Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Homosexuals have freedom to stand up for their lifestyle and yet Christians face unbelievable fines, court costs, and maybe prison if they refuse to give business to a homosexual. Where is the tolerance in this?

I believe in free speech. I believe in a free country. The alternatives can say what they like, but Bible believers should also be prepared to speak truth with freedom.

The Bible is not allowed in schools, but we now have state-mandated standards on middle school social studies implemented during 2014-2015. Parents complained in my state of Tennessee of their children having to recite out loud, and do projects on the Shahada, or Five Pillars of Faith in Islam. They also had to write: "Allah is the only God." Reports are also coming from parents in many states saying their children are being asked to learn the Five Pillars. Are they asked to learn Bible Scriptures?

Let’s play fair! And most of all, let’s not be deceived. And even more, let’s make sure our children are not deceived, brainwashed, propagandized, and programmed by leftist ideology. What are you doing to prepare your children against this militant agenda?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Shadow continued to feed her babies for many months until they were as big as her, sleek and fat. And now she has had kittens again! Is she upset? No. Once again she contentedly and intently mothers four new kittens. We put her outside to go to the bathroom (although an outside cat, it’s winter time and we allow her in while she nurses her kittens) and she is back as quickly as possible to be with her kittens, letting them nurse as often and as much as they want.

The Bible also questions those who do not embrace their instinctive maternalness:
Lamentations 4:3: “Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give su.ck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.”

Job 39:13-16: “The ostrich . . . which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labor is vain without fear; because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.”

Isaiah 49:15: “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?”

Surely we who are made in the image of God should embrace the inherent maternalness God has put within us.

Blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

P.S. A picture of Shadow with her first set of kittens. They are now bigger and can be outside.

It takes all of your energy being a mother and wife,
Requiring daily commitment and a disciplined life,
It demands all your resources of patience and love,
Long-suffering and wisdom from the Father above.

It takes self-control and continual endurance,
It needs constant faith and great perseverance,
It means total sacrifice, forgetting your self,
Sometimes you think that you’re left on the shelf!

And what about time? It’s no longer yours,
It belongs to all those who come in your doors.
Claim your own rights? No, they're all gone too,
Like your right to sleep the whole night through!

It's not so easy to crawl into bed with a book
Or go off and dream in some quiet little nook.
It seems like you're totally losing your life
To be a good mother and a submissive wife.

But oh, faithful mother, please do not despair,
In God's perfect plan you do have a share,
To fulfil your destiny planned from creation
Which is to nurture children and BUILD A NATION!

You’re walking in the footsteps of Jesus your Lord
Who sacrificed all, His life He out-poured,
He didn't cling to His rights with selfish futility
He didn’t claim any privilege but walked in humility.

He gave up His life to save millions of others,
This principle works in the lives of all mothers,
When you lose your own life you'll find it again,
A rewarding life, without guilt or shame.

So lift up your head, embrace your calling so high,
You're in God's perfect will, there’s no reason to sigh!
You may often feel worthless - don't listen to this lie,
Your influence goes higher than the clouds in the sky!

As you nurture and train your God-given seed,
As you sharpen these 'arrows' by word and by deed,
You shape the nation - you determine its course,
Your mothering’s not wasted, it’s a great mighty force!

As your children leave home and go into the world
The proof of your training will soon be unfurled
You’ll influence countries where you've never been,
And down the generations its effect will be seen.

Your work is so powerful, no wonder it's tough,
But God is behind you, He's the GOD WHO IS ENOUGH,
His strength and His wisdom He will give to you,
He stands by His promises which are totally true.

He'll always be with you right through to the end
As you follow His leading and deny the world's trend,
Each morning you wake, your strength He'll renew.
He'll fill your home with His presence and His blessed peace too.

Love from Nancy Campbell

How can you bless someone back when you feel hurt and mad at them? Only by God’s grace. Only by the power of Christ’s love and forgiveness that is in you because Christ lives in you. God’s ways are opposite to the way we feel, but they always work.

Can I encourage you to try it? Is you husband cold and indifferent to you? He says things that hurt you? Think of ways to bless him. Take time to think of words blessing to say to him. Speak kind, sweet, and loving words to him, even in the face of his indifference. You don’t feel like doing this, but let me tell you, you will be amazed at the miracles that will take place when you do it God’s way.

Proverbs 12: 25 (TLB) says: “A word of encouragement does wonders.”

Love from Nancy Campbell

He created you for His joy and pleasure
And has chosen you as a special treasure,
He has graven your name on His very own palm,
He’ll come to your aid with His mighty right arm.

He is your Source, He will fill your cup,
When you are down, He will lift you up.
You don’t have to stay sad, for He is your Joy,
He’ll help you conquer those things that annoy.

God has given you children, which are your glory
To enrich your life and help write your story.
You’re in God’s perfect will, this is your calling,
He’ll help you each day and keep you from falling.

You can’t do it alone, your strength is weak,
Trust in the Lord and things won’t seem so bleak.
Look to the Lord, not the problems you face,
And you’ll be amazed how He’ll give you His grace.

A joyful mother is what He wants you to be,
Filling your home with gladness and glee.
Counting your blessings and praising the Lord
For His daily mercies and love out-poured.

“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart”
(Psalm 34:18).

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

David confessed in Psalm 37:25: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread.” It all comes down to which God you worship; either a god of your own imagination or the God of the Bible who is totally faithful and totally able to provide and will never let you down.

Check out the following article that is filled with God’s promises to you as parents:
http://tinyurl.com/CanGodProvideforBaby

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

We don’t have to chop the kindling and then bring in the wood to light the fire (although that’s what we do each day); we just expect our heating system to keep us warm. We don’t have to boil the copper, scrub our clothes on the old scrubbing board, and then hang them out on the line; we just press a button on the washing machine and then the drier.

Many mothers simply cannot wait until their baby is born to find out if it will be a boy or girl. I’m not saying it’s wrong; just that we don’t have patience! Most children today have never experienced the longing and anticipation of waiting for something for months and months or even a year or more. And so we have lost the art of patience. I think it’s time we learned it, don’t you?

We forget that God lives in eternity. He is not in a hurry. He is not ruled by time, nor does He succumb to the timetables of our frenzied lives. But He always comes in the perfect time. He is Alpha and Omega.

The word Greek word “patience” in the above Scripture means longanimity. Have you have heard of that word before? It’s really another word for longsuffering and forbearance. It means that we often have to wait a LONG TIME, even though we are filled with faith, to receive the fulfillment and promise.

Take heart, dear ones. God has not forgotten you. He has you in the palm of His hand. He will deliver you in His perfect time. He will bring the answer at the right time. And as you wait, trusting in Him, He will fill you with joy and peace.

And remember, it’s not a patience of resignation. “Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to stick it out and wait.” No, it’s a patience of anticipation, always believing that God will come at the very perfect time.

Blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

Proverbs 18:10 says: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

Rejoice in the name of the Lord. Your circumstances may not change but your attitude will. Instead of turmoil you’ll have peace. And the atmosphere of your home will change.

Psalm 71:8: “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor ALL THE DAY.”

Be blessed.

Nancy Campbell

Did you know that women in their childbearing years are meant to be predominantly "suckling mothers" rather than "menstruating mothers"? This is far kinder to their female body and how God intended it to function.

Malcolm Gladwell quotes Drs. Coutinho and Segal when citing an anthropological work by scientist, Beverly Strassman in Mali, Africa: "Incessant ovulation serves no purpose except to increase the occurrence of abdominal pain, mood shifts, migraines, endometriosis, fibroids, and anemia." And again, "Ovarian and endometrial cancer are characteristically modern diseases, consequences, in part, of a century in which women have come to menstruate 400 times in a lifetime."

Romans 9:20: “Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Jesus died upon the cross for our sins in order to make us His friends. He wants to fellowship with us. He wants us to live in His presence.

Jesus said: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I made known unto you” (John 15:13-15).

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says a career is “a profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling.” Motherhood is not a part-time job. It is a permanent calling, a calling for life.

The Free Dictionary says that a career is:
a) A chosen pursuit; a profession or occupation.
b) The general course or progression of one's working life or one's professional achievements.

Motherhood is even more than a chosen pursuit. It is a calling and commission from God. He created us for this very task. This is His divine plan for our lives. When we embrace our career of motherhood, we know that we walk in the perfect will of God.

In Ezekiel 19:10, 11 God gives us a beautiful allegory about motherhood. He speaks about Judah and likens her to a mother. He says that “her stature was exalted.” The word “exalted” in the Hebrew means “to soar, to mount up, to lift up, to raise up to great height.” One translation says that she is higher than all the other trees around. There are many careers for women, but motherhood is the highest one of all. We don’t “come down” to come home to our children, we “COME UP” to the highest career of all.

Love from Nancy Campbell

LIGHT for He is the light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5-9). This Scripture reminds us that if we live in the light we will have fellowship with one another. We live in harmony with our husband and our family. We do not hold grudges, bitterness, or unforgiveness. To live this way we must constantly confess any sin or any thing that grieves the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And praise the Lord, God promises that the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin.

LOVE for God is love. If He dwells in us and we dwell n Him we will live in love which will manifest through our eyes, our countenance, our hands, and our feet. It will fill our home.

TRUTH for God is truth (John 8:32). Let’s open our hearts and minds to the presence of God for in His presence all deception is exposed.

REST for God lives in rest (Matthew 11:29-30). What a beautiful revelation. If we live in God’s presence we live in rest. Nothing takes God by surprise. Nothing gets him tied up in knots. When you live in Him you live above the difficulties that try to pull you down.

JOY for God is our exceeding joy (Exodus 33:14-16; Psalm 16:1l; 43:4 and Jude 1:24). Worry and self-pity do not live in God’s presence.

HOLINESS without which no man will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We cannot enjoy God’s presence if we allow sin in our lives. We must keep short accounts with God, allowing His Holy Spirit to search our hearts each day.

It is not enough for us to live daily in God’s presence. God wants our children to live in His presence. He wants our continuing generations to live in His presence. Claim Psalm 102: 28 (NEB) for your children: “Thy servants’ children shall continue, and their posterity shall be established IN THY PRESENCE.”

May your home be filled with the presence of God today.

~ Nancy Campbell

Psalm 37: 23-24 says: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in His way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand."

Even if you fall seven times in one day, you can get up again each time. Proverbs 24:16 says: “A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.”

Micah 7:8 says: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” Read also Psalm 145:14.

Be blessed today.

Nancy Campbell

How often I fall short of God’s divine plan for me. May God help me, and each one of us, to be the helpers He wants us to be to our husbands.

~ Nancy Campbell

“But I don’t seem to get time to read the Bible,” you answer. I know it is not easy when you have little ones around you. When my children were little I used to keep a Bible beside the toilet, one on my windowsill in the kitchen, and one in the place where I nursed the baby. There are many moments when you can receive life and sustenance if you make them happen. Open your Bible to the Psalms or Proverbs where it is easy to read a few verses in context.

And it is the same for your children. We would not dream of starving our children. We faithfully feed them three meals a day, and often in-between. And yet we let their souls and spirits starve! Make sure you gather together as a family morning and evening to read God’s Word together. You’ve got to keep their souls and spirits alive too.

Blessings to you home today,

Nancy Campbell

Let’s embrace the privilege and awesomeness of conception and birth--miraculous blessings from God. Because this is God’s beautiful plan, the devil hates it and tries to destroy life every way He can.

Let’s be life receivers rather than life stoppers.

Love from Nancy Campbell

“But what about me? you cry. Of course we have to care for ourselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. That’s basic. But we don’t tune all our thinking on ourselves. I’ll never forgot a moment in my life years ago. My children were all little and I had just come home from purchasing the groceries. As I walked over the threshold of my home, I felt the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking strongly to my heart, “Nancy, how can I reveal to you the needs of others if you are always thinking of yourself?” I have never forgotten those words. From then on I learned to give much more room in my mind and heart for others.

Will we be forgotten when we pour out our lives for others? No, the opposite. God makes sure that our “self” as George MacDonald puts it, will be blessed and comforted. God pours into those who pour out.

Mothering is a liberating ministry into this eternal principle. Not on the odd occasion, but 24/7 we forget self as we pour out our hearts for our children--praying for them, teaching them, training them, caring for them, cooking for them, and often agonizing over them.

Let’s embrace this eternal principle and live in the fullness of the joy and life God intends for us. We teach our children how to be joyful; we need to adhere to it ourselves.

J Jesus first
O Others second
Y Yourself last

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell