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Abigail's Newsletter |
January 4, 1999 |
| This is the premier newsletter for Abigail's Fellowship. To start the new
year of 1999, the fellowship has been formed. We are looking for new members who want to
share friendship, support as wives, encouragement, Christian fellowship, the trials and
joys of being a mother, and accountability for our walk with Christ. |
This month we are re-dedicating ourselves to our marriage. Each woman's
dedication is individual, and unique. Some may share how they are intending to re-dedicate
themselves, whether they include their husband or children, and if they are accountable to
anyone other than God. |
God knows our hearts, and our love for our husbands and family, but
re-dedication directs our soul toward the goal of marriage as God has designed it, and
encourages our flesh to recognize God as the author of marriage and of our marriages. |
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January 12,
1999 |
| Welcome to Abigail's Fellowship. I am re-dedicating myself to God,
my husband and my family, in that order. As I look forward to this new year, I look back
at how much God has done for me. And I realize that there were times when I disappointed
Him, and did not thank God for His gifts, which have been plentiful. God has blessed me.
In my gratefulness to his many blessings, I resolve to be more thankful, even for the
hardships. I know God is good, and I will spend time honoring him with my mouth and my
actions. I also want to acknowledge my husband, and all that he is to me. |
He deserves my help, just by being my husband, but he is so much more to
me. This week I am asking him what is most important to him when he walks in the door,
home from work. A friend of mine asked her husband, and was surprised that his answer was
not a clean kitchen, or dinner on the table, but that he be greeted at the door with a hug
and kiss. What does your husband value first thing? My family is important to me. I have
been blessed with the ability to stay home and care for my children and husband. I do have
to remember that my family does not come first - God comes first, and my marriage is next,
then family. |
Without God I am nothing. Without our marriage the family is nothing. My
children are blessings to my marriage, but the marriage is the foundation for a strong
family. It is my ministry to model the love of Jesus to my children. And when I do not
model that love, to show them how to confess, ask for forgiveness and restore my
relationship with God and each other. May I remember that I am the first person to show my
children the love of God. May you find time to dedicate yourself to prayer for your
husband and family. God is waiting for you to share with him, and He will bless you. |
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January 18, 1999 |
| Sometimes the day to day routines become more important than
our routine which comes as a result of the eternal gift from God our father. It is hard to
find time for a daily devotion, with children who do not have a consistent schedule, a
home which seems to need more and more cleaning and fixing, a family which is busy with
church activities, school programs, outdoor fun, special events, family gatherings... and
the list goes on. |
Yet the basis for successful Christian living is knowing the
Word of God and applying it to every day. If I do not know God's word, then I cannot live
by it. The Holy Spirit guides us, but it is hard to know the prompting, if we are not in
God's word. We must test everything by His word, so we must know the word. Meditating on
the Word of God to emblazon it upon our hearts, so it becomes an integral part of our
daily living. |
"Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk
according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with
all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then
I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an
upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly
forsake me." Psalm 119:1-8 NIV |
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January 25, 1999 |
| As a child of God, saved by the grace of God, I am ever thankful to Him,
the Creator of all things, and Savior of my soul. I owe Him my life, my all. By studying,
memorizing and meditating upon the Word of God, I love my Lord more deeply, gain
understanding, increase in wisdom, and when I apply it to my life, I am filled with the
peace and joy of God which goes beyond any human understanding. As a wife, I have a
special relationship with my husband, as the church has a bond with Christ. |
As a mother, I have the added responsibility of instructing my children in
the ways of God. I must know God's commands, and live them out in my daily life for my
children to see. It is at times the hardest to do, especially when my human frailties are
at their worst. When I am tired, hungry, stressed or under the influence of hormones, my
self-control is even more important. And when the self-control is gone, I must ask my
children for forgiveness, and mend my ways. |
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your
word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden
your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me
your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in
following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and
consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm
119:9-16 NIV |
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