Do you plan to attend church this weekend and meet with the people of God? The gathering together of God’s people is not an option, but a command in God’s Word. Yes, I am sure you know Hebrews 10:25.
This last week I was also reminded from the Old Testament.
2 Chronicles 29:6, 7: “For our fathers have trespassed and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and have forsaken him, and have TURNED THEIR FACES AWAY FROM THE HABITATION OF THE LORD, AND TURNED THEIR BACKS. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense, nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel . . “
The habitation of the Lord was the tabernacle where they came to meet with God. We must never turn our faces from the house of God. When we choose to do something else rather than gather with the saints, we turn our faces away from God Himself. We turn our backs on Him.
I am amazed at how many excuses people use to forsake the weekly gathering of God’s people. Visitors arrive. “Oh, we better stay home.” No, bring your visitors with you.
“It’s such a glorious day. Too good to be inside. Let’s have a family picnic. It will be such a great family thing to do.” No. When you turn your face away from the gathering of God’s people, you turn your face away from God.
“I’ve got a headache today. I don’t feel so good. I think I’ll stay home.” No, the place to get healed is in the presence of God where His people are gathered.
Let’s put away all these feeble excuses. Even if we have to sacrifice, we keep to our commitment. Luke 4:16 tells us that it was Jesus’ habit to go to the synagogue every sabbath day. His parents established this habit in his life. This is a habit that we must instill in our children. It’s not something we do if we feel like doing, we do it because it is God’s plan! And we exemplify this habit to our children.
God’s fierce wrath was on the Israelites because they turned their faces away from His tabernacle. Conversely, we cannot expect God’s blessing upon us when we disregard the habitation of His house. When we turn our backs on God’s people, we turn our backs on God.
David said to the Lord in Psalm 26:8, 12: “LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth . . . in the congregations will I bless the LORD.”
Be blessed, Nancy Campbell
MORE SCRIPTURES FO YOU TO LOOK UP:
Psalm 22:22, 25; 35:18; 40:9, 10; 50:5; 55:14; 68:26; 92:13, 14; 106:47; 107:32; 111:1; 122:1; 149:1; Isaiah 2:3; Jeremiah 50:5; Zechariah 8:21, 22; Matthew 18:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; 4:31; 14:27; 20:7, 8; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 5:4; 10:17; 12:20; 14:23, 26; 16:2; Ephesians 4:15, 16, 25; 5:30; Colossians 2:2, 19; 1 John 3:14, 16; 2 John 1:12; and 3 John 1:14.
Did you know, I am now doing a podcast for you each week called FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell? I know you will be blessed and encouraged. Go to www.aboverubies.org and you’ll see the icon. Or go to http://ARPoddy.buzzsprout.com
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I have been posting about living a lovely life. 1 Peter 3: 3-6 talks about this too. In fact it talks about living a BEAUTIFUL LIFE. 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, away 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:
One night I was laying in bed thinking about living a lovely life. I wrote about it in my post yesterday. A quote filtered through my mind about “the lovely things that you’ve been taught to do.”
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?
These are the best years of your life,
The other morning Colin read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 in our daily devotion: “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed year by year.”
It’s a pink line! You’re pregnant! Wow!
Children love to have friends. That’s why they like to have lots of brothers and sisters. As they get older they love to have more friends. They love to get in the groove with their friends. In fact, many times peer pressure from friends becomes a greater influence than parent pressure! That’s why it is imperative to guard your children’s friends.
I recently read an article by the Puritan, Thomas Doolittle (1632-1707). His words were challenging. I don’t think many Christians could receive them today. They would be outraged. But would you mind if I shared two little excerpts from his writings? He wrote:
When you hear about someone who “walks with God” you imagine someone who walks a godly life and who does great things for God. You think, “I wish I could walk with God like that, but I’m just mothering children in my home. I don’t have time to do anything for God.”
The devil wants our children. He will take the souls, minds, and hearts of our children if we let him. He wants to take them down his road of destruction. We cannot give him an inch or he takes a mile. We must be fierce guarders!
Every now and then I like to get on my “band wagon” or my “soap box.” I have quite a few soap boxes! Which one am I on today?
We talked yesterday about the joyful mother. Sadly, this seems to be the opposite testimony of many mothers today. They look downcast. They are overwhelmed. They are full of self-pity. They moan and groan. Where has the joy gone?
Yesterday we talked about nesting in the home. But we must look at something more in Psalm 113:9 which describes the mother as JOYFUL. Did you know that God equates motherhood with joy? And it’s not an average kind of joy. It’s exceeding joy.
Psalm 113:9 says: “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.”
Yesterday we talked about how God wants us to settle in our homes (Hosea 11:11). The ESV and some other translations give another thought to this Scripture: “I will RETURN them to their homes, declares the Lord.” In other words, when we get away from our homes, God wants to return us back to our homes for this is where He has placed us.
Are you nestled in your home? God wants you to nest, rest, and invest in your home. He made the home for you. He created the home for you to raise your children. Before God created Eve, He first prepared the home for her. When she woke up to life, she was in her delightful home of Eden. Adam had already been created before the home, but not the woman!
(Question at the end about the picture).
Nothing in this life comes easy. Nor does motherhood. It’s the greatest career God has given to women. It’s fulfilling. It’s filled with joys too big for the heart. It’s our DNA. It’s what we are born for.