"A capable, intelligent and virtuous woman, who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far ABOVE RUBIES or pearls ." Proverbs 31:10
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.
Do you think you are incapable of teaching your children? Dear mother, you are the best teacher in the world. God ordained you to teach, and He gave you this ability.
You begin teaching your children from the moment they are born. In their first few years, you teach them everything about life—how to talk, walk, etiquette, to understand God’s world, and all the basic foundations of life. And you are still the best teacher for the rest of their lives.
God reminds children, “Do not forsake your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8). Whose teaching? The state school teacher’s? “ The Sunday school teacher’s?" No, it is the mother’s teaching.
Again, in Proverbs 6:20-22 NASB we read, “Do not forsake the teaching your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk bout, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you.” That’s the most powerful and influential teaching I have read about.
You can do it, mother. You are the best! You have been ordained for the task!
Are you waiting to hear an answer from God? Don’t give up. Keep waiting. Keep patiently waiting. God will come to you in His time, not your time. But He will come. Do not doubt it.
David testifies in Psalm 409:1, “I waited patiently (the Hebrew means “in waiting, I keep on waiting”) for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”
The word “incline” literally means “stretched down to.” A number of translations say, “He bent down to me.” Others say, “He stopped down to me.” Isn’t that wonderful? God, who is Ruler of all and above the heavens, hears your continual cry and stretches down from heaven to deliver you.
David tells us what God did when He bent down to him, “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:2-3).
No matter how horrible the pit you are in, it’s not too deep for God to stretch down to you.
His deliverance is so great, that He not only gives you a song to sing, but everyone will “see” the song in you and it will cause them to trust the Lord.
“As arrows are 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” (Psalm 127:4-5).
Why is it a blessing to have a quiver full of children? Why will parents not be ashamed who have many children? They are training their children to know how to fight enemies. They are preparing them for war. And what is more powerful than swords and spears? Words! Words of truth!
We don’t have children just for the sake of having children. We have a purpose to raise children who know how to combat the enemies of darkness and who know how to contend for their faith. We raise children who know the truth, who will stand for truth, and who will keep on standing for truth even when everyone is trying to knock them down! We teach them to not only know the truth, but to speak the truth knowledgably and articulately.
Yesterday we talked about our great task of building a godly marriage and home. Sometimes you feel like fainting and giving up along the way.
Zerubbabel felt like that too. The prophet continued encouraging him in Zechariah 4:9, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it.”
You have begun building a godly dynasty. Don’t give up until you finish. God is with you now and will be with you all the way through! His plan is for you to finish your task and He will not forsake you until you have finished--and finished in triumph!
Are you getting overwhelmed with homeschooling? You’re tempted to send them back to school! That’s the adversary tempting you! Cry out to God for His help and don’t give into the enemy. You are going to finish your task! Are you thinking you are ready to stop having babies? Why stop before the finishing line? God may have one more special baby for you. You are going to finish your race!
I love the Living Bible translation of this passage, “Therefore no mountain, however high, can stand before Zerubbabel! For it will flatten out before him! And Zerubbabel will finish building this Temple with mighty shouts of thanksgiving for God’s mercy, declaring that all was done by grace alone” Zechariah 4:7).
You won’t finish your great project in your own strength; it will be all by the grace of God.
Zerubbabel (along with others), came back from Babylon, their land of captivity, to rebuild the temple of God. They faced difficulties, challenges and persecution on every hand as they attempted this great building project. You, too, are involved in a great building program. Maybe, like Zerubbabel and his team, you find you cannot do it in your own strength.
The prophet came with a word from God to encourage him, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6). I cry out these words nearly every day of my life. I cannot face all my challenges in my own wisdom. I cannot make my family members walk in God’s ways. I cannot accomplish the task with my limited capacity. It is only by the moving and working of the Holy Spirit in my life, and in their lives. I am totally reliant upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
Praise God for His power which works in us mightily (Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29) and Hebrews 13:21). The prophet continued, “Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.” (Zechariah 4:7). Do you have mountains in the way of your building a strong marriage and family? Through the power of the Holy Spirit the mountains will become a plain! Claim this promise and the Word of the Lord to you.
What does it mean to be faithful? The Hebrew word is aman which means “to stand firm, to endure, long continuance, reliable, trusty.” I like the word, “trusty” don’t you? Faithfulness is not a flashy thing. It is not always an exciting thing. It can often be part of the drudgery of life. We do the same thing day after day as we mother in our homes. Life may seem monotonous. It may seem boring compared to the exciting life that others are leading outside the home. But, dear mother, be encouraged. You are fulfilling the most far-reaching and influential career in the nation!
Catherine Booth said, “I seek to make myself fit to be a mother, and being that in every sense, I shall be ready for any destiny God has for me.” Be faithful in your home--your marriage, mothering, and all the little things you do in the “daily grind.” This is your greatest training for life and eternity.
All your daily moments of faithfulness add up. They add up to a life of faithfulness. They add up to the reward of those wonderful words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21).
God cannot do anything but good, because He is inherently good. This is His nature. We look out upon the world and see so much evil and suffering, but in it all, God is still good. Because we have evil in the world does not change God’s goodness. Because we go through difficult and traumatic times does not change God’s goodness. God is Sovereign and working all things out for good.
I think of Joseph who was torn away from his family as a young teen and taken to a foreign country. He was put in prison and faced disappointment after disappointment. But God was working it out for good. When the time came to be reconciled to his brothers, he confessed, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; butGod meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 45:7-8 and 50:20).
God is working everything in your life for good, too. Trust Him and acknowledge His goodness.
Proverbs 15:13 says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.” What an amazing difference it makes to the home when the mother has a cheerful countenance!
How can you do it when you feel grumpy, tired and irritable? Dear mother, did you know that you can change your countenance by the attitude of your heart? It’s your attitude, not your feelings. What a sad household when you live by your feelings. You are miserable. Your children are miserable. And your husband doesn’t want to be around!
Come on now, lift up your head. God is on the throne. He is your strength and your joy. Against everything you feel, acknowledge His joy that dwells in you because He lives in you. Praise the Lord. Count your blessings. And your countenance will change.
How often does the name of Jesus fall from your lips during the day? How often do your children utter the name of Jesus? His name brings salvation. His names brings healing. His name brings delieverence. Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, where by we must be saved.” I love the words of the old hymn by John Newton,
How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole, and calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul, and to the weary, rest.
Do you want God to come to you? He comes into your life when you invite Him (Revelation 3:20). He comes to deliver you when you cry out to Him (Romans 10:13). He is coming again to take us to His eternal home (John 14:1-3).
But there is another way He comes. Romans 9:9 says, “For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have son.” Sarah did not have a son of her own accord. God had to come first! We cannot have conception without God coming! God comes to you when you conceive a baby!
How amazing, awesome and incredible to think back on the times when God visited you and you conceived a baby by His will and power. And He may come to you again!
“His name shall be called… Wonderful” (Isaiah 9:6). God cannot be fathomed. He is mysterious (Job 11:7-10). Judges 13:18 says His name is “secret.” We should always be in awe of God and teach our children to have this awe and wonder of Him. May God save us from ever putting Him in a box or allowing our children to put Him in a box.
“Wonder” is an emotion that God has given to us. Firstly in relation to Him, and then regarding creation and life. Even daily life. Sadly, many have lost the emotion of “wonder” today. Their brains have been so stimulated with the media and iphones, ipads, and ipods that they have no room left in their brains for “wonder” and expectation in life. Little children are born with this wonder. Encourage it in your children, and give daily opportunities for it. I love the lines of Sara Teasdale, “Children’s faces looking up, Holding wonder like a cup.”
John 1:14 tells us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” What an amazing fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God became flesh and lived in this world. Even more amazing is that Jesus Christ still wants to become flesh and dwell in this world. He now dwells in His redeemed saints.
How did He reveal His glory? Jesus came “full of grace and truth.” He wants to manifest His grace and truth through me. And through you--in your home, as you daily interact with your children. He wants us to be messengers of His truth, never compromising. But He also wants us to walk in grace, showing compassion and undeserving love even when people do not accept the truth.
Dear Mother, ask God to show you how to walk in “grace and truth” as you train your children. Truth on its own can become legalistic; grace on its own becomes sloppy and does more harm to our children. Ask God to give you the balance and to work these
Although Ruth the Moabitess was a foreigner to Israel, she earned the testimony of being known as a “virtuous woman”—a woman of valor, strength and courage. Boaz confessed, “All the city knows thee for a bride worth the winning” (Ruth 3:11 Knox).
Mother, we have the privilege of training daughters to be a “bride worth the winning.” What a wonderful vision. Many young women today are not ready for marriage. They have been educated for the market place instead of the high calling of motherhood and managing a home. But we can prepare daughters who understand their destiny and know that embracing children and establishing a godly family is the highest privilege upon which a woman can embark.
We are not only preparing a “bride worth the winning”, but a “nation strengthener.”
Would you like to know my favorite Scripture? It is Isaiah 26:3-4, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” Because it is a favorite, I have memorized it, so it is always with me.
What is perfect peace? The true Hebrew rendering is “peace, peace,” meaning a double portion of peace. It is God’s peace which is undisturbable. Don’t you love that? Nothing, no matter how traumatic, disturbs God! And because He is your God, and dwells in you, you can also live in this kind of peace.
But there are two things you have to do:
1) Focus your thoughts upon the Lord. If all your thoughts are upon your problem and the trauma you are facing, you will not experience peace.
2) Trust totally in the Lord. If your trust is in man or trying to solve your problem with your own limited capacity, you will continue to live in stress. Try God’s way.
Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many.” I long for this to be my testimony, but in order to have feeding lips, I must first feed my soul. I want God’s Word to not only be in my heart but in my mouth, ready to feed whoever is around me. All mothers need feeding lips. Not only do we have hungry bodies to feed, but hungry souls and spirits too.
What a tragic thing to be faithful to feed our children’s bodies so they are robust and strong and yet they grow up with tiny starved souls and spirits. Our children’s “inner man” needs feeding as much or more than their “outer man.” I like to tell my children the statement I read of a great Chinese Christian who confessed, “No Bible; no breakfast!” He would never feed his physical body until he first fed his spirit.
Be a “lip feeder” today. Richly feed your children and those around you with wisdom and truth.
How much laughter fills your home? I’m sure the children are always laughing, but what about you and your husband? Statistics say that children laugh up to 300– 400 times a day whereas most adults only laugh about 15 times a day. I wonder if some adults laugh that much!
I know that the stress of each day limits laughter, but is it because we are taking the stress on ourselves instead of walking in the strength and rest of the Lord?
The Bible is correct when it says in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” I am sure that the more we laugh, the healthier we’ll be.
Laughter reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, boosts the immune system and releases endorphins. Laugh at your children. Laugh at the little things that happen. Laugh at yourself. Enjoy the life God has given you in your home.
Did you know that God wants each new generation to learn how to fight? He left enemies in the land of Israel so that each new generation of Israelites could be taught the art of war (Judges 3:1-3).
While we are on this earth, we will always be in a battle. We are in a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness, truth and deception and light and darkness. We must know how to fight these daily battles, but we must also teach our children how to fight the enemy. If we do not teach the strategies of warfare against the enemy, they will fall prey to his attacks.
We want to raise children who can fight the enemy and will still be standing after the fight! Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Ephesians 6: 10-18 and 2 Timothy 2:3-4.
“Ye are the children of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). What does that mean? I am a redeemed, blood bought child of the King of the universe. Not any king, but the King of kings. I am royalty. You are royalty. Therefore we should live like royalty. The Knox translation says, “Learn to carry yourselves as the children of the Lord your God.”
Do you speak like royalty--like a daughter of the King of kings? Do you walk like a daughter of royalty? Do you dress like a daughter of the King of kings? That means modestly, but also beautifully. You won’t see a princess in drab, dreary clothes. Do you live in every way like a daughter of the King?
Are you teaching your daughters to carry themselves as daughters of the King? Acknowledge who you are and live accordingly.
I am sure I don’t have to remind you that mothering is hard work! It’s how it’s meant to be.
When God put Adam and even in the garden home, he gave them work to do—and that was before the fall of man. Don’t despise that your career takes work!
Work is a blessing. Work is therapeutic. Work releases creativity.
God told the first couple to “dress” the garden. The word in the Hebrew is avad and means to “work until weary, to be fatigued.”
God reiterates the same theme in the New Testament in 1 Timothy 5:10 where He tells us that feeding and raising children is a “good work.” The Greek word is ergon and means, “work that is not accomplished by a single act but by accumulated labor and continued work.” That sounds like daily mothering, doesn’t it?
Rejoice as you work. Sing while you work. You are in the perfect will of God.
