Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.
LIVING THE LOVELY LIFE
What a lovely thing to live a lovely life. Does that seem like a testimony of your life? Or do you feel you are living a sad life? Or a hard life? Or an overwhelming life?Each one of us face challenges in life. Difficult things. Hurtful things. But they should not determine our lifestyle. Our lifestyle depends not so much on what happens to us or what happens around us but what is happening in us. When we are born again, we receive the life of Christ. We experience the truth of the Scripture, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1 27).
The “Christ in me life” is the lovely life. His life is filled with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, rest, sweetness, victory and so on. Oh what a lovely life! Therefore we choose to live the lovely life, the life of Christ within us, or by the dictates of our flesh which is usually rather ugly.
1 Peter 2:12 (Barclay) tells us: “Live a LOVELY life among the heathen.” Yes, the Greek word is “kalos” and means “beautiful (even more than lovely), good, honest, worthy.”
We also read this word 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.”
The lovely life starts in the home. 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 countenance upon our faces. By our smiles. By the lovely things we do and say.
Do you speak lovely words to your husband? Oh dear one, speaking lovely words to your husband makes a lovely marriage. And a lovely marriage is one of the most beautiful things on earth.
Do you speak lovely words to your children? It’s hypocritical to speak nice words to others outside the home if you are angry, shouting, and nasty in the home.
Let’s yield to the life of Christ who lives within us and live a lovely life today—filling our homes with lovely words and actions.
May God smile upon your home today,
Nancy Campbell
Painting: Box Canvas Print. Husband and wife sit holding hands Date: 1913.
