Deuteronomy 28:1-4 NASB, “If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments… Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the offspring of your body…”

Some people love to live in the city. Some love the country. There are others who live in the city but who long to move to the country. They think that this will be a better life for their children. That may be so, but God has promised, if we are obedient to His commandments, to bless us whether we live in the town or the country.

If you hanker to live in the country, and yet there is no way for you to do this, stop pestering your husband and be content. To be content where you live is more important than where you live. The requirement for God’s blessing upon you and your family is not where you live but whether you are being obedient to God’s Word.

We now live in the country. I love it. I prefer it to the city. But through all the years of raising our children we lived in the city. They were wonderful years and God blessed us. I remember when we moved from New Zealand to Australia, not just to a new country, but to the playground of Australia--Surfer’s Paradise. Our home looked out on the casino! Help! How do you raise teenagers in this environment? Because this is where God sent us to serve Him, He blessed us and our children. Instead of being on the defensive, they were on the offensive for God. All the children, teens and younger, preached every weekend in the open air mall in Surfer’s Paradise. They helped us grow the church. They are all loving and serving the Lord today.

When we moved to America, we lived in an apartment complex. By this time, only Pearl and Serene were home, the others were all married. We squashed ourselves and the Above Rubies office into this apartment. We opened our doors in hospitality and filled it with people gathering around our table for meals. Once again we were blessed! We had wonderful times and great fellowship with many people in this dingy apartment.

I have found that the secret of enjoying life is to accept where I live and make it my life, rather than pining for what I have had in the past or what I would like to have in the future.

By the way, here is a secret for getting a bigger home. Fill the one you have. Fill it with children. Fill it with people as you reach out in hospitality. When God sees you filling up the home you have, He will open doors for you to get a bigger one!

Some folks think that it is too difficult to have children in the city. However, the next words God speaks after telling us He will bless us in the town and in the country is that He will bless us with the fruit of the womb. This blessing is for those who live in the city and for those who live in the country. God will help us and provide for us in whichever place we live.

Trust His promises.

NANCY CAMPBELL

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