Dear Mother, you are not only mothering for today, but for generations to come!
~ Love from Nancy
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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.
God, who touches earth with beauty
Make me lovely too,
With thy Spirit recreate me,
Make my life anew.
Like thy springs of running water
Make me crystal pure,
Like thy rocks of towering grandeur
Make me strong and sure.
Like thy dancing waves in sunlight
Make me glad and free,
Like the straightness of the pine tree
Help me upright be.
Like the arching of thy heavens,
Raise my thoughts above,
Turn my dreams to noble actions
Ministries of love.
God, who touches earth with beauty
Make me lovely too,
Keep me ever, by thy Spirit,
Pure and strong and true.
~ Mary S. Adgar
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Does anyone remember singing the old chorus, “Trust in the Lord and don’t despair”! We used to sing it as children. We’d sing it everywhere we went with all our hearts and as loud as we could.
Trust in the Lord and don’t despair,
He is a friend so true!
No matter what your troubles are,
Jesus will see you through.
Sing, when the day is bright;
Sing, through the darkest night
Everyday, all the way,
Let us sing, sing, sing!
And here’s some of my favorite lines. I trust they will bless you today, too.
Trust Him when dark days assail thee,
Trust Him when thy faith is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Is the hardest thing of all.
You’ll never go wrong putting your trust in the L9ord. Isaiah 2:22 says: “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”
Blessings today,
Nancy Campbell
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This is God’s daily admonition to us and our children. It’s not easy to take advice, but it’s a wonderful habit. Keep a soft spirit and always be open to correction and advice. As we cultivate this kind of spirit, it is easier for our children to pick it up.
By the way, have you taught your children this nursery rhyme?
A wise old owl lived in an oak,
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard,
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
Love from Nancy Campbell
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This is what it is meant to be if your home is dedicated to God. How many times a day do you pray in your home? How many times a day do you pray together as a family? We can’t really confess that our home belongs to God unless we are a praying family (Jeremiah 10:25).
May each one of us be encouraged to fill our homes with prayer. Whenever your children nave a need, pray for them. If someone calls on the phone with a need, pray for them right then. When you face serious or urgent matters for payer in your family, set the timer every hour to stop and pray.
And of course, don’t neglect to keep up the habit of praying every morning and evening as you gather to read the God’s Word and worship as a family.
What will happen in this nation if God’s people really become praying families? If only we could realize the power of our family prayers. Satan know it and that’s why he seeks to keep us from prayer.
Love from Nancy Campbell
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The devil wants to keep everything about God in a little box. He does not want us to spread the truth and light of the gospel. He does not want us to have more children because each new babe is a fresh revelation of the image of God.
Do you remember when Peter and John prayed for the man who was lame from his mother’s womb and he was immediately healed? He began walking, leaping, and praising God. All the people saw it and began to praise God. In fact, about 5,000 people believed on Jesus. This was too much for the devil.
The priests and Sadducees put Peter and John in custody until the next day when they met together to make their decision. Their verdict? “That it SPREAD NO FURTHER among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:17, 18).
Did Peter and John become victims to their verdict? No. They answered: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19, 20).
We see how the enemy became very agitated when the children of Israel multiplied in Egypt. The new Pharaoh was shaking in his boots. He said to his people: “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; LEST THEY MULTIPLY.” The devil is scared of God’s people multiplying. He does everything in his power to “rob, kill, and destroy” to stop children coming into the world.
Praise God, we will not give into the deception of the devil to hide God’s light and truth and the revelation of His image on the earth. We will spread His truth wherever we go. We will not hold back the children God wants to bring into this world.
I am so glad you are a testimony to God’s truth and that you are shining the light in the midst of the darkness. Keep spreading the Word. Never be silent. Keep spreading Above Rubies wherever you go. And don’t discriminate who you give them to. Give them to everyone you meet. You will be surprised who God will speak to through the magazine--sometimes the most hardened feminist!
Love and blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell
P.S. If you would like to read more ideas about sharing Above Rubies, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DistributingIdeas
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Deception is such a subtle thing, isn’t it? It is so subtle that we usually don’t know we are deceived. We can not only be deceived by the encroachment of out humanistic society, but we can be self-deceived. William Barclay’s translation of James 1:22 says: “You must not only listen to the word, you must act on it. Otherwise, you indulge in self-deception.” This is very challenging to me. To daily read God’s Word and yet not put it into action is self-deception. The more I do this, the more I deceive myself. I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit working within me will keep me from this deception.
But mothers, we face another challenge. This challenge is not only for ourselves, but for our children. God has given us the responsibility to train our children to obey when we speak to them. This trains our children into the habit of obeying God when He speaks to them through His Word. If we are lazy about training our children to obey, we set them up for the habit of continually disobeying God’s Word.
One of the secrets of teaching your children to obey is to first of all teach them to listen. If we do not teach our children how to listen, they will not learn to obey. Make sure your children hear what you tell them to do. Make eye contact with them. You may need to get them to repeat it back to you. Then expect them to do it! True hearing results in actions.
When your children learn to listen, they will learn to obey.
When they learn to obey you, they will learn to obey God.
Get them into the “obeying habit” now so that when they hear God speak through His Living Word, they will automatically respond and obey.
What kind of ears are you training your children to have? Lazy ears? Dull ears? Defiant ears? Resistant ears? Gullible ears? Or are you training them to have diligent ears that are quick to hear and obey you, and ultimately God’s words?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.
Aren’t these words powerful? We sang them this morning at our Family Devotions. They are from Martin Luther’s famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” May they encourage you today. You may like to sing them with your family too.
~ Nancy Campbell
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Home based upon Christian marriage is so evidently an institution of God, that a man must become profane before he can deny it . . . Of this realm woman is queen. It takes its cue and its hue from her. If she is in the best sense womanly--if she is true and tender, loving and heroic, patient and self-devoted--she consciously or unconsciously organizes and puts in operation a set of influences that do more to mould the destiny of the nation than any man, uncrowned by power or eloquence, can possibly effect.
~ Dr. J. G. Holland
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Mothers, you determine the destiny of the nation and future generations! Don't leg anyone rob you of the enormity of your God-given career of motherhood.
~ Nancy
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How can I do it? I have too much to do,
I’m overwhelmed and feeling real blue,
I’m stuck in this house like super glue.
Don’t look around – LOOK UP!
The dishes and laundry are piled up high,
When I look ‘round the house I have to sigh,
And for supper my husband’s expecting a pie!
Don’t look around – LOOK UP!
We can’t pay the mortgage; bills overdue,
I’m tired and have headaches, not a few,
These children are driving me crazy too!
Don’t look around – LOOK UP!
My husband comes home late; he doesn’t care,
He doesn’t help with the children; it’s not fair!
I don’t want to smile; I just want to glare!
Don’t look around – LOOK UP!
Take your eyes off your problems, look up to Him,
God’s presence is with you, even in the din!
Confess your bad mood and He’ll cleanse your sin.
He is your God – LOOK UP!
He will show you how to order your place,
He will give you direction as you seek His face,
He wants to pour upon you His anointing of grace.
He is your God – LOOK UP!
Keep your eyes fixed on Him; He is your Stay,
He is your Wisdom for problems each day,
He will bring His presence right into your fray.
He is your God – LOOK UP!
Each morning He comes as the refreshing Dew
To revive your body, and your spirit too,
He is your Deliverer and He’ll make you new,
He is your God – LOOK UP!
~ Nancy Campbell
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A young man recently shared this testimony with us. He was driving to our home, came to the lights which were red, and obediently followed the car in front of him. All of a sudden he realized he was going through a red light! Why? Instead of looking up at the lights, he followed the person in front of him. This could have got him into a lot of trouble.
How easy it is to do this in life. We subconsciously follow people around us. We assimilate into the ways of our humanistic society. Unless we diligently keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him, we follow the crowd around us without realizing it.
Where are your eyes today? Are you looking to Jesus? Or are you influenced more by the pressure of family, friends and society?
Let’s be Jesus followers, not crowd followers.
Romans 12:2: “LOOKING UNTO JESUS the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the hem, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Keep your eyes in the right place today,
Nancy Campbell
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Have you read the words to the Newsboys song, “Guilty.” They wrote this song for the new movie, GOD’S NOT DEAD 2. However, they have received flack for the words of this song. There are some Christian radio stations who will not play it because they don’t want to offend! I beg your pardon! If we cannot stand up for Christ and for the truth, we should not use the name “Christian.”
May we never be ashamed to own Christ and to lift up His name. May we be Christ up-lifting families, never compromising with the spirit of this world.
This song and the new movie are getting negative criticism from the secular world and even the compromising Christian world. Praise the Lord, that means the devil doesn’t like it. He is scared. Let’s stand up for truth. Let’s go to the movie and take others with us. Oh yes, and here’s the words to the song:
When did it become breaking a rule
To say Your name out loud in school
When Your name is the only one that sets us free
When did it become incorrect
To speak the truth about life and death
When Your life gave us all eternity
Even if it gets me convicted
I’ll be on my knees with my hands lifted
If serving You is against the law of man
If living out my faith in You was banned
Then I’ll stand right before the jury
If saying “I believe” is out of line
If I’m judged ‘cause I’m gonna give my life
To show the world the love that fills me
Then I want to be guilty
I’ll rise up and honor You
I’ll testify to the good You do
‘Cause your grace and Your mercy have overtaken me
Guilty by association
Guilty of being a voice proclaiming
Your ways
Your truth
Your life
I’ll pay the price to be Your light
I want to be guilty
~ Nancy Campbell
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Do you remember when Jesus walked with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus? The two disciples were totally dejected and disheartened because the One who they thought would save them from the Romans was dead! But Jesus came along and began to speak to them from the Scriptures “the things concerning himself.” Oh how their hearts rejoiced and “burned within them” as He spoke to them.
But they still didn’t know it was Jesus. They came to Emmaus and although Jesus would have walked on, they begged him to come and eat with him. Then what happened? It was as they SAT AT THE TABLE and Jesus broke the bread, blessed it and gave it to them, that THEIR EYES WERE OPENED! Now, this was not communion. This was a daily Israeli meal where they broke the flat bread and dipped in their dishes to eat.
The amazing thing we see here is that it was when they were sitting together at the table that their eyes were opened. Did you know, dear ladies, that the table is a place of revelation? God loves to come and sit at our tables with us each day. He wants to be present. And He wants to bring understanding and revelation of Himself.
The table is not only a place to feed the body, but to feed the soul and the spirit. God comes to feed our spirit and open our eyes to Him and all that He wants to tell us. I believe the table is the most powerful place in our home.
But what happens instead? Do you think the devil wants us to come together as families? Do you think he wants us to strengthen our family ties as we eat and fellowship together? And do you think He wants our children to feel the presence of God at our tables as fathers read from God’s Word and we pray together? No. The devil knows the power of the table, the power of God’s Word, and the power of praying families. He will do everything in his power to keep you from these daily sacred moments.
He won’t use bad things. He knows he could never tempt you that way. He just gets you busy. He gets your children involved in all the curricular activities that take you away from the family meal table and the opportunity for God to visit with you and speak to you and your children.
Dear mother. Take a stand. Rise up against everything that would hinder this time with your family. Make it happen. Put aside anything and everything that interferes with this time.
You are the one that can make it happen in your home.
Love and blessings from Nancy Campbell
P.S. Read the story in Luke 24:1-35.
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A cheerful heart will make such a different to your home today. But you don’t FEEL cheerful? That’s not the point. I hope you don’t live by your feelings. That’s a miserable way to live. In fact, it is a false way to live. Feelings are deceiving. They come and go. But truth is real. And the truth is that if you have received Jesus Christ into your life, you have living joy bubbling up within you. Jesus, who lives in you, is JOY. Hebrews 1:9 tells us that Jesus has more joy than anyone else in the world--and He lives in you!
Confess your joy today because it is the joy of Christ. Happiness is only dependent on circumstances; true joy is the life of Jesus Christ who lives within you (Colossians 1:27).
Jesus said in John 4:`14: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that shall give him shall be in him a well of water SPRINGING UP into everlasting life.” The words “springing up” literally mean “to gush up, to leap up, to jump up.” That’s not passive; that’s active!
Therefore, whether you feel like it or not, speak joy and cheerfulness in your home today. Speak it by faith, whether you feel like it or not. As you speak cheerfulness, joy, encouragement and blessing it will change the atmosphere of your home and the behavior of your children.
Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell
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May you have a blessed Sunday as you fellowship as a family with the people of God today. We all need to be encouraged and we all need to encourage one another, don't we?
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Are you speaking encouraging words to your husband and children today? Proverbs 12:25 (TLB) says: "Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word of encouragement does wonders!"
Your words can release miracles into your home. You can expect wonders to happen when you start speaking encouraging words.
~ Nancy Campbell
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When we stood at the altar and confessed our marriage vows, we were not only doing it in the presence of family and friends, but GOD. The Bible tells us in Malachi 2:14: “The LORD WAS WITNESS between you and the wife of your youth.” Our covenant-keeping God silently witnessed the covenant we made before Him. Our marriage vows are scared; we cannot take them lightly.
~ Nancy Campbell
Picture: Arden (our grandson) and Esther who were recently married. As I looked for a picture to reveal the sacredness of making our marriage vows, I could not find one that showed the true awesomeness of this occasion. To me, this picture reveals something of this holy moment.
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Don’t deprive your family of this daily blessing. Be blessed by this encouragement from James Russell. Miller (1840 –1912), Christian author and pastor of several churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois:
"Hearts that are drawn together at God's feet every day in family devotions cannot drift very far away from each other. The domestic frictions of the day are forgotten when all voices mingle in the same heavenly song. As the tender words of Scripture fall with their gracious counsels, all feeling of unkindness melts away. The family altar in the midst wondrously hallows and sweetens the whole home. Besides, the family altar . . .
puts new strength into every heart,
comforts all sorrows,
is a shield against temptation,
smoothes out the wrinkles of care,
inspires strength for burden-bearing,
quickens every holy sentiment, and
keeps the fires of devotion burning on every heart's altar."
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Jesus Christ was our supreme sacrifice. He became the sacrificial Lamb, slain upon the altar for our sins. His ultimate sacrifice gives us forgiveness of sins, victory over sin in our daily life, sweet fellowship with Him, and eternal life. Romans 12:1 beseeches us that our logical and reasonable response should be to yield our lives to Him as a living sacrifice. What does this mean?
Jesus laid down His life to be our sacrifice. We have to lay down our lives to be a living sacrifice. We face this principle every day as wives and mothers. Constantly we choose whether we will demand our own way, decide to do that which pleases us, or lay down our life for our husband, our children, and for others. Every day we sacrifice our own selfish desires.
Sometimes this is a battle. We need to be constantly reminded of Psalm 118:27: “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” We willingly lay our life upon the altar as we feel the moving of the Holy Spirit as we read God’s Word or in a worship service. But then we get back to the challenges of daily life and mothering--and off the altar we jump!
We need His cords to bind us. What are these cords? God says in Hosea 11:4: “I drew them with cords of compassion, with bands of love.” He says again in Jeremiah 31:3 “Yes, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Because Christ now dwells in our hearts (if we have been born again), we no longer live to ourselves, “but unto him which died and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14). This lifestyle of dying daily to our own selfish desires does not ruin our lives. Instead, it releases us into the joyful life of serving and sacrifice that is the life of Christ (Mark 8:35).
I read about a mission board that had an ox for its seal. On one side of the ox was an altar, on the other side a plough. Their motto was “Ready for either.” There are millions of Christians being martyred for their faith today (more than at any other time). They are literally dying upon the altar. Others (like you and me) become a living sacrifice and take up the plough of the daily grind of life. Not doing it grudgingly, but with joy and exhilaration.
May God save us from being jumping jacks--jumping off the altar as soon as anything becomes too difficult, looms bigger than we can imagine, or does not work out the way we planned. Instead may it become our lifestyle to be bound with joy to the altar, the least that we can do in response to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us.
Love from Nancy Campbell
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