Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

“I am much afraid that the schools will prove to be the gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraining them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not unceasingly occupied with the word of God must be corrupt.”

~ Martin Luther

 

However, many believe there is a future fulfillment. Malachi 4:5 says: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE LORD." We all know that when Jesus first came it was a time of great rejoicing. "Peace on earth, and good will toward men" the angels cried (Luke 2:14). The angel also said to the shepherds: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10).

 

This first coming of Christ ushered in the church age of "grace." I believe that the second coming Christ introduces "the great and dreadful day of the Lord" when all the nations of the earth will be judged by Jesus Christ, the soon coming Messiah. Never in the history of the whole world, since the great flood, has there been such a need for the turning of the hearts of fathers and mothers back to children.

 

Contraception, sterilization, and abortion are certain testimonies as to how hard our hearts have become towards children.

 

Children are no longer high priority in our world or even in the church. We have got far away from God’s heart and His Word.

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

 

 

 

Picture from Etsy.

 

We encourage and spur on our children according to the vision we have for them. I am sure, along with me, your vision is higher for your children than the temporal things of this world. You long for them to grow into the likeness of Christ and to walk in the fear of the Lord.

 

To do this takes more intensive mothering. You not only care for your children physically, but you watch over their souls and their spirits. You not only encourage your children, but sometimes you must warn them. It’s much harder to warn and admonish. But we do it out of our intense love for them and our desire to see them walking in holiness.

 

Colossians 3:16 tells us that God’s Word should “dwell in you RICHLY in all wisdom.” That means we must also get it RICHLY into our children’s hearts. This Scripture then goes on to say: “Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” ADMONISHING one another. What does that mean? The word is “noutheteo” and means “to put into the mind, to reprove gently, to warn.” In other Scriptures this same word is translated as “warn.”

 

I love the words Paul wrote to the new Corinthians believers. He wrote from the heart of a father, but it also speaks to us as mothers too. 1 Corinthians 4:14: “I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn (noutheteo) you. For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers.” Paul wrote to warn them, but do you see his heart? He wrote to them as “BELOVED SONS.” He warned them because of his great love for them and his longing to see them grow in Christ.

 

Acts 20:31 shows us again how Paul warned his children in the faith. For three years Paul “ceased not to warn (noutheteo) every one night and day with tears.” How did he warn and admonish? With tears. Tears in their presence and tears before the throne of God.

 

Dear mothers, let’s not lack in our mothering. We are nurturing the spirit of our children as well as the physical. We cannot let sin and waywardness go unattended. We must admonish and warn, but we do it with tears. We do it because they are our BELOVED sons and daughters. We will not let them be taken over by the deceptions of the devil.

 

Be encouraged today,

 

Nancy Campbell

 

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, God stated: "This is my BELOVED Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Jesus is "the beloved Son" who came from the bosom of the Father.

 

Wouldn't it be great if all our children could say the same thing about us? The father's heart is a place of intimate affections. Men, this is something we must, as fathers, seek to develop for our children. It is the greatest thing we can give to our children.

 

To be continued.

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

 

 

Painting: Atelier Cecilia Rosslee: BEACH PAINTING COMMISSION

 

Talking about Jesus Christ, God says in Hebrews 1:5: “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?” As we read this Scripture, see God’s heart as a Father. Jesus Christ is His “beloved Son.”

 

When we have a desire to bring forth children, we reveal the heart of our God. To desire to be a father and a mother is God-like. God gives to every man unique and differing gifts. However, no matter what gifts or career a man has, his greatest calling is fatherhood. He is made in the image of God who is a Father. Everything else in life serves this highest purpose.

 

It is the same for us as women. Each one of us has different gifts and abilities which we use for the blessing of others in this life. But we are essentially mothers. Or I should say quintessentially, for we were created for this purpose. When we embrace mothering and our nurturing anointing, we reveal God’s heart. The core of His heart.

 

Embrace your beautiful calling, mother. You are in God’s perfect will. You are revealing His likeness to the world.

 

To reject mothering is to reject the likeness of God. (And precious mothers who are unable to have children of your own, please don’t despair. You are also great mothers as you release your nurturing anointing to those God brings into your life).

 

We see such a hatred today to God’s ultimate plan for families. It comes from the pit of hell. When it comes to our attitude toward family, we are either on God’s side or the devil’s side. There is no in-between.

 

Be blessed,

 

Nancy Campbell

 

God is glorified by fruitfulness, and more so, by “much fruit.” It is not for us to cut off branches, hindering fruitfulness. Yet this is exactly what we do when we refuse to have children. To the natural man, it is not spiritual to have children. On the contrary, to the spiritual man, having children is not only for natural fruitfulness, but it also increases spiritual influence. Why? Because every child born and raised in God's ways has the potential to be fruitful in the things of God.

 

No one in their right mind would go around lopping off fruitful branches from trees. Why do we want to lop off fruit from our family trees?

 

Isaiah 61:1-11 foretells the anointing that will be upon Jesus Christ, the Messiah “to preach good tidings to the poor; to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.” Why? “That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

 

With the Messiah’s anointing, let us be co-laborers with Him to raise up family trees of righteousness who will accomplish all the purposes of Isaiah 61. Verse 9 says: “Their offspring will be known among the nations and their descendants in the midst of the people. All who see them will recognize them that they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.”

 

Along with natural Israel, as the new Israel of God in Christ Jesus, we can also claim family trees of righteousness through whom the Lord will be glorified.

 

Be encouraged, father. You are ordained by God to raise trees of righteousness that will bless the nations.

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

CJB: “fully submitted.”

 

NASB1995: “entire submissiveness.”

 

MLB: “complete submission.”

 

What does the usual word, ‘hupotasso” mean?

 

“Hupo” means “under” and “tasso” means “to set in order.”

 

I know that you are familiar with the Scriptures on this subject. Let’s remind ourselves of just one or two:

 

Ephesians 5:24: “Therefore as the church is subject (hupotasso) unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

 

Colossians 3:18: Wives, submit (hupotasso) yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”

 

Oh, I know there will be lots of “buts.” It’s amazing how we have the audacity to "but" at the Word of God, isn’t it?

 

I think that often women don’t embrace submission because they don’t fully understand who God is. Our God is not one God, but three in one. The triune God live together in perfect harmony and unity, each submitted to one another. God did not make up the idea of submission as a negative to place upon people. No, it is inherent in the Godhead. It is who God is. And we are created in His image.

 

Look at this Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15:28: “And when all things shall be subdued (hupotasso) unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject (hupotasso) unto him that put all things under (hupotasso) him, that God may be all in all.” God who is ALL IN ALL, wants to give all authority to His Son and put all things under Him. But when that time comes and all people and dominions and kingdoms will bow down to the Son of God, then the Son submits all things back to the Father. Submission is a delight in the heart of God.

 

If we want to be like Him, we will want to have a spirit of submission in our hearts towards our husband and to all, as it says in Ephesians 5: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

 

It is the spirit of Jesus. Read Philippians 2:5-8. It is the opposite of the humanist and feminist spirit today that will not submit to any law of God and who only want to be a law unto themselves.

 

To which kingdom do we belong?

 

 

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

 

It is interesting to note that when a babe is nursing at the breast and their eyes begin to focus, their first focal length is about eight inches, the length from the baby’s eyes to the mother’s face. God intends that the first thing a baby beholds is his or her mother’s face. Face to face is true communication. It begins at the breast and should continue through life.

 

That’s why it is important for us to gather our families around the table to enjoy face to face table fellowship. When we do not eat our meals together and when family members are instead glued to social media, they are not living in reality but a counterfeit world.

 

It is God’s plan for the mother to nurse her baby from the breast. Bottle feeding is also counterfeit. Now please don’t get upset. I know there are sometimes physical difficulties that don’t allow a woman to breastfeed. I have dear friends who have faced this problem. But we know it is God’s original plan and therefore the mother needs to be with her baby. The baby needs her, and she needs her baby. The nursing mother is blessed with oxytocin and prolactin which release calming, joyful, and mothering hormones that enable her to mother even more intimately and powerfully.

 

Now here’s another counterfeit, the pacifier. It’s actually a “mother substitute.” Oh my, I hope that doesn’t make you too angry with me. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use one, but the fact of the matter is that God created our babies with a sucking instinct that is to be satisfied by the mother. Sometimes we can’t believe that our baby wants to nurse AGAIN, and he has only just been fed.

 

Nursing a baby is far more than just feeding a baby. It is nursing the baby to minister to every need of the baby. When we read Isaiah 66:10-13 we see an allegory of where God likens the city of Jerusalem to a nursing mother. We don’t even read the word food, but we read the beautiful attributes to satisfy, console, delight, comfort, and the anointing of peace. The baby needs more sucking than only for feeding. It is important for their facial development. It is important for their inner soul.

 

And once again, it is a blessing to the mother. The more the mother suckles her baby at the breast, the more she holds back ovulation. Satisfying the baby’s sucking needs is a natural form of contraception.

 

A few thoughts for you to contemplate.

 

Love and blessings from Nancy Campbell

 

 

 

Painting: "Maternity," 1959 -- by Jurandir Ubirajara Campos

 

It would be understandable, if after the fall in the Garden of Eden, God had decided to give up His original mandate for mankind to “be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth with His likeness and image.” But this was not the case.

 

In Genesis 9:1-7 God repeats His first mandate, not once, but TWICE! Oh, the mercy and grace of God toward His rebellious and sinful creation. Man still remains the only privileged creation to bear His likeness and image (God’s character and His ways of justice truth, love, joy, peace, and holiness and so on). The trees of the woods reveal His creative glory, but they cannot reveal His nature and character.

 

In verse six of this same passage God says: “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood by shed.” Why would God say such a thing? He gives the answer in the same verse. “For in the image of God made he man.”

 

It is a serious crime to tamper with man because the divine purpose of man’s creation is to show forth the image of God. And yet, today, we frivolously contracept and abort the image of God in the earth. Every child, given the right opportunity, can be born again, and filled with the Holy Spirit, and in some way reveal to the world something of the likeness and image of God.

 

Dare we stand in God’s way?

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

Motherhood is God’s genuine plan for caring for children—for all generations. What do I mean by motherhood? To embrace it with your whole heart. To receive with joy each little baby God sovereignly gives to you. True motherhood does not give away a baby, toddler, or young child to someone else to raise. This is the devil’s counterfeit.

 

And yet it is accepted as norm in our society today. Truly we have turned things upside down. God says these very words in Isaiah 29:16 (ESV): “You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me’; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?”

 

No one can mother a baby like the true mother. Day care workers can be conscientious to protect, feed, and care for babies and young children, but they do not intuitively understand the inner needs of the child. They don’t even have the hormones of oxytocin and prolactin filling them with motherliness. In fact, they are doing it for pay!

 

Oh, there is a great difference when we do something for pay than when we do it instinctively. I remember watching my daughter, Serene, nurture her last baby, Solly. She mothered her to pieces. Nursed her constantly. She was rarely out of her arms or her baby carrier. When she was on her lap, she was talking to her, adoring her, squeezing her fat little thighs, massaging her, and doting on her.

 

And then she had all her siblings vying to hold her, laugh and smile at her, and love her. A baby in a day care is watched over, but never gets this amount of love and attention. And it is all for delight and love. The mother isn’t dreaming of money.

 

Job 7:2 talks about the employed person who waits for his or her wages. A day care worker can do her work diligently, but ultimately, they do it for pay. They wouldn’t be there if they weren’t getting paid. Conversely, the mother nurtures out of her mothering anointing. Jesus also speaks of the difference between the hired worker and the true shepherd in John 10:11-13. The true shepherd gives his life for the sheep whereas the hired worker does it for pay.

 

Let’s not get sucked into the deception of this society. There’s just too much deception around. Let’s stand up for the real and genuine, even if we need to sacrifice and go without!

 

Love to you today,

 

Nancy Campbell

 

 

 

Painting by Annie Henrie Nader

 

Deuteronomy 28:63 and 30:9 tell us that God rejoices over us for GOOD. He loves to do good things to us and for us. The interesting thing is that the first good thing He wants to do for us is to multiply us. To give us children. Lots of children. Who thinks that’s good?

 

Well, if we don’t, we are opposite to God, aren’t we?

 

Do we have the same heart as God? Do we rejoice to embrace children? We shold also rejoice over our children. Not complain about them but rejoice over them. And when our children grow up and get married, we’ll rejoice when God gives them children.

 

Isn’t it sad that many parents warn their children to wait a few years before they have children. I think many of you have been reticent to tell your parents that you are pregnant again, knowing you will receive negative remarks from your parents.

 

Isn’t that strange? Parents should REJOICE that God is blessing their children with a new precious life. That they are building the family dynasty. This is for their GOOD. There is no greater blessing than a precious new life, filled with potential, given to the parents to prepare for God’s destiny for them in this life, and for the eternal world.

 

Read Psalm 107:41-43 which tells us that God loves to make “families like a flock.” A flock is more than one or two. And then it tells about the response of those who see these growing families. It says that those who are wise will rejoice and understand the lovingkindness of the Lord and “all iniquity shall stop her mouth.”

 

Let’s be a rejoicing people in the goodness of the Lord.

 

Love from Nancy Campbell

 

 

 

Painting: LovettaReyesCairoArt

 

These forests are self-perpetuating generational forests. There are so many seeds in the ground and the topsoil is continually enriched by the falling leaves. As soon as a tree is cut down and removed, dozens of little trees pop up through the soil to compete for replacement. From the beginning God planned it this way. All those who make a living out of harvesting these forests would be devastated if our natural trees only yielded what our family trees currently yield. Isn’t it appalling that we are intent on saving our national forests but oblivious to the fact that our family trees are being destroyed?

 

I wonder why so-called Christian nations are antagonistic to God’s original mandate to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them and it was so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind, and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12 ASB).

 

We whole-heartedly agree with our Almighty Creator that this creation of vegetation and trees was, and still is, very good. What would we do without them? How boring it would be to live in a treeless world. How unhealthy it would be for us to be without green vegetables or fruitful trees that provide us with all the life-sustaining enzymes and nutrients to live and perpetuate our own human family trees.

 

How can we have such a big disconnect between Genesis 1:11-12 and Genesis 1:26-28?

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

Here are just a few quotes of thousands I could give you of the agenda of our public education system:

John Goodlad who was the former dean of University of California, Los Angeles[ Graduate School of Education and who has promoted many educational reform programs states:

 

“Parents do not own their children. They have no ‘natural right’ to fully control their education.” And again: “Public education has served as a check on the power of parents, and this is another powerful reason for maintaining it.”

 

Two more quotes from Goodlad: “Most youth still hold the same values as their parents. If we don’t alter this pattern, if we don’t socialize, our system will decay.” And “A standardized curriculum of basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic cannot prepare people to participate in democracy. Enlightened social engineering is required to face situations that demand global action now.”

~ John R. Goodlad

 

John J. Dunphy who believes the Bible is “a dangerous book” wrote the following in The Humanist magazine, 43:1: “These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication of the most rabid fundamentalist preacher, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the educational level—preschool, daycare, or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new—the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never-realized Chistian ideal of “love thy neighbor” will finally be achieved.”

 

Samuel Blumenfeld, author of eight books on education wrote: “The most potent and significant expression of statism is a State educational system. Without it, statism is impossible. With it the State can, and has, become everything.”

 

He also stated: “The plain unvarnished truth is that public education is a shoddy, fraudulent piece of goods sold to the public at an astronomical price. It’s time the American consumer knew the extent of the fraud which is victimizing millions of children each year.”

 

Ed Martin states: “The leftists believe the state owns the children. That’s why they are working overtime across the country to completely erode and destroy parental involvement and consent from their children, especially when it comes to transgender counseling and surgeries, or underage girls being pressured into abortions.

 

“The treachery is unconscionable, but it’s happening right now – don’t think your school is immune! When the government owns its people, there’s no room left for liberty. The Biden Administration needs to hear this message from We the Parents loud and clear: “NO!”

 

I could continue filling pages. I think it is very sad that many God-fearing parents unwittingly send their children to be taught humanistic propaganda each day, the opposite of everything they believe. We as parents have the responsibility to protect and guard our children’s minds and souls. Our greatest task is to fill them richly with God’s truth, daily. Every day. Until their minds and hearts are filled with it. And it is coming out of their mouths (Isaiah 591).

 

Do the truths of God’s words come out of your children’s mouths? Do they have a biblical mindset or a humanist mindset? Do you really know?

 

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:1, 2).

 

And it’s not only the influence of daily brainwashing of humanism filling their brains but the influence of their peers. As children move into their teen years, it is their peers that will influence and steer them far more than their parents. We must also guard who they make friends with. Proverbs 13:20 says: “He who walks with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

 

Are you guarding and protecting your children? Are they filled with God's word? Do they have godly friendships?

 

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

 

Who would want to live in a treeless world? Just imagine no peach trees, no apple trees, no pear trees or any exotic fruit trees. We agree with God that it is good. But we have a problem with family trees who have been created in the likeness and image of God. How is it that we agree with God about the fruitfulness of natural trees and yet have no revelation on the eternal worth of family trees? To me, that seems insane!

 

Family trees are fascinating. One could easily become absorbed in the history of our predecessors. Recently, Nancy and I visited CASTLE CAMPBELL in Scotland, originally owned by Colin Campbell, my namesake (we have visited this castle numerous times). I have always loved castles. Their grandeur, largeness, and strength intrigue me. I find myself contemplating the wealth, dignity, pride, and creativity that belonged to my ancestors of that era. I guess it must still be in the DNA.

 

Most of us do not have to look very far back into the history of our families to find that many of our forbears had large families compared to today’s 1.9 member families in the USA. It used to be 2.3 back in 1960. It was 7.0 in the 1800s! We are certainly degenerating. What with wars, vehicle fatalities, infertility, alternative lifestyles that produce no children, cancer, heart failures, and other diseases that cause death, the west is on the verge of self-destruction.

 

We are told that within the next 40-50 years, much of Europe will cease to be the Europe we have known. It will instead be an Islamic Europe. The average number of children per family is 1.3 in European countries, well below the minimum replacement of 2.1. Most of Europe is beyond hope of reversing the huge demographic and cultural change that is already taking place.

 

USA, along with all western nations faces major cultural demographic challenges. We are fast becoming the oldest population in our history with insufficient young people to boost our economy. The youth are saddled with insurmountable national debt.

 

Jesus states in Luke 18:8, "Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?" When it comes to creating family trees as mandated in Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 9:1-7, we have to ask, Where is our faith?"

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

 

Photo: Custom Celtic Family Trees

 

We have our excuses and reasons, but will any of them be left standing when the great search light of Gold's truth examines them? Most of our excuses for not receiving the blessings of children stem from a humanistic and worldly mindset, generated from the unregenerate wisdom of man who does not consider God's wisdom worth paying any attention to.

 

The small family syndrome appeals to the scripturally illiterate on this subject who generate fears of over-population and dwindling world natural resources. All these fears are propagated through the education system, media, and sad to say, now through the deceived church!

 

The devil laughs and heaven weeps as we modern day Christians seek to disregard, limit, and destroy future children through whatever means possible, i.e. contraception, sterilization, and abortion.

 

It is true that some evangelical churches stand up against abortion, but many churches and even individuals within evangelical church even accept abortion as an accepted way of life, or should we say, way of death.

 

Many Christians laugh the laugh of unbelief when the truth of embracing children is mentioned, but be assured, God is not laughing!

 

Be encouraged.

 

Colin Campbell

 

We the people of God must live in the light (Romans 12;12; Ephesians 5:8, 14; 1 Thess 5:5; and 1 John 1:7), not the shadows. We don’t cover our faces but live with open faces (2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

“We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

 

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

 

Go to: https://jbs.org/alert/stop-forced-covid-19-vaccinations/