Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

There Is nothing greater than love except God because God is love!

1 John 4:8: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

1 Corinthians 13;13: “But the greatest of these is love.”

The question is: how great is the love of God in us?

Love is the principle doctrine of the three abiding truths which are faith, hope, and love.

1 Corinthians 13:1: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Speaking in tongues is not forbidden in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 14:39), whether it be the tongues of men or of angels. However, in the church it must be interpreted, otherwise it is out of order. But even if we have a powerful gift of speaking in tongues and yet are not exercising the fruit of love we are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Every gift must be exercised from a heart that is filled with the love of Christ otherwise it will not profit the giver or hearer.

1 Corinthians 13:2; “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

Prophecy is a great gift because it edifies the church, but if the individual who prophesies is not filed with the love of God it prophets them or the hearers nothing.

Jonah was told to go and prophecy to the people of Nineveh. However, he was definitely not filled with the love of God. He had no love at all for the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to be destroyed and God did not reward him for his failure to love, even though he was miraculously delivered from spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale.

Because of this Jonah became a prophetic sign of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, 41: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and , behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

To be filled with wisdom and to understand all mysteries and knowledge would be a very powerful gift and could draw crowds of people desperately seeking answers to their problems and important questions. However, from God’s perspective, it would profit the individual nothing if not motivated by the love of God that is shed abroad in the believer’s heart (Romans 5:5). Such a gift, though given by God’s love could easily promote pride.

The user of the gift must at all times give all the glory to God and seek to be always filled with God‘s love. Otherwise this powerful gift will profit him nothing.

Jesus Christ made it very clear that the supernatural gifts give us no credence, nor do they give us God’s acceptance or reward.

Although supernatural gifts of God will attract people’s attention and people will flock to be blessed by these gifts, they can only bring reward to the stewards of these gifts if they operate in the love of God.

I am most certainly not downplaying any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but merely saying that every steward of every gift must make sure the fruit of love is flowing from their lives.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We can still call the things that we have faith and hope for as though they already were (Romans 4:17). Abraham not only believed for his son, Isaac, but he hoped for much more. He believed and hoped for future descendants and generations, as many as the stars in the sky that would come from his promised son (Genesis 15:5, 6).

Even Jesus Christ, the Messiah was included in the promised Isaac. The miracle baby was the down payment (Galatians 3:15, 16).

It is important for us fathers to take notice of Abraham, the “friend of God.” His desire for children was very great. He wanted children. He longed for children.

Genesis 18:19: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

Abraham was a prototype father, a pattern father. God declared Abraham righteous because he believed in a multitude of future sons and daughters. This should challenge us fathers to rethink our own position on this important subject. God himself is a lover of children (many children).

As fathers, we must teach our children all that God has promised us. How can they believe and have hope in the Scriptures if no one enlightens them of these “exceeding great and precious promises”?

2 Peter 1:4: “Whereby are give unto us EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

This world is full of hopelessness and unbelief in God’s Word. Many of the Christian faith are very ignorant of most of the promises of God’s word. A good father will teach his children the promises of God.

1 Peter 3:15: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

Most Christians today cannot give a scriptural reason of the hope that is within them. Why? Because they do not know the Scriptures. Let’s be fathers who diligently teach the Scriptures to our children.

Isiah 38:19: “The father to the children shall make known thy truth.”

Romans 15;4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

“Now abideth faith, hope and love.”

Hope is a doctrine that we don’t hear preached about very much these days. We hear a lot of sermons on faith, a lot on love, but next-to-nothing on hope.

The Greek word for hope is “elpis” and means “to anticipate, expectation, confidence” .

West’s Word Studies from the Greek new Testament explains hope as . . .
“ACTIVELY LIVE,
an ENERGIZING PRINCIPLE of divine life in the believer,
a Christian HOPEFULNESS AND OPTIMISM produced in the believer yielded to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
It is both an attitude of EXPECTANCY as the Christian looks forward to the inheritance awaiting him in heaven, and a HOPEFULNESS OF PRESENT BLESSING from God in this life in view of the eternal blessedness of the believer in the next life.
A child of god has no right to look on the dark side of things, and to look for the worst to happen to him. As the object of God’s care and love, he has THE RIGHT TO LOOK FOR THE BEST to come to him and to LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS.”

Hope is similar to faith but not the same. Hope is more futuristic than faith. Faith takes the promises of God that are meant to be experienced by the believer in the here and now and claims them for his benefit. Faith believes that miracles can be claimed from God for our present trials, sicknesses, and catastrophes.

Jesus said in Matthew 21, 22: “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Speaking of Abraham in Romans 4:17, 18 it says: “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

Abraham believed in the docrtine of hope. He believed in hope because God had spoken this promise to him. He still had to wait 25 years for Isaac to be born. Therefore, during those 25 years of waiting he employed faith that believed in a 25-year future hope. This hope was not based on uncertainty, but on the integrity of God’s spoken word.

The phrase, “who against hope believed in hope” can be difficult to get one’s mind around. However, when we consider the obstacles to this future hope of the birth of Isaac, we can understand.

Abraham was about 100 years old when “he considered not his own body now dead . . . neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” All of this, his old age and the deadness both in himself and in Sarah, worked as a natural law against his God-given hope.

Burt God had spoken this promise to him (Genesis 15;2-6 ; 17:1-10; and 18:9-19). Although there were major obstacles against his hope, he still believed in this hope. Therefore we see that hope and faith, founded on God’s Word work together.

Romans 4:20: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” He became strong in faith as he gave glory to God.

Romans 4:21: “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.“ Some people say that hope is the enemy of faith. However, I think that interpretation is not correct.

Romans 8:19-21 (NET): For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of God who subjected it – IN HOPE that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.”

We see that God has subjected his creature (man) to vanity (decay, futility, death, suffering), but at the end of this subjection is the realization of glorious hope.

More next week.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

1. Right NOW we are to be looking at the image of Christ revealed in the words of Scripture as well as in the unveiled faces of our fellow-believers (2 Corinthians 3:18).

2. Right NOW, at this present time, we are to be always increasing our knowledge of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Pearl of Great Price. He is the inexhaustible treasure of wisdom and knowledge. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). We must never, ever stop seeking more knowledge of Him. We must have an insatiable desire and appetite to know Him more (Philippians 3:10-14).

3. And NOW abideth faith hope and love. These three truths are the real essence of true Christianity. They are the three most important abiding truths that will never be done away with or superseded. These three truths are abiding both now and forever.

Faith is eternal. Hope is eternal. And love is eternal These are three everlasting truths that we must pay full attention to. We must be strong in them and grow stronger in them. We must live in these three truths and allow them to live daily in and through us. Faith, hope, and love are Christianity in a nutshell.

The Greek word for faith is “pistis” meaning “persuasion, credence, convictions of religious truth, especially reliance and trust upon
Christ for salvation, constancy in such profession, the system of the gospel truth itself, assurance, belief, faith, and fidelity.”

Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Surely, we all want to please God. Faith that is genuine takes hold of the promises of God and will not let them go until God gives the breakthrough. Faith believes in the heart and confesses with the mouth (Romans 10:9, 10).

Faith is very powerful and can move mountains, and God only knows how many mountains need removing mountains—mountains of trouble, mountains of fear, sickness, disease, and financial mountains, etc. One should never underestimate the importance of faith.

Jesus spoke a lot about faith and exercised faith in every miracle that He performed. The words “believe” and “have faith in God” are synonymous terms.

Faith is such a great subject and tremendous books have been written on the subject by such authors as Kenyon, Bosworth and T. L. Osborn, etc.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

In Job chapter 26 Job tries to describe some of the wonders of God but it is an impossible task. In verse 14 he says: “Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him?”

All the while we live on this earth, we can only gain partial knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is.

When I was a young boy, every Sunday morning our family of nine children attended a small “Open Brethren” church in a small township in New Zealand. Most of us who gathered were all related with some visitors from time to time. We loved to sing hymns from the hymnal, “Hymns of Light and Love.” We still have one of these hymn books in our home. I loved to sing No. 239. Here are some stanzas from the seven verses of the hymn:

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of thine,
My Savior, Jesus, yet this soul of mine
Would of thy love in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, it’s everlasting strength,
Know more and more.

But though I cannot sing, or tell, or know
The fullness of thy love, while here below,
My empty vessel I may freely bring,
O Thou, who art of love the living spring,
My vessel fill.

Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,
When on thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,
Then of thy love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
My soul shall sing.

It will take better minds with much better powers of understanding to comprehend all there is to know about our Lord Jesus Christ. But we are promised in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that when we see Him “face to face . . . that then we will know Him as He really is." So great will be the revelation that all our prior knowledge will be so limited in comparison. It will be considered “partial knowledge.” Partial knowledge will be replaced with full knowledge. “Face to face” knowledge.

However, we cannot ever give away our pursuit of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Even though our faith is weak and frail, we must make every effort to gain more heart-knowledge of the One who is our Lord of lords and King of kings. The more we know of Him the deeper our love will be for Him on this earth NOW.

The bride in the Song of Solomon describes her Beloved with the most endearing terms. Read Song of Solomon 5:10-16.

The greater our knowledge of Him will determine the greater our worship of Him.

When I was a young man, along with other young people who were on fire for God, we used to sing:
To know Him, to know Him
Is the cry of my heart,
Spirit reveal Christ to me.
To hear what You’re saying
Brings life to my bones,
To know Him, to know Him alone.

Most Christians would tell you that they know Jesus Christ from a historical perspective, e.g. they know how He was born, they know some of the Bible stories about Him, and they know some of the miracles that He performed. They know that He went to the cross and paid the price for their sins. They know that He is their Savior and that He was buried and rose again on the third day. They know that He ascended into Heaven and that one day He will return to earth and they will be changed into their glorious heavenly bodies.

However, sad to say, many Christians do not know Him NOW--on a daily basis. They do not know much about what Jesus Christ is doing for them and others NOW. They do not have a daily relationship with Him in His Word and in prayer. Therefore, they do not have an increased desire to worship Him.

If what we know of Jesus Christ does not move us to seek Him, love Him, and worship Him more, could it be that our knowledge of Him is only intellectual and has not yet reached into our spirits? The spirit part of man is where the knowledge of Christ must enter in order for our lives to be changed. All our knowledge of Jesus Christ must affect “the hidden man of the heart.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Let’s look at the three NOWS of 1 Corinthians 12;12, 13: “For NOW we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: NOW we know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And NOW abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

1. WE SHOULD BE LOOKING RIGHT NOW INTO THE MIRROR OF GOD’S WORD

“NOW we see through a glass darkly.” This speaks of looking into the Word to see Jesus. This may also relate to spiritual truths relating to the future “when that which is perfect is come” (1 Corinthians 13;10). Our knowledge and understanding of the future promised to all believers in Christ is at present obscure. It’s described as looking into a polished brass looking glass (which they used in those days) or reflection in water.

We definitely see things through the eyes of faith as we look into the Scriptures. They reveal to us that we will be resurrected from death and given an incorruptible body and we will be in a place called Heaven where the streets are paved with gold. We read that there will be many mansions for all of the resurrected in Heaven. We read that we will reign with Jesus Christ over all the earth.

Even though we have limited understanding of the hereafter, it does not mean that we should not be looking at Jesus Christ as read the Word and listen to the testimonies of His people. On the contrary, we need to make every effort to look earnestly into the person of Jesus Christ. The more we look at Him NOW, this side of eternity, the more we will be transformed NOW into all the various aspects of who He is in all His glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

1 John 3;2: “Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” The greatest and highest pursuit of every Christian should be to live, look, and act like Jesus right NOW.

When He shall appear, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. All through our Christian life we should constantly strain our eyes into the looking glass of God’s Word, as well as His people, to behold the image of God revealed in His Son.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:2: “Ye are our epistle (letter) written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” Therefore, as we look into God’s Word, as well as the lives and faces of the “hungry for more of Jesus Christians” we will see more and more of Him. The Spirit of the Lord will take the image of Jesus that we look at and place that same image upon our lives.

Hebrews 9:28: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

I believe that what I am about to say is very important. When the Scripture says that Jesus Christ is appearing the second time to those who look for him, it does not mean that He is only coming to those who are looking for His second coming. He comes to those who are looking right NOW to see His glory. It stands for reason that those who are looking for His return and can’t wait for this great event to happen are those who have already been looking, seeking, and straining to see something more of His glory every day. They look for Christ daily while they patiently wait for the shout of the archangel, the trump of God to sound, and the Lord Himself to descend from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Two more NOWS coming.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

God’s acceptable time is always RIGHT NOW.

Malachi 1:6: “A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honor, and if I be a master, where is my fear? Saith the LORD of hosts unto you.”

We do not honor or fear our great God when we drag our feet to respond to His call upon our lives.

We notice in Matthew 4:18 that when Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee that He saw Peter and his brother, Andrew casting a net into the sea. Verse 19, 20 says: “He saith to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they STRAIGHTWAY (IMMEDIATELY) left their nets, and followed him.”

Then he noticed James and John in a ship with their father mending their nets, and He called them. Verse 22 says: “And they IMMEDIATELY left the ship and their father, and followed him.”

Matthew 10:37, 38: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”

With our most joyous and gladdest response, we should give instantaneous obedience to our great and mighty God, especially because of all that He has done for us.

Hebrews 3:7-15 (NET) talks about the NOW response of our hearts to God’s call: “Oh, that TODAY you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.”

The word TODAY is mentioned three times in this passage. Check it out. To refuse to give instant obedience and willing response is to do what the Scripture says is to “harden your hearts.” To harden the hearts is serious with God.

Proverbs 21:29: “A wicked man hardened his face.”

Proverbs 28:14: “Happy is the man that feareth always, but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”

Proverbs 29:1: “He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

And Jesus reminds us in Matthew 19:8 that the “hardness of your hearts” is the root of all divorce.

How can we who are fathers hope that our children will give spontaneous response to God if they have not been trained to give it to you?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

God wants His people to be filled with bread, His living Word, each new morning. If we do not get filled with the Bread of Heaven every morning, our appetites will crave other sources of food.

We become what we fill ourselves with. We need to be a people with an ever-increasing appetite for Jesus Christ, the Living Bread.

I love to sing the great old hymn, “Guide me O thou Great Jehovah.” The last lines of the first stanza say:
“Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.”

Matthew 5:6; ”Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they SHALL BE FILLED.”

Luke 6:21: “Blessed are ye that hunger NOW: for ye SHALL BE FILLED.” The word NOW is an important word when it comes to feeding on God’s Word which also means to feed on Christ NOW, and at all times.

It is true that we need to have a “now appetite” when it comes to Jesus who is our Daily Bread. He does not want us to be treating Him as past bread or future bread when we hope we may have a better appetite for Him. No. He wants us to have a ravenous appetite for Him RIGHT NOW. He wants to fill us to the full right now. The bread upon the “Table of Shewbread” in the tabernacle was called the “Presence Bread” speaking of God’s continual presence, not past or future, but NOW.

Have you got a NOW APPETITE?

At the original Passover, they had to eat the entire lamb. Many Christians these days have a very picky appetite for the Bread of God. They want to hear Jesus concerning His grace, but they have little appetite for all His truth.

John 1:14, 17: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and, we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,” FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH . . . For the law was given by Moues, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 6:2: “Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.”

Our relationship with Jesus should be RIGHT NOW—not somewhere in the past or future.

Be encouraged.

More points to come.

Colin Campbell

It is important to start the day with God’s Word. I remember an old Chinese saint saying:

“NO BIBLE; NO BREAKFAST.”

This Chinese Christian would never eat breakfast to satisfy his physical appetite without having first filled his soul and spirit with God’s Word. We often remind our children and grandchildren of his confession. It’s a good one. For our own personal reading, and also reading God’s Word to our family each morning.

Psalm 5:3: “My voice shalt thou hear IN THE MORNING, O LORD; IN THE MORNING will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

Song of Solomon 6:10: “Who is she that looketh forth AS THE MORNING, fair as the moon, clear as the sunk and terrible as an army with banners?”

Matthew 21:4, 12: “When the MORNING WAS NOW COME, Jesus stood on the shore . . . Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.” Jesus still wants to come and dine with us each morning. He desires our fellowship as we dine from His fully laden table. His Word is filled with all we need to face each new day.

Acts 5:21: “They (the apostles) entered into the temple EARLY IN THE MORNING, and taught.”

Don’t miss your morning time with God.

More points coming with continuing posts.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

There is an amazing truth in this temptation. We know that the manna represents God’s Word. The manna also represents Jesus Christ.

John 6:32-35: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believed on me shall never thirst.”

We see three important truths in these words of Jesus.

1. Jesus is the true bread
2. Jesus came down from Heaven
3. Jesus gives life to the world

God told the Israeliltes that if manna was left over until the following morning, it would breed worms and stink. It was disobedience to leave it till the next morning.

The manna, which is a type of God’s Word and Jesus Christ Himself, was miraculously provided from Heaven And it was not to be left over until the next day. How much more should Jesus Christ, the true Bread that came down for Heaven and who gives life to the world not be LEFT OVER BREAD. He is not “take it or leave it” bread.

We cannot be casual about Jesus Christ, our Bread of Life. Jesus, the true Bread, must be eaten of every day.

Matthew 4:4: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but be every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Jesus Christ is the Bread of God’s presence. The shewbread in the temple was called “the bread of the Presence” (1 Samuel 21:6 (NASB).

The question that amazes me is this: how is it possible that the manna which came down from Heaven, if left over until the following morning, bred worms and stank? Who wants to eat bread that has worms wriggling around in it and stinks? What do we learn from this?

We must not allow Jesus Christ to be stale, left over bread which we don’t eat until we feel like it. When Jesus called His disciples to follow him “They immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him” (Matthew 4:22).

Luke 9:57-62 tells us about different men who wanted to follow Jesus wherever He went. But one said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” Another said, “Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.”

What was Jesus’ answer: “No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The word of Christ, if it is not received with instant obedience has the power to destroy us. We become stale, and in a sense, we allow worms of disobedience and disrespect for God’s Word to breed in us. We also begin to stink of staleness and mustiness.

Jesus Christ is FRESH BREAD. He is PRESENCE BREAD. He is the FRAGRANT BREAD of Song of Solomon 4:11-16.

If we desire to be fresh, we must eat fresh bread, not left over bread.

As fathers and mothers, we must be fresh bread to our children. We must teach them to daily partake of God’s Word. Yesterday’s revelations of God were for yesterday. We must get fresh revelation of God for each new day.

If we don’t eat fresh manna, we will spiritually stink, to ourselves as well as to others.

1 Samuel 15:22, 23: “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity an idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

King Saul, through disobedience, began to stink of human reasoning.

Let’s be those who reveal the fragrance of the freshness of God’s presence upon our lives each new day.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Exodus 16:2, 3 says: “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full: for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,”

They should have said: “God: You did such mighty signs and wonders to set us free from the slave chains of Egypt. You will not forsake us now our food is running out. We worship You for the miraculous provisions that You will provide. We thank You in faith.”

Now I am quite sure most of us would have also failed God in this test, especially if our children were crying out in hunger.

We remember that the devil tempted Jesus when he was hungry after fasting for forty days and forty nights. Jesus was also going through a wilderness experience following His baptism. When the devil tempted Jesus to command the stones to turn into bread Jesus reminded the him: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus was saying, “I am turning my natural hunger into a spiritual hunger for every word that comes forth from God’s mouth.” He told the devil that every word coming from God’s mouth would keep him alive.

Even Job understood the wilderness experience. Job said in Job 23:10-12: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."

Job esteemed God’s words more than his necessary food. Is that your testimony regarding God’s Word? One Chinese saint used to say: “No Bible, no breakfast.” He would never feed his physical body before he fed his spiritual inner man.

Fathers, do you accept this truth? Do you teach this truth to your family? How hungry are you for EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God?

Both Jesus and Job overcame but Israel failed. May God help us not to fail.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Finally, they found water at a place called Marah, but they couldn’t drink of it because the waters were bitter. It would be more than disappointing to discover water only to find it was undrinkable!

Verse 23 says: “And the people murmured against Moses.” They had not repented of their wrong attitude towards Moses when Pharaoh was about to crush and destroy them. In fact, their false accusations were not only towards Moses but ultimately towards God.

God opened up the Red Sea so His people could escape Pharaoh’s army. Even though they all rejoiced to see Pharaoh’s army drown in the sea, they still had not repented of their bad attitudes toward Moses and ultimately toward God. And therefore, this attitude now rises again at the waters of Marah.

Moses cries out to the Lord. Instead of crying out against Moses, the people should have done exactly what Moises did—cry out to the Lord themselves.

The flesh nature of man always seeks to blame somebody else when things go wrong. Their problem of murmuring and blaming others was what God wanted to deal with them about. He wanted them to repent of this sin. But God, who is rich in mercy, was patient with them.

Verse 25 says: “The LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet.”

Their problem of thirst was resolved but they did not repent of their attitude. It would rise again.

The end of verse 25 says: “There he proved them.” The word means “tested.” Did they pass the real test? No, they did not and yet God gave them water, plus a great covenant of healing from all the diseases He had put upon the Egyptians.

Verse 26: “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I AM THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE.”

What should we do when we get into bitter experiences in life? Cry out to God. If we will only cry out to the Lord, He will always show some way to sweeten the bitter waters and He will make your bitter experience sweet. And He will bless you,

The Israelites once again rejoiced in the miracle of sweet waters, but they still did not repent of their wrong attitudes towards God and Moses.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell