A FLOCK MENTALITY

"So shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men:
and they shall know that I am the Lord"
(Ezekiel 36:38).

Of all the animals in the world. God choose to call us His sheep. Most animals can survive independently, but not sheep. They have a flocking mentality. They get agitated if they are separated from the flock. When the shepherd finds the sheep and brings it back to the flock, it becomes happy, secure, and contented again.

God not only calls us His sheep, but His flock. God did not create us to live independently either, but to be part of a family. He sets the solitary in families (Psalm 68:6). He wants everyone to be part of a family. This is God's design.

Throughout God's Word, He continually likens us to a flock. As we read the following Scriptures we learn how God wants us to function as families.

The Bible says that God . . .

MAKES FAMILIES LIKE A FLOCK

Psalm 103:41-43 says, "Yet he sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord."

Have you ever seen a flock of 1.8 sheep (the average number of children in American families)? Even two or three sheep is hardly a flock. Why do many parents laugh at the concept of a flock? Because they have been brainwashed by our humanist society. That's not how they felt when they were little. Ask any child what they would like best of all and they will answer, "Another baby brother or sister." No toys or materialistic things you can give your children can ever make up for another sibling who will be their friend for life.

When there is a "flock" of children in a family, they don't feel the same need to go off looking for other peers as they have so many friends in their own family.

What does God say about it? He says that when the righteous see God blessing a family with another child they rejoice! This is a rather different reaction than most people have today. Even amongst Christians we constantly hear: "You're' not having another baby, are you?" "Glad it's you and not me!" "Don't you know how to stop making babies?" "Haven't you got enough already?" These comments do not come out of the mouths of the righteous.

God also says that the wise will understand that when a family receives another precious baby that it is the lovingkindness of the Lord. They don't make negative remarks. They don't degrade them. Instead, they rejoice with them and praise the Lord.

A precious couple shared how they experienced the lovingkindness of the Lord with their new baby. They were debating whether they should have more children. Their parents and friends were against it, but they felt the Holy Spirit wooing them to obey God's Word. They went ahead and trusted the Lord and sometime later conceived their sixth baby.

About this time, they felt that they were losing one of their teenage sons who was in public school. He was pulling away from God and from the family. They decided to bring him home from the public school and educate him at home. He came home about the time their little baby was born. Because he was at home, this young man bonded with his little baby brother. This little baby softened his heart. The rebellion left. He turned back to God and to his family. This couple rejoiced that they were not only blessed with another baby, but they received back their son who was lost. God's lovingkindness came to them through adding to their flock.

When the righteous see God blessing and increasing a family, they rejoice. They are wise enough to know it is the lovingkindness of the Lord. Don't you think it's time for us to think like God thinks? Read also Ezekiel 34:31 and Micah 2:12.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"Thank you, Father, that I belong to your flock, and therefore you watch over me and care for me. Help me to shepherd my family too and to welcome all the children you have planned for my little flock. Help me to have a flock mentality. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am shepherding my flock with love and care.

To be continued.

GOD SHOWS THE WAY

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ"
1 Corinthians 11:1

In Thessalonians chapter two (ESV) we see Paul's heart for the Thessalonian believers. They were his babes in Christ. As we see how he related to them, we learn how we should also reach out to our fellow believers, and even more, how we should relate to our own children as we raise them in the faith. Seven things are mentioned:

1. BOLDNESS. He spoke to them "with boldness even in the midst of conflict and contention" (v. 2). He could do this because He was speaking God's truth. Dear mother, don't lay down your authority that God has given you as a parent to lead your children into the truth.

2. PLEASING GOD. Verse 4 says, "We speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." When we face situations in our home, we must always seek to please God. Sometimes, mothers can be tempted to compromise the truth and be lenient in the face of sin because they don't want their children to think bad of them. They would rather please their children than God. Eli was guilty of this and God judged him because he would not restrain his sons (1 Samuel 3:12).

Dear mothers, this never works. I have seen situations where parents have catered to the whims, negative attitudes, and even sins of their children, but it always comes back to bite them. You must always deal with sin and please God rather than your children.

3. GENTLENESS. Verse 7 says, "But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children." In the Scriptures we constantly see the tensions of truths--the beautiful balance. We have to learn to live in this balance as mothers.

God has put within us a "watchdog" anointing to fight against any enemy who seeks to steal the souls of our children. But we also have a gentle nurturing anointing that comes from the heart of God. If Paul could nurture his babes in Christ like a nursing mother, surely we should flow in this anointing.

4. YEARNING FOR THEIR SOULS. Paul was ready not only to share the gospel, but to lay down his life for these believers. Verse 8 says, "Being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our selves, because you had become very dear to us." What are you prepared to sacrifice for your children's souls?

5. PAYING HIS OWN WAY. Paul "labored and toiled" night and day to provide for himself and co-workers so he wouldn't be a burden on the believers. Verse 9 says, "We worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God." What does it matter that we are not out in a career earning money (that's our husband's task). God has given us the greatest career of nurturing our precious flock in the home and we are preparing for an eternal reward.

6. SHOWING AN EXAMPLE. It wasn't enough to preach to these believers. Paul showed them by example. In verse 10 he says: "You are witnesses and God also, how HOLY and RIGFHTEOUS and BLAMELESS was our conduct toward you." This is our greatest challenge. Our children see beyond our words to our life and attitudes. They watch us all day long. If our walk in our home does not add up to our words, we're wasting our breath. Are we are a picture to them of a holy and righteous life? This means in our words, attitudes, dress, and conduct.

The word "righteous" is "dikaios" in the Greek and means, "comfortable to justice; honestly; as is fit, proper, and right." God always "judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23) and because we are created in His image, we have within us a spirit of judgment also. We must constantly judge our own lives to know what is the right and proper thing to do in the eyes of God and reveal this example in training our children.

7. ENCOURAGING, COMFORTING AND IMPLORING. Verses 11, 12 say: "Like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God." It takes more than taking our children to church each Sunday, or even homeschooling. Do you notice that Paul didn't preach the "religion of tolerance"--do whatever you think is right; don't judge anyone for what they do, just love them." No, he exhorted, beseeched, charged, encouraged, entreated, and implored them to walk worthy of God.

But do you also notice that he didn't do it with a spirit of legality but with a yearning for their souls. That makes all the difference. Children run from legality and hypocrisy. They can't stand it. But they know when your heart bleeds for them. There are times when you have to lift them up from falling. Currently, we have staying in our home a friend, Roger, who has been involved in prayer for the nation in the Capital for many years. In the recent elections he took up the challenge of getting out the pro-life VOTE YES ON 1 signs in all our surrounding counties. He got all the grandchildren involved and it was a full-time job keeping the signs standing.

Many pro-abortionists destroyed the signs. But never defeated, Roger and the children would go out each day and put up new signs in place of the destroyed ones. Sometimes, they would find some of the signs screwed up and tossed in the gutter. They would retrieve them, clean them up, straighten them out, and put the "soldiers" as they called them, back on duty again to do their job!

There are many saints who get beaten down with difficult things that happen in life and they often lay in the gutter spiritually. This can even happen with our children. Because we yearn over their souls, we will want to rescue them. We'll heal their hurts, comfort, love, encourage, and lift them up so they can get back on duty again at their post in the kingdom of God.

Be encouraged in your mothering today.
NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Thank you, Father, that you show me the way to mother, which of course is your plan. You designed motherhood. Help me to live it the way that you planned from the very beginning. Amen."

AFRIRMATION:

I am following Christ so my children can follow me.

THE DELIGHTFUL WAY

Part 5

"Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors . . .
I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved."
(Psalm 119:24, 47).

Last week we looked at the people God Delights in. Today we are going to see who and what we should delight in. This means that the following will be the passion of our lives. We will . . .

1. Delight in God Himself

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." What is the passion of your life? Is it God Himself? If this is true, it means that He has first priority over everything else. If means that He has first priority in your home. Read also Isaiah 58:13, 14.

2.Delight in God's Word

If God is our passion, His Word will be our passion, too. I love to read. I have a two piles of books beside my bed that are each three feet high--all waiting to read. I so desperately want to read them, and yet I find that my passion is even greater for God's Word and I am wooed to it first. So sadly, the pile of books just gets higher!

Psalm 1:1, 2 gives us the testimony of the blessed man or woman: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." As a mother who delights in God's Word, we will also want our children to delight in His Word. We will not want to send them into the public education system that promotes Islam, the gay agenda, humanism, atheism, and where children daily "sit in the seat of the scornful." Instead, we will want them to be in an environment (the home is best) where they can be filled with God's Word and it becomes part of their lives day and night.

What does it mean to "meditate"? It not only means to ponder and think about, but to whisper it, and to speak it out loud! Meditating is not only using your mind and heart, but your mouth as well. We must speak out the Word we are thinking upon. It is only when we speak it out that it becomes part of us. Refer to Isaiah 59:21.

Psalm 112:1, 2 says, "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighted greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed." When we greatly delight in God's commandments, we won't be able to keep them to ourselves. We'll constantly be sharing them. They will be overflowing from our mouth and going into the hearts of our children to mold their characters and shape their lives. Consequently, we will raise children who will be "mighty upon the earth."

The psalmist confessed in Psalm 119:16: "I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word." And again in Verse 143: "Thy commandments are my delights." (See also verses 24, 35, 47, 92, and 174).

3. Delight in God's People

Psalm 16:3 says, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, 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." The psalmist is full of love and praise to the Lord, but He knows that the greatest way He can show this love is by showing it to God's people.

We must see fellow-believers, even those who are not on our "wave length" or "our type" as those who have Christ living in them. Because Christ lives in them and I am filled with love for Christ, I will be filled with love for them. The most tangible way I can show my love for Christ is by showing it to His people for they are His body on the earth. Although we love the sinner and reach out to them with God's love, our delight is to fellowship the saints of God. We are exhorted to do this in the following Scriptures: Matthew 25:31-46; Galatians 6:9, 10; and 1 John 3:16-18.

4. Delight in Doing God's Will

Psalm 40:8 is a prophetic Scripture of Jesus coming to this world to bring salvation: "Then said I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart." Jesus was willing to do the Father's will even though it cost Him His life; not only His life, but shedding His precious blood, and taking upon Himself the sin of the world. But no matter what suffering He delighted to do the Father's will. In Gethsemane He prayed, "Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done" (Luke 22:42).

Sometimes we are willing to do the Father's will until it becomes difficult. When it really costs us pain, sacrifice, or money we decide that perhaps it's not God's will after all. This is situational ethics. May God save us from only doing His will when everything is going well, but to be obedient no matter what the cost.

5. Delight in what God delights

Jeremiah 9:23,24 says, "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." In what does God delight? Lovingkindness, judgment (often translated justice), and righteousness. All these attributes belong to the character of God and therefore should become part of our character as we seek to walk in His ways. God deals with us in lovingkindness (notice this is No. 1), but also in justice and righteousness. As we seek God and learn from Him, this is how we should also deal with our children. It takes time to learn, doesn't it? We must learn the balance of lovingkindness and justice.

NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, I thank you that I love you because you first loved me. I also want to delight in you because you first delighted in me. I want you to be preeminent in our home. I want your Word to be lifted high and become the delight of not only my husband and myself, but of all our children too. Move in us by the power of your Holy Spirit that we will delight to read and meditate in your word. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

We are a family of Word Delighters.

THE DELIGHTFUL WAY

Part 4

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives"
(Psalm 37:23 NLT).

We have been discovering what it means to walk the delightful way, so different to the downward way. There's more to learn yet. We are going to discover what God delights in and what we should delight in. Let's look at the people who God delights in . . .

1. Those who obey Him

After defeating the Amalekites, Saul thought he was doing something great when he saved some of the animals to sacrifice to the Lord, but God had told him to save to nothing alive!

1 Samuel 15:12, 23 says, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." Just as we delight in our children when they obey us, so God delights in us when we obey Him.

Jesus says to us, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14).

2. Those who fear the Lord

Psalm 147:11 (NLT) tells us that "The Lord's delight is in those who fear him." The fear of the Lord is not very prevalent in our families or amongst the church today. We seem to be in a time as it was in Israel when everyone did "that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 21:25; Proverbs 12:15; and 21:2).

1 Peter 1:17 tells us to "Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." This is a strong word in the Greek and means "terror." It is living in a way that we would not want to do anything that would disappoint our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is the same attitude children should have to parents. Growing up I had a wonderful relationship with my father. I received some severe and needed discipline from him but always knew I deserved it. At the same time, he had great faith in me and I feared to destroy his belief in me. I didn't want to do anything to disappoint him and it was a powerful keeping power upon my life. In the same way, because I love my husband, I don't want to do anything that disappoints him and his trust in me. I don't want to bring a cloud over our relationship. Instead I want to delight him.

F. B. Meyer comments on this Scripture. "The holy soul . . . passes the time of its sojourning in fear. Not the fear of evil consequences to itself, but to the fear of grieving the Father, of bringing a shadow over His face, of missing any manifestation of His love and nearness to Himself, which may be granted to the obedient child. Love casts our fear, but it also begets it. There is nothing craven, or fretful, or depressing, but a tenderness of conscience which dreads the tiniest cloud on the inner sky, such as might overshadow for a single moment the clear shining of the Father's face."

Alexander Maclaren, a contemporary of F. B. Meyer calls this fear "A lowly consciousness of the heinousness of sin, and consequently a dread of offending the Divine holiness. He who thus fears, fears to sin more than anything else, and fears God so much that he fears nothing besides."

May God bring us to this attitude of living in the fear of God in our own personal lives and in our family lives. To all live in such a way that we bring no clouds on our "inner sky." What difference it will bring to our families and ultimately to delight to the heart of God.

3. Those who are upright

Proverbs 11:20 says, "Such as are upright in their way are his delight." The word "upright" is translated in other Scriptures as "without spot, without blemish, undefiled, perfect, whole, and complete." The New Living Translation says, "The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity." Proverbs 15:8 says that even "the prayer of the upright is his delight."

Proverbs 11:1 (NLT) says, "The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights." God, who is constantly watching every thought an action, looks for honesty and integrity. God hates deception, but delights in truth and integrity.

Proverbs 12:22 (NLT) says, "The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth."

4. Those who have a contrite and humble spirit

Psalm 51:17 says, "The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit - O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject." God makes it very clear in His Word that He hates pride and yet loves the humble and lowly. God dwells in the "high and holy place" but at the same time with those who are "of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

We are certainly getting the picture of the life that delights the heart of God, aren't we?

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, please teach me what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord. Please help me to live a life that brings pleasure and delight to your heart. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

We are a family that walks in the fear of the Lord.