FOR GLORY AND BEAUTY

“Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty”
(Exodus 28:2)

Modesty and beauty should go together. Both enhance one another. Modesty does not have to be old-fashioned and drab.

There are some dear Christian women who feel they must wear plain and drab clothes to be modest. But we don’t find this anywhere in the Bible. Far from the truth.

The Proverbs 31 woman was dressed beautifully in “fine linen and purple.” When Sarah went down to Egypt, the Pharaoh of Egypt noticed her and brought her to his harem (she would have been clothed in garments suited to royalty). When God designed the clothes for the high priest and his sons, He said: “Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2).

God was the first clothes designer. He loves us to dress for GLORY and for BEAUTY. God delights in beauty. “God has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He created us for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11) and I am sure He loves us to look glorious and beautiful. He clothes His animal creation with beauty and color. He creates the trees and flowers with glory and color. How much more His highest creation?

However, did you notice the other word God used about clothing? He said: “You are to make HOLY garments.” God wants our clothing to be holy too. In other words, we must make sure we are covered. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they became aware they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. But they weren’t fully covered. Then God came, shed the blood of an animal, and made them “coats of skins, and CLOTHED them” (Genesis 3:21).

The word “coats” means “to cover, a coat, a robe.” It comes from a root word “katheph” meaning “the shoulder, upper end of the arm, the place from where the garments hang.” Does this mean that our garments should come from the shoulders rather than bare shoulders? And the word “clothed” means “to wrap around, to put on, to clothe oneself.”

In Mark 5:1-15 we read the story of how Jesus delivered the man who was possessed with a legion of devils. After Jesus delivered him, the Bible says the people found him “sitting, and CLOTHED, and in his right mind.”

I am troubled by the immodesty among many of God’s women today. It’s nearly impossible to go into the doors of a church without confronting cleavage! I beg your pardon? Are we going to a secular function or the house of God? Didn’t Jesus die, shed His blood, and give His life for the church to SANCTIFY and CLEANSE her (Ephesians 5:25-27)? The word “sanctify” means “to make holy, to set apart from the world.”

I know that many do it ignorantly because they follow what everyone else is doing. And, because no one says anything about it!

Sometimes the cleavage is bold; in others it is borderline. Not too much, but just a little. Very enticing! God’s people should never be borderline! Never compromise! Never sit on the fence! We are either one thing or the other. James 4:4 clearly states that if we are friends with the world, we are an enemy of God. We should always lift the standard high.

I am also saddened by many Christian women who publish pictures of themselves on social media, showing cleavage and dressed immodestly. And worse still. So many other Christian women LIKE it! Help! Do they love it? Do they love to see fellow saints showing themselves off? Or do they have no godly standard at all? Or are they so conditioned to immodesty that they don’t even notice it? When we LIKE something on Facebook, we affirm that we agree with it.

I am also saddened by many Christian movies that bring a wonderful message of truth and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet some of the actors are often dressed immodestly. It makes a double standard.

Forgive me for my little rave, but we each have a responsibility to keep each other in line, don’t we? We are our “brother’s keeper.”

Can I end on a positive note? Let’s dress for GLORY and BEAUTY. What we wear should bring glory to God. What we wear should be FEMININE and show that we are female. We are living in a world that wants to be more and more genderless. Let’s show the gender God created us to be. This doesn’t mean we have to buy expensive clothes. You can make anything beautiful.

Make modesty beautiful! Drab and boring are not biblical.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I want to glorify You in my life. Please show me how to glorify You even in the clothes I wear. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. I belong to a royal kingdom and therefore I will clothe myself in a way that is a testimony to God’s kingdom.

ARE YOUR CHILDREN GROWING?

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”
(1 Peter 2:2).

We love to see our children growing, don’t we? Right from birth we are excited to see each new development. It is so rewarding to see our daughters grow up to be graceful women of God and our sons to be strong young men who really know how to be men! All my sons are over six feet, my oldest son is 6’ 8.” And now we have a grandson who is also 6’ 8” and all the grown ones are over 6.” I even have a granddaughter who is 6’ 2”.

However, we don’t only want to see them grow in physical stature, but in spiritual stature. This is our greatest vision and longing, isn’t it?

Reading about Samuel I notice how the Bible records the PROGRESSION of his growth. God does not want our children to become stagnant, but continually growing in the Lord.

 1.     HE GREW

1 Samuel 2:21 says: “And the child Samuel GREW before the Lord.” The phrase “before the LORD” in the King James Version means “in the presence of the Lord.” The HCSB and ESV and other versions translate it: “The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.” Don’t those words really get to you? They certainly challenge me. It is not enough for our children to grow up in our presence. They must grow up in the presence of the Lord.

I love the Young’s Literal translation which states: “And the youth Samuel groweth up with Jehovah.” He grew up with God. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t this what we want for our children?

Motherhood is far more than feeding and clothing our children. It is creating an atmosphere where the presence of God reigns in our home. Our children should feel and be aware of the presence of the Lord. It’s in this atmosphere that they “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

 2.     HE GREW ON

2 Samuel 2:26 says: “And the child Samuel GREW ON and was in favor both with the LORD, and with men.” Isn’t this a wonderful testimony? He continued growing on, physically and spiritually. We certainly want this for our children, don’t we?

3.     HE GREW AND THE LORD WAS WITH HIM

1 Samuel 3:19: “And Samuel GREW, AND THE LORD WAS WITH HIM, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” Oh, that our children will grow up knowing the power and presence of the Lord with them in every aspect of their lives. This is the ultimate vision for our parenting.

Of course, you know the story of how God came to Samuel and spoke to him in the night (1 Samuel 3:1-21). The historian Josephus says that Samuel would have been about twelve years old when God called him and spoke to him about Eli and his sons. It’s interesting that Jesus was also twelve years old when his parents found him “in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luke 2:46, 47).

Are we raising our children for maturity? Are they familiar with hearing the voice of God? Are they able to discuss the truths and doctrines of the Word? As we notice their physical growth, we should also see their spiritual growth. I am amazed that so many adult Christians don’t even know God’s Word. They cannot even recite basic Scriptures.

How will our children become used to hearing the voice of God through His Word if we don’t read it to them daily in our family devotions time? How will they know the truths of God’s Word if we don’t encourage them to also read it personally every day and listen for God to speak to them?

Let’s raise children who are not only physically growing, but spiritually growing up in God. Growing up in the presence of God, growing up hearing His voice, growing up familiar with His Word, and growing up ready to be prayer warriors.

Amen! (With an exclamation mark)!

Love to you today, Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, Please help me to inspire and encourage the spiritual growth of my children as much as their physical growth. I know their inner man is even more important than their outer man. I want to help their inner man grow strong. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am preparing good food for my children, both naturally and spiritually.

YOUR PLACE OF POWER
Part 2

“He settles the barren woman in her home, as a joyful mother of children”
(Psalm 113:9).

Today we look at further translations of Jude 1:6.

NLT: “I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged.” Two thoughts here. Firstly, this Scripture speaks of the “limits of authority.” No one, except God has full authority. Every creation has their own sphere of authority, but it is limited to their particular sphere. When we go outside the limits of authority God has given us, we do it to our own deception and peril. Why do we need more authority when we have already been given authority?

Secondly, I love the phrase, “the place where they belonged.” The home is such a beautiful place. It is the first thing God created after He created Adam. God built the first home.

Mothers belong in the home. Children belong with mothers in the home. Motherhood and home are synonymous. It’s the place where we belong. It should give us the sense of belonging. Those who live in our hoe should feel they belong.

Those who don’t believe in the power of the home are those who have been brainwashed by our feminist and humanist society. We are either programmed by the world or programmed by God’s Word. If you know and love the truth of God’s Word, you’ll know it’s where you belong and where He has placed you. What a lovely thing to have a place where you belong! What more could you want?

Moffat: “The angels who abandoned their own domain, instead of preserving their proper rank . . .” They did not preserve the realm God gave them. This is a powerful point. It’s not enough to stay in our domain, but we must preserve it. We must preserve the glory of the home. We must preserve the art of homemaking and motherhood. We must not only preserve it for ourselves and our children but for future generations.

We are living in such a deceived world that motherhood is becoming instinct in some areas of society. There are even child-free organizations. There are those who still have children but their career outside the home is more important to them. Many young mothers today have not been trained to cook and manage the home. They have not been taught the glory of keeping a home. They have not been taught how important it is to have a heart-warming meal ready for their husbands when they come home. Many did not grow up experiencing the joys of sitting around the table together for their meals and are therefore not passing it on to the next generation.

Fenton: “Those angels also who did not guard their own dominion, but abandoned their proper duty . . .” This is very similar to the above translation. We must guard what God has given to us.  We must not let it go. The phrase “keepers at home” in Titus 2: 5 literally means to be “guarders of the home.” Mothers are to watch over their home and their children like a watch dog. We cannot be a watch dog if we are not in our home.

NEB: “Remember too the angels, how some of them were not content to keep the dominion given to them, but abandoned their proper home . . .” They were not content. Many mothers are not content with motherhood. Mainly because they have been educated to think this way. They have been programmed that motherhood is insignificant and they must pursue a career outside the home. This does not line up with God’s Word.

I love The Living Bible translation of Psalm 128:3: “Your wife shall be contented in your home.”

Indoctrination is such a powerful thing. It shapes our lives. We are either indoctrinated with lies or with the living truth of God’s Word. Why would a mother be more content to work for someone else’s organization rather than building up and prospering her own home? Why would a mother be more content to manage someone else’s business while her own home and family life is fragmented and weakened? Only one reason: feministic brainwashing by our extreme socialist education system and humanistic society which are all in opposition to God’s Word.

I could continue sharing many more translations with you. Many of them use the words “abandoned their own home.” Others translate it “deserted their own dwelling place.” Abandoned and deserted. This is the state of many homes in our nation today. Families come home to sleep the night, but the homes are abandoned during the day. Mothers have gone AWOL. They have left their God appointed realm. This is not God’s plan. “From the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:8). 

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I don’t want to be a deserter from the domain you have appointed for me. I want to embrace it with all my heart and live in the glory that you have designed for me. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am blessed to be queen of my home.