Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

We must remember, at all times, and never forget that our God is a God of truth land He rejoices in the truth.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God declares in in John 14:6: “ I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” We who are true followers of should also rejoice in the truth. We never rejoice that we escaped conviction by telling a lie.

We who are old enough will remember the O. J. Simpson trial with the famous line: “If the glove doesn’t fit, you have to acquit.” O. J. Simpson was indeed guilty, and they did not rejoice in the truth.

Exodus 30:16: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

Exodus 23:1: “Thou shalt not raise a false report.”

Deuteronomy 19:16-21: “If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;
Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
And the judges shall make DILIGENT INQUISITION and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother; so shall thou put the evil away from among you.
And those which remain shall hear, and fear and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you
And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

Wow! If we did to false witnesses what God says in this Scripture, it would result in the fear of God coming upon the people and this sin would be put down.

We remember the false witness that spoke against Brett Kavanagh at the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court. I remember correctly the false witness made a lot of money from a Go Fund Me program. How crazy.

When people raise their hands these days and swear to “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God,” it doesn’t mean a whole lot anymore.

It is a sad day when more people rejoice in a lie rather than rejoicing in the truth.

We must become a nation who will speak the truth, at all times, even if it hurts us.

To be continued.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

Is not God enough for thy need, or is his all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants?

Dost thou want another eye beside that of him who sees every secret thing?

Is his heart faint? Is his arm weary? If so, seek another God; but if he be infinite, omnipotent, faithful, true,

and all-wise, why gladdest thou abroad so much to seek another confidence? Why doest thou rake the earth to find another foundation, when this is strong enough to bear all the weight which thou canst ever build theron?”

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

When we walk in agape love, we will not rejoice in any form of iniquity that happens amongst our brothers and sisters in the church we belong to. Nor will we pass on negative information relating to members of our own family and close friends.

The only righteous reason for passing on negative concerns is to encourage prayer and desire that the matter will be dealt with in a God-fearing and God-loving way. Therefore, we must be careful about who we talk to. We should not pass information on to people who do not pray.

If we fear God, we will not pass on anything with a motive to gossip or slander.

If we are tempted to pass on to others anything that is based on hearsay and cannot be collaborated or verified, we should check out the facts before we say anything. Otherwise, we are no better than the fake media!

Leviticus 19:16b: “Neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the LORD.” We stand against the blood of our neighbor when we find some juicy titbit of gossip to say against them. It is a serious thing in the sight of God when we feel glad or even want to share negatives to others. Sometimes we can’t wait to gossip and slander others to spread a negative and evil report.

Some might say that to stand against the blood of your neighbor means to want your neighbor dead! Or you will not defend your neighbor’s blood if he should die or be killed. However, 1 John 3:15 says: “Whosoever hateth his brother (neighbor) is a murderer and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

Tale bearing, gossiping, and slandering goes against the love of the brethren as well as the love of one’s neighbors.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Why is it that we love to hear news of how some Christian celebrity has failed in some form of iniquity? Is it because we believe ourselves to be better than them? Is it because their failure gives us a reason to gossip?

Why do we love to gossip about other people’s failures even if they are not celebrities? We love to say that we would never do anything like that.

Why is it that after we have gossiped about those who have failed that we seek to cover ourselves by offering up a word of prayer for them? We should have been praying for them at the beginning and then we may have delivered ourselves from a gossiping, slanderous spirit.

We set ourselves up for failure when we gossip about other people’s failures.

To be continued.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

He knows not all that is before;
He little dreams of hidden snares.
He holds my hand, and o'er and o'er
I find myself beset with fears.

Father, as this boy looks to me
For guidance, and my help implores,
I bring him now in prayer to Thee;
He trusts my strength, and I trust Yours.

Hold Thou my hand as I hold his,
And so guide me that I may guide.
Teach me, Lord, that I may teach,
And keep me free from foolish pride.

Help me to help this boy of mine,
To be to him a father true.
Hold me, Lord, for everything
As fast as I hold my boy for You."

~ N. W. Brapham

And I must illustrate these tales,
Must imitate the northern gales
That toss the Indian’s canoe,
And show the way he paddles, too.
If in the story comes a bear,
I have to pause and sniff the air
And show the way he climbs the trees
To steal the honey from the bees.

And then I buzz like angry bees
And sting him on the nose and knees
And howl in pain, till mother cries;
“That pair will never shut their eyes,
While all that noise up there you make;
You’re simply keeping them awake.”
And then they whisper: “Just one more,”
And once again I’m forced to roar.

New stories every night they ask,
And that is not an easy task;
I have to be so many things;
The frog that croaks, the lard that sings,
The cunning fox, the frightened hen;
But just last night they stumped me, when
They wanted me to twist and squirm
And imitate an angleworm.

At last they tumbled off to sleep,
And softly from their room I creep
And brush and comb the shock of hair
I tossed about to be a bear.
Then mother says: “Well, I should say
You’re just as much a child as they.”
But you can bet I’ll not resign
That story-telling job of mine.

By Edgar A. Guest

Romans 12:17-21: “Recompense to no man evil for evil . . . as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men . . . Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Hebrews 10:30: “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.”

The above Scriptures have their basis in Deuteronomy 32:35: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence.”

1 Samuel, chapter 25 tells the story of how David was on his way to repay vengeance upon a rich and evil man called Nabal who had a very beautiful and virtuous wife called Abigail.

All David requested of Nabal was some food for himself and his men who had worked hard to protect Nabal’s men from robbers and violence. Nabal did not reward David and his men for guarding and protecting his shepherds and stock men in the dangerous wilderness. Instead, he scoffed at David’s help and sent his servants back to David empty-handed.

This got David really riled up and he was ready to take vengeance himself rather than let God do it His way.

Fortunately, Nabal’s wife put together a sizeable gift of food and drink and sent it ahead of her by her servants. When she met David, she softened David concerning his taking vengeance on her evil husband.

She said to him: “When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, don’t let this be a blemish on your record . then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant.”

If David and his 400 mean had attacked there would have been a lot of bloodshed. Abigail did not want David to have grief of heart over shedding blood causelessly.

David had not sought the Lord about this revenge and when it was all over (if God had not intervened through Abigail) he would have been ashamed for over-reacting in the heat of the moment.

It is interesting to note that David had been very careful about the life of King Saul who had done greater evil to David than Nabal. And it was to David’s credit that he was teachable and humble enough to let go of his own revenge and let God revenge Nabal.

Instead of stubbornly going ahead, David humbly replied to Abigail: “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel who has sent you to meet me today! Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.”

We must never take vengeance into our own hands. We will always do it the wrong way. When we leave it to God, He will do the job in the right time and the right way, which he did with Nabal. Read Verses 35 – 39.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The Greek word for “thinketh” is “logizomai” meaning “to take an inventory, to occupy oneself with reckonings or calculations, to estimate, impute by number, despise, esteem, reckon, reason, suppose, and think on.” All these words are interpretations of the same Greek word.

It is a difficult temptation when people you know and consider your friends speak against you and falsely accuse you. It’s not so bad if they are casual acquaintances. Sometimes they are members of your own family or even your own spouse.

Immediately we think of some sort of retribution. We may even think of some way we could teach them a lesson or two. By so doing we only harm ourselves and get into a heated and angry state. Or perhaps even feel sorry for ourselves.

We can share the injustice of the way we have been betrayed with others and a root of bitterness springs up whereby many are defiled (Hebrews 12:15).

In Matthew 18:15 Jesus said: “Morever if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

We are better to fix our thoughts on ways to bring healing and reconciliation rather than scheming ways to bring our own retribution of evil upon our accusers. We are told in the Scriptures not to pay back evil with evil, but rather to give them a blessing (1 Peter 3:9). God want us to retaliate with blessing.

Psalm 37:1-8: “FRET NOT thyself because of evildoers . . . TRUST IN THE LORD, and do good . . . DELIGHT thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart . . . COMMIT THY WAY unto the LORD; trust also in him . . . REST IN THE LORD, and WAIT PATIENTLY for him: FRET NOT thyself because of who prospereth in his way . . . CEASE FROM ANGER, and forsake wrath: FRET NOT thyself in any wise to do evil.”

To be continued.

Be encouraged Colin Campbell

This may take time for the devil doesn’t give up easily. You must bring out the big guns against him. Toy guns don’t fool him.

Our biggest weapons are found in Revelation 12:11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

We also learn from 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

This Scripture instructs us how to deal with negative, destructive evil thoughts that the devil uses to make us disobedient to Christ in our thought life. We must resist him and not give place to them.

Our thought life is where we win or lose; or where the devil wins or loses. Our thought life is where the devil raises his strongholds. We must teach ourselves, our families, and our friends how to get the victory and maintain the victory over every thought.

We must get into the habit of bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

We can use the Second Amendment entitling us to carry guns on our hips to protect ourselves and others physically, and yet be totally unarmed around our thoughts and minds. This is where spiritual ISIS or any other terrorist spiritual force takes control of our unarmed minds.

This is where our number one battle is won or lost. It’s all in our thought life. No wonder the high priest wore a bonnet with an engraving across the front, HOLINESS TO THE LORD (Exodus 28:36-38). God wants holy minds. He wants clean minds, not unclean.

Read again 2 Corinthians 10:4: ”For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but MIGHTY THROUGH GOD TO THE PULLING DOWN OF STRONG HOLDS.”

1 Peter 1:13: “Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Moods can be so strong that anyone coming into the home can immediately feel them. You can literally cut the air with a knife.

Parents must take the child aside and quietly, but firmly, explain how wrong the child’s behavior or attitude is. Sharing God’s Word and praying with the child is important. If the behavior is serious enough a spanking may be appropriate. A full apology by the child is essential to anyone who may be a victim.

When one is older and cannot be treated like a child, it is still important to address the matter maturely and not in anger. The Scripture says: “A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath” (Proverbs 15:1 NET).

Galatians 6:1 applies to adults who could be part of the family or part of the church fellowship. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, let thou also be tempted.”

We notice the importance of meekness in Scripture when it comes to counseling, bringing correction, and disciplining.

1 Corinthians 4:21: “What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?”

2 Corinthians 10:1; “Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ . . . “

2 Timothy 2:25: “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

There are many Scriptures that tell us of God’s patience and longsuffering towards the backsliding of His people. But if God’s people do not heed His warnings and the many times He sends His servants, the prophets, to warn them, the day comes when God says, “Enough is enough.”

Psalm 81:11, 12: “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

Many of the judgments which God gives, both to His own people as well as to the heathen nations, come after much patience and longsuffering on God’s part. Do you remember the story of Nineveh?

There are some exceptions to the rule, e.g., Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3 and Numbers 3:4) in the Old Testament and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1—11) in the New Testament. Read their examples again.

Romans 15:18: “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.” In other words, he quietens down strife. This is a necessary attribute for fathers.

A man may be brave enough to capture a city, but Proverbs 16:32 says: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”

Proverbs 19:11: “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” The word discretion in the Hebrew (sekel) means “wisdom, understanding, knowledge, prudence.”

2 Chronicles 2:12: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence (sekel) and understanding.”

The truth of the subject is that 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that agape love is not easily provoked. There are far too many Christians who are easily provoked. Even a wrong look can cause a volcanic eruption. However, a prudent man will be slow to retaliate.

Our whole society is endangered by a very violent sub-culture who, through drugs and bad upbringing, have become angry and violent. None of us know when the “hot head” may strike next and what method they or he will use to kill and destroy.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The word provoked in the Greek language is “paroxumo” meaning “to exasperate, to stir.”

In John 2:14-17, we read that Jesus Christ, the perfect example of agape love was provoked to righteous indignation, especially when it came to corrupting the purity and holiness of God’s house.

John 2:17 states: “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” This was stated from Psalm 69:9.

It’s a shame that we who call ourselves the followers of Christ do not have the same zeal and righteous anger regarding God’s house when it is corrupted and defiled in so many ways.

Our Father God is agape love (1 John 4:8). However, Psalm 7:11 says: “God is angry with the wicked every day.” The next Scripture, verse 12 says: “If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.”

The NLT says: “If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows.”

More tomorrow.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell