Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

We don’t use the word ‘remission’ very much in our society today, do we? The understanding of this Greek word, aphesis, means ‘to send away, the deliverance from the power of sin, although not from the presence of sin.’

For what reason did Jesus suffer, die upon the cross, and rise again? To deliver us from the power of sin! He has not chosen to deliver us out of this sin-sick world, but through the blood of Jesus that was shed for us, He has given us the power to live sanctified lives in the presence of this sinful world.  God forbid that we should limit the power of the blood of Jesus to keep us clean and pure in the midst of this evil world. Thank God frequently that He has forgiven your sins and for the power of the blood that keeps you cleansed from sin.

We need to also teach our children that Jesus came to bring remission of sins. It is our responsibility as parents to protect our precious “olive plants” and keep them from the wiles of the enemy. We protect them from evil people, we protect them from the lustful garbage on TV and from humanistic and ungodly education.

We do not do this to hide them away forever. We do it to establish them in a strong foundation in the ways of the Lord. We do this to prepare them for their future. We train our children in the sanctuary of our home in order to one day send them out into this sinful world --  to be lights in the midst of the darkness, to wave the banner of God’s truth in the midst of deception and to bring justice in the midst of perverted judgment.

This world is desperate for truth-upholding, sin-exposing, salvation-preaching, holy and  uncompromising believers, who will not hide away, but who will come out, filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and shine His light into the midst of the darkness.

Jesus said, “The world… hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” (John 7:7) Jesus did not compromise with the spirit of the world but testified against its evil. You, and even your children, will never be hooked into the world when you stand against it. Instead, you will be hated by the world. Again, Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” God has chosen us out of this world system, to go back into it with His love and truth.

You don’t have to live in a house in the country, away from civilization, to raise godly children. You can do it in the midst of your city street and evil all around you. God gave you His Holy Spirit to enable you to do this. He  promises in Deuteronomy 28:3 that He will bless you in the city and in the country, and he mentions the city first!

Most of our children were in their teens when we moved from the little country of New Zealand to pioneer and pastor a church on the Gold Coast, the tourist mecca of Australia. Our church was opposite the big Jupiter’s Casino and from the windows of our home we looked out upon it. I cried out to God that He would keep our children in the midst of this materialistic and evil environment where most people walk the streets scantily clothed and the topless sunbathers line the beach.

God answered and they came out on the offensive. The older children started open-air preaching in Cavil Mall. Rocklyn was only 13 years old, but in bare feet and jeans, he preached with power and passion and gathered crowds around to listen. Even 11 year old Pearl often preached with her little squeaky voice!

After most of our children were married, I remember one time lamenting to Howard, Evangeline’s husband that I pined for the days when all the children were still home and we sat around the family meal table together. His reply came as a rebuke to me, “Mother, didn’t you train them to send them forth as arrows into the harvest field?”

I have recently returned from a mission trip to orphanages in Liberia. As we left, four of the girls were crying profusely. “Why are they crying?” a returning missionary asked Tom Zackey, the team leader. “They are concerned about leaving their brothers in this war-torn country. The boys are going out to do evangelism in the bush.” “Isn’t that what you raised them for?” replied the missionary.

I am also thinking of David’s words in Psalm 23, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” We live in the midst of enemies. But in the midst of evil enemies all around us, God prepares a table for us. It is His divine presence. As we keep daily cleansed from sin and live in the presence of the Lord, we can live purely even in the presence of sin!

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

I thank you, Lord  for shedding your pure, precious blood to cleanse me from my sin. I thank you that you died to save and deliver me from sin. I thank you for your keeping power in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation.

AFFIRMATION: 

Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

I was very surprised recently to discover that the word ‘burden’ in the above Scripture is not exactly what I had thought it was -- worries, cares and heartaches. It is the Hebrew word 'yhab' which means, ‘gift, what is given by Providence, that which has been assigned to you, your lot in life’.

Your lot in life – your circumstances, your marriage, your lot in your home, and even your hardships – may not be what you had planned! But it is the lot that has been given to you. Instead of resisting your lot in life, why not give it back to the Lord and trust Him to do His work in you? He has put you in your circumstances to refine you as gold, to change you into the image of His dear Son, to make you the beautiful person that He has planned for you to be and to prepare you for His eternal kingdom.

If you were to choose your own way, I know you would choose the easy road. We are all inclined to do this, aren’t we? But the easy road will never lead you closer to the Lord, it will never deepen your understanding of the ways of God, and it will never allow you to be changed into the image of Christ.

This Scripture does not tell you to wallow in your miserable lot. It does not tell you to spoil your days with self-pity. No. It tells you to  throw your lot upon the Lord. When you do, He will not only carry it for you, but He will carry you too. He has promised to sustain you in the lot He has given to you.

The word ‘cast’ in the Hebrew means ‘to throw away, to hurl, an adventure’. Wow! I like the sound of the ‘adventure’ bit, don’t you? The dictionary meaning of ‘adventure’ is ‘a hazardous or exciting experience, a bold and difficult undertaking, encountering risks, somewhat dangerous.’ This gets exciting, doesn’t it?

When you try to order your own life and make it work the way you want it to, you miss out on all that God has planned for you. When you cast your lot upon the Lord, it becomes an adventure! You will face challenges. You will have to overcome many obstacles. You may even face hardship and suffering. But this is the adventure of life. It prepares you for eternal life. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Many try to run from their circumstances, or even their marriage. Imagine standing at the Judgment Seat of Christ and God says to you, “Why did you divorce your husband? I gave him to you to lead you closer to me, to work my character into you and change you into my image. You have missed out on my purposes in your life.”

One writer says, “What God lays upon you, lay it upon the Lord.”

Are you ready for an adventure?

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

I thank you, Lord that you know far better than I do what is best for me. I trust my life and my circumstances to you and know that you will sustain me. Thank you, Lord. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Isaiah 58:13, “Call the Sabbath a DELIGHT.”

Years ago I read a book of the history of the Jews. In this book, a Jewish man stated that the whole of the week revolved around Shabbat. They would start anticipating it during the middle of the week leading up to it, and then ponder on the joy of it for the next few days until it was time to lead up to it again. When I first read that, I thought it was rather “over the top”! However, now that we celebrate the Shabbat meal ourselves, it has become my own experience.   

I believe the Shabbat meal is the glue that has held Jewish families together for centuries. We would do well to emulate it. Why is it so significant? It is not only a meal where you bring out your best china and silver ware and prepare a special meal, but where blessings fall upon the family. Let me tell you what we do for our Shabbat meal. You can take what you feel would fit into your family. If it does not suit you to do it Friday evening, you could celebrate it on Saturday evening as you lead into your day of worship on Sunday.

I like to use white for Shabbat – white tablecloth, white plates and white candles. In Jewish literature, the Shabbat is described as a bride or queen. We are not only to make the table fit for a queen but to dress for the meal as though we were welcoming a future spouse. (Oops - often I am so busy preparing that I don’t get time to dress up by the time we sit down to the meal!)

LIGHTING THE CANDLES

When we sit down to the table, we all hold hands and my husband prays. I then light the Shabbat candles. It is traditional to have two candles on the table (although you can have more). Some say that one candle stands for “Remember” and the other “Observe” as we are commanded to do both these in the Word of God (Exodus 20:8 and 31:16). Others say that one represents “Creation” and the other “Redemption”.  As I light the candles I thank God that He is the Creator of light, and that He also gave us Jesus, who is the Light of the world and who lights every one who comes into this world. I ask that God will fill us with His light and also the light of the revelation of His Word. This privilege of lighting the candles is given to the woman of the home as she is the one who is responsible to keep the light of God kindling in the heart of her home.

FATHER BLESSES HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN

My husband then reads Proverbs 31 and praises me. We love to invite others to join our Shabbat table and so we ask each husband present to share some lovely things about his wife. This is always such a precious time. Can you imagine being praised by your husband every week? Doesn’t it make you want to have a Shabbat meal right now? Sometimes I will read Psalm 112 (or Psalm 127 or 128) and praise my husband, and if friends are present, the other wives will praise their husbands.

The father of the home then blesses each of his children. This is another wonderful part of the Shabbat meal. It is such a powerful moment when the father blesses and speaks vision and good things into each one of his children every week. It is delightful to see the children with uplifted faces drinking in the blessing and encouragement. They can feed on it all week. Don’t forget the baby and little ones. Start speaking into their lives from an early age. We ask each father present at the table to bless his children. The weekly blessing of wife and children will bring a new dimension of joy and blessing into your home.

HAND WASHING

It is traditional to have Washing of Hands. I pass around a bowl of water with a towel and each one washes their hands. This is symbolic of having clean hands and a pure heart. It has far more to do with the purifying of the soul than cleanliness. We usually sing, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” as we do this. This is a good time for apologies and forgiveness if there has been tension or hasty words spoken.

BLESSING THE WINE AND BREAD

Now comes the blessing of the wine and bread. You can use grape juice instead of wine. It is traditional for the father to give the blessing, but we have now got into the habit of all saying the prayer together – “Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the Universe, who bringeth forth the fruit of the vine.” Rocklyn and Monique love to celebrate Shabbat with us each week. Recently Monique called to tell me that she was watching three-year-old Joshua playing with his dinosaur. He had a crumb of bread in his hand and as he gave it to him, he said, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the universe, who bringeth forth bread from the earth.” She was amazed at how he had remembered it, just by hearing it each week.

The father then prays over the hallah, the Shabbat bread, although we usually recite it together – “Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”  Making the hallah is part of my Preparation day. The hallah consists of two separate braided loaves, representing the double portion of manna which God provided on Fridays so the Israelites could gather twice as much – enough for two days. It is plaited in three to represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I cover the hallah with a linen cloth, symbolic of the dew that came down each night and brought the manna. But we remember more than God’s provision of the manna. The Israelites ate this manna and died. We now eat from the Living Bread who came down from Heaven and gives life to the world.  

We do not cut the hallah bread but break it as it symbolizes Christ’s body which was broken for us. Each one present breaks off a portion (as big a piece as they desire), and enjoys it with butter or other dips I have prepared while I bring all the food to the table.

ENJOY THE MEAL

Now it is time to eat. Everyone is hungry and ready to enjoy the food. You can cook whatever you like for the Shabbat meal, but make it a special meal. When Rocklyn and Monique are with us they demand I cook lamb chops! It is traditional to make a slow-cooked stew of meat, potatoes and beans. This saves lots of dishes.

Our Shabbat meal is relaxed and full of wonderful fellowship. We are often still lingering at the table at 10.00 or 11.00 p.m. We end the meal, as we end every meal, with the reading of the Word and each one praying around the table. If you have little children, you will most probably finish much earlier. You can then spend the rest of the evening sharing special family time – reading, playing games or singing. Make it special and always enjoyable – never boring or “religious”.

Love from NANCY CAMPELL

EXTRA NOTES:

PREPARATION DAY

If you are new to the Devotional List, you may like to read last week’s devotion before reading this one. Go to  The Day of Preparation.

LET ME KNOW

I would love to hear how your family is blessed as you try this weekly celebration meal. Tell me how you go. And how are you going with your Preparation day?

PAPER PLATES

Although it is traditional to bring out your best china and silverware for this meal, you may (if you are a busy young mother) prefer to use paper plates. When your children are small, you can do things more simply. As they grow older, and you have more help, you can do it more elaborately.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE HALLAH BREAD?

I always grind the wheat freshly for each new batch of bread I make. On Preparation day, I grind the wheat, make my usual bread recipe but add a couple of eggs to it. Hallah is meant to be a sweet eggy bread.  After making three or four loaves of bread, I then take the rest of the dough to make the hallah.  

I divide the dough into six equal parts, roll each part into a ball, and then each ball into six long rolls of even thickness. The children will love to help you with this. I then make two separate loaves, each plaited in three. To do this, pinch together the tops of all three pieces. Start to braid by taking the outer right strip and crossing it over the center strip, bringing it to the center. Then take the outer left strip and cross it over the middle strip, bringing it to the center. Repeat the procedure by alternately bringing the right strip to the center and the left to the center until all are braided. Pinch the ends together. Tuck the ends in carefully. Transfer the bread to a tray and bake as usual.

For a change you can make two loaves of two strands braided together. This represents the two sticks of Judah and Ephraim who will one day be joined together and become one in the hand of the Lord. Oh how I love this promise in Ezekiel 37:16-17.

If you don’t bake your own bread, and therefore do not have your own recipe, you could look up this website for some genuine hallah recipes –  http://www.kosherdelight.com/Breads.htm

Mark 15:42, “This all happened on Friday, the day of Preparation, the day before the Sabbath.”

Did you know that there is actually a day that is called the day of Preparation? Most versions of the Bible translate Preparation with a capital P. It is a significant day. An important day.

The day of Preparation is the day before the Sabbath, the rest day. In the very beginning of time, God established the principle of a day of rest. It is His gift to us. But, as with many of God’s gifts, we often do not realize their importance, or even their blessing. I have to confess, especially being a workaholic, that although I have always known the principle of the day of rest, I have not always been successful in doing it.

How do you have a day of rest? There’s still so much to do. The meals have to be cooked. The house has to be cleaned. This and that has to be done. But God never tells us to do something without giving us a way of doing it. Here it is:

You cannot enjoy a day of rest, unless you have a day of Preparation the day before!

What a liberating principle! I stumbled on it a number of years ago when I started having a Shabbat meal every Friday evening. The word Shabbat is the Hebrew word for Sabbath, which means rest. We do not do the Shabbat meal because we are Jewish, or even because we are trying to be Jewish, although we love the Jewish people and love to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord. We enjoy Shabbat because it is the most beautiful family meal you could ever enjoy. Perhaps I’ll tell you more about it next week. In order to prepare for this meal, I not only clean the house, but do the extra cleaning (such as clean the dirty spots off the carpet, wipe spots of the doors, disinfect the door handles), and prepare the special meal.

However, when I read this verse and saw that it was a Scriptural principle, I now do it with more meaning and more gusto.  It is my day of extra cleaning. I not only prepare the meal for Shabbat, but prepare extra food to last over the weekend and for our rest day.

Dear mother, would you like to try? You will be amazingly blessed. It is your stress reliever, and every mother needs a stress reliever. The day of Preparation will relieve you from stress…

1.    Because you will actually end up having a day of rest. Because you have worked hard the day before, cleaning and cooking, you will be able to rest from these chores on your rest day.

2.    Because at least once a week you will enjoy a sparkling clean home. This will certainly give you a restful feeling.

Now, when I talk about a day of rest, it doesn’t matter whether you make Saturday or Sunday your day of rest. Years ago, the Christians looked upon Sunday as their Sabbath in the same way that Jews look upon Saturday. I myself what brought up this way. We never bought from a shop on Sunday. We cleaned and cooked on Saturday to prepare for Sunday. Sadly, God’s people of today have lost something very special that God has given. They miss out on His gift and reap the consequences – lives filled with stress.

God’s rest day, is a DAY of rest, not just a couple of hours. (Exodus 35:2) Many Christians give God a couple of hours when they go to church, and then off they go to ball games, movies or whatever they want to do.

I also think that it would make an amazing difference in preparing your children to be ready for Sunday if you were to follow the Preparation day, don’t you. I’d love to share with you this quote from the lives of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. It is from Married to a Difficult Man (The uncommon union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards) by Elizabeth D. Dodds.

“Perhaps the most fortunate feature in the development of the children was the sense of privilege they felt, as a minister’s family on the great occasion of Sunday. Puritans toiled hard all week, so they took seriously the admonition to rest on the Sabbath. After sundown on Saturday no one could work at all, except to brush sparks from the hearth. They couldn’t even make beds. So a Puritan housewife shined up her house on Saturday, and did a colossal baking. Then after three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, the mood of expectancy began to build up to the pivotal day. These people really believed that Sunday would bring an encounter with a living and dependable God who had brought them to the new land and watched over their effort to build His holy commonwealth.

While a large roast cooked all day, to ensure cold meat for Sunday, a great copper tub before the fire held water which was being warmed for baths. Shoes were shined, clothes laid out for the next day, and “modest pieces” ironed. (These were inserts of lace or velvet that were tucked into the neckline of a Sunday dress.) Father abstracted, would be finishing his two sermons for the next day. Then on Saturday night the family sang a psalm together, had prayers and went upstairs to bed with a sense of anticipating drama, as children now do only on Christmas Eve.” (My emphasis)

Let your children become part of God’s wonderful principles of a day of Preparation and then the day of Rest. Involve them in helping with the cleaning and cooking. Inspire in them an excitement as you prepare for your day of rest.

Next week I’ll tell you about the Shabbat meal that will bring wonderful blessings into your home.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh Lord, I thank you that you care about us so much. You want us to live lives of rest and peace and you have shown us the way to do it. Help me to get in line with you and do it your way. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

REQUEST:

As you begin to put the Preparation day into operation in your home, I would love to hear how it works for you.  Would you please email me? Thanks so much.