LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 221: The Four L’s of Raising Children, Part 5

More amazing points about the attitudes God wants us to have toward work. If you can put these principles into operation in your family life, it will become like heaven on earth. We will begin the last L next week. It’s going to be exciting! 

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Great to be with you again. I’m here in Tennessee, looking out to the beautiful green trees, with the sun shining down upon them. It’s so beautiful. And Michele Schrum is with me again. It’s not far for Michele to come because she’s living right next door to us in their RV while they are working on building their house up on the Hilltop.

And here we are, still talking on this series of raising children with the four L’s, the words starting with “L.” When Michele mentioned this to me in the course of the conversation that this was how they liked to raise their children, I thought, “Wow! That is so powerful! You’ve got to come and share it with me on the podcast.”

I thought we would do a couple of podcasts, and here we are, up to number five! This is part five now, in this series, and I don’t think we’ll finish it today. I’ve got the feeling we might need one more!

But today, we’re continuing to talk about loving labor, and teaching our children, to give them this LOVE for work. Not just, OK, teach our children how to work, but we go beyond that. We’re teaching our children how to LOVE work! That’s what we want to do, isn’t it?

Now, we are looking into the Word, as usual, because we could spout off here for hours. Really, what are you going to get, unless we bring it from the Word? I believe that . . . This is my premise in life, that everything I believe has its foundation in the Word of God. Then I know I’m on the right track.

We are looking at all the different attitudes God wants us to have about work. I found 26 different attitudes. It’s amazing how much God gives us, isn’t it? Today we’re up to number 18. We’ll finish these today.

I hope we even get onto our last point, because I think this is my most exciting one that you’re going to talk about. Oh, I’m looking forward to talking about it! But I’m not telling you what it’s going to be! [laughter] It’s going to be a surprise!

Anyway, NO. 18 ATTITUDE: WILLINGLY

Judges 5:2: “The people willingly offered themselves.” A willingness is a big attitude, isn’t it? Often, our children are not always willing to do their chores. They may do them, but sometimes they do them with a sour face and a grumbling attitude. Oh my! How are we going to teach them to do it with a willing attitude?

Well, I do believe that these Scriptures, that the Scriptures, as we get the Word into our children, that puts it into them. Well, I think two things: No. 1, the Word, and that’s why it’s so great to take your children to these Scriptures. Some of them you can write out and pin up on the wall for them to read. You can make them memory verses and encourage them this way.

Of course, secondly, it always goes back to our attitude. What do you say about that, Michele?

Michele: Oh, absolutely! Our example has been the key with every single one of these teaching our children the four L’s. One of the first things is our example, and how we live that out in our own lives. If we’re having a sour attitude or we’re not willing to labor in love, then likely they’re not either.

Nancy: Absolutely. Yes, they have to see that. This is how we live, with this willing attitude. Starting off with everything that God gives us, He talks about in His Word, we have to willingly respond. But children should see, even when our husbands ask us to do something, that we are willing! Wow! It’s just our delight to do it!

And talking about delight, a Scripture in Proverbs 31, of course, this is the description of the virtuous woman. It says in verse 13: “She seeks wool and flax and works willingly with her hands.” Now, that word in the Hebrew, chephets . . . (Actually, Darlene, my wonderful transcriber, you are absolutely amazing at checking out all these Hebrew words I give. This one is spelled C-H-E-P-H-E-T-S. Thank you for all you do).

Anyway, this word, when we go to the Hebrew, we see more of what it means. It means “to work with pleasure, with delight, with purpose.” So, that word “delight” comes in there. It’s often translated “delight.” In fact, 16 times in the Word of God that Hebrew word is translated “pleasure.” So, somehow, we’ve got to pass on that anointing that to our children, that WORK IS A PLEASURE. It’s a pleasure to work!

Michele: It is! The question comes to mind, what if your children aren’t willing? What if they don’t have that willingness? Sometimes a part of training is that they still have to do it. They still have to do the labor. They still have to do the work. But if we’re setting an example, and we’re smiling . . .

We make a lot of little jingles or songs up a lot of times. Whether it’s a Scripture song, or just a little song about, especially with little ones, about what they’re supposed to be doing. Just anything to make it little more joyful, especially when they’re younger, to help them develop that willing spirit.

Nancy: Yes, I believe that. We should try to make it pleasurable, because it’s meant to be. “She worketh willingly with her hands.” This is talking about the woman in our home. That should be our attitude. We work in our willingness. This is our pleasure. This is our delight.

So, we’re not seeing, yes, and so many duties are mundane, because it’s the same thing you do every day. You have to do the same thing over and over again to keep the home in running order. But we don’t see it as a bore. We do it with pleasure and delight because we know that this is going to bless the whole family when we keep our home in right order and we’re managing it well. A home that’s not being managed is not very nice to live in! We have to make it a place where it’s delightful to live.

The BSB (Berean Study Bible), yes, it translates it “to work with eager hands.”

The Young’s Literal translation, I like to go to check that one, because it goes right back to the Hebrew. It’s the same man who put together the Young’s Concordance. There’s the Strong’s Concordance and there’s the Young’s Concordance. This is the Young’s Literal Translation. He brings out this word “delight.” He says: “Working with delight.”

OK, let’s look at some other Scriptures.

Michele: Well, I have an example. Just yesterday, my son Niles, who’s 15, was working on the computer. He showed me, and he was watching mowing videos. He loves . . . Before we moved here to Tennessee, he and his brother had a little lawnmowing business together, Take Care Lawn Care. He has this love of mowing, which is wonderful, except right now, we don’t have any grass!

So he’s watching lawn videos, and he’s like, “Can we go ahead and plant grass?” We don’t have a house yet! I’m like, “Well, not yet.” But he was so excited to get back into mowing. Colin’s pretty particular about his yard, so he hasn’t allowed Niles to take over the mowing yet. [laughter]

Nancy: Maybe he doesn’t know how good he is! Wow! I’ll have to talk to him about that!

All right, 1 Chronicles 28:9: “Know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind.” To work willingly with our hands starts with our mind and our attitude, doesn’t it?

In 1 Chronicles 28:21, it talks about “every willing skillful man.” So, even though these men had skills, the ones who were doing the work were those who were willing to do it.

I’m always challenged by Psalm 110:3: “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power.” It’s always the willing people who God wants to pick up and use. I believe if we have a vision for training children to be ready for God to use them, we have to implant within them this attitude of willingness. Oh, it’s a very powerful attribute, willingness, isn’t it?

“Lord God, I pray that You will help us all. Help these precious mothers listening, Lord God, to be able to impart this wonderful attitude, Lord, just willingness. Lord, when their children are asked to do something, that they will respond with willingness. Oh, Lord, this is not something that we can just make happen. It has to be a matter of the heart. We pray, Lord, that You will give us such anointing and wisdom in bringing this to our children. In the Name of Jesus.”

I think this one will be such a good one. As I suggested at the very beginning, that you can take each one of these points, and OK, for one whole week, “OK, children, let’s work on this attitude for a week. Now Mommy and Daddy are going to work on it too, and we’re all going to do it together! In every little thing, we’re going to work on this particular one, willingness. We’re all going to do it with a willing attitude. Everything!” That would be so exciting! Wow! What a dreamy place to live in!

Isaiah 1:19: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.”

NO. 19 ATTITUDE: WITH A GOOD ATTITUDE

Ephesians 6:7: “Rendering service willingly, with goodwill.” Once again, that’s an attitude. We’re teaching our children to have a happy attitude and a smile on their face.

What I used to do, if my children didn’t do something with a happy attitude, guess what happened? They got another job to do! And if they didn’t do that with a happy attitude, they got another one, until they learned to do it with a happy attitude and a smile on their face. I’m glad, I think most of our children, well, I’d say all of them, and some more than others, have grown up with a very, very good work attitude. That is so important in life, isn’t it?

NO. 20 ATTITUDE: WITHOUT BEING SIDETRACKED

Oh, that’s another one, isn’t it? Have you often given your children something to do, or your one specific child something to do, but you find, oh, before they finish the job, they’re sitting in their room, reading a book or something like that!

Michele: On my way over, literally walking over here today, I gave my son Elijah, my ten-year-old, a small task. He had no problem. He had a happy heart about it, but he got side-tracked, and he was outside, melting a crayon, like a coloring crayon. I’m like, “What are you doing?” He’s like, “Oh, Mom, this is so cool!” I was like, “But is that what you’re supposed to be doing?” [laughter]

Nancy: I know! And children get side-tracked so easily, don’t they? Any little thing can side-track them. But this is a very powerful point, too. Especially as our children are getting older, we’ve got to teach them, “Stick to the job until it’s done. You don’t let all the little distractions take you away from it.”

We see a wonderful example of this. This is an example for us, too, in our wonderful calling of motherhood. Back in Nehemiah 6, Nehemiah came back from Babylon to help restore and build up the gates and walls of Jerusalem. But he had so much opposition on every front. There was opposition to him rebuilding the wall. We get opposition, too, as we are building a godly family. The enemy does not want us to do this. He will bring opposition on every hand.

Nehemiah 6:1: “Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall and that there was no breach left . . . That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.”

You see, they were trying to bring Nehemiah off the wall. They were trying to get him distracted from this great vision that he had and this great job that he was doing. They were trying to pull him off the wall, get him down from his job.

That’s what the enemy wants to do to you, dear mother. There’s so much deception all around and voices that pull you away from the vision God has given you. They even pull you away from the high calling of embracing motherhood and knowing that you are there to build your home and make it such a wonderful place. The devil wants to get you out of the home. You get all these people saying this, saying that society, the media, everything, everybody, even churches sometimes.

But what did Nehemiah do? Oh, by the way, where were they trying to get him to come? They said, “Come, Nehemiah, let’s come down to the plain of Ono.” Oh no! Oh my, isn’t that how the devil gets to tempt you? “Oh no, poor me, I’m stuck in this home with all these children! I could be out, doing my career! Oh, no!”

“Oh no! Help! I’m pregnant again! Help! How are we going to survive? We can hardly make it with the children we have!

Oh no!” And we get all these “Oh no’s!” But they’re from the devil. They are the temptations of the enemy. He’s the one who wants to bring us down to the plain of Oh no. But that doesn’t belong to the kingdom of God. That city is not in God’s kingdom. Oh no!   Whatever God gives us, He gives us the strength to do. He will be with us! Amen?

What did Nehemiah say? He was not going to come down to the plain of Ono. He didn’t even get down off the wall. “And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” He wouldn’t even come down!

Dear precious mothers, let all these temptations, these deceptions, all these voices, just let them run off you like water off a duck’s back. You speak to the enemy and say,

“I am NOT coming down! I am doing a GREAT work!

I’m doing the greatest work in this nation!

I am raising godly children who will come forth to impact this nation. I haven’t got time to come down to you!”

But these enemies, they kept on Nehemiah. They came four times to him with that message. Then, in verse five, it says they came a fifth time to him. They just wouldn’t give up. Then down in verse 10, they sent another message, the sixth time!

This time, what happened? It says here: “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.” Now they’re trying to put fear in him. “Oh, come on, come down, look, we’ll hide you. We’ll go right into the Temple.”

Oh, goodness me! They were trying every way to get him to come down from his great work. What happened? Nehemiah said: “Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” You see how he was standing true to his vision. He would not come down!

Verse 12: “And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him.” Yes, all these voices, these deceptive voices that come into your mind, they are not from God. They are from the enemy! “But I perceived that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”

But he never came down. He didn’t give in. That’s a wonderful encouragement to us in our great, high calling God has given us. Don’t you be distracted. Don’t listen to them. Also, you teach that to your children.

NO. 21 ATTITUDE: WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN

Well, that’s an interesting one, isn’t it? I remember when we were raising our children that people would always pay their children. They’d give them, I forget what you call them.

Michele: Allowance?

Nancy: Allowance! Yes, yes. They got an allowance at the end of the week. I must admit, I never really believed in it, but I thought, “Oh, perhaps I’m an awful mother. I’d better do that.” We decided we would do it, but it never worked. You know why? Because we’d get to the end of the week, and we never had any money to give them! [laughter] So, they never got it! But, really, really, should our children work for an allowance? I don’t believe it.

Michele: We’ve always told our children that, because they see some other children get an allowance, and they’ve asked before. We told them, “Why would we pay you to live in our home and clean up after yourself, just to do responsibilities that we all need to be a part of.”

Nancy: Yes! I don’t know where that came from, because, really, a home is where we are all building the home together. We, as mothers, are builders. Proverbs 14:1: “Every wise woman buildeth her house.”

God calls us builders, but our children are builders, too. The Hebrew word for children in the Bible, well, there’re so many Hebrew words for children. Oh! In my book, The Power of Motherhood, I list all the different Hebrew words. God so loves children that He doesn’t have only one word! He has a word for when they’re in the womb, when they’re just born, when they’re a little toddler, as they’re getting older. Oh, there are so many words. You just can’t believe it!

But the most common is ben. Just ben. Many Jewish names have that word in them. Ben Yochanan, the son of Yochanan. It just means “the son of so-and-so.” But the full meaning is, and you can read it in the Strong’s Concordance, “the builder of the family name.”

Our children are also building the family name and building the home. We need to remind them of that, that they are also builders. We are all in this together! When they do their chores, they’re part of blessing everyone in the home, just keeping the home going.

Michele: We had a good friend, and it stuck with me when my older ones were younger. She would always call them “get to’s.” She didn’t call them chores. They were “get to’s” because you get to participate in the family. You get to do willingly whatever the task was that laid before them. I loved that, that they get to. What an attitude!

Nancy: Yes, I like that! I think allowances, what are they really teaching our children? They’re teaching them that, what’s the word, today everybody thinks they should just get whatever they want? What is that word? It’s entitlement! Yes.

And today, so many people in society live by the entitlement principle. They think that they are entitled to everything! The world owes them everything! That is not true. We have many of our students today in our colleges believing that they should get their college education free. But they’re not working for it. Who’s going to pay for it? Someone has to pay for it. But they think they should get everything free.

That’s what our government wants to tell them. “You just get everything free!” But, of course, that never works, because it has to be paid for somewhere. We don’t want to bring our children up with an entitlement mentality, do we?

Now what does the Scripture say? Luke 17:10: “When you have done all that is commanded you, say, we are unworthy servants. We have only done what was our duty.” Well, that’s pretty powerful, isn’t it? That’s the attitude we should have. “We have only done what was our duty.” We don’t have to expect anything in return.

In fact, today, it’s very difficult, I find, to get people to do something without expecting remuneration. Yes, of course, it’s not wrong to have remuneration for what you do. That’s not wrong, and, of course, our husbands, who are providing for the home, yes, they are getting all the remuneration they can to provide.

But I think we don’t have to do everything in life for remuneration. There are things we will do and get paid for but there are some things which are gifts that God has given us. We can do them freely, and do them to bless people, or even because it’s our duty, and not expect to have to be paid. What do you think?

Michele: Oh, absolutely. That’s the servant’s heart.

Nancy: Yes!

Michele: We just had this discussion in our home, I believe it was yesterday, with my ten-year-old. Not having to have that recognition. It’s nice to be recognized sometimes and be encouraged. But to not have to have it speaks a lot about your character and who you are. If we are doing everything unto the Lord, then He’s the one who will recognize us. We shouldn’t seek recognition from man.

Nancy: Yes. Great.

NO. 22 ATTITUDE: WITHOUT GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING

 Philippians 2:14-15: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Without grumbling, without complaining; do our children hear us grumbling and complaining? What kind of an example are we setting? We’re the ones who set the terms.

NO. 23 ATTITUDE: WITHOUT SEEKING RECOGNITION

Just what you said, Michele. There it is! It’s in the Word! You didn’t make it up. [laughter]

Ephesians 6:6: “Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ.” We do our work, not looking for what man sees, but unto the Lord. And He sees. He knows. He notices it all.

NO. 24 ATTITUDE: WITHOUT WEARYING

Galatians 6:9: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

NO. 25 ATTITUDE: ZEALOUSLY

We read of the testimony of Jesus Himself, when it says: “The zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up.” It’s in Psalm 69:9, and then, in this story, in John 2:17. This is where Jesus came into the temple and saw them selling all the oxen and sheep and doves, and making money, and doing all this in the temple, which was the house of prayer.

My! He rose up, and the Bible says that he made a scourge of cords, and He drove them out of the temple. He poured out the changers’ money, and He overthrew the tables. He yelled out, “Take these things hence! Make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Wow! People must have wondered what was happening.

Then it says His disciples remembered that it was written: “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” Jesus showed such zeal, zealousness for His Father’s house! But I think we can also show zealousness in the way we work and that we do it with all our heart.

The last one! NO. 26 ATTITUDE: GOING THE SECOND MILE

Matthew 5:41: “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two miles.” That’s an amazing principle. I think that most people, even when they go to work, they usually have to clock in. When you arrive, when you leave, and it just seems the norm for most people, “OK, say five o’clock is when work finishes.” OK! On the dot of five, they finish! Whoo! It doesn’t matter if they’re halfway through something, if it’s five o’clock, they’re finished.

But, where’s the second mile? There’s only left a small percentage who are the second milers, who will think, “Oh, but look, I haven’t finished it. I think I will just stay and get it finished so it’s all done and ready.” Maybe they’re staying on five minutes, ten minutes, or even 20 minutes longer. They’re not even expecting to get double pay. But just because they want to see the job finished. They want to give that little extra. Second-milers! Wow! They are a small breed.

I remember, there is a guy who works for my son. He is indispensable to him. I know that he gets pretty big bucks, because I don’t know how my son would run his life without him. But this guy, years and years ago, came to him, and asked him for a job. He didn’t have a job for him. There was not one that was available. But he said, “Look, I’ll work for you free.” And he worked for him free. He became so indispensable that now, well, he couldn’t do without him.

He has a great career, just because he was a second miler. He wasn’t expecting to be paid for everything. He was prepared to just, “OK, I’ll just show you what I can do!” I think that’s sort of going the extra. It’s like that word that I often talk about, perisseuo, that is “more than is necessary, over the top, super-abounding, excelling.” It’s going more than is the necessary. People can be great workers who do the necessary. But then, there are those few who go beyond the necessary, the second milers.

Michele: Absolutely. That’s what sets people apart. If you’re willing to go above and beyond, that’s what sets you apart. In the workforce, even in the home, as a leader, it’s in every area of life, people who go that second mile, who go above and beyond, they’re the ones that stand out.

Nancy: Yes, so true. Maybe when you’re working on this point in your family, maybe you’re doing a whole week and you’re all working on the second-mile principle . . . it doesn’t hurt, it’s a good thing, I think, to have carrots. You know, something that they can work towards.

You can say, “OK, I’m going to be looking this week for those who go the second mile. When you notice one of your children doing more than they are asked, they’re doing something that goes beyond, well, you just make a note of that. Maybe the one who’s done that the most, they get a special prize at the end of the week so they can get into the habit.

It’s good to have a whole week, at least, where you work on one of these attitudes, so it becomes a habit in their lives. It gets into their system. Because, wow, they’ll go a long way.

If you can raise children who are second milers,

you will raise children who will go far in life.

Well, ladies, we got to the end of our principles about work. Now, next week we’re going to start the last “L.” To me, it’s the most exciting.

Michele: Should we tell them what it is?

Nancy: No!

Michele: No?

Nancy: No! We’re not telling you what it is! [laughter] It’s got to be a surprise! I can’t wait, because I do believe, in this hour in which we’re living, it is so important.

We love you!

“Lord God, bless all these darling mothers who are listening today, and all the young people, and the children. Oh, God, I pray that You will help us all to live by Your Word, by the examples You put in Your Word, by the principles You give us in Your Word. Lord, You give us so much! And there’s not one thing missing!

“Lord, we’ve got all these attitudes You want us to have. Lord, when we are all—Daddy, Mommy, children, living these attitudes in our homes, they will become places of such joy, and Heaven on earth. Lord, I pray that, Lord, that this will work out in every beautiful family listening, that, Lord, they will be able to teach their children, Lord, not how to work, but how to love to work, Lord God. In the Precious Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 220: The Four L’s of Raising Children, Part 4

We continue talking today about teaching our children to LOVE TO LABOR. God speaks so much about work and diligence in the Bible and also speaks strongly against laziness. Today we begin discussing all the attitudes God wants us to have towards work.

Did you know that when we work with all our might, it is the same Hebrew that is used to describe how God brought out the children of Israel out of Egypt “with His MIGHTY POWER.” That’s how we are meant to work.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Here we are again, and Michele is still with me, because we are still talking about raising our children with four “L’s.” Now, of course, Michele doesn’t have to come very far, just pop over. How far?

Michele: About one minute. [laughter] I’m not spending very much on gas!

Nancy: No, you are not! They are living in an RV, right next to our home while they are building up on the Hilltop.

Now, we haven’t finished yet about teaching our children to love labor, because I think it’s important to talk about all the different attitudes God wants us to have about work. As I have studied the Word, I have found 26 different attitudes God has explicitly given us about work. And maybe I have missed some. I always find so many, but often, as I’m reading the Word months later, ooh, I’ll find another one! It’s amazing!

Oh, there’s so much in the Word about everything we need, isn’t there ladies? And all the practical things. Getting down to business. Working in our homes. Trying to teach our children how to work. No, that’s not the thing. We’re not teaching our children how to work. We’re teaching our children how to LOVE work! Of course, in doing that, this really affects our whole home, doesn’t it?

So, I’m going to give you these different attitudes that I have found in the Word of God. You could actually, ladies, take one for a whole week, and say, “Children, we’re going to try and put this attitude into our work modes this week. Let’s see what we can do.”

In fact, you could even have competitions, like you could put each name of your children up on the fridge. Each day, as you see your children handling one of their chores, or even doing something without being asked, well, that’s a cool one! You will give them certain points. At the end of the week, the one who has the most points of doing their work with this attitude can get a special prize.

Michele: We have something similar to that. When I was pregnant with my twins, when I was only 15 weeks, I was on bedrest all summer with them. That’s another story.

Nancy: Maybe you’ve got to tell that story sometime.

Michele: Absolutely, yes, they’re miracle babies. I had other children in the home. So, what do you do? You make competitions. I had housework to be done that I couldn’t do. I couldn’t even have them help me do it. My husband was so busy, working and doing all the things that I normally would do.

So, I would do little competitions. We would get grandparents involved. One day, it was actually my oldest daughter and her best friend, who was a daughter. We’re very close to the family. She came over, and we had a competition for bathrooms, of all things.

Whoever could clean their bathroom, whoever’s bathroom was the cleanest, was going to go out for ice cream with my mom, with Nana. Needless to say, with Nana, they both got to go for ice cream. But I had very clean bathrooms and they were so excited! They were amazing things to incorporate. Just fun competitions.

Nancy: Yes, I love that idea! It’s great to have these things in our homes. We can put a carrot in front of them. It’s not wrong to do that. God gives us incentives all through His Word. I think that’s so great. You can try out these things in your home.

Now, NO. 1 ATTITUTE: ABOUNDING

We find this in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” What does it tell us there? To abound as we work, and especially in our work for the Lord.

But everything we do is for the Lord, every little mundane thing in our home. It doesn’t matter what it is, doing the dishes, cleaning the toilets, changing diapers, scrubbing the floors, whatever. Every mundane thing is a work unto the Lord. Our homes are a sanctuary unto the Lord. Everything we do is worship unto the Lord.

As you do a mundane task in your home, unto the Lord, with joy in your heart, doing it not normally, not just in an average fashion, but doing it over the top, even greater than anyone’s ever done it before, you are worshipping the Lord. And God delights in it.

That word “abounding,” and you’ve heard me tell you this Greek word before. It’s the word perisseuo, which means “to be excessive, to excel, over the top, going beyond what is necessary, super-abundant.” This word is beyond the normal. It’s not doing something, well, you just do it because you’ve got to do it. “OK, clean the bathroom, well, just wipe them around.”

No! It’s doing it more than is necessary. It’s over the top! It’s excessive. In the Bible, the lifestyle of the Kingdom is actually excessive. It’s always more than the normal. This word, that’s what it means. We’re to abound.

OK, ladies, what do you reckon? Do you think you could share that with your children this week? You could say, “OK, children, this is what the Bible says.” You could even write this Scripture out, type it out, put it in big letters up in your kitchen. That’s King James. You might like to do it in another translation if your children are more used to that.

Then you could even write underneath, “Abounding,” and then write what the word means underneath it. Listen to it again as I have just shared it with you and write it out! Big letters! “Now, children, I’m going to do a competition this week. I’m going to be watching, and I’m going to be noticing. Everyone that does one of their chores, who does it in an ABOUNDING way, more than is even necessary, they’re going to get so many points.”

You work out how you want to do it. “And then, the one who has the most points at the end of this week is getting a prize.” Make it something worthwhile, something really worthwhile. Maybe, as Michele shared, you go out to have something special with Mom, or with Dad, or with grandparents, or maybe a guest. Something you think they would really love. What a fun week it will be! Just imagine, the whole family working with that attitude? Can you imagine it? Well, that’s meant to be normal.

Michele: Absolutely. Just think how that’s going to carry over as they become adults, if they work, with that work ethic, as adults. Now, you just discussed it earlier. When people have a nine-to-five job, they’re good if they stay until five. Usually a minute or two, not going over, not working abundantly.

My son, who’s going to be 20, just the other day, two days ago, he’s like, “Mom, I found this internship. I’m going to talk to this person who knows more about it.” He was so excited about it! It was for a Christian organization with internal bookkeeping, all numbers and finance. I’m like, “Oh, that’s great! How much does it pay?” He’s like, “Mom, it pays experience!”

It’s not a paid internship, but he knew the knowledge and experience he could gain would put him far ahead in the future. It would open up doors and possibilities and increase his knowledge and learning. His willingness to go above and beyond, past the requirements.

Nancy: Yes, oh yes! Amen! I’m excited to think of what’s going to happen. I’d love you to even email me and write and tell me what great things happened as you began this attitude in your home.

NO. 2 ATTITUTE: AS TO THE LORD AND NOT UNTO MEN

I’ve got all these in alphabetical order so that’s how I’m giving them to you. As to the Lord, and not unto men. That’s Ephesians 6:5-7 and Colossians 3:23. I think you shared this, didn’t you, last time. “Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward.” Amen.

NO. 3 ATTITUDE: DILIGENTLY

Proverbs 12:27: “Diligence is a man’s most precious possession.” Yes.

What about Jeremiah 48:10? “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness.” Wow. That’s not good, is it?

And then Romans 12:11 in the J. B. Phillips’ translation says: “Let’s not allow slackness to spoil our work.”

That same Scripture in The Good News Bible says: “Work hard, and do not be lazy.” We teach our children to be diligent. Diligence is a very godly attitude.

NO. 4 ATTITUDE: FAITHFULLY

2 Chronicles 24:12 talks about the men who did the work faithfully. You’ll remember this Scripture, Matthew 25:21 and 23, and Luke 16:10: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” That’s a very good principle to teach our children, that as they learn to be faithful in little tasks, God sees it, and He will open up bigger doors for them.

Sometimes I’ve had women write to me, and they will maybe send in a poem. They say, “Can you publish this poem in Above Rubies?” Well, maybe it’s a lovely poem, but I don’t always find room. Usually, poems are to fill in a little space that I have. I don’t always have the spaces to fill in all the poems.

I will write and say to the lady, “Thank you for your lovely poem. I may not be able to put it in Above Rubies. We’ll see how I go. But if I don’t have room, don’t wait for your poem to be published. Share it now. Send it to some friend who needs encouragement. Write it out in a beautiful card for someone and send it to them. Do things in a little way. You don’t have to be published in a magazine, or even in a book. When God gives you something, even that you write, you don’t have to wait to do it in a big way. Do it in a little way.”

I think that I am doing Above Rubies today (and have been doing it for the last 45 years) but before that, when I was young, and I was actually teaching back in New Zealand, we didn’t have the big summer holiday like you do in the US. We would have more holidays throughout the year, but they were shorter.

In those times, because I had those holidays as a teacher, I would spend them in going to work in Christian camps among young girls they would bring in from all these unsaved homes. We had the opportunity to lead them to Jesus. Then they would go home, and I would think, “Goodness me, they’re going home. They’re never going to hear about Jesus again. They’re not even going to be discipled. My, they need such help!”

I began to write to these girls. I ended up writing to maybe about a hundred girls. It was just a little thing, but I believe, as I was faithful to write to these girls, to encourage them in their faith, and in some little way disciple them, that that laid the foundation for one day doing this magazine.

I don’t think that I would be doing Above Rubies today if I hadn’t been faithful to begin writing those letters to all those girls, away back then, even before I was married. I believe we have to learn to be faithful in the little things, don’t we? When we’re faithful in that which is least, well, we will be more likely to be faithful in that which is much.

NO. 5 ATTITUDE: FERVENTLY

 Romans 12:11: “Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

I like The Living Bible, which says: “Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.”

Another translation says: “Serve the Lord with spiritual fervor.”

It’s like everything we read in the New Testament. We always read these adjectives. Everything in the Bible is not the average or normal. It’s over the average. We don’t just serve the Lord. We serve the Lord fervently. We’re finding out all these other ways of how we are to work, and how we are to serve the Lord. What do you say, Michele?

Michele: Oh, absolutely. I can tell the difference in my children when I’m fervently serving the Lord, or if I’m passive, or just reluctantly serving. In my work, or my labor, whatever I’m doing, if I’m enthusiastic, my children are likely to be enthusiastic as well.

Nancy: Yes. I think we really set the tone. If we want to teach them to love labor, that’s what we’re talking about, to love labor. This is one of the things that Michele and Randy, one of their premises in training their children, is not just teaching their children to work, but to love work. We have to have all these attitudes toward it, don’t we?

NO. 6 ATTITUDE: FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” That means every little thing, every little mundane thing. Those things that we have to do over and over again, every day.

I believe this is the greatest reason of all. I’m actually putting all these points in alphabetical order, but I believe this is, perhaps, the most important. Everything we do, we do to the glory of God.

Wow, what a difference that makes in our own lives, mothers, doesn’t it? If we have that attitude, and everything we do is to His glory, the little things and the big things, we teach our children. That’s why it’s so important to take some of these Scriptures as memory verses. Pin them up on your wall in big letters. Get the children to memorize them so that they’re part of their lives. So, they’ll grow up knowing, “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Amen.

Michele: Amen!

Nancy: Yes!

NO. 7 ATTITUDE: HARMONIOUSLY

I have many Scriptures here. What I’ll do, ladies, is when I do the transcript, I’ll put all these Scriptures in for you (at the end of this transcript). But all the Scriptures that I have here about how Paul writes, and other servants of the Lord write, saying: “We are laborers together, workers together.”

Many other Scriptures say: “We are fellow laborers, fellow workers, fellow helpers, fellow servants, fellow soldiers, even fellow prisoners.” They were in everything together as they worked for the Lord. That’s another thing too, I believe, is teaching our children how to work together. What do you think about that, Michele?

Michele: Oh, absolutely. The things that can be accomplished when you work together. We have this thing in our home. We do a 15-minute quick clean-up. If just one of my children are missing out of the bunch, it is amazing what a difference that makes. They are truly missed, because if we can work together, and we’re doing it unto the Lord, we can harmonize together, wow! What a difference that makes.

Nancy: I used to have a “one-two-three.” We’d all go for it. As you say, when everybody works, well, it’s so great! Teaching our children to work together, to flow together, prepares them for the future time when they can work with people. Some people don’t know how to work with people. That is a very important thing. It’s a biblical thing. When we read about how they worked together, they were fellow laborers.

NO. 8 ATTITUDE: HEARTLY

Colossians 3:23: “Whatsoever you do, do it heartily.” That word means “to do it with strength and valor, and all the power that you have.” Actually, that was on my little card. I wrote some things. I brought them up to here where we are podcasting, and I can’t even find them!

But I had written down how many times this same word “heartily,” is translated “strength” in the Bible. “Strength” most times, and “power” was the next, over 40 or 50 times for each one. Verses like, how God brought them out of Egypt with His mighty power. When we think of what God did, to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, wow! He bared his mighty right arm. He did such great and mighty acts to bring them out.

That’s the same word that’s used here, “Whatsoever you do, do it heartily.” That’s the same word that describes God baring His mighty right arm to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Perhaps one of the greatest miracles that were ever seen on earth is what happened there.

It’s an incredible word. It’s not just a little word. It’s a mighty word. This is how God wants it to work, and to teach our children how to work like this. Sometimes it may pay to take one of these Scriptures for a whole week and work it out in your home life together, so we really get it into our lives.

(So sorry, ladies, this meaning above that I gave you for “heartily” is not correct. It is for No. 14 MIGHTILY! What I said was true, but it Is not for “heartily” but “mightily”! We’ll get to that point. I was getting ahead of myself).

NO. 9 ATTITUDE: HUMBLY

We see many examples in the Word of God, even in Jesus Himself, where it says: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus said” “I am among you as He that serveth.”

Sometimes we think all we do is serve around our homes. But that’s what Jesus came to do. It is a beautiful God-thing. It’s a beautiful Jesus-thing to do, to serve. We remember, in John 13, how Jesus arose, and He washed His disciples’ feet. Usually that job was done by a lowly servant. As people came into a home, the servant would wash their feet. But Jesus didn’t leave it to the servant. It says that He washed their feet. He had that spirit of the servant.

Paul was the same. In 1 Corinthians 9:19, it says: “I made myself a servant unto all.”

We look at 1 Peter 5:5. In the Williams translation it says: “You must put on the servant’s apron of humility to one another.” Isn’t that a wonderful translation? “The servant’s apron of humility.” I like wearing aprons. Do you ever wear aprons or you’re not an apron person?

Michele: Oh, actually I do. Sometimes I can’t find them, because my six-year-old likes to wear my aprons as well. She has her own, but she likes mine. [laughter] But I notice the difference after I make dinner whether I had an apron or not.

Nancy: Oh, I know! I’m just one of those who has to wear an apron. When I come up to start preparing the meal, I put on my apron because I must be a very messy cook, or something! I will mess up my clothes if I don’t wear an apron. It’s just part of my habit, to put on an apron, and even my aprons are so stained and dirty!

I do have some nice ones that I actually keep for when company is coming, because my day-to-day ones get . . . I’ve washed them, but they still look so stained, because they really get messed up, because I’m really working. But I love to remind myself that when I put on my apron, it is a servant’s apron. A “servant’s apron of humility.” I'm working to serve my family, so it’s also a good reminder.

Michele: I was about to say the same thing. When I do put on an apron, it reminds me of what I’m doing. I seem to be more purposeful.

Nancy: Well, you know that “I’m here to work! I’ve got my apron on!” When I haven’t, when I am doing it a little bit half-pie, so I don’t get my dress mucked up or something like that. When I get my apron on, wow! I can go to work! I love that.

Then, of course, we have that beautiful picture of the woman in 1 Timothy 5:10. This is in the passage where Paul is writing to Timothy, to give him answers of what to do about the widows in the church. He seemed to have many widows.

Paul said to Timothy, “Well, make sure that their families look after them, their children or their grandchildren. But if they don’t have any family to care for them, if they have lived a certain lifestyle, then I want you to provide for them from the church and look after them.”

So, we have to look at the lifestyle. As we do, we see that this is the lifestyle that God has for women. “Well reported of for good works.” And what are they? “If she has brought up children.” That’s No. 1 on the list. Did she embrace children? How did she raise them?

Well, the word “brought up” is teknotropheo, and it literally means “to feed, to feed and cherish your children with food, pamper them with food.” It’s all about cooking and feeding. That’s such a big part of our motherhood, isn’t it? It’s a big part of our serving.

We actually teach our children this whole attitude when we prepare our meals with joy, and we’re serving with joy. We put on our aprons. We go to it, because we are blessed to serve our family. Preparing meals for them is such a beautiful way to serve them.

But then it carries on. What else does she do? “If she has lodged strangers.” Well, that’s opening her doors in hospitality. Of course, that’s cooking, too. It’s all to do with cooking. Then, “If she has washed the saints’ feet.” When people came into a Middle Eastern home, they washed their feet as they came in the door because they were so dusty. They didn’t want to bring all that dirt and dust into the house. Of course, what did they come in for? To eat.

Then again: “If she has relieved the afflicted.” She’s ministered to the poor and the needy. You can’t do that without taking food. This whole Scripture is all about food and cooking. It concludes: “If she has diligently followed every good work.”

The Good New Bible says: “Has she performed humble duties?” It brings out that spirit of humility again.

NO. 10 ATTITUDE: IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Psalm 2:11: “Serve the Lord with fear.”

Go to the New Testament, Hebrews 12:28: “Serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear.” Everything we do, we do in the fear of the Lord. That even comes down to work! Everything we do, we do it “in the fear of the Lord.”

NO. 11 ATTITUDE: IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS

 Colossians 3:17: “Whatsoever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” There’s another wonderful Scripture to memorize, isn’t it? Oh, these are powerful Scriptures for our children, aren’t they?

Michele: Oh, absolutely. Even though my children are grown up, so many of these that you’re reading are ones that we memorized, or we have hanging on our walls.

Nancy: I love these Scriptures for memorizing because this is what we want to get into our children. We’re getting them this LOVE TO LABOR, this LOVE TO WORK! Work shouldn’t be, “Oh, I’ve got to do my chores.” No, we never give that impression to our children! All the things that we do are all to help keep the family going and keep it going smoothly. We’re all working together, remember? That’s one of the points, working together.

So, we are imparting these principles into their lives, these wonderful biblical principles. Everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

NO. 12 ATTITUDE: JOYFULLY

Do you remember, ladies? We did six podcasts about the land of motherhood being a JOYFUL LAND. Of course, that’s all part of working joyfully in our homes, too, isn’t it? I will have already talked so much about that.

NO. 13 ATTITUDE: LOVINGLY

Galatians 5:13: “By love, serve one another.”

1 Thessalonians 1:3: In the J. B. Phillips’ Translation it says: “Your love has meant hard work.”

Hebrews 6:10 also gives us this: “For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” That word really is “serve.” “That you have served the saints, and you do serve.”

But do you notice here, ladies, that phrase, “your work and labor of love”? How do we show love? Well, we can love people in our hearts, but we have to show our love. How do we show love? By working! We have to serve. We have to work.

Now, in our homes, of course, we want to show love to our husbands. Well, OK, we can think, “All right. I love my husband.” We even say to them, “I love you.” I love to say that at least once a day, hopefully more! Because I want him to know I love him. But the greatest way I’m going to show that I love him is how I serve him, what I do to show I love him.

It’s the same with our children. Everything we do in our home it takes work! It takes serving. It’s not just work. It’s showing our love. Work and love are twins. That’s something I think we need to get into our brains.

Michele: Absolutely! What drudgery if we’re not doing this unto the Lord and we’re not doing this joyfully. All these things go together. They work together. We need each part, but yet it’s not a hard thing, if we’re doing it unto the Lord and if we’re having a joyful attitude about it.

Speaking of laboring, and all the food and stuff, it’s my twins’ birthday today.

Nancy: Really?

Michele: Yes, truly! 15! They’re 15! So, my six-year-old and I, and my ten-year-old have been decorating this morning, because they wanted to go to work today. I tried to take them bowling, and they’re like, “We want to go to work!” So, they’re working today. And they’re coming home tonight for their surprise birthday dinner. My daughter’s all excited to make the surprise birthday dinner this afternoon.

Nancy: That’s Ruthie. She’s only six! So, she’s going to be working?

Michele: Absolutely. And then Elijah’s got his garlic bread he wants to make, so he’s going to be in there, too. Just getting our children excited about labor and about serving, oh, it makes all the difference in the world.

Believe me, we have the days where it’s whining and complaining. Sometimes it’s me! And I have to go back to Scripture, and “OK, this is not the right heart. Why am I doing this? This is miserable!” If we can install that and set an example for our children that we can do work and labor joyfully, oh my goodness, it’s a game-changer. It’ll change their life.

Nancy: Yes. So, what is Ruthie making?

Michele: Well, Ruthie and I are making together, we’re making homemade meatballs. One of my sons requested spaghetti. We’ll do regular spaghetti, and then we’ll probably do spaghetti squash. But we’re going to make the homemade meatballs to go along with it.

Nancy: Wonderful! Usually as our children were growing, every birthday party they could have their favorite meal, what they wanted. But isn’t it so lovely, she’s wanting to work and help, why? Because she loves her brothers.

That’s how we show love, isn’t it? Work and love, labor and love are twins. Remember that dear mothers. Teach your children that. Labor and love are twins. They go together. We don’t really, if we’re not prepared to work, we’re not prepared to show love.

Well, sometimes I think, “Oh, dear,” because even on Sundays we have a fellowship meal. So, everybody brings a dish. It’s so precious. Oh, I just love it. This is what church is all about. It's not coming to listen to a message and go home. No, it is assembling together, to minister to one another, to fellowship with one another, and pray for one another. Get to know one another.

A great way to do that, of course, is to eat with one another. That’s so great. Eating and fellowshipping go together. But I am amazed. Many times, we get left with all the dishes. Then all the tables to put away. Sometimes people forget. OK, they do love one another, but they forget to put the little bit of work in. It’s something we do all need to be reminded of, isn’t it? That love is also work.

1 Thessalonians 1:3. I did give you the Phillips’ translation, but the King James says: “Your labor of love.” He was remembering “your labor of love” when he talked to the Thessalonians. “In our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God, our Father.” Everything we do is in the sight of the Lord, isn’t it?

1 John 3:18: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” That word “in deed” there is the Greek word ergon. It means “to make, to work, to do.” So, we’ve got to get love (which we want in our hearts), but we’ve got to get it out of our hearts into our hands and our feet and do a little bit of work to go along with it. That’s how we really show our love. Amen?

NO. 14 ATTITUDE: MIGHTILY

 Oh, you know what? I was talking to you about “heartily.” Yes, heartily. And I was talking about the Hebrew word, but actually the Hebrew word I wanted to talk about belongs to this one, “mightily.” They’re so closely associated. Mightily.

Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thine might.” This was the Scripture where it talks about God bringing the children out of Egypt with His mighty power. That word is translated 47 times with the word “power” in the Old Testament, many talking about God’s mighty power. It’s talking about how He “maketh the earth by His power.” Wow!

Those are powerful things! That’s how God wants us to work. It means “force, strength, power.” The word “strength” is translated “strength” 58 times. I’m sure you made that a memory verse for your children.

Michele: Yes, we have. That’s definitely one of them.

Nancy: If you haven’t, make that a memory verse. What a fun week, ladies, to put this Scripture up on your wall, big letters. Get everybody learning it. When you have family devotions together, all say it out loud.

Then you can talk about it with your children. “OK now, how can we really do this today, children? Can you think of something you can do today with all your might? We want to do everything with all our might, but is there something special you could do today? Thinking about how God even made the world with all His might! Because that’s the same Hebrew word. And He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with all His might.”

You could think of some job, not just one of your chores, but something extra. Yes, give your children the challenge of thinking of something extra to do that they could do with all their might. It’s a bit like, back when we were raising our children, and it came to Christmas time. Our children would love to buy Christmas presents for one another. We didn’t give them money to do that. If they wanted to do that, they had to work for it.

NO. 15 ATTITUDE: NEVER GIVING UP UNTIL YOU FINISH

Wow! That’s a good point, isn’t it?

Michele: Oh, yes. We have many, many times . . . How many times do I have to call my children back in to finish the job they didn’t complete? It’s never fun. It’s a lot more fun to do it right the first time.

Nancy: I know, I know. That’s another very important principle to teach them. We learn this, of course, from examples in the Word of God. Zerubbabel, in Zechariah 4:9: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it.”

What did Jesus say? John 4:34: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

He also said: “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”

Remember what Paul confessed? Acts 20:24: “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy.”

He also said in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.” Another wonderful biblical principle.

NO. 16 ATTITUDE: RELYING ON GOD

Jesus said: “Without Me, you can do nothing.”

NO. 17 ATTITUDE: THANKFULLY

Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father, by Him.” Doing it with thanks. “Thank You, Lord, that I have the privilege to serve my family, to work for my family, to labor in my home! What a privilege! Thank You, Lord. I thank You for these wonderful opportunities.

TWELVE BASKETFULS OVER AND ABOVE

Now, do we have this great, amazing, thankful spirit? Oh, I often think of that wonderful principle in John 6, where Jesus is . . . Well, the Word of God is telling the story of Jesus. He fed the 5,000. This beautiful miracle is told in the four gospels.

Here in John 6:13, it tells us about how Jesus fed the 5,000. He didn’t just do what He had to do. But He did it over and above. More than is necessary. It tells us these very words, that there were 12 basketfuls of food, “over and above” what were needed to feed all the people. That little phrase, “over and above,” is the Greek word perisseuo, which I have talked to you about so many times, because it keeps popping up!

In the New Testament . . . It’s just what the New Testament life is all about. It means “super-abounding, exuberant, excelling, over and above, more than is necessary.” It’s more than what is the average. Here we see a beautiful example, where when Jesus had to feed the multitude, He didn’t just feed them, and they just had enough to eat. No, there were 12 basketfuls left over! Over and above!

That’s the kind of attitude we should have in our lives, precious ladies, and teach our children that everything we do, we do it over and above. We don’t do just what we have to do. We do more than what is necessary! More than what is necessary. When we have to do a job, do we just do, “OK, we’ve got to do the dishes”?

Well, we’re teaching our children to do that, because as they’re growing, we’re teaching them how to do these things. We have to teach them how to do it. Do they just do the dishes, and then kind of wipe the counter, half-pie? You go back, and oooh, it looks so messy! Or do they leave it so spic and span, so clean that there’s not a thing left! There’s not a crumb, and everything is shining, and the floor is swept. They’ve just done it, over and above!

Now, this is an amazing principle. Sometimes we can have maybe a little bit. We’ve got maybe one basketful over. We do that much. But I wonder how many basketfuls we could have over. Two? Three? Four? Five? How much over can we do things when we are doing them? Jesus shows this principle of twelve basketfuls over. Don’t you love that?

Michele: Oh, it’s so good! It was last night that I had to get one of my boys, he’d just laid down. I had to get him back up because his job was the dishes. He did the dishes, but when I looked in the sink, it was messy. All the leftover food and everything was all in the sink. He was like, “But I did the dishes!” I’m like, “Oh, but come look at the sink!”

Again, it’s that, “do it right the first time with a joyful heart.” Put everything into it and go above and beyond. It’s the people who go above and beyond who get the promotions. They get recognized. They stand out from the crowd and work hard to be set-apart. Not set-aside but set-apart. This is one more way that we can be set-apart as Christians, is to go above and beyond.

Nancy: Exactly. Oh, yes! It is true. It’s those people in life who get to the top, not the people who just do what they have to do, but those who do more than what they have to do. It’s an incredible principle.

But time has gone, ladies. We have just a few more. We’ll just finish off next session, and we’ll begin the next one, the next “L.” This is going to be a powerful one. You won’t want to miss!

Oh, I must tell you too, ladies, we’ve had quite an eventful podcast today. You wouldn’t know what was going on, but behind the scenes, just at the beginning of the podcast, my little dog, my little, what do I call him? He’s a . . .

Michele: Pug? Poodle?                                       

Nancy: Yes, a poodle! [laughter] We found him on the side of the road, I think, goodness me, cannot even remember, 10, 12, 15 years ago? So, he’s getting older, and we don’t even know how many years he was when we got him.

Well, he took a turn, and we had to stop and look after him. Then he vomited, and we had to stop and look after that. So, we’ve been attending to him in between talking to you today! But anyway, we always keep going, no matter what’s happening!

Let me pray for you.

“Dear loving Father, we thank You so much, that You haven’t left out one thing in Your precious Word. You have filled it with how we are to live, how we are to work. Lord God, work is part of who You are.

Lord Jesus, You said these words, “My Father works, and I work.” And Lord God, You gave this principle to us at the very beginning of time. We pray, Lord, that as we embrace this principle with all these wonderful ways You tell us to work, that we can pass them onto our children, that we will raise young men and women who know how to work.

We’re living in a day of such laziness, and such wimpiness. So many who don’t know to work. Lord, we pray that You will help us to teach our children to be those who go beyond just the barest minimum, who will work with a great, wonderful, overflowing spirit, Lord. They will not just do what has to be done, but they’ll have many basketfuls over and above.

Help us all to have this wonderful attitude, Lord God. Bless all the darling ladies and children and young people who are listening today. Pour out your blessings on them, I pray. In the Name of Jesus, amen.”

Michele: Amen.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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SCRIPTURES FOR NO. 7. WORK HARMONIOUSLY WITH OTHERS

One of our biggest challenges is to teach our children to work amiably and harmoniously with one another. We cannot give up as we teach them how to do this as it paves the way for the success of their future lives. Many people miss out on many blessings because they have not learned how to work with others.

Paul loved to work with others and always took one or more laborers with him when ministering the gospel.

1 Corinthians 3:9: “We are laborers together with God.”

2 Corinthians 6:1: “Workers together with Him.”

 

Let’s look at more believers who knew how to work alongside others. These were some of Paul’s co-workers.

ANDRONICUS AND JUNIA: “My kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners” (Romans 16:7).

ARCHIPPUS: “Our fellow soldier” (Philemon 1:2).

ARISTARCHUS, MARCUS and JUSTUS: “These only are my fellow workers for the extension of God’s kingdom” (Colossians 4:10, 11 AMP). I love WAY’S translation which calls them my “fellow-toilers.”

CLEMENT: “And the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life” (Philippians 4:3 (AMP).

EPAPHRAS: “My fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:23). And “our dear fellow servant” (Colossians 1:7).

EPAPHRODITUS: “Companion in labor and fellow soldier” (Philippians 2:25).

MARCUS, ARISTARCHUS, DEMAS, and LUCAS: “My fellow laborers” (Philemon 1:24).

PHILEMON: “Dearly beloved and fellow laborer” (Philemon 1:1).

PRISCILLA AND AQUILA: “My fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks to save my life” (Romans 16:3-5).

TIMOTHY: “Our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ” (1 Thessalonians 3:2) and “my workfellow” (Romans 16:21).

TITUS: “My partner and fellow helper” (2 Corinthians 8:22) and “true yokefellow” (Philippians 4:3).

TYCHICUS: “A faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord” (Colossians 4:7).

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 219: The Four L’s of Raising Children, Part 3

Michele and I speak today about teaching our children to work. No, not how to work, but how to LOVE TO LABOR! How do we instill this love to work in our children? Check it out.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Well, Michele is here with me again! Our third podcast together, and we’re going to start another word that begins with “L.” What is it today, Michele?

Michele: LOVE LABOR.

Nancy: Whoa! Love labor! Teaching our children how to love work. We didn’t say how to work. No, how to LOVE work. There’s a big difference, isn’t there?

But, before we even get onto that, I still have something to share from last week about loving to learn. I mentioned, of course, in the last two podcasts, how important it is to learn, but first of all, how to listen. We need to learn the art of listening to know how to obey. We need to learn the art of listening in order to know how to learn. It comes from listening. There are two very lovely words about listening in the Bible. Many, of course, but the two main ones I’d like to share with you.

The first one is in that story in 1 Kings 3:3-14, where God came to Solomon and said: “Solomon, ask Me what you like.” And what did Solomon ask for? He asked for a listening heart, a hearing heart. Now, we don’t often pick that up as we read it. I’ll read it here for you. 1 Kings 3, looking for it here.

Michele: Well, as you look for that, it reminds me of how Solomon had a teachable spirit. If you want to hear and listen, you have to have the spirit to want to be taught. That teachable spirit, he’s asking the Lord for something here. It’s pretty amazing. I want to have a teachable spirit. I want my children to be able to have that teachable spirit where they will want to learn.

Nancy: There, in 1 Kings 3:9: “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” He asked for an “understanding heart.”

The word is shema in the Hebrew. That word literally means “to hear with attention and obedience, to give undivided attention.” That word is often used, “to hear.” That’s the word that is used. He asked for a hearing heart. Then it goes on, where God says, “Yes, and I will give you a heart to discern.” Discerning also comes out of hearing.

Then there’s another word for hearing. That is in the story of Saul. King Saul, God told him to go out and to wipe out the Amorites, I think it was. He had to get rid of them completely. everything that breathed, and all the animals.

But Saul didn’t obey completely. He kept some of the animals. His excuse was that “I kept them to sacrifice to the Lord.” But he had disobeyed what God said. And the prophet comes to him and 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.”

The word “hearken” is kashab. What does it mean? “To prick up the ears, sharpening them like an alert animal.” If you have a watchdog in your home, you will know how that when, maybe a car is coming in the gate, you may not even have heard it. But you dog has heard it, and his ears go up. They just prick up, and he’s listening. That’s the way God wants us to listen! With pricking up our ears to listen.

One of the very first things that God wants us to learn, we forgot to tell you this in the last podcast, is something that I’ll give to you here. I’ll read it to you. Deuteronomy 4:10: “I will make them hear my words, that they may learn,” what? What does God want us to learn foremost, before anything else? To fear the Lord “all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

Deuteronomy 6:1-2: “Now these are the commandments . . . that ye might do them . . . That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life.”

Deuteronomy 31:11-13: “Thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.” Get that? “Gather the people together, men, and women, and children . . . that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and that their children, which have not known anything, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God.”

That is the very first thing God wants us to learn, as mothers, and wants our children to learn, to fear Him. And what is the fear of the Lord? Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Let’s teach our children how to live in the fear of the Lord.

FAMILIES WORSIPPING TOGETHER

Do you notice there, ladies, that God called everyone together. Whenever God wanted to say something to His people, He called them all together. Not just the adults, no. What does it say here? The men, the women, and the children. Every time God wanted to speak to His people, He always did it in the hearing of everyone.

Let me give you a few other Scriptures about that, because I think this is something we have to understand also. In fact, I believe we’ve got to get back to the Word on every little thing, don’t we?

Even when we come and gather together, whenever you gather, whether it’s a Saturday, whether it’s a Sunday, when you gather with the people of God, it seems that the current way we do it is that everybody goes into their different age groups. The little ones to the nursery, then the little bit older in their little group, and then the next ones to their Sunday school class, right up through their ages.

Wow! In fact, in some churches, everybody’s in the worship together. Then it’s time for the Word! And what happens? It’s an exodus! You can’t believe it! Everybody starts to file out of the church! All the Sunday school teachers, and all the children, and they’re all going out. Wow! Only half or even a third of the church are left! It’s unbelievable!

But when we go to the Word of God, we don’t ever, ever find that. There is not one Scripture. I have to confess that’s how we did it. My husband and I have been pastoring all our lives. We started out like that. Sunday school for all the children. Everyone was in for worship. Then out went the children. That’s how we did it.

Until one day we began to see, “Hey, where do we find this in the Bible? We cannot find it in one place.”

Michele: I think what our children are learning is that they’re a distraction. We’re teaching our children that they’re a distraction and people can’t learn. But it’s not just the children leaving, it’s all the adults who teach the children.

Our children are, a lot of times, going to be entertained. We’re called to be set apart. We’re not called to be set aside. But if we’re just going out and entertaining and giving them a bunch of fluff, they’re not receiving the Word, the deep things of God, in the Word of God, we underestimate our children’s ability to learn.

ARE WE DUMBING THEM DOWN OR LIFTING THEM UP

Nancy: We are. What we’re doing is dumbing them down, bringing them down to child level when we are to be bringing them up to maturity. Children may not understand everything that is being said in the main auditorium where the preacher is preaching, but they get it. It goes into their spirit. It’s how it’s meant to be. Let me give you a few other little Scriptures here.

Joshua 8:33-35: “And Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel.”

Wow! That was not a half-hour sermon. It was not an hour’s sermon. How long would it take for all that? Most probably all Exodus and Leviticus, and goodness me! Help! There was so much! And who had to be there? “With the women, and the little ones.” Yes. Oh, yes, everyone was there. Not just the men, but the women and the little ones.

2 Chronicles 20:4 & 13: “And Judah gathered themselves together.” This was a time when the enemy was coming and all of Judah came together to pray, “to ask help of the LORD . . .  And all Judah,” all, “stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.”

Yes, and did you notice, “their little ones”? “Oh, but the little ones, we can’t have them. We need babysitters for them. Goodness me, we’ve got to get them out in the nursery, or something, because they are such a distraction!” Oh, no, we have to teach them how to be in the congregation of the people. God never, ever allowed the little ones to be separated. They always had to be there.

The Hebrew word for “the little ones” is the Hebrew word taph. It comes from “the tripping gait or short steps of little children.” In other words, those ones that are toddling around. But even them, God wants to have in the midst. Isn’t that amazing?

Go over to Ezra 10:1: “Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children,” and the word is taph, all the little, wee ones, “for the people wept very sore.”

Let me give you just one more. Joel 2:15-16. This was where they were calling a solemn assembly of fasting and prayer. “Oh my, we wouldn’t want to have little ones there, would we? No, you’d better get babysitters! This is a time for prayer and fasting!”

And so, the Word says: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders.” But it doesn’t stop there, ladies. “Gather the children, and those that suck at the breasts.”

God wanted everyone there, even the little babes, because right down to the littlest, they can learn. The littlest ones may not even understand but they are still hearing. They’re hearing the Word, and it is subconsciously going into them. Amen?

Michele: When my babies were just babies, even when they were in the womb, when I’d read the Word, I’d read it out loud. That was on purpose. The Spirit of the Lord was there. It’s in them, even at the tiniest of age.

Nancy: Oh, yes, yes. That’s when we start, in the womb!

Michele: Absolutely.

Nancy: Well, we’re going to talk about teaching our children, not just to work, but what? To LOVE WORK! How are we going to do this, Michele?

Michele: Oh, my goodness! So many ways! Number one, just like we teach them to love the Lord, and we teach them to love to learn, to teach them to love labor is number one—set the example. How are we facing work? Whether it be in the home, mothering, schooling, volunteer, meals, housework? It could be anything, anything at all.

What is our view on work? Are we doing it unto the Lord? Do we have a joyful heart? What do our children see? Do they see us grumbling and complaining? Do they see us putting things off and not getting work done? They will follow our lead.

Those little ones, my daughter gets so excited to help me make the bed when I have a smile on my face. I say, “I get to make the bed!” When our older ones were younger, we used to call them “get-to’s.” The words “you have to,” instead, “you get to.” You get to do this! It was so funny to see the things that we could get them to get excited about.

Nancy: Yes, yes. It’s true. It does come back to us, doesn’t it? I guess I was blessed to be brought up in a home where my father loved work. Oh, he loved to work! It was his joy to work. Actually, lovely ladies, this work is in us because God put it in us. If we have a resistance to work, we are actually resisting who God made us to be!

In fact, the very first thing that God did, after He had created man, was to put him in the garden to work, to work in the garden. Now, let’s look at that, shall we? Genesis 2:8: “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden.” And there, “the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

Now, the word “dress” is abad in the Hebrew. It literally means “to work, to serve, to labor, to toil, to till.” Yes! It’s a word that really means, “OK, you’ve got to get stuck in and toil!”

WORK IS THERAPEUTIC AND CREATIVE

That word comes immediately after God created the man. God gave that instinct to work, right at the very beginning. It is in us because work is a blessing! Work is therapeutic! Work is creative! Work makes the world go round. In fact, as we work, is when we find better ways of doing things, faster ways of doing things.

This is how all the inventions come about, because people that are doing say, “I can find a better way of doing this! I can build a better thing!” It’s always finding a better way of doing it as we are working. Work is a wonderful thing. God gave it to us, and we have to embrace it as part of our lives! Amen?

Michele: Amen! Isn’t it amazing, how the love of learning and the love of labor go hand in hand? They go absolutely hand in hand, because if we take that love for learning and apply it to labor, wow! The things that we can accomplish, and the things that we can explore, and the things that we can invent are just amazing.

Then, if we have that along with Colossians 3:23-24: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. Knowing that from the Lord, you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Wow! People that work unto the Lord, they’re going to be others-focused. They’re going to put others first. They’re going to do things with excellence. They’re going take initiative. They’re going to work diligently. They’re going to have integrity, and they’re going to work with a joyful attitude. That’s what I want to see in my children.

Nancy: Yes! OK, now Michele, tell me, how have you been able to put that love for work in your children? Have you got any examples about that?

MAKE IT FUN

Michele: Oh, yes! Lots of examples! One, make it fun. With the little ones, just a smile on your face can make a world of difference. But as they grow older, sometimes you’ll see that reluctant attitude. Just remind them of what the Word of God says, number one—but then also, set an example, making it as fun as possible.

We’re building a home right now. We’re in the beginning processes of building a home, so this is a project that my husband and my boys are taking on. I told them two requirements: I don’t want it duct-taped together, and I don’t want it flex-steeled together. So, they are up to their necks of learning and labor right now but they’re going to have a reward at the end. Just being able to have that reward at the end of something they’ve built, our home! And their inheritance, at that. It's pretty amazing.

Sometimes it’s pointing out to our children why we do the things we do. There’s the “how-to’s,” how do we clean the bathroom, how do we do the things? But why? Why is this important? Why do we need to make our bed if we’re just going go to bed again at night? That sort of thing.

If we can teach them the “why’s” behind some of the things we do, it can make a world of difference in teaching those good work ethics and good work habits. There are things they get up and do from a small age and it becomes a habit. It becomes their work ethic. The reward is at the end of it.

Just recently, we’ve had my son who is becoming an adult (so I don’t want to keep him little)! But he’s going to be 20 in just a few short weeks. He’s been home with us, and he’s been making dinner almost every night.

Nancy: Oooh, how dreamy! [laughter] How wonderful!

Michele: It is so dreamy! But you know what, I see the light when we sit down with our meal, and we’re like, “Oh, wow! This is amazing!” Even at 20 years old, his face will light up. Just that encouragement, when our kids are working hard, and they’re doing something great. Don’t forget to encourage them even as they become young adults. That encouragement can go a long, long way.

ENCOURAGEMENT SHOULD ROLL OFF OUR TONGUES

Nancy: Absolutely. I do believe that is so important to be always encouraging our children. You can never encourage your children too much. Encouragement should be rolling off our tongues. I believe that encouragement is the rich soil in which we grow our children to their full destiny.

People do things out of encouragement. The Word of God says in The Living Bible, Proverbs 12:25: “A word of encouragement does wonders!” It does wonders! A lot of it is all about attitude, isn’t it? When we’re working with our children, we need to let them know, “Oh, isn’t it fun to work? It’s so great!” But also, we’ve got to teach them diligence too, and habits. So much is habits.

You mentioned making your bed. I believe that is the habit we should instill in our children right from the time they can make their beds. They learn to do it. They don’t come out of their rooms until their bed is made. That is a very good habit.

In fact, there’s a whole book called Make Your Bed. I forget the author, but you can go to Amazon. It will come up, written by a general. He puts making his bed as one of the foundational successes of his life because it taught him a habit. “I’ve done something. It is completely finished and orderly, right from the beginning of the day. That’s going to set my pattern for the day.”

In teaching our children to work, one, we are teaching them how to work diligently and delightfully, and, of course, encouraging them along the way. But it’s amazing, ladies, how much God talks about work in His Word, and how much He talks about diligence, and how much He speaks against laziness. Oh, my! There are so many Scriptures about that.

Michele: In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, it says: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” With four boys that love to eat, that’s a big deal. That’s high stakes right there! [laughter]

Nancy: Yes, yes, they also need to learn that too as they’re growing up. We’re teaching our children, right from the beginning, so why are we teaching them to do chores and do work? We’re preparing them for their future life, so that they’ll grow up with this work ethic of enjoying work, loving work.

I see my children loving work. One of my boys especially, he just loves to work! He is incredible. In fact, it’s our son Steve, and he has always, I guess for years now, I think for over 33 years or more he has managed the Newsboys. That’s the Christian band that our oldest son owns. Steve has managed them on the road. His incredible work ethic, his incredible management has actually done wonders for that band and made them what they are today.

In fact, this last summer tour, he was brought in by Maverick City, which I think is perhaps the most popular worship band today. But they brought in Steve to manage them. They were unbelievably blessed. In fact, I saw a post from my daughter-in-law, and they’d given him this thing that says, “The Best Manager That’s Ever Been.” [laughter] It was something like that. It was even better than that. Yes, because of his incredible work ethic, and also his amazing creativity and personality too, but it all starts with work.

Anyway, I think we’re actually at the end of this session. We’ve got to talk a little bit more about this next session. So, we’ll be coming back for that, ladies! Love you!

“Dear Father, I thank You for all the precious women, mothers, wives, daughters, maybe even husbands, listening, Lord. Father, bless them with Your Word. Encourage them.

“Lord God, teach us all Your ways. One of Your ways is to work. Even Jesus said, “My Father works, and I work.” It is part of the Godhead, to work.

“So, Father, give us wisdom in teaching our children the right way, the right attitude, to work. It makes such a difference to the whole atmosphere of the home. I pray this blessing upon every home today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Michele: Amen.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Check out: MAKE YOUR BED by Admiral William McRaven

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 218: The Four L’s of Raising Children, Part 2

Today Michele and I chat together about teaching our children to LOVE TO LEARN. One of the secrets of learning is first learning to listen. We cannot learn unless we develop the art of listening. Come on in and listen for more ways to teach our children the secrets of learning.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Today I have Michele Schrum with me again. Hey, Michele, wasn’t it such a great prayer meeting last night?

Michele: Oh, my goodness! It was so wonderful! Even my 11-year-old, almost 11-year-old, was commenting on it. He’s just loving the prayer meetings.

Nancy: I know! Isn’t it great when children love prayer meetings? He was praying! My, he was praying up a storm, wasn’t he?

Michele: He was, and he had to jump in. There weren’t any breaks, so he jumped right in. I was so proud of him. [laughter]

Nancy: I know! We were really praying on the issue of what is happening in this nation. We were so concerned to hear of this break-in in President Trump’s private home. It’s so unbelievable what is happening in our country! That would only happen in a country that’s a dictatorship.

Oh my, we, as God’s people, do need to be praying, don’t we? It’s so blessed to be part of prayer meetings where we’re crying out to God for the nation. We are believing God is going to do great things.

Here we are again, today, to continue speaking about the four L’s. Michele and her husband Randy raised their children according to four words that start with “L.” Last week we talked about loving God, and how to woo our children to love God with all their heart. Today it’s another “L.” What is it, Michele?

Michele: It is the LOVE OF LEARNING.

Nancy: Oh, wow. That is so great, isn’t it? We’ll chat about that together today, because I think this is very important to remember in the educating of our children. It’s not just trying to teach them and get them through all their curriculum lessons. It’s giving them a love for learning because learning is for life. That’s what I believe about education. It’s not a certain number of years where people go to school, and then college, and that’s it. No, it’s learning every day of our lives. If we can put that passion in our children, well, that’s so great, isn’t it?

Michele: Oh, it’s so good. That love for learning for life, we love that. It reminds me of going to the grocery story, when the grocery store clerk asked my younger children what grade they’re in. They look at me with that blank homeschool look, like, “Grade?”

I’m like, “Oh, man. Just how much he . . . I think fourth grade, fourth grade’s good.” [laughter] Because it’s not about a number. It’s not about even the curriculum. It’s about the love of learning and being able to learn. A child that loves to learn can learn their whole life.

Nancy: Yes, absolutely. Knowledge is important. I love that Scripture in Proverb 19:2 where it says: “That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good.” God wants us to pursue knowledge because He is the Author of all knowledge. In fact, in Colossians 2:3, it says: “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.”

Oh, the greatest knowledge that we will ever have is the knowledge of God. Of course, we are to pursue all different avenues of knowledge. But I do believe that we always need to keep in mind that the greatest knowledge is the knowledge of God. To teach our children who God is, and to know Him, oh, I think that’s the greatest thing that they can ever do.

In fact, one time, when our children were growing, I got this idea that as I was reading the Word each day, I would look out for the different names of God. God has so many different names. Not one name can describe Him for He actually surpasses all the names that are given to Him.

As I would write each name down, then, as I came across another Scripture, I’d write that Scripture under that name. I had as the heading, “The Name of God.” OK, perhaps it’s “Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider.” Well, maybe the “Lord God of Hosts,” which means, “The Lord of the Armies of Heaven.” That name occurs many, many times in the Word of God. Or “God, Who is Our Shepherd.” The list goes on and on.

I had at the top of the page one of the names of God as I’d find it in the Word. As I’d keep reading, from day to day, I’d find new Scriptures and put in under that name until I had this whole book of all the Scriptures revealing the Names of God. I could take them and use them in our family devotion time and read these Scriptures to our children so they could get to know God in this attribute. I think that’s a very important thing, that our children begin to know God, to know Him, all His different attributes.

I think many people today, because they haven’t pursued the knowledge of God, and by the way, have you ever read that book by A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy? Oh, have you read it, Michele?

Michele: You know, my older daughters have read that book. I have not read it, but I’ve heard their description of the book and it sounds amazing.

Nancy: I would encourage everyone to get ahold of that book. You can get it off Amazon very cheaply. Anything by Tozer is so profound. But this book, oh, you’re just in awe as you read the different attributes of God. It’s so wonderful. If our children grow up not knowing the attributes of God, how will they know Him? They will end up creating a God of their own imagination.

I think that’s what many people do today. I believe many people in the church, they go to church, they sing hymns, and they go to worship God. But who are they worshipping? Are they worshipping the God of the Bible? Or a God that they have put in their own little box, who fits in their little lifestyle?

I remember one guy saying to me, we were talking about children, he said, “Well, you know, we could only afford three children. We weren’t able to have any more.” I said to him, “Well, is the God that you believe in, is He a God that can only provide for three children?” That’s an interesting question, because most people in the church today only believe God can provide for even only two children! That’s the God they have put in their little box! This little, wee God!

But no, our God is great! Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills! Our God has promised to provide for every child that He gives. Our God is a big God! He is the God of provision, even when we can see no provision. We have got to begin to know Who our God is. We can take our children through all their lessons, but if they come out of our homes and they don’t know God, what have we been doing?

Michele: Absolutely. That’s why last week No. 1 was to LOVE THE LORD. But listen to this in Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” As we teach our children to love the Lord, and as we teach them to love learning, they’re going to be digging in and digging out who God is. As we teach them and train them, we can cultivate and develop a love for learning.

Nancy: Absolutely. Going back to last week, at the end of last week, we were talking about how important it is to teach our children how to hear. Unless we teach them how to listen, they won’t even learn how to obey.

But I also believe, unless we teach them the art of listening, they really won’t learn all that God wants them to know. I think one of the greatest ways of learning is listening, listening with the ear, and listening with the heart. We can listen to verbal instruction, and to even written instruction. We’re listening with the ear, and with the heart. It’s so important.

I find listening is a very powerful thing. It’s something we really have to cultivate. Even in our daily morning and evening family devotions that we have in our home and my husband reads the Word to us, because I want to listen with all my heart, I start off listening, but no, I have to confess, there are times when I will even get into a bit of a dream!

Oh, and I get way off in something and my husband will ask a question. I have to say, “Oh, Darling, can you read that again? Please say that again?” He’ll say, “Have you been dreaming?” If I can do that, when I have such a heart to listen, what about our children? They can easily get into a dream.

We have learned along the way, my husband and I, that it’s important not just to read the Word to our children. We have got to do it in a way that keeps their ears attentive so that they are not getting into a dream, but they are being interactive. We’re keeping them on their toes.

My husband will do lots of different things. Sometimes he will be reading, and he’ll read the wrong word, totally opposite to what the Bible says. If nobody even interrupts or says something, he knows we’re not listening!

“What did I read just then?” And he will read it again, with the wrong word. Oh, we’ll pick it out! “No, that’s not what the Bible says! It’s this word!” But you see, doing that, it keeps us listening. Actually, it’s great too. He’ll get us all to say the right word, out loud! It gets it into our very being.

Then he’ll stop, and he’ll ask questions. “What does this word mean? What do you think God is saying in this verse?” He’ll start the verse, and he’ll stop. “Who can finish it for me?” Hopefully we can finish the Scripture. We’re keeping on our toes.

In the Daily Light on the Daily Path, I didn’t write that. That’s a most wonderful book of compilation of Scriptures for every morning and every evening for the whole of the year, put together by the Bagster family over 150 years ago. These Scriptures are the same in every Daily Light. But I produced a copy, which has ideas for parents at the beginning of each chapter. It can help you to keep it exciting for your children and teach them the art of listening.

Can I take you ladies to a couple of Scriptures here? Mark 4:23-25: Jesus said, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Just because we have ears doesn’t mean to say we’re hearing! “And he said unto them, take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that which he hath.” Those are powerful words coming from the mouth of Jesus. It’s the opposite to how we would think, isn’t it?

Michele: Oh, absolutely! As we’re teaching our children to hear and to listen, you touched on Colin stopping and putting the wrong word in and getting the children and others around you involved. That’s the key to teaching them to learn.

We should, instead of lecturing our children, we should have discussions with our children. Then we can get them involved, or part of the conversation, or thinking for themselves. I allow my children to, not interrupt, but politely interrupt. I would say, raise your hand, if they have a question or comment that has to do with whatever we’re learning, or we’re reading about, which is great.

Benjamin Franklin once said:

“Tell me, and I forget.

Teach me, and I remember.

Involve me, and I learn.”

So getting our children involved, letting them ask the questions, having those discussions, is, to me, like the brain being hands-on.

Nancy: Amen! That is powerful. I love that quote, Michele. Well, I think it’s what you do, spend time discussing with your children rather than lecturing. That is so important. And you know the Scripture that I just read; we would think, our brains would think absolutely the opposite. In fact, this is how we think in our culture today, this entitlement culture that people who don’t have, well, we’ve got to give more to them.

Jesus is saying here, “OK, those who have, I’m going to give more! Those who don’t have, I’m going to take away!” Now, why would He say such a thing? I believe, because He knows that those who have, why do they have? Because they are seeking. They’re not going to waste what they have.

LOOK FOR REVELATION

It’s the same when we come to God’s Word. We can come to the Word of God. We can read it. I’ve heard people say, “I read the Bible, and I get nothing out of it.” But why? Because they’re not seeking Jesus in the Word. When we seek Him, when we listen with our heart . . . When I read the Word, I am looking, I am waiting for God to speak to me out of every word, not just the whole verse. I am looking even at every word! Because every word He speaks is life to me. I think because I come with this anticipation, and God knows my heart, I get revelations. I’m amazed at how understanding comes. God gives more.

We go over to Matthew 13:12. It’s similar, but we’re going to read this one too: “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” We put this into the context of learning. As we learn with listening ears, we will get more. We will learn more. If we just learn because we have to learn, and we’re not really taking it in, well, we really don’t get much, do we?

I think this is a good idea. When we come to our table, especially in the evening when there’s a little more time than in the other meals of the day, I love to bring subjects for discussion to the table. We did this as our children were growing up. It was the most exciting time. I would bring a subject. “What do you think about this, children?” Everybody would get going and sharing what they thought about it. There was real interaction.

I believe the table is the place, not just to eat some food, but to feed our bodies, to feed our souls with interaction and heart-to-heart conversation. Then, of course, the most important part of the meal of all, to feed our spirits and fill them with the Word of God. We dare not let our children ever leave the table without feeding their inner man. How can we feed their outer man, and forget the inner man? That’s even more important.

But I also find it’s important to have this discussion time, because if I don’t, when I come to the table, and I don’t bring anything specific to talk about, well, nobody talks about anything. It’s just a bit of shallow conversation. It’s not really very worthwhile.

But often, you can bring a question. A question I quite often love to ask, I used to do this, and I still often do it with folks around our table. “What was something that you learned today?” That’s a good question for homeschooling moms. “OK, children! Can you tell me just even one little thing you learned today?” And each one has to have a turn around the table, and Mommy and Daddy, because we should be learning something new every day too. That’s a challenge. I think, “Oh, my! Am I learning something new today?” That’s a challenge for me, everyday!

If our children are silent, help! What kind of schooling are we doing? Maybe we’re too eager to get them through all their lessons. They crammed so much into their brain that they haven’t remembered a thing! Sometimes it’s better to do it a little what the Bible says. “Little by little, here a little, there a little. Line upon line, precept upon precept” (Isaiah 28:10). It’s better to learn a little less but remember it! Also, when you articulate what you learned, that’s when you keep it. Isn’t that true?

Michele: Absolutely.

Nancy: You keep it.

Michele: Yes, that is so true. As we’re sitting around, like you said, Mom and Dad get their turn too. That’s setting the example for your children. You’re setting an example of your excitement to learn. You’re a lifelong learner, and you let your children see you trying to figure out new things, or you’re digging in deeper. You have questions too. Sometimes you need to figure it out together.

Just setting an example before your children is so huge, because like we said last week, children will mimic you. They will follow your example, whether it’s good or bad. So let’s make great things for them to mimic or to copy. What a great thing, to love to learn, and to love the Lord. New things.

Nancy: Oh, yes. You know, all our children learn so differently, don’t they? I guess you notice the difference, as I did when raising our children, between the boys and the girls. Often, girls are happy to sit at their desks and work on their books for hours and hours. I was like that as a child. I could sit for hours with my books. I was a book person. I loved books. I loved study.

Then, when my first child came along, he was a son. And, goodness, he didn’t have a love for books! He loved to listen to me read. I read to my children for hours. We used to read serial stories in the evenings. We’d read a few chapters each night, but they got longer and longer. “Don’t stop! Don’t stop now! Can we keep going?” Until I’m going to sleep reading! We read books and books and books together, and they loved that.

But he wasn’t one of these sitting at a desk for hours, studying. No, he wanted to get out and do things! And make things. He learned more like that. Not that he was any less intelligent than me. Far more! His intelligence was so far greater but learning in a different way.

Michele: Yes, I remember when my daughter, Calli and my son, Carter were younger. They’re grown now. You talk about different learning! My daughter Calli very rarely got punished, because she was my compliant child that loved to listen. But if she ever did, she usually got jumping jacks.

For my son Carter, he was like, “Why does she get to do jumping jacks?” He did jumping jacks as I was teaching him how to spell. You do a jumping jack for each letter. It was so funny to hear the difference in learning. Now Carter is almost 20. He grew to be my lover of books. He loved to sit down. He was very book smart.

My younger son, Niles was watching his brother when he was older, probably about 16, 17, really in the books and learning all about the financial world, accounting, things he loves in that realm. My son Niles, you could almost see the weight on his shoulders. He was like, “That’s what I get to look forward to??”

One day he came in from getting the mail. He was entranced. He was watching and looking at something. I’m like, “What is that, Niles?” He’s like, “Mom! Look at this! What is this?” He shows me and it was for a trade school for welding. I’m trying to explain what it is and he’s like, “People can learn from other people how to weld?”

This happens to be a trade school where you can go to learn how to weld. He looks at me and goes, “You mean, people go to college to learn how to weld?” I’m like, “Well, sort of. You can do trade school, or you can just learn from someone who’s really good at welding.” He’s like, that was it. He puts it down on the table and goes, “That’s it!” It was like the weight was lifted off his shoulders and his head came up. He skips off, he was so excited.

He didn’t necessarily have to have his nose in the books like his brother Carter because he’s actually a hands-on learner and he wants to be out there, exploring, and building stuff. That’s still to this day, he’s going to be 15 in a couple of weeks and he’s still that way. Hands-on learning.

He and his twin brother actually inherited a four-wheeler recently from my sister, a free four-wheeler. What’s better than that? There’s no such thing as a free four-wheeler! [laughter] But they knew it going in that it needed work. They have been, with a little bit of direction, because I want to make sure they’re using this opportunity to learn from, they have learned so much about mechanics. Not only that, they fix one problem, and they have the next problem they have to figure out.

They’ve also had to work to be able to earn money for all these parts and for repairs. So, it’s been great. They’ve been coming into their dad and asking questions when they get stuck and other people around here that maybe know some more information about mechanics than they do, so they are learning so much by fixing up this four-wheeler. It’s been fantastic.

Nancy: Oh, yes. And now, of course, you are beginning the building of your house up on the Hilltop. The boys are going to be all part of that. In fact, they’ve already been doing things, haven’t they?

Michele: Oh, absolutely. Just two weeks ago, they learned how to operate heavy equipment. They had a bulldozer up there and a skid steer. They were operating heavy equipment. I went up there, was taking some pictures of them, and sending them to some friends and family. It was amazing to see.

When you’re able to put your hands to the plow, literally, the learning that takes place, and the lessons! Even when I watched my son back over a tree that I wanted to keep. It was OK, it was all right. We can grow another tree. There’s lots of trees up there, actually. I knew it was OK. He’s gaining so much knowledge, and so many skills that will be used for life.

Nancy: It’s so wonderful. We do have to always be aware of how each child will learn. Of course, it’s easier, often, for boys growing up where they’re on the land and there is so much for them to get their hands on and learn.

I look at some of our grandchildren who have been driving cars and heavy equipment from the time they were little. Because it’s all around and they think it’s a natural normal thing, like walking down to the gate. What they can’t do! Oh, goodness me, it’s just amazing! They can do everything to do with building.

But what about, if you’re in the city, and you’ve got boys and they’re getting into their teens. Oh, wow, they’ve got all that testosterone, and you’ve got to find an outlet for it. But God has promised in Deuteronomy 28 that as we seek Him and obey His ways, that He will bless us in the city, and He will bless us in the country.

I believe that as you ask the Lord and wait on Him, He will show you avenues for your boys, even in the city. You can be aware of their gifts and find people who are, maybe, in that line of work, or whatever. They can learn from them, or they can get a little job, an extra job in that way. God will open those doors.

Michele: Absolutely. We lived in a suburb for a while, longer than we wanted to. But God opened doors for my boys, and my daughter. My daughter baked bread for a season and was selling bread out of the home. Actually, another homeschool mom asked her if she would teach, she could pay her to teach her daughter to bake bread.  It was amazing, the opportunities.

But my son Carter, he’s the one who’s very book smart. When he was about 14, 15 years old, we found a gentleman, a Christian homeschool dad who owned a large apartment complex. He needed help, so he hired my son to come help with maintenance and lawn care. My son got hands-on experience in how to drywall, how to do some plumbing, electrical, just the dirty work of tearing out carpet and measuring for new carpet.

He learned so many skills. And even though it wasn’t his favorite thing to do, one, he got paid, so he liked that. And two, he gained so many skills. He’s going to be 20 and he looks back now, and he’s like, “You know, I didn’t love that every time I went, but I’m so thankful that I had that opportunity and experience. I know I’ll save a lot of money in the future, not having to pay a plumber necessarily, or an electrician.” It’s amazing.

Then my younger boys, when they were about 11 or 12, on their own, took initiative and started a lawn care business, The Lawn Care. They got a few yards in our neighborhood and started mowing. That turned into odd jobs that different neighbors needed done. Anything from helping move furniture to pulling weeds.

We even had an elderly gentleman in our neighborhood that we developed a great friendship with. We were able to pray with him and minister to him. It was amazing. He would have them come down and do simple things like pick up sticks. He liked the company more than anything.

Then during the winter, they would shovel snow and all these kinds of things. There are opportunities anywhere you live, for boys and girls. You can teach your children that the opportunities that they can learn from maybe are not their favorite. But at home, you can even teach your children to their interest. Things that are of interest to them make learning fun. You can’t make everything fun. Sometimes they just have to do math, and they discipline themselves.

However, I have learned, and they see my example, even things that I used to not like, like folding socks. I used to not like to fold socks. Now I love to fold socks. I had the revelation the Lord gave me one day. It’s like, if I didn’t have all these children, I wouldn’t have all these socks! Now, as I fold clothes, I always pray over my children whose clothes I’m folding.

Now they’re starting to do their own laundry. Actually, I haven’t had to do laundry because they’re using the laundromat. Me and my six-year-old, that’s her job. She helps me. But when we’re at home, they’re all starting to do their own laundry.

Everything is how we set our minds to it, how we persist in our hearts. Our children are watching us. We want them to be able to do this in their hearts before the Lord, and do everything they do as unto the Lord, and not unto man. Let’s set that example.

Nancy: Yes. And also, I think we teach our children too, by not doing everything for them. As our children are getting older and they want things, I don’t think we should go out and, “OK, you can have it.” As our children were growing up, we actually didn’t have the money to give them what they needed anyway.

Our boys, as they were growing, they wanted to get into go-carts, and then as they got older, into motocross. Then, of course, they wanted their cars. Well, we never bought cars for them. They had to save up and buy them themselves. I can remember our son going out early in the morning with paper runs. I can remember my eldest son going to the dump and finding stuff there. Then he’d go round the neighborhood selling it, to make money.

We didn’t give them what they wanted. They had to go out and find a way to earn the money to get the things they wanted, to do the things they wanted. In doing that, they learned that you don’t live this entitlement life. You don’t expect, “Oh, I should just get this, and it should come to me. No, I’ve got to work for it. I’ve got to earn it.” That’s something we have to learn, that that’s part of life.

My eldest son is a millionaire today. But he got there, not by anyone giving him one cent, but by going out there and getting it! I think we live in such an affluent ageand it’s such an affluent society. Children have grown up receiving and accepting and expecting so much! Whereas they need to learn how you’ve got to work for things and go out and get them if you want them.

Why does our time always go? We’ll look forward to next week, ladies, for the next “L.” We’ll keep it a secret until next week. You’ve got to come in and check it out.

And do tell other mothers about these podcasts, ladies! We do them just to encourage you, inspire you, and bless you. Every single mother needs this encouragement, so share the link with all your friends on Facebook, or any social media you have. Or tell other mothers when you’re talking to them. Tune in and listen. Let’s pray.

“Dear Father, we thank You that You’ve put within us the desire to learn and seek after knowledge. We pray You’ll give us that anointing to cultivate that in our own lives, and in the lives of all our children.

“Lord, above everything else, too, oh God, just to teach our precious children, Lord God, to learn of You, to know You, to teach them who You are.

“We pray that every child of every family listening today will have an encounter with You. Lord, that they’ll encounter You, that they’ll come to know You personally as their Savior, as their Lord, as the God Who is real, and Who is near, and Who wants to come and fill their lives. We ask this in the Precious Name of Jesus. Amen”.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.