Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Being a peacemaker is not easy! It requires much patience. You have to hear both sides of the story and it often takes time for hardened hearts to soften. The peacemaker must always keep a humble attitude otherwise he will not gain a listening ear. Sometimes drastic measures have to be taken, but it should always be as a last resort. You can't be a good peacemaker if you are impetuous and rush into making a decision without taking time to think the matter through.

If things have been out of order in your marriage or family life for any length of time, do not expect things to change too quickly. Begin Family Devotions on a daily basis and encourage each family member to pray. Praying together helps to bring peace to your home but don't be disappointed if it takes time. When you start an exercise program you would be crazy to believe that you will reduce your unwanted weight overnight.

To bring peace to a troubled marriage takes time, work, earnest desire, as well as a teachable and humble spirit. It may cost the peacemaker a lot in order to bring true lasting peace. Colossian 1:20 tell us that Jesus "made peace through the BLOOD OF HIS CROSS." If it cost our Savior, the greatest of all peacemakers, His own precious blood in order to bring us into peace with God, should not we men who have found this peace be prepared to sacrifice our time and effort to bring peace to our marriage, home, family, neighbors, and nation?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

"Satan trembles when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees."

~ William Cowper

One of the biggest enemies of fathering children is anger. It results in much damage to the psychological and spiritual lives of wives and children.

No wife or children should have to walk around on egg shells in the home because of fear of upsetting the husband.

Shouting, bad language, extreme facial expressions, slamming doors, and pounding fists should never be the testimony of a godly husband and father. It destroys godly role modeling.

~ Colin Campbell

"The worst sin is prayerlessness."

~ Peter Taylor Forsyth

Proverbs 4:18 says, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

Are you walking in the MORE AND MORE pathway? Does your face shine? Are your children's faces shining MORE AND MORE? Or, are they somewhat clouded with shadows of darkness?

It's your responsibility to lead them MORE AND MORE into the light.

~ Colin Campbell

"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness."

~ Richard French

Fathers, there is only one thing in all creation that resists darkness and that is the light. Both forces are at war with one another.

Jesus said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world" and in Matthew 5:14 He says to us, "You are the light of the world."

As far as God and heaven are concerned, there is no other true light apart from His people. If we do not shine brightly, gross darkness will increase. Shine your light, first in your home, and then when you go out into your workplace.

~ Colin Campbell

Fathers, do not abdicate your responsibilities to your own flesh and blood. Be careful not to speak too harshly to them. Don't be too critical of them. Seek to be their best friend. Kind and loving words always win the day.

~ Colin Campbell

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was 42 generations from Abraham. He was "the seed" in the loins of father Abraham 42 generations before He was born.

Fathers, you do not know what powerful seed may be within your loins that could greatly influence the world for righteousness, even in FUTURE GENERATIONS.

Every child we stop from coming in this world, not only deprives the world of a child who has the potential to become a powerful influence for righteousness, but also deprives the world of future dynasties.

~ Colin Campbell

Fathers, never be too busy to take time for your children. Take time  to communicate. Show a genuine interest in all they are doing. Go places with them. Play with them. Have fun with them. Tell them stories. Give loving discipline. Daily teach them from the Bible. Pray with them. And pile upon them heaps and heaps of encouragement.

~ Colin Campbell

"Nothing brings such leanness into a man's soul as lack of prayer. It is well said that neglected prayer is the birthplace of all evil. All good is born in prayer, and all good springs from it. But if one neglects his closet, then all evil comes of it. No man can progress in grace if he forsakes prayer."

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

If we don't discipline our children when they require it, we will be disciplined instead. It will come back on us to torment us. There is no rest and peace in the home with undisciplined and rebellious children. Proverbs 29:17 says, "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."

~ Colin Campbell

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than being alive without breathing."

~ Martin Luther

Allow the Holy Spirit to pulsate your heart and mind. Put a smile on your face. Love on your wife and children. When everyone else is glum, be joyful.

~ Colin Campbell

Exodus 25:30 says, "And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me always." The bread upon the table was called by many different names.

1. SHEWBREAD.

"To shew" means "to tell forth or declare" speaking to us of the New Testament Bread of Life who showed Himself to His disciples (Matthew 16:21; John 21:1-2; Acts 1:3). Jesus Christ, who is the true Bread of Life, still wants to show Himself to our families and to feed us with His Word. We remember that Christ revealed Himself at the table to two of His disciples as He broke the bread (Luke 24:28-32).

Jesus Christ loves to show Himself at meal times. In Revelation 3:20 He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." In the Greek, the word "sup" is the word that is used for the chief evening meal of the day where we "supper" together and fellowship as a family.

How sad it is when Christian families do not invite Christ to their family meal table. How sad when they do not open up the Word and "sup" on it together on a daily basis. Instead, Christ is left standing outside knocking.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to SHOW HIMSELF STRONG in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The table in the tabernacle of the wilderness (Moses' tabernacle), was made of shittim wood, also called acacia wood, and covered with gold. (Exodus 25:23-30; 37:10-16; 40:22-23).

The shittim wood was an incorruptible wood and represented the sinless humanity of Christ. This wooden table, with its double crown around the top edges was completely covered with gold which represented the divine nature of Christ. The double crown represented Christ's royal offices of Priest and King. On this table were set the twelve loaves of bread which were kept on the table for seven days in the presence of God. After the seven days were complete the priests were permitted to eat the bread.

We Christians are New Testament priests and kings unto God (Revelation 1:6). As such we are privileged, with our families, to eat at His royal table just as Mephibosheth, the crippled lame son of Jonathan was privileged to eat at King David's royal table until he died (2 Samuel 9:3-8). Fathers, when we read the Scriptures and pray and worship together at the conclusion of every family meal, we turn our ordinary table into the most royal golden table and dine with the King of Kings and Lord of lords.

Be encouraged

Colin Campbell

Every Christian father is called to raise his children to be disciples. On one occasion our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, fed 5,000 men, plus women and children. On another occasion He fed 4,000 men, plus women and children. Both times were in wilderness areas where food was not easy to procure (Matthew 14:15-21 and 15:32-39).

On these occasions, after He had blessed and broken the bread, He gave it to His disciples and His disciples gave it to the multitudes. Men, as fathers raising families I believe this truth is important for us to see and understand. We are the disciples of Christ. We are to take the blessed and broken bread from the hands of Jesus and distribute it to our families. As we faithfully do this each day, they in turn will become disciples of Christ and minister this same broken bread to the great hungry multitudes of this world.

Men, you are not just raising children. With God's help, you are raising disciples. We cannot leave the work of raising our children to be the disciples of Christ to the church when the Scripture says "The father to the children shall make known thy truth" (Isaiah 38:19).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

At the beginning of their wilderness journey, the children of Israel tempted God by saying, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" (Psalm 78:19). There is no wilderness that is too horrible or too difficult for God to furnish a table for His covenant people. To be truthful, God furnishes two tables for us, both the natural and the spiritual.

Elijah experienced this when God said to him, "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there" (1 Kings 17:4). When he went on his journey to Zarephath God told him "I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee... For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth." (1 Kings 17:9-16).

If you are going through a dry wilderness experience--finances have dried up, bills are mounting up, you can't see any daylight at the end of the tunnel, or you are worried for your wife and family, start calling on the Lord. Ask Him to reveal to you His table of miraculous provision. Don't ever question God's ability to furnish a table for you in the midst of your wilderness.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, the table the Great Shepherd/Father prepares is not behind, or to the side of the sheep, but BEFORE the sheep. Psalm 23:5 says, "Thou preparest a table BEFORE me in the presence of mine enemies."

As under spiritual shepherds , what do we put on the table before our family? Is the Bible to the side or on the shelf somewhere? I notice many churches provide Bibles on the shelf or in the pew in front because many Christians do not take their own Bible to church. It's not beside them, but on a shelf somewhere and is not a priority in their daily lives.

Men, the Scriptures and prayers must be put BEFORE our children's faces. Just as our natural meal is placed on the table before us, we should place their spiritual meal before them. Our wives know the children need healthy meals and place them directly in front of them. After the giving of thanks they are expect to begin eating without any fuss. How would our children feel if we decided to let them forage in the cupboards or side shelves for their natural meals.

Aren't their spiritual meals even more important?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 78:24-25 says, "Yet he had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels' food; He sent them FOOD TO THE FULL." How sad that many Christian families have a very limited and meager appetite for the fresh daily Word of God. No wonder the average Christian family is so malnourished and weak in their spiritual lives.

The children of Israel gathered one omer for each member of their family every day. Most translations of the Bible say that one omer equals two quarts. Dake's Annotated Reference Bible says it equals three quarts, one pint. It goes for reason that a small child could not eat as much as a grown man, therefore what the child could not eat, an adult could possibly eat more. Even though every family received approximately two quarts for each member, they were not to leave any over for the next day. If they did, it bread worms and stank.

Christian families, as well as our churches, have not emphasized enough the importance of the FRESH daily spiritual food that God rains down from Heaven to be gathered and eaten every day.

It had to be gathered each new morning, for when the sun waxed hot it melted. There is something to be said about families getting up early to gather to the Living Bread as soon as the dew lifts from the ground.

Anointed fresh bread from Heaven. Wow.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell