GOD HAS A HOME ARMY

“Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon,
clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?”
(Song of Solomon 6:10).

TWELVE BASKETS FULL MENTALITY

“I will praise thee, O LORD, with my WHOLE HEART”
(Psalm 9:1).

Our God is an extravagant God. He writes extravagant words. Nothing in the Bible is normal. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus not only came to give us life, but “abundant life.” He not only gives us peace, but peace that “passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). He not only gives us joy, but “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

Colossians 2:6 tells us that we are not only to be thankful, but to be “abounding in thanksgiving.” Some translations say: “overflowing in gratitude.”

What does it mean to abound? When we investigate the original Greek, we find even more extravagant adjectives. The word abound is perisseuo. It means “to superabound, to be excessive, abundant, exceed, over and above.” The Bible uses the same word in John chapter six where Jesus fed the five thousand men, plus others.

Jesus not only fed the people, He fed them to overflowing. When they were all “filled” Jesus asked them to gather all that was left over, and they filled up twelve baskets full that “remained over and above” that which they had eaten (John 6:13). The words “over and above” are perisseuo, the same word for “overflowing in thankfulness.”

I believe we need to come into the TWELVE BASKETS FULL attitude about thanksgiving, don’t you? We all say “thank you” when someone gives us something or does something for us, but I believe we need to go “over and above” this normality.

How many extra baskets full do you have over? Perhaps one basket full? You may get excessive sometimes. But not too much. You don’t want people to think you are “over the top.” Hey, that’s what you are meant to be! You are never meant to be average, normal, or boring. Especially when it comes to being thankful.

What about two baskets full over? How many times do you thank your husband each day? Do you thank him profusely for even the little things he does for you? Or do you take him for granted? Do you thank your children when they do their chores or take them for granted too?

What about three baskets full over and above? Appreciation and gratitude pour from your heart. You don’t have an entitlement mentality. You know that none of us deserve anything, and therefore you are grateful for every little blessing in life.

What about four baskets full over and above the norm? How our hearts should be filled with thankfulness to God for all His blessings, especially for His great salvation. I cannot refrain from thanking Him every day for His sacrifice upon the cross for me. Our hearts should well up with thankfulness continually throughout the day for all the wonderful blessings God pours upon us. Often, we don’t see them because of our attitude of ingratitude. That’s why we must push into the OVER AND ABOVE TWELVE BASKETS FULL attitude.

What about five baskets full over and above? Are you becoming excessive? Is it becoming normal for you to say, “Thank you soooooo much!” A few years ago, a wonderful missionary family stayed in our home. They also loved fellowshipping with the Johnsons next door (Howard and Evangeline’s family). They noticed how their children were very thankful about everything. They didn’t say “Thank you” in a monotonous voice, but “Oh, tha-a-a-a-a-a-nk you soooooo much.” Our visiting family loved it and they and their children got into the habit also. When they waved goodbye to us, they all put their heads out the window cried out: “Tha-a-a-a-a-a-nk you soooooo MUCH!” You can never be too exuberantly thankful!

The TWELVE BASKETS FULL attitude can revolutionize your marriage.

The TWELVE BASKETS FULL attitude can revolutionize your family life. Just imagine everyone in the home with this mentality. Outdoing one another with thankfulness. What bliss to live in an environment of thankfulness, blessing, appreciation, and gratitude. It changes everything. 

This OVER AND ABOVE TWELVE BASKETS FULL attitude can change the lives of everyone we meet, and ultimately society.

May you have a wonderful and twelve baskets full Thanksgiving. And keep it going for the rest of the year.

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I have so much for which to be thankful. Save me from ever being ungrateful. I want to praise You with my whole heart. I want to bless my husband with my whole heart. I want to have a thankful attitude toward my children with my whole heart. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I’m living the twelve baskets full life!

ARE WE DEGENERATING?

“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls”
(Jeremiah 6:15).

What I share with you today may seem archaic, even unbelievable in this society in which we live. However, it reveals how the bar of God's standard continues to lower in every generation.

I grew up as a child never entering a movie theater. It was considered evil. My mother, who has since passed away, never went into a movie theater in her life. Nor did my husband's mother! When I was older and began to go to a "good" movie, I remember saying to my mother, "Mother, you could come and see this movie. It is totally wholesome." But she replied, "Oh no, the Lord might come while I am there!" She did not want to be found in a movie theater if the Lord should come!

But of course, when television came in, all standards went out the door. Now, many Christians receive into their homes all the filth and rubbish of the world. They watch adultery and fornication—and worse, without batting an eye! Many Christians go off to every new movie that comes without any discretion! No wonder we don't see the power of God moving in our midst today. We are a lukewarm people—overcome with mediocrity, complacency, ordinariness, passivity, and middle-of-the-road blindness!

What about church? When I was a young girl, we worshipped together as a family in the morning. We never entertained the thought of missing church—rain, hail or snow! Never any excuses! We were committed to the faithful assembling of the saints Hebrews 10:24). We came home for lunch and then we children walked back for Sunday School in the afternoon (a couple of miles). Then we attended the Sunday evening service.

Next generation . . .  instead of three times a day, we got down to two services—morning and evening church. Now, we are down to one service in the morning, and that's it! Help, with so many Christian families no longer committed the gathering of God’s people every week, will we even have one service in the next generation?

What about family life? We have so many wonderful godly families in the nation who are raising godly children. And yet sadly, across Christendom, many families have the mindset of the world. They have limited their families to two children. They are so excited when they have their son and daughter, and think, that’s it! The current average number of children per family in USA is 1.6 per family and that’s among Christians as well as the secular world.

I remember talking to an elderly gentleman on one of my flights. He told me that his father came from a family of ten children and he came from a family of six. “How many children did you have?” I asked. “Two,” he replied. Very typical. Ten, six, two! Every generation has less children. Degeneration. Falling away from God’s original plan and purpose for mankind. We have become victims of a humanistic society. The blind leading the blind into the ditch!

It used to be normal to sit together as a family to eat meals. To communicate with one another. In our busy lifestyles today many families don’t even sit around the table to eat together! If they do, they bring their iPhones to the table! They don’t even communicate face to face. Now that really is degeneration!

Perhaps the statement is true: “Each generation is one generation away from degeneration.” In the midst of lethargy, tolerance of sin, and deception, let's keep seeking after God and His truth with all our hearts.

Dear mother, you are the transmitter of God’s truth and His ways to the next generation. If the next generation forget God’s ways, it is the mothers who are to blame! Wow. That’s a load. But it’s true. God has given us the powerful responsibility to communicate His ways to our children, our grandchildren, and the next generation.

I am always challenged by Isaiah 59:21 (HCSB): “As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the LORD: ‘My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have it in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children’s children, from now on and forever,’ says the LORD.’”

We must do more than getting the Word into their hearts. We must get it into their mouths so that keeps coming out of their mouths to each succeeding generation.

NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER

“Dear Father, save me from dropping the baton. Help me to be faithful to pass on your truth and Your ways to my children and succeeding generations. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am diligently implanting God’s truth and His ways into the MINDS, HEARTS, and MOUTHS of my children and future generations.

DO YOUR CHILDREN KNOW THEIR HEAVENLY FATHER?

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth”
(1 John 3:18).

The apostle John loved to call his readers his “little children.” The Greek word is teknion which means “a little child.” It is also used as a tender term for a teacher towards his disciples.” He calls them “little children” seven times in 1 John.

However, in 1 John 2:13, John changes the word. He wrote to the fathers because they knew God, the One who was from the beginning. He wrote to the young men because they had overcome the wicked one. But then I noticed with new alertness these words: “I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”

This time he uses a different word, paideion which means “a little boy or little girl, infant, a young child.” I was arrested by these words. God wants our little children to know Him. Sometimes we don’t expect our children to know the Father until they are older, but this Scripture shows that God wants our children to know Him when they are young.

He wants them to experience the Father’s love and protection from their earthly fathers so they will understand His love. He also wants them to come to know Him through the hearing of the Scriptures.

We see this in 2 Timothy 3:15: “From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Here another different Greek word is used for child. This time it is brephos which speaks of “a babe in the womb, a babe that is newly born, a little child.” Check out Luke 1:4, 44 and 2:16. Once again, God is not limiting the understanding of knowing Him to older people. He wants little ones to know His Word.

How can this happen? It happens at our Family Bible times where father reads the Scriptures to the family morning and evening. Little by little the word goes into the hearts of these little ones (even when they are in the womb). In a godly home, even young children can be ready for salvation, because they are daily filled with God’s word. They can receive Christ Jesus into their lives at the ages of three and four because it is the Scriptures that prepare them for salvation. We are saved through the Word of Truth. Most of our children had a definite encounter with the Lord at the age of four years and it is as real to them today although some are now in their sixties!

Dear mothers, please be aware that your little ones can begin to KNOW God at an early age. Did you notice that word KNOW? Paul said to Timothy that he had KNOWN the Holy Scriptures since a little child. John wrote to the little children because they KNEW the Father.

Be faithful to read the Scriptures daily to your children. Watch over their souls. Speak to them much of the Father and of His character and of His great salvation. Little children want to know God. Fill them up with the knowledge of God.

I am amazed and so utterly blessed as I watch little ones in our prayer meetings with their hands raised to God and looking up in adoring worship to God. Sometimes these little ones are more into worship than the older ones. They already KNOW something of the awe of their Father God.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 (NLT): “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them. For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Have a lovely day with your children

Blessings from Nancy Campbell\

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, just as little toddlers and children love their fathers and love to know them, so they love to know You as their heavenly Father. Please help me to be faithful in leading them to You and to show them how much You love them and want them.’ Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

My longing is to know the Father and for my children (young and older) to know Him too.