I must share a confession. When I read 1 Peter 3:4 as a young woman I would despair. “Oh, God, please help me. How can I be like that?” To have a “meek and quiet spirit” was the opposite of my personality. I realize, of course, that it is not my personality. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in my heart and life. And yes, God has helped me throughout all these years.But let’s look a little closer. The word “quiet” can be misleading. Some people have quiet personalities and yet be stubborn and rebellious on the inside. Others are boisterous and loud and yet have a soft spirit in their inner man. The true meaning of this word is “to keep one’s seat.”
It is the composure of the inner man. It is not the absence of noise but keeping calm in the midst of noise and chaos! Wow, we surely need this anointing as mothers, don’t we? It’s calm in the midst of the storm. Undisturbed by the circumstances around us. Inner tranquility. It’s not jumping up off your seat (figuratively and physically) when you are agitated, irritated, or challenged.
Wow, that is powerful, isn’t it? How can you do it? If you can get a hold of this picture, it will help you “to keep your seat” instead of “flying off the handle,” instead of retorting back to your husband, instead of “blowing your stack”!
You can’t do it in your own strength. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life. Yield yourself to the Holy Spirit and the beautiful life of Jesus that dwells within you.
Jesus lives in rest. Northing takes Him by surprise. Let Him answer the door to the things that upset you and make you angry. That’s why this beautiful anointing is of “great price” to God because it is not you, but the power of the Holy Spirit within you.
Did you notice that God also calls it “beautiful”?
Can you try “keeping your seat” today?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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Every word of God is true and powerful. Proverbs 11:11 states: “By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.” The message of this Scripture is that the kind of families that live in a city is what the city will be like. The more upright, godly, honest, trustworthy, and Bible believing families in a city, the more godly the city will be.
Dear ladies, the following is a very powerful article about marriage. I published it 38 years ago in Above Rubies, but the message is as powerful as ever. Please take time to read it and share with others, especially those who feel the tide has gone out on their marriage.
Today I am sharing with you a poem I wrote about my mother who lived for 83 years. She would be 105 years if she was still living today. This is my father and mother, Ivan and Joyce Bowen. My mother sewed all her own clothes, including my father's jackets. He is wearing one of them in this picture. She loved home and loved people. I pray you will be blessed as you read about life in her kitchen, the heart of her home.
The magazine, Above Rubies, is for all women (and men love to read it too). However, I believe it is essential for the precious young mothers of this generation as they live in the overwhelming time of raising their little ones.
We have been reading through the book of Job during our Family Devotions each day. We came to chapter 41 where God speaks to Job about Leviathan. To meet this creature is to dance with death. He is impervious to all weapons and enemies. No one is brave enough to confront him. Then God states: “Everything under heaven belongs to me!” In other words, even this mightiest creature is pliable in God’s hands. We will never fully understand all God’s greatness and His ways.
The first Scripture about marriage in the Bible talks about cleaving to one another. The word cleave in the Hebrew is “dabaq” meaning “to cling, to stick, to stay close, to be joined.” This word is used in other places in the Bible and helps us to understand more of what it means.
It is a good habit to finish one thing before you start another. We see examples of this in the apostle Paul’s life.
God told the tribe of Issachar "to rejoice in their homes" (Deuteronomy 33:18). The word for homes is “ohel” and it means “a covering, a dwelling place.” It can be used of a hut or a palace! It speaks of a home for animals or for a king.
The other week I did a podcast with Rebecca Southey from New Zealand (who was staying with us at the time) where she tells her story of God’s grace and blessing upon her life. She mentioned on the podcast of how I printed a testimony by her mother, Maureen Green, who gave birth to a spinal bifida daughter. Can you believe it? It was printed in the No. 3 issue of Above Rubies, away back in 1978! Here’s the testimony.
I can’t believe it. I found the following on my computer the other day—and it was sent to me in 2000, 25 years ago! So here it is. Hope it’s a blessing to you.