WHAT HAPPENED TO WEDDING DRESSES?

“The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework, the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee”
(Psalm 45:13, 14).

Every little girl dreams of one day wearing a wedding dress, the most beautiful and special dress she will ever wear. The dress up box was the favorite thing in my home for my little granddaughters. They loved to dress up, especially as a princess or bride. I filled my dress up box with old lace curtains, lace nightgowns, and beautiful materials. It was more fun to create a beautiful gown than simply put on one already made. They were all so creative as they tried to look like the most beautiful princess or bride in the world.

Recently one of our many grandsons was married. I wanted to cry with joy as I watched his beautiful bride walk down the aisle to her husband. Her dress was beautiful but also covered to the neckline. How refreshing. The standard weeding dress of today is the strapless wedding dress. Sadly, these dresses are not only modern vogue but are becoming more and more fleshly. It seems that the more cleavage the bride can show the better she likes it. The congregation has to stare at not only much of the breast of the bride but the bridesmaids’ as well. What are we coming to? A sacred wedding or a show of the flesh?

This grieves my heart. I believe it is the right of the bridegroom to uncover his bride. Why does she want to reveal so much even before her wedding night? And why does she want to show off that which is private (and a gift to her husband) to the whole congregation?

I wonder if any of you remember Kim Clement, an anointed prophet and musician. He prophesied back in 2007 that Donald Trump would become president of the United States for two terms. This came to pass as well as many other things he prophesied. He passed away in November 2016 before Trump became President. However, awhile back I listened to a prophetic word he gave not long before he died. Out of context the words came through: “God is close to the marriage altar.” I was struck with these words, and I know they came from God.

God is the author of the marriage altar. He loves it. He joyfully “brought the woman to the man” at the first altar (Genesis 2:22). Because it is God’s design, it is sacred. God wants to come with His power and presence to the marriage altar. But how does God feel when He sees brides with their low-cut wedding dresses? Have they forgotten they are coming to a sacred altar where God is waiting to bless them? I believe a bridal couple should come with awe and reverence to this altar.

I know a young man who began a wedding videography business. He loved it and was doing well. But sadly, he had to give it up. Honing in on pictures to make beautiful wedding videos he was bombarded with cleavage from brides and bridesmaids and felt he could not keep doing it. And sadly, most of these were Christian weddings.

When reading a secular article about the origin of strapless wedding dresses which were popularized in the 1990’s, I noticed a statement: “Despite their popularity, some consider strapless wedding dresses to be a ‘rejection of the virginal ideal’ and they are potentially controversial for religious weddings.” And yet even this statement is no longer the case. Those who call themselves Christians dress the same as the world. No difference. And yet if we confess the name of Christian, we are called to be holy.

1 Peter 1:15, 16 (NKJV) says: “But as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” The word holy means “to be set apart from the world unto God.”

And what about the veil? Brides rarely wear them today. Or maybe never. It is such a beautiful thing to behold a bride with the veil over her face until the minister says, “You may now kiss the bride” and he lifts the veil for that beautiful kiss.

Shouldn’t we as God’s people have sacred weddings?

PRAYER:

“Dear God and Father, lover of weddings and marriage, I pray for all the lovely young women who are planning weddings. I pray that You will come to them and show them Your way. I pray that You will give them an awe of Your holiness and they will want to wear a wedding dress the glorifies You. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am standing strong for beautiful but holy wedding dresses!

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

NO EXCUSES

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels”
(Mark 8:38).

The other night I read the words in Psalm 30:9: “Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?” No. We have only one chance to declare God’s truth and make known the glory of God and that’s while we are here on this earth. When we meet the Lord, all our opportunities will be gone.

The word “declare” is a strong word. The Hebrew word nagad means “to front, to stand boldly out opposite, to manifest, announce, expose, predict, denounce, and certainly declare.” We can declare God’s truth in different ways.

1. The Bible tells us we can declare God’s truth by sending a message through the post (Jeremiah 51:31 and Jude 1:3)). You can write an encouraging word on a card and send it to someone who is hurting or downcast. That’s a beautiful thing to do. These days, you can use your social media. It can be a time waster, or you can use it to proclaim God’s truth. If you can’t think of messages to send out, you can share some of mine.

2. The Bible tells us we can declare God’s truth by singing (Psalm 78:9). I love the words in Isaiah 48:20 where it says: “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.” God wanted the miracle of bringing His people from the bondage of Babylon to be declared to the ends of the earth.

But do you notice that God uses six different words to remind them to boldly proclaim His works? Voice, singing, declare, tell, utter, and say! The Hebrew words for voice and singing both mean to make a LOUD noise.

3. And of course we declare His truth by speaking boldly. Upfront. We are not afraid to speak the truth even if it is counterculture. We fear God rather than man (Acts 4:19, 20 and 5:29). In most cases in the Bible, it was only the remnant that stood fast to God’s truth. Let’s never be taken in by the most popular opinion (Matthew 7:13, 14).

Matthew 10:32, 33: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

We have no excuse for hiding our light. Being too fearful to speak. Not wanting to step on anyone’s toes.

Let’s be declarers of God’s truths to our children, our grandchildren, and everyone we meet. Let’s remember that our only privilege and opportunity to declare God’s truths are in this lifetime.

PRAYER:

“I thank you, dear Father, for the privilege of knowing Your truth. I thank You that Your truth shows us the way to live, Your truth sets us free, Your truth is what the world needs to hear. Help me to be a faithful declarer of Your truth. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I will be a faithful declarer of God’s truth to my children and to everyone I meet.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

THE JOYS OF TOGETHERING

“All the believers . . . broke bread together in their homes,
sharing meals with simple joy”
(Acts 2:46 (J. B. Phillips).

It is not God’s intention for people to live alone. It is not His intention for people to eat alone. God planned for us to live and eat together. He sets the solitary ones in families (Psalm 68:6). He does not want old people to live lonely lives on their own. He wants them to be part of a family. He wants them to eat with a family.

God knows how much we need one another. God calls us His “sheep” and sheep always stick together as a “flock.” You always see sheep together. Isn’t it amazing that there is not a singular word for sheep? It is a plural word. On the odd occasion a sheep farmer will have a “hermit” sheep that continually strays away from the flock. They usually eliminate the “hermit” sheep.

Psalm 107:41 says: “He makes families like a flock.” The word “flock” is “mishpachah” which means “a circle of relatives with strong blood ties.” It includes the extended family.

The table brings the family together. It is a gathering place. It is a focal point that draws us all to sit around the One we honor, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Unseen Guest. He waits for us to come to the table. He wants to be included in our conversation and fellowship.

The table is communal. It promotes oneness, not independence. This is why Psalm 128 paints the picture of our children “all around the table.” In days past a table was always filled. There were more than the 1.6 children per family of our modern society sitting around the table. There were grandparents and extended family. And often there were friends and even strangers. Each one came with expectancy, ready for new dialogue. The place hummed with conversation. No one was lonely. They survived on togethering. It’s the way God planned it.

And did you know that eating and sharing together at the table releases the “feel good” chemicals such as oxytocin, serotonin etc. Why are so many people depressed today? Why are so many on antidepressants? You don’t need antidepressants when you are part of a lively family meal table. Come to the table. Gather your family to the table and take your daily DOSE—of Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins!

Who creates this environment? The woman of the home. The women of past generations labored with love to prepare every meal. They kept the family together by drawing them to the table. Mothers, this is still our task today. We keep the generations alive. Our men are the providers but we are the nest-builders and nurturers. We keep the family together by cooking and gathering our family and friends around the table. It’s our privilege and responsibility to make it happen.

Did you think that cooking was insignificant? Oh, no. It is the secret for “togethering.” It is a powerful and anointed task. Don’t keep your table to yourselves. Share it. At least once a week (more is better) invite some folk to join your table. Invite the grandparents. How they will love it. Invite someone from your extended family. Invite friends. Invite those who are lonely and need to be encouraged.

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV): “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling”

The NLT says: “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.”

Make your table a hub of joyful togetherness.

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, I thank You that You are a hospitable God. You love to say “Come.” And because You live in me, You want to show Your hospitable heart through me. Help me to open my heart more and more to reach out to others with hospitality. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I love inviting God to come to my table, and I love inviting others to meet God at my table.

WHO TAKES FIRST PLACE IN YOUR HOME?

“And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence”
(Colossians 1:18).

Does Jesus Christ have the preeminence “in all things” in your life and in your home? That means all the little things as well as the big things. I think that if we get into the habit of giving Jesus the preeminence in the little things it will become the norm to give him the preeminence in the big things, don’t you?

What are some of the things where we should give Him preeminence? I am sure you can think of many. I think we should learn to give Him preeminence in every attitude. When we decide to stay grumpy and mad, bitter and hurt, or smoldering with self-pity, we are not giving the preeminence to Jesus but to our ugly fleshly nature! We must choose. We either yield to the flesh or yield to the life of Jesus that dwells within us.

When we retort and react negatively to our husband, we are not giving Jesus the preeminence. We are showing to our husband our “old man” and hiding the life of Jesus from Him.

When we would rather give time to functions and organizations outside the home rather than tending to the needs of our children and our home, we are not giving the preeminence to Jesus. Jesus Himself said: “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Luke 19:14). The kingdom of God belongs to the little children. When we are nurturing and caring for our little children, we are right in the center of God’s kingdom.

When we don’t have time to gather our family together for family devotions morning and evening, we show our children that God does not have the preeminence in our home. We reveal that all the other things in life (which are all fleeting) and vie for our attention are more important than Him! Oh, how easy it is for this to happen. I find that in our home I must make it happen. Everything else in our lives revolves around our times with God as a family each day. If other things don’t get done, too bad. But we dare not miss our time with Him—or He is not first place.

What about our commitment to the people of God? I am always challenged by David’s words in Psalm 16:2, 3: “Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee: but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” David delighted in the people of God.

God loves His people and delights in them. They are the apple of His eye. If we don’t delight in them, we are not truly delighting in Him. For if we delight in Him, we will love what He loves. Therefore, we will be committed to the gathering of God’s people each week. It is our delight. It is our love. It shows that He is preeminent in our lives. We don’t allow other things to cloud this weekly commitment.

Oh, yes, there are so many other areas you will think of. Let’s give God the preeminence “in all things.”

I think of the words of the hymn:

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart, does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest,
As you yield Him your body and soul.

PRAYER:

“Dear Jesus, You are worthy of all preeminence. You are Ruler of the universe and King of kings and Lord of lords. I want to make You preeminent in my life—in every area of my life, and in every area of my home. Please expose to me the areas where You are not preeminent. Amen,”

AFFIRMATION:

“All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”