Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.

WOMEN OF CHASTENESS

WomanChastnessLet’s look at another “ness” word today. Chasteness— there is such a word but it’s certainly not used very much in our vocabulary today, is it? Check it in your dictionary. It means “to be morally pure in thought or conduct, modest, abstaining from unlawful sexual intercourse.”
 
We read the word chaste in the Bible. It’s one of the attributes that older women are to teach the younger women (Titus 2:5). The Greek word “hagnos” means “clean, pure from every fault and carnality, modest, moral excellence,”
 
Do we have this quality about us? Are we showing it and teaching it to our daughters and the next generation? It is one of beautiful attributes of a Christlike character.
 
Perhaps we should ask ourselves some questions:
 
Am I clean in my mind? Chasteness begins in the mind. You will remember that Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on the things that are “pure.” That is the same word that is translated chaste.
 
Am I sexually pure and faithful to my marriage?
 
Am I chaste in my conduct and how I dress? Morally pure? It is sad that you could not describe much of the clothing in the Christian church today as “chaste.”
 
1 John 3:2, 3: “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth (hagnizo – to keep clean and pure) himself, even as he is pure (hagnos).”
 
Let’s not take this lightly, dear ladies but know that God has called us to chasteness and to reveal it to the next generation. Can we be true examples of this beautiful quality that God loves and longs to see in His daughters?
 
Love from Nancy Campbell
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LOVELY WORDS

LovelyWordsI love to discover new words, don’t you? Here’s some new words you may have not used before, but I think they are beautiful words to add to our vocabulary.
 
Awhile back I read the book, “A Severe Mercy” by Sheldon Vanauken which also includes 18 unpublished letters by C. S. Lewis. It is the true story of Sheldon and Davy’s romance and life together. They lifted love to a new plane and called their love relationship “INLOVENESS.” To them it was “the greatest glory ever known.” Isn’t this a lovely word to aspire to in our own marriage relationships?
 
Awhile back I read another new word in one of George McDonald’s books. He talked about “HOMENESS,” picturing the warmth, love, and joy of home. I love this word too. It takes thought, time, love, and prayer to make our home a place of “homeness,” doesn’t it? It’s never wasted time. It’s a beautiful thing. I’s a nice word to add to our vocab too, isn’t it?
 
Let’s keep going. What about “WOMBNESS”? Did you know there was such a word? Yes, it’s not some imaginative word. It’s a reality. It’s very much part of who we are as women. In fact, you would not be a woman if you did not have a womb!
 
However, did you know that that wombness also applies to God? The Hebrew word “racham” is used in the Bible to describe the literal womb of woman and to also reveal God’s compassion and tender mercy. It is translated “mercy” 32 times. When we embrace our wombness, we reveal the compassion and mercy of God.
 
The meaning of “feminine” in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary is as follows: “The first syllable is probably from womb . . . The last part of the word is probably from man, quasi, “femman,” womb-man. To be feminine is to be ‘a womb man.’”
 
Embrace these lovely words. And there are so many more words that end with “ness” that describe our beautiful role as a mother and wife. I will share some more with you in future posts.
 
Have a beautiful day. It’s a lovely fall day here in Tennessee. Hope yours is wonderful too.
 
Nancy Campbell
 
Picture: Noble and Megan Barrett. One of my lovely grandbabies growing in the womb. Isn’t it such a beautiful picture?
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A WOMAN OF STRENGTH, Pt 2

WomanStrengthWe are looking at the different descriptions of the women God wants us to be. Let’s read Proverbs 31:10 in the Amplified version: “A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman—who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.”
 
The word “virtuous” in the Hebrew is “chayil” meaning “virtue, valor, military strength.” It is the same Hebrew word that is translated “valor” or “valiant” for men.
 
This woman is not a wimp. She is someone to be reckoned with. She has the strength of a soldier in battle. She has physical strength, but her inward strength is even greater.
 
She is not strong in independence but strong in the precious qualities that God has given to His female creation.
 
Her strength of character enables her to submit to her husband instead of jumping up and down and demanding her own way.
 
Her strength of character guards her mouth instead of spitting out harsh and hurtful words.
 
Her strength of character enables her to stand strong against temptations of lust. She is strong in morality and purity. She will be true to her husband as long as she lives. She lives “only unto him” as she vowed on her wedding day. She stands true to her marriage vows in the good times and the difficult times, “for better, for worse, in sickness and in health . . .”
 
Her strength of character enables her to trust God even when life is overwhelming and full of trials. She keeps calm no matter what is happening around her.
 
Her strength of character causes her to purposely do good to her husband every day of her life (Proverbs 31:12).
 
Her strength of character saves her from getting sucked into the humanistic mindset of this world. She is not swayed by the crowd and what everyone does. Instead, she searches God’s Word to see what God says. She lives by the eternal principles of God’s Word rather than the mindset of current society. She is prepared to do it God’s way even if no one else follows (Romans 3:4)!
 
Her strength of character keeps her from lowering herself to gossip and worthless words. When she speaks, she opens her mouth in kindness (Proverbs 31:26).
 
Her strength of character saves her from selfishness and thinking only of her own needs. Her heart is big and open to the needs of others (Proverbs 31:20 and 1 Peter 5:10).
 
Her strength of character enables her to work hard and not neglect the feeding and clothing of her family (Proverbs 31:14, 15, 21, 27).
 
Her strength of character causes her to fear the Lord rather than man (Proverbs 31:30).
 
Dear mothers, don’t despair if you don’t feel that you have arrived. You cannot wave a wand and become a virtuous woman. You grow into it as you go through your trials and your battles. They make you stronger and more “valiant in the fight” (Hebrews 11:34). You grow into it as you seek God, His precious Word, and His wisdom.
 
Day by day you are becoming a woman who is strong in character.
 
Be blessed,
 
Nancy Campbell
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A WOMAN OF KINDNESS

WomanOfKindnessProverbs 31:26 gives another definition of a woman in the home: “In her tongue is the law of kindness.” Kindness personifies a woman. That’s a challenge, isn’t it? When we resort to our fleshly ways, we lose the anointing of kindness. The Hebrew word is “chesed” which is one of the most wonderful revelations of God in the entire Bible. It’s closely related to “grace” in the New Testament. It’s God’s unfailing love even when we don’t deserve it. It reveals His mercy, forgiveness, loyalty, goodness, and kindness.
 
It’s more than kindness. Lovingkindness is a better word. It’s a kindness which involves two parties. It speaks of God’s covenant with Israel which is an everlasting covenant. His dealings with Israel show how He deals with us. Because of their waywardness and rebellion, God had to continually judge and punish His people. Because He is God, He cannot let go His justice and righteousness and must execute judgment on sin. Eventually, He could not tolerate the evil of the Israelites any longer and scattered them to the four corners of the earth.
 
Nevertheless, God had made a covenant. He is lovingkindness (chesed). His lovingkindness will not let go. He will not wash His hands of Israel, nor of us. He judges, but never gives up. Rebellion cannot destroy His love. It is the essence of that lovely old hymn, “O love that will not let me go.”
 
After vomiting the Israelites out of the land because of their sin, God sent hundreds of promises through His prophets to tell them that He will one day bring them back to the land again. These prophecies are being fulfilled before our eyes. We saw the miracle of Israel become a nation again on 14 May 1948 and now Jews are pouring back to the land from all over the world. This is God revealing Himself as “chesed.”
 
It is also related to the old English word “troth.” Have you heard this word before? At the end of their vows, the bridal couple says: “And thereto I give thee my troth." Our children used these original wedding vows on their wedding day. It means that the couple confesses publicly that they will be faithful to their marriage covenant.
 
Because God is a God of lovingkindness and we are created in His image, He desires us to show forth this grace too.
 
Let’s practice being kind. Kind to our husbands. Kind to our children. Kind to the people around us. Do you notice this Scriptures says that the virtuous woman reveals kindness through her tongue? Are you speaking kind and loving words to your husband today? Are you speaking kind words to your children?
 
May your home be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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A WOMAN OF STRENGTH

WomanofStrengthI amazed by the descriptions about women in the Bible. If you want to feel good about being woman, read God’s Word. God lifts women to a high status. Proverbs 31:25 also states that she is a woman of strength.
 
Two different words are used to describe a woman’s strength in this chapter. The Hebrew word in Proverbs 31:25 is “oz” and means “majesty, might, power, and strength.”
 
Proverbs 31:10 gives us another picture of a woman’s strength: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” The word virtuous is “chayil” and means “might, strength, power, valor, and wealth. It is used mainly in the context of an army or war.”
 
“Chayil” is used to describe men of valor. Here’s an example in 1 Chronicles 12:8 where the Gadites are described as: “Men of might (chayil), and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as roes upon the mountains.”
 
It’s interesting that translators used the word “valor” for men, but the word “virtuous” for women, and yet it is the same Hebrew word. That doesn’t mean that we go out to fight in an army. I believe that is the place for men, not women. But God also wants us to be strong. Strong to fight, not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers. Because God ordained marriage and family, Satan hates it. He is out to destroy it.
 
Therefore, we are in the fight against the enemy. We fight against all his temptations to destroy our marriage or fragment our family life.
 
We need to be strong in the Lord, strong in faith, strong in truth, strong in our convictions, strong in embracing our femininity in a deceived world, strong in commitment to our marriage and to our family, and strong in faithfulness. We need to be strong spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
 
Who knows that motherhood is not for wimps? We need to be strong in every aspect of our lives for this high and noble calling. No wonder God pictures women clothed with strength.
 
Proverbs 31:17 says: “She girdeth her loins with strength (oz), and strengtheneth her arms.” Have you found that you have become stronger the longer you mother? Your arms certainly get stronger holding babies and toddlers. You become more mature and stronger in every aspect of your life.
 
Of course, we know our strength comes from the Lord. We can confess “I am clothed with strength,” knowing that we walk in His strength.
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
 
Painting: “Climbing Mother” by Brian Kershisnik
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THE GLORY OF WOMEN

GloryWomenMy last post to you was about the woman of honor and dignity. But the Bible gives many descriptions of women.
 
Proverbs 11:16 says: “A gracious woman retains honor.” The word “honor” in this Scripture is a different Hebrew word than in Proverbs 31:25. Some modern translations say that she earns respect, but the word “respect” is not strong enough. It is the Hebrew word “kabod” and means “weight (don’t despair: it doesn’t mean bodily weight, but to carry an authority in your speech and demeanor), glory, esteem, majesty, and wealth.” The word is mostly translated as “glory” in the Scriptures. The Douay-Rheims Bible translates it most correctly: “A gracious woman shall find glory.”
 
Feminists are fighting harder than ever for their women’s rights! They despise their womb. They rant and rave for the right to murder unborn children. How sad they do not understand that God has already endowed them with glory and majesty—the glory of womanhood.
 
I ask the question: why fight against the way God created us? Why throw away the glory that has already been given to us (Hosea 9:11)?
 
Do you notice that this Scripture says that the gracious woman RETAINS her glory? She doesn’t have to acquire it. It has already been given to her. All she needs to do is keep it. Hang on to it. Don’t throw it away. We keep our glory by embracing who God created us to be. By loving the way God created us as a female. By embracing child-bearing, nursing, and nurturing children. By adding glory to our husbands. and nursing a baby. By living dignified, gracious, and sensible lives.
 
How is it that women do not understand the way God created them? The Scripture is true that when people do not want God in their knowledge that He gives them over to a “reprobate mind,” a mind that is void of judgment (Romans 1:28).
 
This word “kabod” that speaks of women also describes God’s glory! God has invested us with a glory from Him when He created us female. How dare we throw it back in His face. Let’s retain our glory. This is how we glorify Him.
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
 
Painting by William Rothenstein (1872 - 1945): Mother and Child (candlelight, oil on canvas).
 
Some examples of God’s glory: Exodus 24:17; 33:22; Numbers 14:10, 22; 16:42; Psalm 24:7-10; 29:3; 145:5; 2 Chronicles 5:14; 7:2; and Zechariah 2:5.
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A WOMAN OF DIGNITY

DignityWomanProverbs 31:25 (NLT) describes the virtuous woman: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” The KJV uses the word “honor” but most versions translate it as “dignity.”
 
What does it mean to have dignity? The dictionary tells us:
 
It is the quality of being worthy of respect and honor.
 
Having a high sense of propriety, truth, and justice.
 
Moral correctness.
 
Elevated deportment of manners and behavior.
 
An elevated office, an honorable or high rank, a degree of excellence in estimation or the order of nature.
 
Dignity is meant to be the testimony of godly women. The more we walk in God’s ways, the more we will walk in dignity.
 
It is sad that many women are losing their dignity today. Many women are crying out for recognition. They rant and rave and demand their rights. But this is the opposite of womanhood and dignity.
 
We reveal our dignity when we embrace who God created us to be. He created us female. He created is physically to birth and nurse babies. He created us to be nurturers in society. This is God-given dignity. And don’t forget, dear mother, that you have an honorable and high rank as you faithfully mother in your home each day.
 
And even more amazing, too amazing to comprehend. The word “honor” in the King James Bible or “dignity” as many translations give it, is the same word that is used to describe God! Here is one of many Scriptures: “O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty” (Psalm 104:1). And yet here in Proverbs 31:25 the woman is clothed with honor.”
 
We walk in this honor and dignity as we embrace God’s ways and His beautiful life He wants to live through us.
 
Walk in your God-given dignity today.
 
Love from Nancy Campbell
 
Painting: At the Cottage Door by William Henry Margetson 1861 – 1940.
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A ROYAL FAMILY

RoyalFamGrowing up in New Zealand, a country that is part of the British Commonwealth, we were exposed to royalty. As children we were quite obsessed with royalty. My friends and I would search the papers and magazines every day to hopefully find a picture of one of the royal family which we would dutifully cut out and paste in our Royal Family scrapbooks. We would get together to look at one another’s books and swap pictures we didn’t have.
 
If you are a child of God, you belong to royalty. You have been welcomed into the kingdom of God and our ruler is the King of all the kings of the earth and Lord of all lords. I think we tend to forget who we really are. The Bible reminds us in 1 Peter 29: “But ye are a chosen generation, a ROYAL priesthood, a holy nation . . .” The dictionary says that royalty means “people of royal blood or status, members of a royal family, that which pertains to a king or queen.”
 
Truly, we have been redeemed by the royal blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We now belong to a royal kingdom and a royal priesthood.
Therefore, don’t you think we should act in a more royal way? We are princesses of the King of kings. We should teach our daughters to dress, talk, walk, and act like princesses. We should teach our sons to act in a kingly manner. With nobility. Regality. Dignity. The authority of the kingdom of God. We need to remind them that they belong to a royal kingdom. We are raising princes and princesses.
 
I love Psalm 45:16 which says: “Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.”
 
Of course, we will show them by our own example.
 
Begin to see yourself as a royal family. Train your children to behave in a royal manner. Become true ambassadors of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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THE EXCLUSIVITY OF MARRIAGE

ExclusivityMarriageAdding a few more thoughts to my post below, SHOULD MARRIAGE BE EXCLUSIVE?
 
The Bible tells us that love is jealous. What kind of love does a husband have for his wife if he is happy with her being with other guys? Or vice versa.
 
Song of Solomon 8:6: “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death: jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.” It’s not wrong for a husband or wife to be jealous.
 
Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2, 3).
 
God states emphatically in Exodus 20:3-5: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am jealous God.”
 
Marriage is a mystery. It is a picture of God and His people Israel. It is a picture of Christ and the church. God’s first commandment is to love Him with all our hearts and souls and minds and strength. And to cleave to Him. God is jealous when we love other things more than Him. He wants us to have the same commitment to Him that has.
 
Hosea 2:19, 20 says: “I will betroth thee unto me forever: yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness.”
 
The marriage relationship is an exclusive relationship. We do not share it with another, apart from couples and families together.
 
Even many pastors and ministers have fallen from grace and been lured into adultery because of counselling women on their own. They should use much discretion and counsel with their wife or another man.
 
Be blessed,
 
Nancy Campbell
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COOKING...A SACRED TASK

SacredTaskDear lovely mothers, don’t despise all the meals you must cook for your family. Every meal is another glorious opportunity to gather your family together, to fellowship together, to bond together, to laugh and enjoy one another, and expect beautiful things to happen. Cooking the meal paves the way for all these lovely things to happen.

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GOT PROBLEMS?

IveGotGod is bigger than any problem you face. You can trust Him completely.

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SHOULD MARRIAGE BE EXCLUSIVE?

ExclusiveMarriageA Facebook question popped up on my Facebook awhile back: “What do you think about having a male friend apart from your husband? Vice versa too? Can it be a purely platonic relationship?”
 
I was grieved in my spirit by the answers to this question. Most answered saying they thought it was healthy and beneficial to have friends of the opposite sex who were not their husband.
 
I beg your pardon! What has happened to God’s ideal of marriage? What has happened to the sacredness of marriage? What has happened to keeping true to our solemn marriage vows?
 
The minister asks the couple to repeat: I, ________, take thee ________, to be my wedded husband/wife, to have an to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and FORSAKING ALL OTHERS, BE FAITHFUL ONLY UNTO HER/HIM ’til death do us part, according to God’s ordinance; and thereto I PLEDGE THEE MY TROTH.”
 
I guess that many have never heard the last phrase, “pledge thee my troth.” but I love these words. They were always part of the original marriage vows. The word “troth” means to pledge lifelong faithfulness, truthfulness, loyalty, and fidelity.” Troth not only rhymes with oath but is a synonym of oath.
 
We know that “forsaking all others,” means to keep sexually pure in marriage. But I believe it means more than that. It means forsaking PERSONAL friendships with the opposite sex. I don’t care what all these other folk say, it is not God’s plan for marriage. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t have friendship with men. My husband and I have many friendships with couples and families together. We have given ourselves to hospitality through the years and we enjoy the rich blessing of many couples at our table as we enjoy friendship together.
 
But I wouldn’t dream of going out to eat or going somewhere on my own with the husband of one of those couples. Why do I need to do that? Why do I need another guy apart from my husband? I have vowed to forsake all others and be faithful only unto him—sexually, emotionally, mentally, and because of my scared marriage vows. Marriage is exclusive, not only physically, but also emotionally.
 
And how does this affect our children and the next generation? I recently asked some young people: “How would you feel if your father or mother went out on their own with someone of the opposite sex?” They were aghast. They said it would make them feel very insecure. One girl mentioned that one time she was coming home from work and saw her mother with another man in the car. Her heart fell. She arrived home to find that her mother was taking the builder home who was working on the house! But just seeing another man in the car devastated her.
 
Blessings to you today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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GOD NEVER CHANGES

GodNeverChangesGOD NEVER CHANGES
From Patricia Holmes, missionary in Panama.
 
I have been thinking the most wonderful thoughts today. Care to join me?
Everything changes, but God does not.
We grow old, but God is timeless.
We have questions, but God has answers!
We have problems, but God has solutions.
Even good things “come and go,” but God remains stable.
We make mistakes, but God is forgiving.
The night is dark, but God brings light (and joy in the morning).
Our thoughts are meager, but God’s are bountiFULL.
Our sight is limited, but God created a Heaven of color.
Our hearing is limited, but God hears the slightest whisper.
The wind blows and we cannot see it, but God directs its path.
The oceans may billow and boil, but God can walk on the waves.
Our (aging) memories may fail, but God never forgets (a single thing).
We grow tired, but God is ever watchful.
We may feel alone, but God never leaves us.
 
ISN'T GOD GOOD?
 
~ Patricia Homes
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ARE YOU A GRUMBLER?

grumblingWhy do we like to grumble and complain? It never accomplishes one thing! Only negativity and destruction. Change your attitude today and look up. When you praise the Lord good things start happening. Have a great day. As my husband says to us every morning: “May this be the best day of your life so far!”

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WHO SHOULD SHOW HONOR?

WhoShowHonorPraise God, we don’t have to live in the dark. God shows us clearly in His Word how he wants us to live as a married couple. The Bible tells us that we the husband and wife are both to show honor to one another. Let’s check this out, shall we?
 
Ephesians 5:33: “The wife see that she reverence her husband.” The word reverence means “to be in awe, to revere.” We get the full meaning as we read the Amplified Classic version of the Bible: “However, let each man of you (without exception) love his wife as (being in a sense) his very own self and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband (that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly.” Wow!
 
Well, what about the man? Yes, He is commanded to show honor also. He does not get off the hook, but it’s a different kind of honor. 1 Peter 3:7 directs the husband: “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
 
The word “honor” in this passage means “to buy with a price, the highest degree, valuable, esteem, dignity, preciousness.” It is the same word used of the “preciousness” of Christ (1 Peter 2:7). The husband must see his wife as his most precious and valuable possession and honor her in the highest degree. Many men are ignorant of this because of the brainwashing of feminism. Feminism takes away the beauty of femininity. They pressure women to be like men. Therefore, when men no longer see women as a prized possession to be protected and cared for, they do not know how to function correctly.
 
Husbands must esteem their wife as the weaker vessel. Now I know some women don’t like to be put in that category. But this is the truth. I think I am a strong woman physically. I’ve carried heavy boxes of Above Rubies for years. I carry 50 lb. bags of grains easily. But I am not as strong as men and I’m grateful for my husband being able to carry really heavy loads. Men mostly have 50 percent more brute strength than women. They are built with more muscle, broader shoulders, and stronger physique to lift heavy weights, do hard work, provide, and protect.
 
I like Fenton’s translation which says: “assigning honour to their FEMININE NATURE, as to a weaker vessel.” It works both ways. We as wives show awe and honor to our husbands. Conversely, our husbands are to treat us with dignity and as they would their most precious possession.
The more we embrace and walk in our femininity, the easier it is for our husbands to treat us this way.
 
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
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YOU HAVE A BIG CAREER

BigCareerIn what capacity do you like to introduce yourself? Some folks may introduce themselves as a teacher, singer, nurse, lawyer, or even a mother. Many pastors like to introduce themselves as Pastor So and So. They make sure they precede their name with the word, Pastor!
 
How did Paul introduce himself? When writing to the Romans Paul begins: “Paul, a SERVANT of Jesus Christ,“ and then he adds “called to be an apostle” (Romans 1:1).
 
What about Peter? Simon Peter also introduces himself as “a SERVANT” and then he adds secondly “and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1). Both these mighty men of God considered themselves to firstly be servants.
 
The word servant is “doulos” and literally means “a bondslave, one who is in permanent relation of servitude to another.”
 
Jesus himself confessed that He did not come “to be served but to SERVE, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 ESV).
How do you look upon yourself? In this day of feminism and liberal theology a “servant” would be unthinkable. Isn’t it amazing that many Christians think they are better than the early apostles and even Jesus Himself? Ae we too proud to be servants?
 
Dearest mother, when you feel overburdened and overworked and you have no time to do anything you want to do because all you do is serve others all day long, don’t despair! You are following the footsteps of Jesus. You are like the early apostles. You are in the perfect will of God.
 
Oh, I know you don’t like being a servant. None of us do. We are so fleshly and selfish. But do we really want to be increasingly more like Jesus? There’s no greater way than to serve. How blessed we are as wives and mothers. We are right in the very place where we can fulfil our serving ministry. We can joyfully serve in our homes all day long. We are in the very sphere where we can become like Jesus.
 
What way do you like to serve? We can serve grudgingly—sighing and complaining. Or we can serve joyfully. That takes the sting out of serving and relegates it to a high place. We can serve faithfully. This is the serving that Jesus talks about in Matthew 25:21 where He says: “Well done, thou good and faithful SERVANT: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
 
You may have dreams of big things you want to do in your life. There’s no way you can fulfil them with all your little children hanging around you every minute of the day. Dear mother, be faithful to your menial, daily tasks. God sees them. As He sees you faithful in the little things, He will bless you in His time with bigger things.
 
Although I must interrupt my writing here. I don’t believe exactly what I have just written. Because I believe that no matter what “bigger things” you may one day accomplish in your life, nothing is as big as what you are doing now. Nothing is as big a bringing into this world an eternal soul that will live forever. Nothing is as big as pouring out your nurturing heart to your children. Nothing is as big as preparing and training them for God’s destiny here on earth. Your God-given mothering career influences nations, governments, generations, and eternity!
 
I hope you have the most wonderful day SERVING your husband and family.
 
Love from Nancy Campbell
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FOR YOU RIGHT NOW!

ForRightNowAll the good things that are in Jesus Christ are available to you right now. Not some day in the future, but RIGHT NOW! I know that life is not always perfect when you are mothering your children. You don’t have enough fingers to count how many things go wrong throughout the day. But don’t despair. Jesus Christ is with you. He lives in you. You don’t have to react to these things in your flesh. Instead, allow Jesus to live His life through you.
 
Let’s look at some Scriptures that remind us that God is working in you RIGHT NOW.
 
1 Timothy 4:8: “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the LIFE THAT NOW IS, and of that which is to come.” Most modern versions say: “this present life.” Godliness is not just for eternity, but for right NOW! Yes, right now—in your kitchen and with your children all needing you at once.
 
Are you feeling upset and you really want to let everyone know? Instead of giving into the flesh and hurting everyone around you, allow the life of Jesus to work through you. He is filled with patience and longsuffering and He lives in you! That means you are patient and longsuffering too! God puts His strength into you to give you “all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11).
 
Romans 5:17: “For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall REIGN IN LIFE by one Christ Jesus.” We will not only reign in eternity. This Scripture tells us that we can REIGN IN LIFE RIGHT NOW. We can reign over the power of the flesh through the life of Christ who dwells in us. We can reign over our self-life.
 
Are you down in the dumps and depressed? You don’t have to stay there. You can reign over your depression in the power of the name of Jesus. He lives within you and He is Joy. This joy that is not dependent upon circumstances, but on who He is! Appropriate now, by faith, the loving, joyful, longsuffering, victorious, and overcoming life of Jesus Christ, who lives in you.
 
I love 2 Peter 1:3: “According as his divine power hath given unto us ALL THINGS that pertain unto LIFE and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”
 
Dear precious mother, you have EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN CHRIST RIGHT NOW to live a reigning and godly life in your home. No matter what the chaos. No matter the disappointment. No matter the challenge. Christ, the hope of glory, lives in you (Colossian 1:27). And He is with you RIGHT NOW.
 
2 Corinthians 6:2: “Behold, NOW is the accepted time, behold NOW is the day of salvation.” The Greek word for salvation is “soteria” and means “safety, deliverance, health, salvation.” Jesus Christ is health and salvation for you NOW!
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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IS IT POSSIBLE?

IsItPossibleI have a question for you. Do you think it is possible to “glorify God in your body” if we tamper with the way God created us?
 
We know that all God’s ways are perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:30; and Revelation 15:3). Therefore, the way He created our bodies is perfect. He created the female body for childbearing. He designed her body that during “the time of life,” which is the time of ovulation each month, that she has the opportunity to conceive a baby.
 
However, we live in a society where many women don’t want to have babies. They don’t want to live the way God designed their bodies so they use contraception, or even sterilization, to make sure God cannot bless them with life.
 
Sterilization tampers with the Creator’s design for our bodies. It changes the function. More accurately, it stops the function! It stops the ultimate plan of our Creator. Therefore, in doing this, is it possible to glorify God in our body? According to God’s Word, what is your honest answer?
 
We need to read the Scriptures again: 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 (ESV): “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN, for you were bought with a price. So GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY.”
 
And the Scripture we all know, but need reminded of daily: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1, 2).
 
We notice that this Scripture exhorts us to present our BODIES to the Lord, not just our spirits. How are we to offer them? The answer is “acceptable” to God. This word means “what is agreeable and well pleasing to God.” And its repeated in verse 2. The perfect will of God is that which is agreeable and well pleasing to Him. It’s not what is agreeable to us and fits in with our lifestyle, but what is in accordance with His eternal plan and purpose.
 
How do we live our lives? According to the humanistic plan of our modern society or according to God’s eternal plan that has never changed and never will change from the beginning of time?
 
Have a beautiful day,
 
Nancy Campbell
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A FAIR SELECTION?

FairSelection“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will spend the rest of its life thinking it’s an idiot.” Albert Einstein.

God has given each one of your children unique and special gifts. Each one of them are different. Don’t expect each one to learn the same way or be interested in the same things. Each one has a unique destiny.

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ROLE REVERSALS

RoleReversalWriting about parenthood, the great preacher and writer, J. R. Miller says: “Duties cannot be transferred.” I happen to agree with him, although many modern Christians would not.
 
Why do we think we know better than God? Why do we think that we have a better plan for our lives that the one who intricately, wonderfully, and marvelously created us?
 
God, in His perfect design, for “all His ways are perfect,” created a father and a mother to bring children into the world and to care for them in this world. He gave each one distinct roles to fulfil. Each brings their own strengths to the parenting career. Many want to change the roles because of convenience. The wife wants to take on the role of provider which means she must give her children to someone else to watch. And yet no guardian, no matter how loving, can ever be in tune to the innermost needs of her child like the mother.
 
Sometimes a mother can earn more money than her husband, so she goes to work while her husband stays home with the children. This is a role reversal and not planned by the God who created us.
 
But you say, “I know fathers who are great stay-at-home-fathers to their children.” That may be so, but they cannot be a mother no matter how they try. God has put within women a maternal anointing that men don’t have. Yes, men love their children. They have a strong instinct to protect their children. They want to provide for their children, but they cannot “mother” their children; they were created to “father” children. There is a difference.
 
Babies and toddlers need the comfort of their mother’s breasts. Breastfeeding is tied up with motherhood. Scientific studies reveal that the more frequently a mother breastfeeds her baby the more motherly and nurturing she becomes. These hormones release mothering hormones and a man simply does not have the abundance of these hormones that God gives to a mother to nurture.
 
God has also put within women a love for home, unless of course it is brainwashed out of her by our education system, the media, and the deception of our progressive society. A man is not cut out for the finer touches of making a home feel like a home. He was created to go out and to provide. To work hard for his family.
 
To get back to our original statement, I do concede that men and women can transfer their roles to a certain extent, but only at the expense of God’s ultimate blessing for the family. God intends fathers and mothers to fully embrace the way He created them and to reveal these strengths to their children which are to pass on from one generation to the next. Children who grow up in a family where the mother works and the husband stays home with the children will have a distorted understanding of God’s definitive plan. They will be confused and deceived. And what happens in the next generation? Will they think it normal to carry on this pattern until we have a society of men at home and women in the work force? God forbid.
 
Be blessed today in your God-given role of mothering,
 
Nancy Campbell
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Above Rubies Address

AboveRubies
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