to the word of God. I gave in. In many areas I compromised my convictions until they were but a whisper. A small cry from God to return in a quiet and distant voice. I shut the door on God and did my own thing.

Thankfully, God broke through my darkness, but it required a broken marriage, a broken spirit, broken friendships, and being the closest to hell I hope to ever experience on this earth. A life apart from God is hell.

There were choices that had to be made. Choices that didn't line up with my new way of thinking of myself, but with God's word. With TRUTH. The first was aligning my priorities with the Lord. That meant I wasn't the center of my universe anymore. God, Jeff, my children, my home, others. Me can't be part of that equation, because ME quickly becomes an idol. Self is scary thing. It is so natural to want to seek it and please it. But it is not what God wants of me and there is only one cure..

"... we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." 1 Cor 10:5

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phil 4:8

How He Loves Us

HE IS JEALOUS FOR ME!!

Psalm 116

I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
I believed when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
I said in my alarm,
"All men are liars."
What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His godly ones.
LORD, surely I am Your servant,
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
You have loosed my bonds.
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the LORD'S house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

An Exciting Word

What comes to mind when I say, “Modesty?”



“It's kind of a boring connotation.”
“Fully covered—almost not wanting to have any style to their dress.”



Modesty can sound like an idea that’s out of date, but actually, it’s wonderful.
• Modesty brings you peace. You can rest knowing you’re being obedient to God.
• Modesty gives you power. You’ll be free from constantly changing fads.
• Modesty provides protection. You’ll be less likely to get the wrong kind of attention from
the wrong kind of men.
• Modesty promotes purity. You’ll be more likely to get the right kind of attention from the
right kind of guys.
• Modesty leads to praise. Others will value you for inward qualities, more than unreliable
physical characteristics.



Remember what God’s Word says: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”

By: Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

The Little Things

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee rule over
many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord"
Matthew 25:21.

Doing little things can often seem so insignificant, can't
they? Especially menial things. Tedious things. The
things that you have to do over and over again like
making beds, doing laundry, doing dishes and preparing
meals. Can I remind you that no little thing is insignificant?
Little things accumulate and add up to big things. And
more important of all, God notices. He is interested in
the little things as much as the big things.

When God, who is watching over the walls of your
home, sees you faithfully and joyfully embracing your
daily tasks, it pleases His heart. He takes notice of it.
God takes as much pleasure in the little things as He
does the big things. He created the huge mountains,
but put even more intricate design to each tiny
snowflake which you can only see under a magnifying
glass. He created the giant redwoods (you may have
driven your car through one of the trunks of these trees
in California, as we have), but He created the beauty
of the little violet and forget-me-not flowers.

God poured beauty and intricate design into the tiniest of
His creations, some that can't even be seen by the eyes of
men. You also are being transformed into the character of
God when you make beauty and joy out of your little and
menial tasks, tasks that you think are boring. Nothing is
boring when God is in it! Seek ways to do your little tasks
faster, better and more creatively. Sing while you do
them. Thank God that He is with you as you do them.

I am always challenged by Frank Bunker Gilbert in
Cheaper by the Dozen who sought to do every
household task more efficiently and quickly. He timed
his children doing each task to see if they could do it
more quickly the next time. That's why we have so
many wonderful inventions in the world today
because people seek ways to do things quicker and
better than before! The little can lead to the amazing!
This can happen in your home every day as you bring
God into every task! It changes the boring to the
interesting; the mundane to the creative and the little to
make the way for the great.

I feel very blessed to have the privilege of encouraging
the mothers of the world and printing 160,000
magazines each time we print a new Above Rubies.
Did I start with this number? No. when I printed the
first issue over 33 years ago I printed only 1500 copies!
But it started even before I was married. I was teaching
and gave my vacation time to ministering at girls'
camps. These young girls came in from all over the
country, many from non-Christian homes. It was a joy
to lead many of them to the Lord, but I knew they
would go home to receive no encouragement in their
faith. I began writing to them and ended up writing
regularly to over 100 girls. Looking back, I believe
that because I was faithful in that small task, God
chose me to do a bigger task and to reach thousands
and thousands of families across the world.

Many women send in poems and writings to me for
inclusion in Above Rubies. Sadly, I can't use them all. I
cannot find space for all the poems. But can I encourage
you? Don't wait to be published. Write your poem or
prose out beautifully on a lovely card and give it to
someone in need. Write poems for your husband,
children or grandchildren. Write rhymes for Name
Places at the dinner table. Write encouraging letters to
those who need uplifting. Use your writing talent for
your family and the people God puts on your heart.
As you share your writings with those around you to
bless and uplift them, God will open bigger doors.
He gives rulership to those who are faithful in the
least.

Do you feel you have a message to speak to thousands?
You may wait forever for that opportunity. Start where
you are. Bless your family with your inspirations.
Speak to everyone you meet. As you are faithful to do
this, God may open up remunerative opportunities.

Are you an artist? Paint the walls of your home. Paint
beautiful pictures to give to friends. Draw a picture
for an older person living on their own.* Decorate
cards and give them to those who need encouraging.
Use your gift to bless those around you and God
will open bigger opportunities.

Zechariah 4:10 says, "Who has despised the day of
small things?"

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL,
ABOVE RUBIES

PRAYER:
"I thank you, dear Father, that you are interested in the
little things as well as the big things. Help me to know
that you are with me in every small task I accomplish in
my home. I thank you that even the mundane things
are wonderful when you are in them. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I am making every little task into an amazing one!

She spoke MY heart

Our car ride home tonight turned out to be an amazing time of conversation. My kids (well not little M he was half asleep) were asking all kinds of deep questions about God. It was exciting. Moments like these you can't force. We talked about how God loves us. How he sent His Son for our sins. How our sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus. How we get to spend forever with God. How our life's purpose is to glorify God and share His love with others.

L quoted scripture he learned at church that applied to the conversation (how cool he knows when to apply it).

And then a little voice comes from the back, soft, and concerned,

"Mommy?" J says. I look back and there are tears in her eyes.

"Mommy I believe in Jesus and I love Him, but sometimes... I just don't listen."

Wow.. the sincerity and truth of that statement. I live that. Daily.

I assured her, we are forgiven if we are truly sorry and ask to be forgiven. If we try to make the right choice the next time and try to avoid the same mistakes.

She smiled. Her heart was relieved. As is mine :)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

The Pleasure that Satisfies

Do you know that God designed us to seek pleasure? That may sound strange because we equate pleasure with sin. The pleasure is only wrong when we try to find it in the wrong place. We go to food, people, activities, or possessions. But those things can never satisfy the deep longing in our hearts.

But when we surrender to God, we truly find the pleasure that truly satisfies. Have you fully surrendered yourself to God? Are you finding your happiness in Him? Listen to these words from Psalm 36:

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house. And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

What We Are Striving For

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deut. 6:4-9

What I am learning is this is VERY HARD for our family to do with all of the "luxuries" of life.

It is hard to teach our children diligently the ways of God when the TV contradicts His Word. So we are canceling our TV and limiting our movies.

It is hard to do when errands and schedules take priority over heart matters and relationships. So we are spending much more QUALITY time together as a family.

It is hard to do with out time together in prayer and in the Word. So we are trying to work that into the everyday moments more, making scripture part of correction and taking advantage of every teachable moment.

It is hard to do being constantly bombarded with a "gotta have it now" mentality, distracting us from our life's purpose. So we are simplifying our expenses and trying to live more content with what we have and not in lust over what we want. Working to an ultimate goal of ZERO DEBT.

It is hard to do, but not impossible when we OBEY the calling God places on our hearts. When we are faithful to respond in the small things - so that obedience in the big things is natural.


"The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3

Lyrics That Consume Me

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
Should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing you praise

In my heart, in my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring you praise
From the inside out of my soul
Lord my soul cries out

Ready Me

"These have no root." Luke 8:13

My soul, examine yourself this morning by the light of this text. You have received the word with joy; your feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into your very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not always a lasting one. In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the seed began to take root, its downward growth was hindered by the hard stone and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its green shoot aloft as high as it could, but having no inward moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away. Is this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth takes place upwards and downwards at the same time. Am I rooted in sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and unfertilized by grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must ultimately wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart. Let me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance as Jonah’s gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus, above all let me feel the energy of his Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding and enduring seed in my soul. If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield thee a bounteous harvest.

My emphasis added

From Morning and Evening: Daily Readings by Charles Spurgeon

Feeling Discouraged

... and then a friend shared this on her blog.

“The Lord knows those that are His.” You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees “light” in your heart, for He has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye. You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in His finished work, God sees the “light.” He not only sees it, but He also preserves it in you. “I, the Lord, do keep it.” This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by his grace, he will one day develop into the splendor of noonday, and the fullness of glory" (Jan 5)

Mornings and Evenings with Spurgeon by Charles Spurgeon

In need of healing?

For the child of God all things work together for good. This truth is reality because God is the Great Redeemer. He redeems all your past and uses it to conform you into the image of His Son. He is for you, not against you. And if He is for you, who can be against you? Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:28-39, selected verses).

God's love is an unconditional, everlasting, transforming love. A love demonstrated and received at Calvary. And it is at Calvary that you, Beloved of God, will find your Gilead--your city of refuge, your place of healing.

How like our "Americanized" Christianity! We have needed healing, but instead of running to our Father and asking Him what to do, we have turned to man's psychology, to man's philosophy, to our humanistic version of Christianity, or to our own understanding. Like the Israelites of old, we have turned from the wellspring of all of God's sufficiency to the cistern of mans reasoning.

Excerpts from: Lord, Heal My Hurts, by Kay Arthur