What power we wield through our tongues. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” What kind of words are coming from your mouth? Are your filling your home with life-giving words?
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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.
The Scriptures in 1 John 2:14-16 tell us three things about our young men.1. YOU ARE STRONG
We are to raise them to be strong in the Lord, strong in the faith, and strong in their convictions. Not mediocre or status quo but STRONG! This takes serious effort on our part.
And I believe strong physically too. Men are meant to be strong and the protecters of wives and children. Too many young men are wimpy and weak today. They have never been trained in hard work.
2. GOD’S WORD ABIDES IN YOU
This is the secret of their strength. They literally have God’s Word abiding in their hearts. It’s not enough to hear God’s Word at church or a few minutes at Youth Group. It’s our responsibility to get it into their hearts richly, strongly, and powerfully when they are young and train them to get it for themselves as soon as they can read and understand.
Deuteronomy 6:5-8 (NLT) says: “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves WHOLEHEARTEDLY to these commands that I am giving you today.”
If we are not passionate about God’s Word, how will our children be? If we don’t make a commitment to daily (morning and evening) read God’s Word, they will see that other things are far more important in our lives than God’s Word! Children imbibe our lifestyle.
“REPEAT THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN TO YOUR CHILDREN. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” This is a daily lifestyle, not a weekly church service!
I like the Amplified version of this Scripture too: “You shall teach them DILIGENTLY to your children (IMPRESSING GOD’S PRECEPTS ON THEIR MINDS AND PENETRATING THEIR HEARTS WITH HIS TRUTHS) , , , ”
3. YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE
How do our young people overcome the devil? By having God’s Word written in their hearts. The word is their power and victory over sin, evil, and temptation.
Psalm 37:31: “The law of God is in his heart; NONE OF HIS STEPS SHALL SLIDE.”
I love the NLT which says: “They have MADE GOD’S LAW THEIR OWN, so they WILL NEVER SLIP FROM HIS PATH.”
Psalm 119:9: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mind heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
And they also know how to pray. They pray personally. They pray out loud in prayer meetings. The greatest place to fight the devil is in prayer meetings.
The church waits for strong young men. The nation waits for them. But they don’t just appear; they come out of godly homes.
Let’s intercede for all the young men and women of our nation. My heart cries out daily for the young people in our high schools, colleges, and universities who are daily brainwashed in socialism, homosexuality, and now the transgender lifestyle. Lovely young people from Christian homes go to these “deception infiltrating” colleges and come out blatant socialists and no longer believing in God.
It's time for revival.
Be blessed,
Nancy Campbell
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In my post yesterday, WHEN SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE MARRY? I mentioned that in all probability most of the disciples were teens. Some folks in the thread asked for more information of why I would make this statement. Here are a few things to think about.1. Jesus referred to His disciples as “little children.” E.g.
John 13:33: “Little children, yet a little while I am with you . . . “
John 21:5 (ESV): “Children, do you have any fish?”
Read also Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21. Would older men like to be called “little children”?
Often Jesus said to His disciples: “How is it that ye do not understand?” (Mark 8:21). In Mark 4:13 we notice He is patient with His young students. I am sure He would not talk like this to older men.
Do you remember the story in Matthew 20:20-28 of the mother of James and John who came to Jesus and asked: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.”? Can you imagine grown men allowing their mother to ask such a question of Jesus? And even more embarrassing, to let their mother be their spokeswoman? Impossible. Her sons were obviously young boys.
Many references to the disciples in the gospels reveal their immaturity. Remember how they were so afraid of the storm on Lake Galilee? Seasoned sailors would be used to these storms and not end up in such panic (Mark 4:35-41).
James, son of Alphaeus, was also called James the Less in the Bible. He was obviously shorter than the other disciples and most probably because he was the youngest and may not have yet had his growth spurt which often happens in the mid-teens.
2. In Bible days, most young men finished their early education by 13 - 15 years. If the young man was intelligent and interested in pursuing a religious training, he would seek a rabbi to disciple him. A rabbi began his ministry at 30 years of age and gathered young men around him to teach and disciple. That was the culture at that time.
If a young man did not want to pursue religious studies, he would apprentice with his father in the family business and help toward the economic success of the family. All young men would follow either of these courses by 15 years of age. They married at about 17 or 18 years.
A rabbi did not become a rabbi until 30 years of age and would then begin to gather students to him. A rabbi simply means master or teacher and his disciples were his students or learners. The Jewish Encyclopedia says that some rabbis continued in their former trades (such as a laundryman, shoe maker, water carrier, or sandal maker) while they continued to teach. Students joined themselves to a rabbi usually between the ages of 13 and 15.
Even today a young Jewish boy celebrates his Bar Mitzvah at 13 years of age where he is expected to leave his childhood behind and begin the journey into adulthood. It is a time of purpose and mission, not a time to waste on entertainment, self-serving, laziness, and teenage mentality as they wait for adulthood. No, they press into manhood and adulthood.
3. Do you remember the story in Matthew 17:24-27? Jesus told Peter to go fishing. He told him that the first fish he caught would have a coin in its mouth, the exact amount to pay the temple tax for Jesus and Peter. In Exodus 30:14, 15 it states that every person 20 years and over must pay the temple tax which was half a shekel.
Jesus miraculously provided a shekel to pay the tax for Peter and Him. Peter was the only disciple who was married (Matthew 18:14, 15) and at the time of this story must have been at least 20 years of age. Jesus didn’t need to find money for any of His other students because they must have all been under the age of 20.
4. The Bible does not tell us, but I don’t think Peter had not yet been blessed with children. He must have been newly married. This is another reason Jesus would not have chosen grown men to be His disciples. Older men already had the responsibility of their families to provide, protect, and care for. They would not be so free to leave their families and livelihood to travel around the country as Jesus did with His young disciples.
Jesus often sent forth His disciples around the country to preach and heal the sick (Matthew 10:1-25; Mark 3:13-15; 6:7-13; and Luke 9:1-6).
Why should we be concerned at the age of the disciples? To me it is very challenging. I must admit that I always imagined them around the same age as Jesus (mostly because of pictures and movies). It shows how we are conditioned by pictures we see and how we can believe something without really checking it out. I have changed my understanding after looking into history and the above Scriptures.
Now I realize that the disciples were young, it inspires me to inspire our young people. It grieves me to see young people becoming the victims of a teenage mentality. I believe young people are capable of doing great things and mighty things for God. And yet so many waste these years in a self-centered lifestyle when they could be changing the world. Instead of growing into men, they prolong their adolescence. Instead of being passionate for God, they are more interested in the entertainment of this world.
But these young disciples of Jesus changed the world. As young people, Luke 9:9 tells us that they “Went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.”
That must have been exciting, but it would not have been a picnic. They would have suffered great hardships. Most likely dangers from bandits on the solitary mountain tracks and valleys. They preached this new radical message in a region controlled by Roman authorities who were always ready to snuff out political rebellions and messianic movements. They left the comfort of their families to hit the road, sleeping rough and relying on the hospitality of locals for food and shelter.
Are your teenage sons ready for this? Or are we still treating them as little boys?
Psalm 144:12 (Youngs): “Because our sons are as plants, BECOMING GREAT IN THEIR YOUTH.”
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
Photo: An old picture of our son, Rocklyn, when he was 13 years. Preaching in the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia. He was a powerful young preacher. He is now 55 years!
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We are continuing to look at Malachi 2:14-16 passage about marriage. I notice another interesting phrase in this passage. This Scripture talks about the “wife of thy youth.” That’s a rather interesting phrase, especially in the light of society today.The word youth is “na’uwr” and means “the state of juvenility, youthfulness.” That means mid to late teens. That’s certainly a different concept than the average age for marriage in the United States which is nearly 30 years for men and nearly 28 years for women.
Although many couples may not meet the right one until they are older, there are some who meet when they are younger. I don’t think they should be disqualified from getting married if the parents believe the person they have chosen is a godly young man or woman. The young man should have a good work ethic and be able to provide for his wife. The young couple should be ready for the responsibility of parenthood for that is part of being prepared for marriage.
I know many young couples who have married at 18 years of age, including many They have beautiful marriages. The young men are mature, providing well, and embracing children with love and joy.
This maturity often depends on the way they were raised. Too many young people today are not raised for maturity. They are in a prolonged state of juvenility. When our children turn 13, we should be encouraging and programming them into adulthood—to take responsibility, to work hard, and to prepare for marriage and parenthood. This training is even more important than the rest of their education.
Instead, many young people expect everything to be done for them. They have not been trained to work hard or to work for what they want. The number of young people who are now part of the “Peter Pan” syndrome is increasing. They still live at home with their parents. They take no responsibility for themselves. They can’t even bring themselves to get married, let alone take on the responsibility of children. It’s also called the “Failure to Launch” syndrome. According to the July 2022 US Census Bureau, 58 percent of 18 – 24 year olds are still living at home with their parents, and the percentage is increasing.
Psalm 144:12 talks about our sons “GROWN UP in their youth.” The Young’s Literal Translation says: “BECOMING GREAT in their youth.” Rather than wasting teen years like irresponsible children, they should be moving into adulthood, preparing for marriage and family.
This phrase in Malachi is not an isolated phrase.
Isaiah 54:4, 6 also speaks of the “wife of thy youth.”
Proverbs 2:17 speaks of the “husband of thy youth.”
Psalm 127:4 talks of the “children of the youth.” They not only married young but had their children young. Many young people waste the energetic and glorious years of their twenties, filling their lives with selfish pursuits that will be left behind, when their twenties are the greatest time to have their children.
I believe it is another ploy of the enemy to stop the “godly seed” coming into the world. Often it is more difficult to conceive with they marry later and they miss the blessings of children God longs to give to them. We could even use a stronger word. They are often stolen from them by the enemy who deceives them into thinking that other things are more important than bringing eternal souls into the world. And then sometimes it’s too late.
Before David went out to kill Goliath Saul called him a “youth” (1 Samuel 17:33). Most commentators say that David would have only been about 17 years when he killed Goliath. King Saul promised he would give his daughter to the man who killed Goliath so he must have married soon after.
King Solomon would have been no more than 20 years when he began to reign and began to make his kingdom the richest in the world at that time. Josephus puts his age at 14 years.
King Josiah became a king at eight years of age and was guided by the priest. However, when he was only 16 years of age “while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father” (2 Chronicles 34:3).
And did you know that the disciples were most probably all in their teenage years when Jesus called them? Peter would have been the oldest at about 20 years and he was married.
Let’s not settle for allowing our children to waste their adolescent teen years, but let’s prepare them for maturity for marriage.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Picture: Cedar and Halle Allison, married December last year. Halle was 18 years and Cedar 21 years. Cedar built their house in readiness for their wedding day, and they are expecting a baby girl later this year. They are both very mature and productive young people. Cedar is Sam and Serene Allison’s son, and Halle is the daughter of Daniel and Allison Hartman who organize the Above Rubies Family Retreats in Florida each year.
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More thoughts today from Malachi 2:14-16. We understood something of God’s heart yesterday when we read that God’s longs to see godly children come from our marriage.What were the words again? “Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? And what does he want? Godly children from your union.”
The King James says: “That he might seek a godly seed.” The word “seed” is the Hebrew word “zera.” Did you know that God uses this same Hebrew word for sperm as He does for people?
The word “zera” is used for sperm in Leviticus 14:16-18 and 22:4. And then we read multitudes of Scriptures where God uses the same word for people.
Genesis 46:6, 7 tells how Jacob and all his family came down from Canaan to Egypt: “And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed (zera) with him: His sons, and his son’s sons with him, his daughters, and his son’s daughters, and all his seed (zera) brought he with him into Egypt.”
Did Jacob come down from Canaan with lots of little sperms floating down with him? No. This Scripture is talking about sons and daughters of all ages, and grandsons and granddaughters of all ages—babies, little ones, teens, and adults! And they are all called zera, the same word for sperm!
In Numbers 14:24 God says that because Caleb “followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed (zera) shall possess it.” Imagine if Caleb lived in our society today. There would be many people who God intended to be born, but were not born, and would therefore miss the blessings of possessing the land.
Because Phinehas was zealous for the Lord and stood against the adultery that was happening amongst the people, God said: “Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed (zera) after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God” (Numbers 25:12, 13).The blessing God gave him was also for his coming descendants. If they were contracepting as so many Christian parents are doing today, they would not have been born to inherit the blessings God gave to his future posterity.
Let’s go to the New Testament. Hebrews 7:9, 10 tells us how Levi paid tithes to Melchisedec while he “was yet in the loins” of Abraham who was his great-grandfather! He wouldn’t have even been a twinkle in Abraham’s eyes and yet God knew him before he was conceived. The Bible states that he literally paid tithes as Abraham paid tithes (because he was already in his loins)! Wow, God’s understanding is far beyond ours, isn’t it?
We understand that life begins at conception but God sees life coming from the sperm. He even sees the future generations. He sees far ahead of our puny thinking.
Serene and I were talking about life on one of my podcasts. One-year-old, Solly was sitting on her knee ( she is now five), and she said, “Oh my goodness, imagine if I didn't have her! And look at her personality! God had a vision of her. Imagine if I had said, ‘No, God, I don't want her, I don't care for Your desire to have her in eternity with You.’”
What a powerful revelation! This is something to think about. When we say No to a child that God has planned before the foundation of the world to spend eternity with Him, we deprive that child of life. Not only of life in this world, but of the opportunity to enjoy the glories of the eternal world forever—glories that are beyond the scope of our human minds to comprehend! What a terrible thing to deprive someone of this glory.
Our minds are so puny. I constantly ask God to open my mind to think His thoughts and understand His ways. To save me from putting Him in a box, from bringing Him down to the level of my puny thinking, of making myself a god instead of allowing Him to be God!
If we belong to the kingdom of God, we better be on God’s side. God is a God of life, and His kingdom is a kingdom of life. The devil hates life and his kingdom is a kingdom of death. John 10:10 says that he comes to “steal, kill, and destroy,” the anti-life trio. He does this through contraception, sterilization, and abortion. The devil wants to eliminate life before it is even conceived through contraception and sterilization and abortion is his back-up plan!
Did you know we can be against abortion and yet not pro-life? If we are truly pro-life, we will not take the Pill or any of its associated methods which have the potential to abort babies. If we are truly pro-life, we will believe in life from the very moment of conception. And . . . even before!
Blessings to your home from Nancy Campbell
Painting: "In His Hands" by Graham Braddock.
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In this marriage passage in Malachi 2 that we are pondering, the question comes forth: “What does God want from your union?” We wait for the answer.Let’s read it: “That he might seek as godly seed.”
It is true that God ordained marriage for intimate companionship which every one of us were born for. He ordained the “holy estate” marriage to satisfy the sexual desires He put. But ultimately He ordained marriage for the brining forth of children. We see this in the very first words God spoke into the ears of man: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).
The New Living Translation says: “Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union.”
The Berean Study Bible says: “Has not the LORD made them one . . . And why one? Because he seeks godly offspring.”
Therefore, a young couple are not ready to marry if they are not prepared to embrace children. To go into marriage with the plan to stop children for a certain length of time is not God’s will. To stop God visiting you with His gift of life for any human reason (even “spiritual sounding” reasons) is not God’s will.
I know more than one couple who stopped having children because they were in “the ministry” and wanted to serve God. These couples have the wrong concept of God and the Bible. The perfect will of God will never negate God’s existing commandments.
God desires and looks for children from the marriage union. If we don’t want children, we have a different mindset than God. We are not in step with Him.
And it is not just children He looks for. It is “godly” children. The word is “elohim.” This is one of the names of God. The very first name of God revealed to us in His word in Genesis 1:1.
God looks for goodly couples who will bring forth His children and who will train them in righteousness, justice, and godliness (Genesis 18:19). Who will faithfully teach them God’s ways. Who will pray daily for them that they will be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29) and reveal His image in this earth.
This is the highest purpose for marriage. When we refuse this command, we deny God. We deny His image in the world. We deny our own blessings. And we deny filling eternity.
Blessings to you today,
Nancy Campbell
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This liberal society brainwashes women that the home is insignificant. The opposite is true. God did not create the woman until He had the home ready for her. The home is the foundation of society and the mothers of the home determine the destiny of the nation.
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Not only is it the best thing for this life but also for eternity.
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I notice more words in this passage about marriage in Malachi 2: 14-16. Verse 14 says: “The LORD hath been WITNESS between thee and the wife of thy youth . . .” We often move along in our marriages without ever realizing how much God is involved. Yes, He is involved even if we don’t want Him to be.Do we realize that God is witnessing all our words and interactions with another in our marriage? When we are aware of this, it certainly makes a difference to how we act and speak to one another.
God was witnessing as we spoke our marriage vows, maybe similar to these words: “I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband, and forsaking all others, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, according to God’ s Holy Ordinance.”
We spoke our vows before God. We made a covenant. That’s why God uses the word “treacherous” because when we break covenant with our marriage vows, we also break covenant with God.
Proverbs 2:17 talks about the wife who “forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.” Her marriage vows are called the “covenant of God.” The word “covenant” is “berit” and means “a compact (made by passing between pieces of flesh as God did with Abram in Genesis 15:17-21), a contract accompanied by signs, sacrifices, and a solemn oath which sealed the relationship with promises of blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience.”
Do you notice the words, “FORSAKING ALL OTHERS”? These words are part of our marriage vows. When we marry, we no longer have a “personal” male friend. Of course, we’ll have loads of male friends as couples and families with whom we enjoy fellowship. But never again will we go out for lunch or a cup of coffee on our own with another man. The covenant of marriage makes us “glued” to our spouse. We are one. No longer two. If we don’t understand this concept, we don’t understand God’s concept of marriage.
And remember, God is WITNESSING.
Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell
Painting by Marjansart
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Sharing more thoughts from yesterday’s post. The Message paraphrase of Malachi 2:15 says: “’I hate divorce,’ says the GOD of Israel. GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says, ‘I hate the VIOLENT DISMEMBERING of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage.’ So watch yourselves. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t cheat.”Let’s get it straight. God loves divorced people, but He hates the spirit of divorce. Why? Because it tears apart what God has made one. God loves making two things into one. How did each one of us begin? The sperm from our father fused with the egg of our mother and immediately we were conceived. A new person. No longer two but one. The devil hates new life. The destroyer who comes to steal, kill, and destroy seeks to eliminate this new life. Precious new babies, conceived through God’s wondrous working are dismembered limb by limb in the womb.
The devil also hates God’s plan for marriage where God brings two people together and makes them one. In Matthew 19:4-6 (NET) which is repeated from Genesis 2:24, Jesus said: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one Flesh’? So they are NO LONGER TWO, BUT ONE FLESH.”
God’s plan for our marriage is oneness. This is the very first principle that is mentioned about marriage. He wants us to come together as one flesh, but He also wants us to be one soul, one spirit, and with one vision and purpose. The devil loves destroying God’s plan of oneness. He wants to dismember marriages. Mutilate them. In the same way he is behind the dismembering of precious babies in the womb, he determines the same for marriages. He wants to dismember them little by little and piece by piece.
No marriage suddenly falls apart. It happens gradually. It happens little by little. That’s why we must guard our marriage in every part—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and our thought life. This is perhaps the biggest area of all. Everything begins with our thoughts.
The enemy of our souls tries to bring negative thoughts to you about your husband. Guard your thought life. Cast out every negative, self-pitying, destroying thought in the name of Jesus.
1 Peter 5:8, 9: “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring line, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom RESIST steadfast in the faith.” Don’t become a victim. Instead, RESIST.
We must not only watch our thoughts but our spirits. Husbands are not perfect. There will be times when they may say and do things that hurt and wound the soul. This is where we must reach beyond our feelings. Instead of allowing our hearts to become hard, we soften our hearts to forgive, to forbear, and to love. We stand strong and will not allow the devil to have the victory. We will not allow him to dismember our oneness. NOT EVEN ONE LITTLE BIT!
When God talks about a man cleaving to his wife in Genesis 2;24 it is the Hebrew word “dabaq” and literally means “to cling, to be glued to, stick fast.” When God made you and your husband one, He glued you together. Satan will try to unglue you and slowly dismember you. Do not let him.
In the strength of the Lord you can stand against his temptations!
Love from Nancy Campbell
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It’s good to remind ourselves how God looks upon marriage, isn’t it? The passage in Malachi 2:13-16 gives powerful words to every marriage: Verse 14 says: “. . . Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt TREACHEROUSLY: yet she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant."The word TREACHEROUS is used five times in this passage about marriage. It’s not a light word. The word is “bagad” and means “pillage, to deal deceitfully, treacherously, unfaithfully, to offend, to transgress.”
God created marriage to be a complete oneness of body, mind, soul, and spirit (Genesis 2;24). Marriage is the strongest metaphor in the Bible to reveal God’s relationship with His people. Firstly, with Himself and His chosen people, Israel. God looked upon Israel as His bride. When the Israelites turned away from Him and served other gods, God said they were like a wife turning away from her husband. He uses the word TREACHEROUS again. Read the following Scripture.
Jeremiah 3:20: “Surely as a wife TREACHEROUSLY departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt TREACHEROUSLY with me, O house Of Israel, saith the LORD.” Therefore, this word, TREACHEROUSLY is used of both the wife and the husband who depart from the marriage.
The Bible also reveals that marriage is a revelation of the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. This is why marriage is so powerful. God is the originator of marriage. Not us. He designed it. He planned it. It’s the glorious way He wants us to live on this earth.
The Holy Spirit wants to inhabit even the smallest details of our marriage. If we could only be aware that God witnesses every moment of our marriage. He wants to be in EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of our marriage—in our sexual union, our daily living, our attitudes, and our interactions with one another.
What could happen if we allowed the Holy Spirit to come into every detail? Every situation we face together. Every word we say to one another. Every disagreeing moment? Yes, it would certainly make all the difference.
I am challenged to do this. Are you? Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to come into every little detail and moment of our marriages. He will show us how to react to one another. As we yield to Him instead of our ugly flesh, He will make our union more and more beautiful and wonderful.
More about this tomorrow.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting by William Henry Gore
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When do you begin reading the Bible to your children? We don’t need to wait until they are able to understand the Scriptures. God’s Word is “alive and active.” It goes beyond the mind. Hebrews 4:12 (NET) says that His word goes beyond the intellect and pierces “even to the point of the dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow.” It ministers to the soul, the spirit, and the body.This means we start at the beginning of life, even in the womb. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15 and says: “From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
I love the Message which says: “You took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk!” Don’t you love that? You can read the Word aloud to your baby as you nurse him or her at the breast. As your husband reads God’s Word to your family at our daily devotions, your baby imbibes the Scriptures even as he nurses from the breast.
The word for “child” in 2 Timothy 3:15 is revealing. It’s the Greek word “brephos” and from other Scriptures we see that it means:
a) a child in the womb (Luke 1:41, 44),
b) a newborn babe (Luke 2:12, 16), and
c) a little child as in 2 Timothy 3:15.
God’s word leads us to salvation. A child growing up in a godly home where the Word is read daily will come to salvation at an early age. Some are ready for salvation at three or four years of age. And the sooner your children receive God’s salvation the better it is. Satan wants the souls of your children. He subtly woos them from an early age.
Is your baby hearing the Word? Are your little toddlers being filled with God’s Word? And of course, are your older children being daily and richly filled with God’s Word? If you are not filling them with God’s Word, they will be filled with the influences and spirit of this world.
How can it be that little six-year-olds from Christian homes can know the words to worldly songs and yet not know the Scriptures? Let’s fill them with the powerful, living, and eternal Word of God from their earliest moments.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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One of the most beautiful things in life is to keep a soft heart—
A soft heart toward God.
A soft heart in responding to God’s word.
A soft heart to people who speak against us.
A soft and tender heart toward our husbands.
Jesus said in Matthew 19:8 that “hardness of heart” leads to divorce. Those are very strong words, but everything begins with our heart attitude.
The only way we can keep a soft attitude is by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Our fleshly nature gets offended, hurt, bitter, and then hard. We must guard against these evils.
Instead, we must yield to the Holy Spirit to flood our hearts with His forgiveness and love. But what do you do when your love flies out the window and there is none left? You still have God’s love—His agape love that loves in the face of opposition and hatred.
Romans 5:5 says: “The love of God is shed abroad (poured into) our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Offense leads to bitterness, bitterness leads to hardness, and hardness leads to divorce.
Stop the downward path to destruction now. Dear lovely wife, if you are offended by your husband, get on your knees before the Lord. Forgive—there is no other option. Unforgiveness not only hurts your husband, but you, and your family—but mostly YOU.
Every time your husband sends another arrow into your soul, retaliate with a blessing. That’s God’s way. Of course, it is the opposite to our way. But our way doesn’t work; God’s way does.
1 Peter 38 (NLT): ‘Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, PAY THEM BACK WITH A BLESSING. This is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.”
The Knox translation says: “Not repaying . . . hard words with hard words, but blessing those who curse you,”
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
Love to you today,
Nancy Campbell
Painting: Brian Kershisnik
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This is my husband’s message to fathers today which he posted on MEAT FOR MEN, his Facebook page. I thought you may like to share it with your husband.HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
Last week a good friend of mine told me of a TV questionnaire panel where the first of three contestants to push the button in front of them would win the point.
The question was asked, “What are the missing words in the Lord’s prayer. “Our Father which art in Heaven . . . . . . . Thy kingdom come.” Not one contestant knew the answer of “Hallowed by thy name.” How sad that they did not know the most hallowed name in the universe. This is indicative of a nation that does not know the value of fatherhood. The more this hallowed name is lost in our nation, the more we will suffer.
Where, oh, where are the true fathers? This world is desperate for men to take up the mantle of biblical fatherhood. We are desperately in need of a great revival of true biblical fatherhood.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers” (1 Corinthians 4:15).
True fathers are the desperate need of the anchorless age in which we live. Without fatherhood flying high on the flag poles of this nation we will flounder around like a rudderless ship and eventually become ship-wrecked on the rocks of liberal values. These liberal values regard the state (government) as the modern-day parents of the nation.
When I woke up this morning the Lord’ s prayer rose up from my spirit. The first words of the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father which art in Heaven,” hold the keys to understanding the value of fatherhood. Jesus Christ introduces God in Heaven as “our Father.”
Our God, who is in Heaven, is our ultimate Father, the greatest Father of all. Fatherhood is not just an earthly title given to men of the earth. It is exalted to a high, “far above all,” heavenly title.
Above all other names, God wants to be known as Father and He wants the name of Father to be hallowed (venerated, highly regarded, and greatly esteemed). Unfortunately today’s world has lost the true understanding and value of fatherhood. The further we drift away from God being our Father the more depraved we become of all the great blessings that this amazing name implies.
True fatherhood contains a very loving, intimate, and personal relationship with his children and family. This is exactly the way God wants us all to view Him. Jesus spoke more about God being a Father than all the other writers of the Holy Scriptures.
Let’s be encouraged, men, to be the fathers God wants us to be, fathering in His image.
Blessings to you and your family from COLIN CAMPBELL
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1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us to ABOUND in the work of the Lord. Motherhood is the great work God has given us to do, so why not do it with right attitude?What kind of attitude? The Bible tells us to have an abounding attitude. The word in the Greek is “perisseuo” and literally means “"to excel, to super-abound, to be excessive, abundant, enough and to spare, over and above.”
Now that’s “over the top” living, isn’t it? Is it possible live this way? In our daily life in our homes? Well, this is what God asks of us because He does not want us to live our lives according to our fleshly nature but to allow Him to live His victorious life in us. The life of Jesus is not normal. It is over and above, more than enough, superabundant.
So, let’s get started. This is what we do.
You don’t smile on the odd occasion. You smile constantly. Whenever you look at your husband, you smile at him. Do you like to do this? When you look at your children, you smile at them. When you come out of your bedroom in the morning, you come with a happy face and a cheery “Good morning” to each one. You won’t believe what a difference this makes in your home.
When you encourage your children to do their chores, instead of nagging, you find ways to make it exciting for them. Inspire them. Teach them how to work with a smile. To do it with all their hearts. That won’t be hard for them because they see you doing everything in your home with all your heart.
They don’t see you groaning, complaining, and going around with a sour face. They see you smiling and getting “stuck in” to every task. You teach them the same way.
Whatever task you do, you do it enthusiastically. Happily. Excitedly.
Teach your children the little rhyme on page 16 in my nursery rhyme book, “Nanny’s Nursery Rhymes.” This book is currently on sale at www.aboverubies.org.
Here are the words:
When I have to do a chore,
I do it straight away,
I never grumble or complain,
There’s always time to play.
I put a smile upon my face,
Because I know it’s right.
I put my shoulder to the task,
And do it with my might.
Get your children to memorize the words and say them while they work. Make up a tune for it so you can all sing it as you work.
When it’s time to prepare meals, don’t sigh because there’s another meal to cook. Do it with a joyful heart. Make every meal a love affair. Go beyond the normal and make it special. Praise the Lord you have the opportunity to make nourishing healthy meals for your husband and children.
Throw yourself into your great calling. Don't do it half-heartedly, or half-time. Don't do it grumblingly, grudgingly, or grouchily.
Never the status quo, but more than is necessary.
Have a fun day,
NANCY CAMPBELL
Painting: Roger Wilkinson, “The Suburban Legend.”
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I hope they’ll say she looked straight in our eyes,
She listened to us through our lows and highs,
She encouraged us, prayed for us, helped us do more
Than we ever thought we could have done before.
I hope they‘ll say she laughed and smiled,
She worked hard, but all the while
She whistled and sang, and you can be sure
The most mundane job was an adventure.
I hope that’s what they will say
When they have their own children someday
And they tell them about their mom,
The mommy I am now.
I hope they’ll say she loved braiding hair,
Playing outside and catching toads there,
She planned picnics, tea parties, and wooded tree forts,
Expeditions, outings, games of all sorts.
She said our giggles were her favorite sound,
We’d tickle each other ‘till we rolled on the ground,
And when she read a story, the book came alive,
We could hear all the voices if we tried.
I hope that’s what they will say
When they have their own children someday
And they tell them about their mom,
The mommy I am now.
When Mommy taught us something new,
Hearts mattered more than how much we could do.
And now as we look back and see,
Because of the helpers she let us be . . .
Her jobs took longer and made more mess,
But she knew relationships were the best.
And she always would include us too,
In all the things she had to do.
I hope that’s what they will say
When they have their own children someday
And they tell them about their mom,
The mommy I am now.
Mommy always said, without a doubt,
We were the best friends she’d ever known about.
We knew she was our best friend too,
And felt quite certain it was true.
Whatever the day, the plan, the weather,
We were happy just to be together.
Side by side and hand in hand
We learned to grow and understand.
I hope that’s what they will say
When they have their own children someday
And they tell them about their mom,
The mommy I am now.
She would quickly say she that was sorry,
Ask forgiveness for when she got angry.
We often heard her pray and ask
For strength for this important task
Of raising us, for well she knew
It was far more than she could do.
But in His strength, she chose to rest,
Knowing His will was the very best,
And living it with all her might,
She embraced it all day, and also night!
I hope that’s what they will say
When they have their own children someday
And they tell them about their mom,
The mommy I am now.
ANNA FREY * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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My husband was talking with a young father yesterday. He commented on his lovely family around him and asked if he planned to have more children.“Oh no,” he replied. “We couldn’t afford it.” This is a typical answer. What is the bottom line that we don’t believe that God can provide? This is not the God we read of in the pages of the Bible.
He is El Shaddai, the God who is Enough.
He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.
He is the one of whom David testified: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).
He is the God who pours out His blessing upon us to multiply us and give us children (Deuteronomy 7:11-15; 13:17; 28:1-12).
Do you remember how God provided for His people in the wilderness? When the provision of food ran out God sent manna from Heaven. Every single day (except the Sabbath) for 40 years! God never failed.
This was not a limited provision. God told the people that each day they were to go out in the morning and gather an omer of manna for each person in their family. I haven’t been able to determine the exact measurement of an omer. Different researchers give different answers such as it equaling 6 pints, 4 pints, 2 points, 9.30 cups. A couple did an extensive study and believed it was 3.4 US cups.
The Expositor’s Bible Study Guide gives this interesting information. To feed the three million people God would need to send down with the dew 18 million pints or about 13.5 million pounds each day! To get a better idea it would need a train pulling 45 cars with 15 tons of manna in each car to take care of one day’s supply. That means 1.5 million tons of manna gathered annually.
Has God changed? No, He is still the same God today. Do you believe in the God of the Bible? Or a god of your own imagination? A god who is only able to provide for two or three children? Sadly, this is the god that many believe in in the church today.
Let’s get to know the God of the Bible.
Love from Nancy Campbell
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God is the creator of the home, and it is meant to be the most beautiful place on earth. It is meant to be a replica of God’s home in heaven. Jesus asked us to pray: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
Of course, everything that God designed, the devil hates and seeks to destroy. He wants to steal from us every lovely thing God intends for us. God woos women to the home which He made for them and where we find true rest and joy. The devil woos women out of the home and into a life of deception.
Our God is a dwelling God. He loves to dwell. He dwells in His home in heaven. He dwelt amongst His people in the tabernacle and later in the temple in Jerusalem. He dwells in our hearts. He wants to dwell in our homes. And He will dwell with us for all eternity (Revelation 21:3).
He also wants us to be a dwelling people. The word dwell occurs 468 times in the Bible, translated by many different words. I found 26 different Hebrew words for the word “dwell” and five more that speak of a temporary dwelling.
Every Hebrew word gives a beautiful description of dwelling in our homes. Let me tell you about one. The word “mnuwchah” means “matrimony, repose, consolation, an abode, comfortable, quiet, resting place, still.” Although it means to dwell in a home, it also includes matrimony. When we marry, we make a home—a place of comfort and consolation, a repose, a resting place for God, ourselves, and our children.
Here ae a few Scriptures where it is used:
“My people shall dwell . . . in quiet resting places (mnuwchah)” (Isaiah 32:18).
“The ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place (mnuwchah) for them” (Numbers 10:33). God intends our homes to be resting places.
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside still (mnuwchah) waters” (Psalm 23:2).
“The LORD grant you that you may find rest (mnuwhchah), each of you in the house of her husband.” God wants us to find rest in our marriage and our home.
And God Himself speaks and says: “This is my rest (mnuwhchah) forever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it” (Psalm 132:14).
God desires to live in rest. He wants to rest in your heart and in your home. Will you make your home a resting place?
Love from Nancy Campbell
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Does Jesus Christ have the preeminence “in all things” in your life and in your home? That means all the little things as well as the big things. I think that if we get into the habit of giving Jesus the preeminence in the little things it will be the norm to give him the preeminence in the big things, don’t you?
What are some of the things where we should give Him preeminence? I am sure you can think of many. I think we should learn to give Him preeminence in every attitude. When we decide to stay grumpy and mad, or bitter and hurt, or smoldering with self-pity, we are not giving the preeminence to Jesus but to our ugly fleshly nature! We must choose what we will do. We either yield to the flesh or yield to the life of Jesus that dwells within us.
When we retort and react negatively to our husband, we are not giving Jesus the preeminence. We are showing to our husband our “old man” and hiding the life of Jesus from Him.
When we would rather give time to outside functions and things we can get involved with rather than tending to the needs of our children and our home, we are not giving the preeminence to Jesus. For Jesus Himself said, “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Luke 19:14). The kingdom of God belongs to the little children. When we are nurturing and caring for our little children, we are right in the center of God’s kingdom.
When we don’t have time to gather our family together for family devotions morning and evening, we show to our children that Jesus does not have the preeminence in our home. We reveal that all the other things in life (which are all fleeting) and vie for our attention are more important than Him! Oh, how easy it is for this to happen. I find that in our home I must make it happen. Everything else in our lives revolves around our times with God as a family each day. If other things don’t get done, too bad. But we dare not miss our time with Him—or He is not first place.
What about our commitment to the people of God? I am always challenged by David’s words in Psalm 16:2, 3: “Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee: but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” David delighted in the people of God.
God loves His people and delights in them. They are the apple of His eye. If we don’t delight in them, we are not truly delighting in Him. For if we delight in Him, we will love what He loves. Therefore, we are committed to the gathering of God’s people each week. It is our delight. It is our love. It shows that He is preeminent in our lives. We don’t allow other things to cloud this weekly commitment.
“And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that IN ALL THINGS HE MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMINENCE” (Colossians 1:18).
Oh, yes, there are so many other areas. Let’s seek to give Jesus preeminence “in ALL things.”
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
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