Being a Mother is a Blessing

 (Here is a bit of encouragement from Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies.  Mother's keep passing along the word about the blessings of being a mother.)

"How we need to continue getting out the truth and encouragement to the mothers of this nation.  I talked to a young mother yesterday with two children.  They are now off at school and I said to her, "Are you hoping to have another baby?"  "Oh no," she replied.  "I am enjoying my freedom too much now they are at school!" 

Why do mothers want freedom from their children?  Isn't this our destiny?  We have been given the incredible privilege to house within our womb an eternal soul that will live forever and then nurture and train that child to do powerful and mighty works in this life.  And we are molding them for eternity!  What could be more powerful?  Why do mothers want to do inconsequential things when they could be doing eternal things?  Why do they want to spend their time on frivolous and "lesser" things when they could be doing "greater" things?  I think it is because they are brainwashed by the liberal media and humanistic values of this society.  This was not the psyche of the women of old; it was their highest honor to bear children. 

Another mother mentioned to my daughter, "Don't you think it is time we stopped having children?  This is all my husband and I have been doing since we married."  Well, what does she want to do now?  Become barren and boring?  Go to parties?  Do her own thing?  Give up the highest calling God has given to her?! 

May God give mothers His vision instead of their being filled with a a worldly vision.  I think we should memorize and confess these powerful Scriptures each day, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away and the lust therof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever: ! John 2 :15 - 17."

May God walk in your home today.

 (What a beautiful picture for us to imagine...God walking in our homes. Give it a try and be amazed at what He will do.--Lanita)


Genesis 3:8 says, "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." This is the first thing we read that God did after He created the world, created man and created the first Garden home. He walked in the garden! The Garden of Eden (which means "delight") was the first home and was an example for all future homes. God wants us to make our home a delight. That is what homes are meant to be--a delightful place to live. They should be a delightful place for our children, a delightful place for our husband to return home each evening, a delightful place for everyone who comes in through our doors, and a delightful place for ourselves.

The greatest way we make our homes a delight is to experience the presence of God in our homes. And this is what God longs to do--to walk in our homes and fellowship with us. He wants to be part of everything we are doing.

You may be thinking, "Help! I can't imagine God walking in my home. There's stuff going on around here that God wouldn't be very happy about!" The amazing thing is that God does not only come to us when everything is perfect. He comes down to our lives when everything is out of order. He wants to come into your home to make everything right. That's what He was doing in the Scripture we read. Adam and Eve had disobeyed God's command and sin had entered the world. It was a tragic moment! But God did not abandon them. He still came walking in the garden to meet them--to meet them right where they were. He came to put things right. He came to bring them salvation and restoration.

At first Adam and Eve "hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God" as we often hide ourselves from God when things aren't right, when we are in rebellion, or when things seem out of control. But when they allowed God to find them, they came to great repentance and God brought salvation to them. Of course, it was not without great cost. Animals had to be killed and blood was shed for the first time (Genesis 3:21).

But now Jesus has shed His perfect and precious blood to make atonement for our sins (Ephesians 1:7; 2:13; 1 John 1:7, 9). There is nothing too hard for God to forgive and cleanse. And He comes walking in your home to meet you right where you are, even in the midst of your sin and hopelessness. As you come to the foot of the cross with a repentant spirit, He will forgive you and cover you with His righteousness. He will bring healing to your relationships. He will bring restoration to the things that are out of order in your home. That's why He comes--to bring us salvation, healing and restoration and to fill our homes with His delightful presence.

Will you let God walk in the midst of your home? Will you let Him find you right where you are and minister into your deepest need? He is walking and He wants to find you and bring you His blessing.

Leviticus 26:12 says, "I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people."

Jeremiah 31:1 says, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."

Ezekiel 37:27 says, "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people."

We go over to the New Testament and read in 2 Corinthians 6:16, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

May you enjoy God walking in your home today.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
www.aboverubies.org   

Ear Trainers

When do you think you should start training your children to listen? When should they start hearing about God? When should they be a part of family devotions? You might be surprised at what Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies has to say about this. It is a marvelous article. Here is an excerpt from it

"We must train our children to hear and obey us so they can hear and obey the Word of God. We must train our children not just to hear words, but to get into the habit of listening with their heart and inner ears.

Not only do we train them to have obedient and prompt ears, but we train them how to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks through the hearing of the Word of God. Timothy came to faith by listening to the Scriptures as a child. 2 Timothy 3:15 says, "From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." We don't wait until our children are older to read them the Word of God. We start from when they are babies. The little babe nursing at the breast can hear the God's words at Family Devotions every evening and morning. The little toddler rocking on his mother's or father's knee at Family Devotions is being prepared for salvation as he listens to living words of God."

To read the article in its entirety go to Above Rubies.

I AM CROWNED!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits:

who forgives all your iniquities,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from destruction,

who crowns you with loving kindness

and tender mercies." (Psalm 103:1-4).

What a loving, tender-hearted and compassionate God we have. Every day He crowns me with loving kindnesses. Every day He crowns you with loving kindnesses.

Do I hear you say, "When was the last time God crowned me?" Stop and think about it for a moment. God crowns you with His loving kindnesses through people around you. When your baby or your little child smiles at you, in fact when anyone smiles at you, you are crowned with God's loving kindness. Every time your husband embraces you, you receive another one of God's loving kindnesses. Every time he helps you with the dishes or baths the children, it is God's blessing to you. When someone says an encouraging word to you, it is God's loving kindness to you. He has not forgotten about you. You are graven on the palms of His hands. He has forgiven your sins. He has healed you manytimes.

When you sit down at your table and eat the bountiful food God daily provides for you, it is His loving kindness to you. When you reap the harvest from the garden you have planted, it is His loving kindness. When you look up at the clouds and are reminded of His faithfulness, you are crowned. You look at the mountains, the ocean, the undulating hills and trees and you are blessed that He has given you all these things to freely enjoy. And you don't have to pay a cent. The world is yours to enjoy, no matter how little money you have in your pocket!

Start looking for God's loving kindnesses. They are all around you. They are happening to you throughout the day. Instead of focusing on your problems and disappointments, look out for God's blessings. Learn to be aware of them. Do not forget one of His benefits. Not one! Gratefully thank the Lord for every tiny one. I am starting to do this more and more. In fact, when I read this Scripture about being crowned I was very convicted. I realized that I had been taking God's blessings for granted. Now I seek to thank the Lord for crowning me every time I receive a blessing-a hug, a smile, a word of encouragement, the blessingof children around me and the joy they give with their antics and funny things they say. The blessings of God's creation-the flowers, the birds, the butterflies and the beautiful colors of the fall which I am beholding as I look out of my window now.  It makes such a difference to your life when you become grateful for every little crowning from the Lord.

Because God is crowning me through His people (and maybe even those who are not His people), am I letting Him use me to be his vehicle through which he can crown others? This is a challenge for us, isn't it?

Recently my daughter, Serene faced a difficult trial, a little more difficult because her husband was overseas fulfilling a contract with the military. In the middle of being weighed down by the problem, her car ran out of gas in the middle of a busy lane of traffic. She had all the children in the car and the car wouldn't budge another inch! She put on her blinkers and decided to call the police, but her phone suddenly went dead! She was stuck!

She cried out to the Lord. He nudged her to try the car again. Miraculously it started and she managed, weaving through traffic, to get to the side of the road. She was still stranded, but then God showed her His loving kindness. People stopped their cars to help her. She had more help than she could use. Some were people she would normally be scared to talk to.

One big burly guy with tattoos all over him drove to a service station and bought gas for her and filled up her car. She knew God was sending His angels to her. Not only did she get gas for her car, but the loving kindness of strangers and this big, scary tattooed "angel" caused Serene to feel God's loving kindness pouring all over her. She forgot all her problems and filled the van with praises the rest of her journey.

We can be used by the Lord to crown our husband, our children and many others with the loving kindness of the Lord. Let's be on the offensive to give love-hugs, smiles, affirmation, encouragement and practical help wherever needed. What a blessing to be the instrument of God's loving kindness.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, of Above Rubies

PRAYER:

"Thank you, dear Father, for constantly crowning me with your loving kindnesses. Help me to be aware of them and full of gratefulness to you. And please anoint me to be a messenger of your loving kindnesses to others around me. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I will not forget a single blessing!

Preparing Princes

by Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies

"Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord."

2 Chronicles 36:9 NASB

We noticed in Preparing Princes, Part 2 that Josiah sought the Lord while he was still a youth. His son is now made king while a child, but the Bible says that he did that which was evil before the Lord. And yet he was only eight years old! Even at an early age children can follow after evil or follow after the Lord.

I am sure it depends on their training. This is why we must be faithful to fill our children with God's living Word even while they are small. Satan is out to get our children and he will try even when they are young. I remember at nine years of age wanting to ask Jesus Christ into my life. I struggled. I felt the power of the enemy holding me back. It was a spiritual battle.

My daughter, Evangeline experienced the same thing when she gave her life to Jesus as a young child. Evangeline shares her testimony: God saved me at four years of age. Even today, it is still the most vivid and powerful experience of my life. I was lying in bed. I still remember the orange bedspread cover. My mother came into my room and said, "Stephen (my twin) has just asked Jesus to come into his life. Would you like to also?" At that moment the world stopped and the fight between the powers of darkness and heaven began. My whole body was shaking. With all my heart I wanted to ask Jesus into my life, but the pull from Satan was so strong. "No, no, no..." the voice of Satan pulled at my heart. The struggle was powerful.

Eventually I said, "Yes" with all my heart. I followed my mother in prayer asking Jesus to come into my life. At that moment I knew God. I experienced the reality of God. He came into my life and filled me. He opened my mind to Him. I was saved for life - no turning back! I have known His powerful presence in my life ever since. Instantly I felt peace. Instantly I was not afraid of the big owl outside my room - or of anything. I have never been afraid of anything from that day.

Satan wants the minds and hearts of our young children. That is why we must be diligent to train them from a very young age. We want them for God, not for the devil's kingdom. This makes me wonder why God-fearing parents allow their children to go into the public school system to be subtly indoctrinated with humanism, socialism and progressivism. It is there they are trained to think like socialists and become more and more conformed to this spirit of this world.

Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." Many of our children, especially at college, sit under professors who scorn the Bible and the ways of God. God's blessing is on those who do not sit in the seat of the scornful and the counsel of the ungodly. Just imagine if every God-fearing parent took their children out of "the counsel of the ungodly" and brought them home to teach them in the ways of God! We would have a revolution in the country. And we certainly need one!

Back in the days of Israel when they were training princes and mighty men to fight for their country, they didn't train ones and twos; they trained thousands of them. Look at some of the numbers that came to help David to make him king in 1 Chronicles 12.

"The children of Judah... ready armed to the war." ... ... ... 6,800

"The children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war." 7,100

"The children of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, which could keep rank; they were not of double heart." ... ... ... 50,000

"The children of Dan, expert in war." ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 28,000

The children of Asher, expert in war." ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 40,000

As I read through the Word of God I don't see any commandments to send our children to God-hating colleges where they are brainwashed to think like humanists. Instead, I see God wanting to pour out His Holy Spirit upon them. Acts 2:17-18 says, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters hall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."

Do you want your children and teens to be worldly humanistic thinkers or do you want them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly speaking forth God's truth in this deceived world. This won't happen unless they are in an environment for God to pour His Spirit upon them. That environment is not in a godless education system. Who do you think has the best idea? God? Or man with his own ideas?

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

Above Rubies, http://www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"Oh God, please help me to raise my children in an environment where you can fill them with your Holy Spirit and prepare them to be mouthpieces for you in the land. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I'm taking God's side rather than man's!

Preparing Princes

by Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies

"Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel... to serve the Lord their God. And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers." 2 Chronicles 34:33

While Josiah reigned as king of Israel, the whole nation of Judah did not depart from following the Lord. What a marvelous testimony for the leader of the nation. This was not the testimony of an older experienced man, but of a young man.

2 Chronicles 34:2-3 tells us, "He did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father." Josiah was only 16 years old when he began to seek the Lord with all his heart. This is the most opportune time for young people to seek God--the time when they are filled with energy, passion and vision. The greatest way they can exert this energy is toward God and His kingdom.

ZEALOUSLY SEEKING GOD
How do we get our young people to seek God? We can't make them do it. No law can make them do it. It has to come from their heart. Therefore, how can we influence their hearts?
1.    Inspire them to a life of serving God and others. Encourage them to get involved with missions and helping the needy. A selfish mentality where everything revolves around "me" is a destructive attitude.
2.    Make sure they are raised on the Word of God. The best way is to have Family Devotions together every morning and every evening.  The Word of God has power to change their lives and draw them closer to the Lord. Give God opportunity to work in their hearts by the daily filling of His Living Word. Make sure this is not done in legality, but with vitality, asking questions and promoting discussion.
3.    Make sure that prayer is second nature to them. This will happen as they pray out loud each day at Family Devotions. Encourage them to have their own daily "Quiet Time."
4.    Train them in character. Don't allow petty attitudes and self-pity trips. Don't allow grumbling and complaining. Prepare them to be able to face all situations in life, to minister equally to the poor and to the rich. They cannot become princes and princesses without training. Everyone born of royalty is consistently, systematically and extensively trained for kingship and queenship. They will not live like children of the King of kings without our faithful training.
5.    Pray for them. Our greatest weapon is prayer. When we pray, the Holy Spirit will work in their lives in answer to our earnest and fervent prayers. Prayer was our greatest weapon as we raised our teenagers.
It saddens me to see so many so-called "Christian" young people today who are taken up with the worldly pursuits of this life. Instead of seeking God and shining with the glory of God, they are more interested in looking at guys, talking immaturely with their friends, chewing gum* and dressing immodestly. "Cleavage" seems to be "in" in the church today, with adult women as well as teenage girls. Where is the example for our youth?  I hardly know where to look when I am amongst church people. What about young guys and men who must be tempted to lust. Do young ladies and women not realize that this relegates them to the "common" instead of belonging to royalty--princes and princesses of the King of kings?

A DIFFERENT SPIRIT
It's time to earnestly cry out to God for our young people. Pray they will not be interested in living the status quo life of the other young people around them, but who, like Caleb, will have a different spirit than everyone else. I love the description of Caleb in Numbers 14:24, "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully him will I bring into the land... and his seed shall possess it."

When young people become filled with the zeal of God they can change a nation. That's what Josiah did. 2 Chronicles 34:3 continues, "And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem..." Josiah was now 20 years of age, still a young man. At this age he began to clean up the nation. He rose up in boldness to expose the works of darkness. He was not only concerned about the evil, but he did something about it. He purged the land of evil, tore down the altars of Baal, chopped down the incense altars, broke them in pieces, ground them to powder and scattered them. He burned the bones of the priests of Baal and tore down the Asherim altars and beat them to powder. This was radical stuff! There was no half-heartedness here but absolute passion and zeal for the Lord. Let's pray for a nation of young people with this passion.

IN ALL THE EARTH
In the last devotion we talked about Psalm 45:16, "Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth." Do you notice that we are training princes for all the earth? We are getting them ready to go out into the nation and into the countries of the world to take the gospel; to rise up against evil and deception and do something about it! These young people are not the "ordinary" who try to fit in with the "in" crowd. No, they are princes and princesses, living like royalty as they truly represent the King of kings.

* Please, don't get too upset with me. Of course, there is nothing biblically wrong with chewing gum. However, I personally feel that it is not dignified as a subject of the King of kings. Plus, I think it is rather rude to talk to people while chewing. (I agree with Nancy. --Lanita)


Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
Above Rubies, www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:
"Father, please help me to prepare children who will seek after you with all their hearts and be zealous for God. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I will not give up my vision of training children who will stand strong against evil and take action against it!

THE EASY WAY

by Nancy Campbell
Isaiah 44:20, "A deceived heart has turned him aside."

Have you read the story of Pilgrim's Progress? If so, do you remember when Christian was tempted to turn into Bypath Meadow? Faithful and Christian were weary and the King's Way was rough and stony. They were tired and their feet ached. They came to a stile where the fence divided the King's Way from Bypath Meadow. Bypath Meadow was a smooth, grassy path instead of the rough stony one--but best of all; it ran right alongside the Way of the King. They wouldn't be going in the wrong direction. They really wouldn't be turning away and they would be able to jump back over the fence if it veered in the wrong direction.

They turned aside to the easy path. But eventually a storm came and flooded the path, darkness came and they could not find the way back to the King's Way. They fell asleep and were seized by Giant Despair and his cruel wife, Diffidence. They were cruelly beaten and imprisoned for some time until God provided a way to escape.

This is how the enemy tempts us too. We would never veer right away from the Lord. Of course we want to obey and follow Him. But we are often tempted to take the easy path. We are tired of the sacrifice, heartaches and sleepless nights. We are tired of taking up our cross. We want it easy. We want everything to go our own way.

"Have another child? Help! Too much work. I want to take it easy. I want some rest." But does it really make life easier? More children results in more blessings, more entertainment in the home, more diversity, more built-in helpers and built-in friends.

"Do I really have to stop eating all that sugar and all those carbs? I love them. They're my comfort food." They may be the desirable way, but not in the end!

"I'm overwhelmed with all this homeschooling. I can't take it any longer. I'm sending them back to public school." Sure, it's the easier way. But what about the ungodly influence on your children? What about the subtle humanist brainwashing? What about the ungodly friends they may make? How will it affect their destiny?

The easy path takes us further and further away from the truth. If we take the easy way in our family, we'll begin to take the easy way in other areas too. We'll begin to rely on government, rather than being a free people and taking responsibility for ourselves. We'll become weak and no longer people of strength of character. And the long term result is bondage to dictatorship.

I was talking to a friend about a couple who are having marriage problems. "It's no use her going back to him until her heart wants to go back," my friend commented. "Oh no," I replied. "If she waits for her heart, she may never return!"

What does the Bible say in Jeremiah 17:9? "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Our heart can so easily deceive us. We don't stay in a marriage because our heart is happy and wanting to stay. We stay in a marriage, or go back to a marriage if we have left it, because it is the right thing to do--because of obedience and commitment.

No wonder there is so much divorce today. Everyone wants to take Bypath Meadow. They want the easy way out. Their focus is on looking after themselves. Everything revolves around self. "Poor me. He's not meeting my needs. He doesn't understand me." The excuses keep coming. But Marriage is not all about "me." Marriage is forgetting about myself and concentrating on how I can serve my husband and family. It's commitment to my vows. It's not giving in to deceptive feelings but sticking to the vision of building a godly generation. It continues in the face of hardship and frustration.

Marriage is more than two people. Marriage affects our children. It affects the extended family. It affects the church and everyone around us. It affects the generations to come--and eternity.

When we turn aside to the easy path, we enter into deviation, delusion and deception. It is only when we get back on the King's Highway of truth that we will be safe, even though we may face challenges and difficulties.

Don't be deceived by the easy path.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES

PRAYER:

"Oh God please save me from being deceived. Save me from taking the easy path that looks good, but is not your way. Give me discernment to recognize the bypaths. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I will not be deceived by the allurements of the easy way.

It Is Futile

By Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies

1 Samuel 12:20-21 NASB, "Do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile."

How true it is that when we turn away from the Lord, we tend to follow after futile things. When we keep close to the Lord, through prayer and guidance of His Word, He keeps our hearts in the right place and leads us into His truth. When we turn aside to our own ways, we have nothing to deter us from walking after vain things and running into deception.

Romans 1:18-28 tells us that when people turn aside from God and focus all their attention on themselves, worshipping "the creature more than the Creator", they become "futile in their speculations" and God gives them over to a "reprobate mind" which is a mind that is void of all judgment and understanding.

We gain more understanding of the word "futile" (tohu in the Hebrew) by looking at other passages where it is used. We find that it also means...

Wasteful. (Deuteronomy 32:10) To go a different way than God has planned for us is to waste our lives. I have always thought that the saddest thing anyone can do is to go through life doing their own thing and going their own way. They miss out on the destiny that God has planned for them before the foundation of the world. That's a wasted life.

Nothingness. Job 16:18 says, "The paths of their way are turned aside: they go to nothing and perish." There is only nothingness at the end of a life that is spent on itself. Luke 12:8-21 reveals the nothingness at the end for the one "who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God."

A Wilderness experience. (Deuteronomy 32:10 and Job 12:24) To turn aside from God's ways is always a wilderness experience.

Confusion. (Isaiah 41:29) We live in a society that is deceived and deluded. Because we are engulfed by humanist thinking--in the media, the education system and the mindset of the majority around is, it can seem normal to us. Unless we keep close to the Lord and live in His word, we can also be deceived and confused without knowing it.

Vanity. (Isaiah 40:17; 23; 44:9; 59:4) It is a vain thing to pursue our own way. It has no eternal reward.

Empty. The Jerusalem and CJB translate tohu as empty. Many people try to fill their lives with pleasure, satisfaction and material possessions. They fill their homes with stuff--TVs, beautiful décor and every new thing that is advertised. And yet their homes are empty of people--empty of babies and children, the true riches that we can take into eternity with us.

I think of God's words about Israel when they walked in their own ways, "Israel is an empty vine, he brings forth fruit unto himself." (Hosea 10:1) When we focus on ourselves and our own aspirations, we are empty. We have nothing to give to anyone else. We have nothing to take into eternity.

The word empty in this Scripture is baqaq and means "to empty, to depopulate." Isn't that interesting? This is what has been happening in the church over the last few decades. As people have turned away from God's truths to fill their lives with the pleasures of this world, they have depopulated the church. Thousands and thousands of godly children who God intended to come forth to bring God's light and salvation into the world are not here. Not only have we depopulated the church, but we have depopulated the land. In turning from God's ways, we have become empty.

Other translations use the words useless (MLB), worthless (NLT) and false (Knox).

May God help us from wasting our lives on our own pursuits.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES

PRAYER: "Oh God, please keep me on your narrow way. I don't want to waste my life. Amen."

AFFIRMATION: Not my way, but God's way.

The Original Female

by Nancy Campbell
Matthew 19:4 "And he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female."

Interesting! God didn't make two Adams. He didn't make two Eves. He created an Adam and an Eve. He created a male and a female.

The most common Greek word for 'woman' in the New Testament is gune which means 'woman, wife.' However, Jesus used a more specific word when he answered the Pharisees who asked him about divorce. He used the word thelus which comes from the root word thele. It literally means 'a woman's breast from which a baby sucks to find sustenance and to thrive.' Jesus described the female as a suckling mother. "This is how God made them in the beginning," he reminded them. And God has not yet made a new model!

There are many women who do not like to hear this description. To be a suckling mother seems degrading to a career woman. And yet this is who God created us to be. When we embrace children and suckle them at the breast we fulfill our highest destiny. We live in the glory of our femaleness. We find our greatest beauty. And we wield a mighty power.

To read the entire devotional go to Above Rubies.