WHAT IS YOUR CROWN OF BOASTING? Pt 2

“Holding forth the word of life that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,
that I have NOT RUN IN VAIN, NEITHER LABORED IN VAIN”
(Philippians 2:16).

We continue our study about preparing our children for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

4. GOD’S WORD OF TRUTH

We must have a healthy fear of God’s Word. That means we revere it as the living, breathing, active Word of God. We read it as though God is personally speaking to us. We listen to Him through His Word. We obey Him. We tremble at His word. If we have this attitude to God’s Word, our children will imbibe the same attitude.

If we carelessly treat God’s Word, our children will be careless about it. Our children notice if we rarely pick up God’s Word. They see what importance we place on His Word by how much we read it and talk about it. Do we read it with them every morning and evening? They soon become aware that we either take it with a grain of salt or tremble at His Word (Isaiah 66:2).

In preparing the new Christians to be his “crown of boasting” when Jesus comes, Paul lifted God’s Word to its high level. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says: “When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

When writing to these believers, Paul shared how he longed to see their faces again so he “might perfect that which is lacking in your faith” (3:10). How did he do this? By continuing to teach them more of God’s Word of truth. It is the Word that builds up our faith and fills up the areas we are lacking in our lives and our children’s lives.

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE GOD’S WORD TO FILL UP THE WEAKNESSES IN YOUR CHILDREN’S LIVES.

When you see an area of lack in your children’s lives, fill it up with God’s Word. Find the Scriptures that apply to that area of need. Read those Scriptures with your children. Write them up in big colorful letters in appropriate places in the home. Encourage your children to memorize these Scriptures. You will find that there is nothing else that is as effective of God’s Word to fill up the lacks.

5. PRAYER

The last point, but the most important of all. And the one we use the least. Do you and your husband pray together each day for your children? It takes much prayer and intercession to get them through life in victory and holiness—and for them to become your “glory” and “joy.” Never give up praying. Find a time that is suitable for your husband to pray with you each day. Paul prayed “NIGHT AND DAY EXCEEDINGLY” (3:10). We can at least find one time in the day.

He prayed that God would establish their hearts “unblamable in holiness before God” (3:13). We live in an evil and deceived world and it takes prayer to keep our children and grandchildren walking in holiness. He prayed: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:23).

He not only prayed, but travailed in prayer for the believers in Galatia (Galatians 4:19).

He prayed many blessings for the Ephesians believers and that they would be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

He did “not cease to pray” for the Colossians believers (Colossian 1:9-12).

He prayed for the Philippian believers who he also called “my joy and crown” (Philippians 1:4, 9-11 and 4:1).

We must continually lift our children up before the Lord for He is the only who can “keep you from falling, and to present your faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).

Are your children your boast in the Lord? Paul confessed in 1 Thessalonians 3:8 “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” Is this how you feel too? You feel you can only really live if your children are standing fast, walking in holiness, and overcoming the temptations of this evil world.

May our children be our “glory” and “joy” at His coming. May we not live in vain.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell]

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, Thank You for showing me the tools I need to prepare my children for Your coming. Help me to use them faithfully. Help me to give them a LOVE for Your precious word. Help my husband and I to be faithful in praying for them each day. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I have no lesser a vision than to be a Holy Spirit-filled, Word-loving, and powerful-praying mother.

WHAT IS YOUR CROWN OF BOASTING?

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”
(1 Peter 1:7).

Are you preparing for the Coming Day? The day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns from Heaven? What will we present to Him on that day? Paul writes about what He is preparing for the Lord Jesus. He doesn’t mention any material things or aspirations of building a great organization. Instead he talks about his babes in Christ.

When writing to the new Thessalonian believers, he says: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20 ESV). What will be your glory when Jesus comes?

What a challenge to us as mothers. We have such a powerful ministry right in our own homes. It’s right at our doorsteps. We don’t have to go any further. God has given us precious lives to lead to salvation and to nurture, train, and teach to be ardent disciples of the Lord. We have the responsibility to pray and pour into their lives so we can present our children to the Lord at His coming—sanctified and blameless in body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

We have no greater ministry. The Lord Jesus will not be interested in our presenting our career to Him. Or our material possessions. Or the great name we made for ourselves. He looks for cleansed, purified, and holy sons and daughters. They will be our “crown of boasting.” They will be our “glory” and “joy” on that day.

But it cannot happen without our intercession, dedication, sacrifice, and pouring out our lives. As we read the entire epistle of Thessalonians we find Paul’s example of what it takes for this to happen.

1. NURTURING

Paul was like a “nursing mother” to these new babes in Christ. He says in 1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8 (ESV): “We were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

If Paul could be like a nursing mother, surely, we can embrace our mothering role with all our hearts. We know that a nursing mother is available to her little babe day and night. She pours out of her life. She doesn’t try to save her own life. She loses her life to find it (Mark 8:35).

Be encouraged, dear mother, you begin discipling your children from the moment they are born. You not only nurture your babe with sustenance from your breast, but with powerful thoughts, visions, and prayers from your heart. Every moment of nursing is powerful and ministers into the life of your child who is an eternal soul. Not one moment is lost.

YOUR PREPARING THEM FOR THE COMING OF JESUS BEGINS AS A NURSING MOTHER!

2. LIFE EXAMPLE

As our children grow they learn more from watching our lifestyle than what we teach them. They emulate our way of life (1 Corinthians 4:15, 16; 11:1; Philippians 3:17; 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; and 3:9).

Paul could say to these young Christians: “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you” (1 Thessalonians 2:10). Not only for our own sake, and for God’s sake, but for our children’s sake we must seek to live holy lives.

3. TEACH AND COMMAND

Nothing happens in life without making it happen. Our children do not become our “glory” by hoping it will happen. What was Paul’s example? He says: “For you know how like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and CHARGED you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:11, 12 ESV). It takes constant encouraging, urging, teaching, and even commanding.

Abraham was a great example of parenting. God said that all the nations of the earth would be blessed because of Abraham and one of the reasons was because of his parenting. God said in Genesis 18:19: “For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment.” He didn’t let his household work things out for themselves. He COMMANDED them in the ways of the Lord. Read also 2 Thessalonians 3: 4, 6, 10, 12 and 4:2-7.

It is a constant and daily duty. Read Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:6-9; Psalm 78:1-8; and Isaiah 28:10,12.

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I want to be ready for Your coming. I want my children to be ready for Your coming. Please strengthen me to be a responsible mother as I get my children ready to present them to You. I want them to be my joy and crown at Your appearing. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I have a royal command to prepare my children for the coming of the Lord.

THE TWO COMMISSIONS

“However, the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and then the spiritual”
(1 Corinthians 15:46 NET).

I am continually astonished that most of Christendom today spurns the very first words God spoke to man, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion . . . " God's plans and purposes for mankind cannot be fully implemented without fulfilling this first commission.

There are many who say that God is not interested so much in natural children any more, but only spiritual children. But how can God have spiritual children if there are no natural children? God has a BIG heart. He loves fruitfulness. He loves increase. He wants to fill the earth with people so He can fill eternity with people.

Reading the genealogies in the Old Testament I often notice the phrase "many sons." For example, 1 Chronicles 8:40 says: "And the sons of Ulam had MANY SONS, and sons' sons, 150." Again, in 1 Chronicles 28:5 David says: "The Lord has given me MANY SONS." We find reference to 19 sons of David in the Bible, although some Bible scholars say there could be 20 or more.

Because every theme of the Old Testament is reiterated in the New, we come to Hebrews 2:10 and read: "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing MANY SONS UNTO GLORY, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."

This is the vision of God’s heart from Genesis to Revelation. God begins in Genesis 1:28 with His vision to fill the earth to overflowing with many sons and daughters and then we go to the end of the Bible and read John's vision: "I beheld, and, lo, a GREAT MULTITUDE, WHICH NO MAN COULD NUMBER, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, say, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9-10).

Each one of this great multitude could not be around the throne of God if some mother had not opened her heart and her womb to bring them forth into the world.

Why does God want us to bring forth children? Just for the sake of doing it? No. It is all for God. It is to fill God's eternal kingdom with sons and daughters who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Every child we bring forth into this world and lead to salvation will be part of the innumerable company and live forever and ever. This is the purpose of the first commission and the second great commission.

For too long we have listened to humanist and feminist lies to limit the number of children we have. This is not Bible doctrine. It is not Bible language. It belongs to the humanists. Why do God's people listen to humanist indoctrination rather than the living Word of God? Have we put aside the Bible for the vain ideas of man? It's time we took notice of Isaiah 2:22: "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"

We have the great privilege and responsibility of fulfilling the two commissions. We have a two-fold anointing. We can bring forth natural children AND spiritual children. Plus, as we lead our children in the ways of God and encourage them to speak the gospel message, our natural children will grow up to bring forth spiritual children.

The more natural children we have, the more spiritual children we can have.

All our children are serving the Lord and have taken the gospel to countries to which I have never visited. I have influenced thousands for the kingdom in this nation and countries I have never been to through my children, which would not have happened if they had not come into the world.

The more children we have, the more possibility of impacting the world for God. The less of the godly seed in the land, the less revelation of God. The more godly seed in the land, the more revelation of God--more righteousness, more influence against evil, and more preaching of the gospel.

The big question is: are we going to get in line with God's plan? Or continue the way of the world? God’s heart is not only satisfied with fruitfulness, but MORE fruitfulness. But even more. He longs for MUCH fruitfulness—in the natural and the spiritual (John 15:2, 8).

Love and blessings to you today, Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“I thank you, dear Father, that You are a God of fruitfulness. You love fruitfulness in every area of our lives—in the natural and in the spiritual. Please help me to have Your heart and Your vision. Please give me a BIG HEART to embrace natural children and spiritual children. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I want to live a life of fruitfulness in the natural and the spiritual!

COSTLY GARMENTS

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer”
(Psalm 19:14).

In last week’s devotion, we talked about the angel of the LORD coming to Joshua the high priest. Not only did God come, but Satan came too. Let’s continue the story.

Zechariah 3:3: “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.” Who was clothed in filthy garments? A wicked unbeliever? No, it was the high priest.

Not one of us are exempt from getting our clothes contaminated as we walk in this evil world. Unless we keep short accounts with the Lord, we can often be unaware that we are wearing filthy clothes that grieve the Holy Spirit who dwells within us (I am speaking spiritually, but of course it could apply physically).

However, as we come into the light of God’s presence, He exposes the darkness and the things that displease Him (Psalm 19:14). And He waits to clothe us again with His garments of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 says: “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Praise God, He doesn’t give us a skimpy outfit to wear, but a mantle! Through the power of His blood, He completely covers us with a ROBE of righteousness.

Zechariah 3:4 continues: “And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” The WEB version, plus many others, say that God gave him “rich clothing.” The YLT98 and ISR98 translate it “costly robes.”

Our garments of salvation are costly garments. We receive them through the sacrificial blood of Christ shed for us upon the cross. Let’s embrace these costly garments and wear them each day in our home. Let’s not negate the power of the cross of Christ. How blessed we are to put on fresh, new, clean garments each new day (Ephesians 4:23, 24).

Not only do we receive costly garments, but a head piece. Zechariah 3:5 says: “And I said, Let them set a fair miter upon his head. So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with the garments.” The word “fair” means “clean and pure.” God wants us to have a pure mind. He wants to take away from us all our unclean, unbelieving, doubting, bitter, and impure thoughts with which Satan tries to fill our minds and exchange them for His mind.

Will you allow the Lord to purify your mind today? Let Him come into your mind with the searchlight of His holiness. As we confess ours sins, He forgives and clothes us with a pure turban of clean, wholesome, and faith-filled thoughts (Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5).

Wear your beautiful garments in your home today, given to you at the great cost of the precious blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:18-20 says: “Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

I thank you, dear Father, that I don’t have to walk around with dirty thoughts and dirty clothes. You gave up your life and poured out your precious blood to save me from wickedness. You have given me a turban of purity and a mantle of righteousness. I want to wear them every day. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Through the blood of Jesus and the robe of righteousness He gives to me, I have complete protection from the power of the enemy.