Proverbs 11:16, “A gracious woman retains honor.”

I think that every woman longs for respect and honor. She desires her husband to praise her. She wants her children to revere her. The wonderful thing is that God has given honor to women. He has designed a special anointing and honor for us to walk in. It is our job to hold on to it. Proverbs 11:16 tells us that a gracious woman will retain her honor. The word ‘retain’ literally means ‘ to lay hold of as a support.’ We must lay hold of this honor and not let it go.  Revelation 3:11 says, “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

This honor is very easy to lose. In fact, it is fast fading in our feministic society. As the modern woman lays down her God-given honor and pursues the man’s world, she loses her respect. I can remember a time when men would immediately give up their seat for a woman when riding buses, trains, etc. I rarely see this happen today. Men rarely open the door for a woman. They seldom make way for her to go first.

Instinctively, a man wants to be the knight in shining armor who protects and saves his princess. It is his privilege and prerogative to protect and honor women, especially a nursing mother or mother with child. But today many women would rather fight for their own rights. They seek to find their identity in the corporate world rather than in the home. In doing so, they lose the honor God has ordained for them. And man himself loses his gallantry to protect the woman.

We should not take our honor lightly. The Hebrew word for ‘honor’ is ‘kavod’ and means ‘weight, esteem, glory, majesty.’ It comes from a root word that means ‘to be heavy’. God did not create women to be insignificant. No, we can ‘carry a lot of weight’. We can influence the world mightily for God. We can be esteemed and honored, especially as we walk in graciousness.  

How can we reveal this graciousness? Let’s look at 5 M's.

1) Our Meekness

“Meekness?” I hear you question. It’s not a very popular word, is it? But it is a godly word. In fact, meekness in women is something that is very precious to God. It is a mark of godly womanhood. The words of 1 Peter 3:4 have challenged me all my life. “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” Another translation says that God “delights in it”.

Meekness is not weakness. Someone has said, “If you think it is weak to be meek, try to be meek for a week!” Meekness is not a personality type. I know quiet people who are very stubborn. I know exuberant people who actually have a soft and tender spirit. Jesus was “meek and lowly of heart” and yet He changed the course of history. Moses was “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” and yet he was a mighty leader.

This gentle humility does not belong to our flesh. It belongs to the new life of Christ who lives within us. Wuest comments that this meekness “is that temper of spirit in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good and therefore without disputing or resisting. It is the humble heart which is also the meek; and which, as such, does not fight against God and struggle and contend with Him.”

The Scriptures reveal God’s heart about this subject. “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (Read James 4:6,10; 1 Peter 5:5-6; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2) A proud spirit is ugly and takes away our graciousness but a meek and humble spirit will ultimately bring honor. “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4 NAS)

We will continue this subject next week.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you that you have given honor to me as a woman. Help me to embrace the true honor that is revealed through a humble and gentle spirit. Please work these graces in my life. Help me to reveal them daily in my home. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Psalm 86:16, “O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thy handmaid.”

David is in a day of trouble. He is poor and needy. Violent men are after him. And as always, he cries to the Lord for help. David always turned to the Lord in his hour of need. He knew God as his Rock, his Fortress, his High Tower and his Deliverer.

However, David says something very interesting in this plea for help. “Save the son of thy handmaid,” he cries to God. David, the king of all Israel was not ashamed to acknowledge his mother. The Scripture does not tell us her name but we see something of her character in David’s prayer. David understood that God knew his mother. She was a godly woman. She was a bondslave of the Lord, which is the meaning of ‘handmaid.’ The Hebrew word for ‘handmaid' is ‘amah’ and means, ‘female servant, bondswoman.’ David’s mother was obviously not a servant of the house of Jesse but noted in Scripture as God’s bondslave. Do you notice that David doesn’t say, “Jesse’s handmaid”, but “Thy handmaid.”

In David’s prayer, he is actually saying, “Lord, remember me. I am the son of my mother, your servant. Remember her daily and diligent prayers for me that are before your throne. Remember her dedication to you. Deliver me Lord, because of your bondslave.”

Oh dear mothers, I would love that testimony, wouldn’t you? Oh that our children can cry out to God in their hour of need and say, “Lord, deliver me. I am the son (or daughter) of your bondslave. Her prayers are before your throne, Lord. You know her, Lord. Hear my cry because of the faithfulness of my mother.”

David mentions his mother again in Psalm 116:16, “O Lord, truly I am thy servant, I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.” David freely confesses that he is a servant of the Lord. But even more, he openly acknowledges that he was born of a woman who is God’s servant. It was not only David that freely expressed these words about his mother, but also the Holy Spirit, who inspired every word of the Holy Scriptures, counted this worthy of being recorded.

As a bondslave of the Lord, David’s mother birthed and raised a king of Israel. As a bondslave of the Lord, Mary was privileged to bring forth the King of kings and Lord of lords. In the face of shame, ridicule and misunderstanding this humble born woman confessed, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

Do you notice that Mary was not a bondslave of anyone else but of the Lord? She was the “handmaiden of the Lord”, ready and waiting to obey His command.

As you yield yourself as a bondslave of the Lord, open to His will and purposes for your life, who knows who will come forth from your womb to bless this world? You will not only birth them but raise them to also become servants of the Lord.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, it is my privilege to be your humble bondslave. Help me to be a faithful handmaid, always ready to obey your command. Oh Lord, please help me to live in such a way that my children will know that I have your ear in the courts of heaven. Help me to be faithful in prayer for my children. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

1 Kings 18:3, “Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.”

We continue to look at how Obadiah’s parents prepared him for his life’s destiny.

2.  They raised him to stand for God and for truth, even if he had to stand alone.

Obadiah lived and worked in the midst of evil all around him. He lived in the midst of temptation. All of the king’s court worshipped Baal. It was popular. It was the current trend. Obadiah was on his own as he gave his allegiance to the one true God. He had no encouragement, but he was not deterred. He was raised with an awe of God. He knew that God was the true I AM, even though he was the only one who continued to believe. To “fear the Lord greatly” in the midst of Jezebel’s court, who sought to massacre all the prophets of the Lord, was certainly a great testimony.

Pray that God will empower you to raise children who will stand for God and His truth even if they have to stand alone, children who will confess, “Let God be true but every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4)

3.  They raised him to walk in integrity and to do a job well.

Obadiah was the Lord High Chamberlain.  I am sure that Jezebel hated Obadiah. She wanted to eradicate all those who served God, but she had to put up with Obadiah, because King Ahab could not do without him. The king’s court ran smoothly under Obadiah’s jurisdiction. No one else could do the job as well as he could. When you read verses 5 and 6 of 1 Kings 18 you will see that Obadiah was next to the king in organizing the important matters of the land. Spurgeon comments that he “neither compromised his conscience nor jeopardized his position.”

Don’t accept mediocrity. Raise your children to excel in the gift that God has given them. Of course they don’t have to excel in everything. God has made each one totally different. We must encourage them to be the very best in that which God has given them to do.

4. They raised him to be courageous, even in the face of death.

When Jezebel ordered all the prophets of God to be massacred, Obadiah, at great risk to himself, hid 100 prophets in two caves. He went against the edict of the queen to do that which was right. Obadiah’s parents did not raise a weak jellyfish, but a warrior for God’s army.

Pray that God will anoint you to raise sons and daughters who will be courageous men and women who will do that which is right, even if they have to risk their lives. May they be young people who will answer God’s call to, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” (Psalm 94:16)

5. They raised him to be generous.

Obadiah not only hid the prophets, but he fed them bread and water from his own finances. This was in a time of severe famine when food was scarce and of course very expensive.

Pray that God will help you to raise children who will not be interested in accumulating wealth for themselves but whose passion is to advance the kingdom of God.

6. They raised him for greatness and prepared him for his destiny.

Obadiah may have been born and raised in a humble home and yet he ended up in the king’s court.  His parents trained him thoroughly in every area of his life. They tutored him seriously. They prepared him to be ready for whatever destiny God had planned for him.

God has a destiny planned for each one of your children and whether this task is large or small, it is great in the eyes of God. God has given you the awesome task of preparing them for this purpose. You don’t have to have a big luxurious home to raise great children. You may only have a humble home. You may not even have all the things you think you need for teaching your children. Don’t despair. You have enough when you have God, His power and His powerful Word.

I remember visiting the home in Kentucky where Abraham Lincoln was born. It was a tiny cabin, no bigger than many kitchens today. It had a dirt floor and an open fireplace to cook. But out of this humble abode, a home that would be condemned today, came one of the greatest presidents of the United States.

Lift your vision high. Raise your children for greatness. Encourage them to believe that they can do anything that God gives them to do. They were born to fulfill the purposes of our mighty God. Raise them to believe that nothing is impossible. Give yourself totally to preparing them for their destiny and then stand back and watch what God will do. You will be amazed at where he will take your children to influence this world for God.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I am aware of the mighty task you have given me to train and prepare my children for your purposes. I know I cannot do it on my own, but I thank you that you are with me. Please anoint me mightily for this task. Grant me your wisdom which you have promised to give liberally to those who ask for it. And let me never lose the vision of what I am doing. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

1 Kings 18:12, “But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.”

Who was the mother of this young man? Who were these godly parents who raised a son to walk in righteousness in the midst of an evil society. Obadiah lived and worked in the courts of the palace of Ahab and Jezebel – a wicked king and an even more wicked queen. Israel was no longer a God-fearing society at this time. Instead they worshipped Baal and golden calves. But in the midst of this godless, Baal-worshipping society these parents raised a God-fearing young man.

How did they do it?

1. They raised him to fear the Lord.

Obadiah feared the Lord from his youth. This is why we know he had a God-fearing mother, a mother who had a vision to raise godly sons in the midst of godlessness. I know, dear mother, that you often look at the evils in our society today and wonder how you can raise godly children. Be encouraged. You can do it. God is behind you and backing you all the way.  Keep this vision before you. This is His purpose for your children. You do not raise them to be kept forever behind closed doors but to go out as lights into this dark world.

Obadiah not only feared the Lord from his youth, but 1 Kings 18:3 tells us that “Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.” This was the testimony over his life. He didn’t have this testimony in church. He had this testimony in the midst of wickedness and idolatry.

I have to confess that I have never been able to get up and give an ‘exciting’ story about how I came to Jesus Christ. All I can testify is that I have known and walked with Him all my life. It only takes one minute to give this testimony, but I know it is the greatest testimony I can give. Let us pray, as we build godly generations, that this will be the confession of all our children and grandchildren.

Timothy had this testimony. From a child he was taught the Holy Scriptures from his God-fearing mother, even though his father may not have been a believer. Paul, the apostle, acknowledges that Timothy’s strong and genuine faith, which he walked in as an adult, was because of the input of his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois. (2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15)

Samuel had this testimony. When Samuel was addressing the children of Israel, he said, “I am old and gray-headed… and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.”

The aged man in Psalm 71:5,17 had this testimony. He confesses, “For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth… O God, you have taught me from my youth and to this day I declare your wondrous works.”

How do we fear the Lord?

If we fear the Lord, we will love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

If we fear the Lord, we will love His Word.

If we fear the Lord, we will obey His Word.

If we fear the Lord, we will obey God rather than man.

If we fear the Lord we will love to pray.

How do we teach our children to do this? We teach them in the spirit of life, not in legality. It is not so much what we say and teach but what they see in our lives that will steer them in the right direction. We must pray and seek God that our children will come to know and experience God and His reality for themselves. We must pray that they will know God in such a way that they will be able to go out into the world and walk in the midst of evil and yet not be lured by it.

We will continue this devotion next week…

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I wait upon you for your wisdom and your anointing. Please anoint me to raise children who will fear you all their lives, children who will never walk away from you for even one day. Oh Father, I pray that you will pour out your spirit upon my children and reveal yourself to them. Cause them to know your salvation. Cause them to experience your power in their lives. Cause them to know the reality of your powerful presence in their lives. Thank you Lord, Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: