Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

But God not only owns us when we invite Him to be Lord f our lives. He owned us since conception. The first statement in the beautiful description of God creating the baby in the womb in Psalm 139:13 states: “Thou hast possessed my reins.” The word “possessed” is the Hebrew word “qanah” and means “to create, to procure by purchase, to own, to possess.”

God begins with ownership. He is our Creator and therefore the Owner of our lives.

Why do we want to take control of our own lives? Do we really think we can do a better job than the One who designed us and created us? And the One who not only created us, but because we were lost in our sin, purchased us back again with the price of the precious of blood of Christ.

We are twice owned!

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small,
Love so amazing, so divine,
Shall have my life, my soul, my all.

Many blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

And yet today we allow our children to drink from the fast waters of their Internet games that are not reality. I think there is a big difference between something fast that is real and the flashing images our children constantly watch. These flashing images are not intended for our little lambs and growing sheep who we are to lead to still and refreshing waters. I believe they are disturbing their brains.

The KJV says: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” The word “green “ in the Hebrews means “tender grass. It doesn’t give them brain indigestion. The word ‘pastures” is “na’ah” which is one of the words for the home. It means a dwelling place, a house, a pleasant place.” We lead our children to pleasant places and quiet waters.

Isaiah 32:18 is a beautiful description of home life: “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” This is the atmosphere for learning and development rather than the constant stimulation of video games that are taking over the lives of so many young people.

It is the task of the shepherd to find the best food and environment for his sheep. It is also the job of the shepherdess mother to create the right environment for her children to learn and grow in knowledge and the ways of the Lord.

And as I always keep saying, “It doesn’t just happen; you have to make it happen.”

Where are you leading them today?

Love from Nancy Campbell

There is hardly a person who doesn’t know Psalm 23, the shepherd’s psalm and we invariably read it to receive comfort from our Good Shepherd. However, we can also learn from this beloved psalm how to mother own little, or big flock. Mothering is very similar to shepherding and encompasses all the aspects of shepherding and tending to a flock.

Shall we look at it again today? I’m reading the New English Translation this time:

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

Mothing is not a little task. It is HUGE. It is ministering to our children body soul, and spirit. They can confess that they lack nothing, not only in being clothed and fed bodily, but spiritually and mentally. We not only tend to the bodily needs of our children but to the inner man. That’s even more important than the outer man.

Many mothers feel they can manage motherhood doing the necessity of providing food and clothing for their children. But oh, there is far more to mothering that this. It is feeding the soul, the mind, and the spirit. This takes far more time than the bodily needs. Many children are adequately provided with food and clothing (most probably far more than they need), but who are starving spiritually.

“He takes me to lush pastures.”

Where are you taking your children today dearest mother? The true shepherd leads his sheep to “good and lush pastures.” Do you notice that He leads them? He doesn’t let them go where they want to go for the sheep don’t know what is best for them.

Are you leading your children? Are you taking them to what is best for them? So many children and teens today are left to the devices of the Internet and Social Media. They feed on them. Their iPhones are hardly out of their hands. The sad thing is that they get so full on all this junk that they have no appetite for what is good.

In the natural, if we feed up on junk foods, sweet foods, and fast foods, we’ll fill up and have no desire to have some good wholesome food of vegetables, fruit, and home-cooked meals.

We must watch that our children don’t get filled up on all the junk that is available today. They are so filled up on the junk, they have no appetite for the spiritual. They need to be starved from the junk, so they’ll get a thirst for the good food again. We must re-awaken in ourselves and in our children a hunger and thirst for the good and the spiritual. Jesus said in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are they which do HUNGER AND THIRST after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

God promises in Isaiah 44:3: “I will pour water upon him that is THIRSTY, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.”

But this promise is to the THIRSTY! If they are not thirsty and instead are filled with all the junk of this world, they will not be ready to receive the blessings.

Dear mothers, it is our responsibility to keep them thirsty for the good food of wholesome truth and lead them to the lush food God wants to pour into them.

Talking about God’s way Isaiah 35:6, 7 says: “And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the THIRSTY land springs of water . . . And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass over it.” God’s way is not the way of the world; it’s the way of holiness, cleanness, and wholesomeness.

The Shepherd chapter in Ezekiel 34: 14, 15 says: “I will feed them in a GOOD pasture, and upon HIGH MOUNTAINS of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a GOOD fold, and in a FAT pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.”

As the shepherdess of your home, where are your leading your children today? What are you doing to feed their minds, souls, and spirits as well as their bodies?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Painting: Springtime (also known as Le Printemps), Charles-Émile Jacque – 1859.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown,
He walked away, his little heart broken,
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger, common
courtesy you use,
But the family you love, you seem to abuse.

“Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you,
He picked them himself, pink, yellow,
and blue.

“He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you,
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today,
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
And I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

` Unknown.

Bringing a soul into the world is not a fluke or chance thing,
It takes a cooperation between God and human beings,
A man and woman cannot decide whether or not life will begin,
God is the only one who can set life into motion.

If I asked anyone—secular, conservative, any background or color
How much is my baby worth? Can you set a value in dollars?
Each and every one, without any hesitation or delay
Will emphatically proclaim she is priceless, no price could be named!

It is therefore quite perplexing and contrary to common sense
That these same people would chase after checks loaded with dollars and cents
While consciously fleeing away from what is determined a gift
beyond valuation,
A priceless treasure, straight from Heaven, a blessing, the future of the
nation!

If you have never possessed a priceless treasure,
If you have never looked into your baby’s eyes and experienced joy beyond measure
Go now, young pilgrim, and pioneer this path,
Worthless things are not worth your time; you do the math.

Your treasures are waiting for you to take action!
So go now, don’t delay to begin this heavenly transaction!

~ By Zac Waller

Zac and Becca Waller are blessed with Asaph (7), Shlomo (6), Nechemyah (4 ), Elkanah (2), Emunah (1) and they are looking forward to receiving their sixth treasure this coming December. Their children have Hebrew names because they live and work in the Heartland of Israel with HaYovel.
Check out www.hayovel.com

It is delightful to lie down in soft grass, isn’t it? Who can lie down in prickly grass? No one. The shepherdess/mother seeks to eradicate all prickliness from the atmosphere of her home. She works as a peacemaker against all contention. She leads her family to soft grass. It’s beckoning. It’s comfortable.

Of course, life is never perfect. There will always be conflicts to overcome in the home. There are often arguments and upsets. The enemy is always lurking around to disrupt the peace and make the grass prickly. But the shepherdess is also a watchwoman. She guards her family from the attacks of the enemy. She uses the weapon of intercession to push back the enemy of discord. She prays in the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit to put out the fires of discord and bring harmony and peace.

Proverbs 18:6 challenges me: “A fool’s lips enter into contention.” We can dissipate many conflicts if we bite our lips!

The shepherdess who safely folds her flock also makes sure everything is clean and in order in her home. It is difficult to rest in a home that is out of order. We need to remind ourselves that God calls the home a resting place.

Proverbs 24:15 gives a strong warning to anyone who destroys the peace and rest of a godly home: “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous, spoil not his resting place.”

Isaiah 32:18: "My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

Hosea 11:11 (Knox): “And in their own home, says the Lord, I will give them rest.”

In meadows green we rest
Where the grass is soft to nest.

May you have a restful day in your home, Nancy Campbell

P.S. I have been sharing a few posts with you about shepherding mothers. Here are some more articles if you would like to read them:

Go to these links:
FOLDING YOUR FLOCK
http://aboverubies.org/…/1974-shepherding-our-flock-folding…

SCRIPTURES ABOUT SHEPHERDING
http://aboverubies.org/…/1977-shephering-our-flock-scriptur…

SHEEP HAVE PROBLEMS
http://aboverubies.org/…/2485-shepherding-our-flock-sheep-h…

SHEPHERDING YOUR FLOCK
http://aboverubies.org/…/1976-shepherding-our-flock-shepher…

THE QUALITIES OF A SHEPHERDESS
http://aboverubies.org/…/2116-shephering-our-flock-the-qual…

THE SHEPHERDESS
http://aboverubies.org/…/2098-shepherding-our-flock-the-she…

When Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem to restore and build the gates of Jerusalem he started with the Shepherds’ Gate and ended with the Shepherds’ Gate. There are many things we do as a shepherdess in watching over our flock, but there are two main things. The Knox translation of Ezekiel 34:15 says: “Food and rest, says the Lord God, both these will I give to my flock.” Above everything else, the true shepherd provides food and rest for his flock. They are the most important.

To feed our families is a very important part of motherhood. Many mothers despise the hours spent preparing and cooking meals. It seems endless. You can never get away from it. It is day after day. Can I remind you that this task is not unimportant, even though it may seem thankless at times? It is the chief role of the shepherd.

We read the testimony of a shepherdess/mother in 1 Timothy 5:10. The first attribute it mentions is that she “brought up children.” The Greek word for “brought up” is “teknotropheo” which means “to nurture, to feed, to nourish, to pamper with food.” Providing food is a very big part of bringing up children.

The true shepherdess/mother will not give any kind of food to her family. She provides them with good food (Ezekiel 34;14). She leads her children to eat wholesome foods to nourish their bodies. She turns them away from all junk food—the devitalized and refined food that lack nutrients. She throws out all white bread, white flour, white rice, white sugar and so on. She would not dream of leading her children to pastures of sugary cereals, soda, and pop. The true shepherdess leads her family into wholesome pastures.

God says in Psalm 81:16 (NLT): “I will feed you with the best of foods.”

Good food is enjoyable and should also be eaten with joy. In the Scripture’s we see how God links eating with joy and gladness.

Esther 9:19: “A day of gladness and feasting . . .”

Psalm 103:1-5: “Bless the Lord, O my soul . . . who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Ecclesiastes 9:7: “Eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart.”

Acts 2:46-47: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their food with gladness .”

Acts 14:17: “He gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

But there is more to feeding our family than food for their bodies. The responsible shepherdess/mother also provides wholesome food for her children’s souls and spirits. She provides rich food in conversation and teaching, excellent books, and music. She does not lead them to the destroying diet of TV worldly stuff on IPhones and IPads but provides them with wholesome materials that will nourish their souls. She does not keep any junk food among their books, music, or DVDs. Everything in her home inspires, enriches, and nourishes.

When raising our children, I continually prayed Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians: “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). It is not enough to care for your children’s physical needs. We must enrich their souls and spirits too. Psalm 107:9 tells us that God “fills the hungry with good things.” Good food for the body and good food for the soul and spirit.

Have a wonderful day,

Nancy Campbell

Painting: Woman with Sheep in a Barn * Cornelis van Leemputten (1841–1902).

God continues to look for shepherds. He looks for mothers who will shepherd like his heart. Jeremiah 3:15 states: “I will give you pastors (shepherds) according to mine heart, which shall fee you with knowledge and understanding.”

And because our little flock is really His flock, He requires them at our hand (Ezekiel 34:10). He wants us to diligently know the state of our little flock. He wants us to know what is going on in their hearts and minds as well as in their actions. He wants us to know the state of their souls. We can do this effectively unless we are with our children. Proverbs 27:23 says: “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks.”

How can we be the shepherdess He wants us to be? We certainly can't do it in our own strength and wisdom, but be encouraged, for Micah 5:4 tells us that Jesus Christ will "stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God." If that is how Jesus shepherds, that's the only way we can do it, too.

Dear mother, you can’t do it in your strength, but you can do it in the strength of the Lord.

Be encouraged today,

Nancy Campbell

As a shepherdess, we teach our children that Jesus wants to be their personal Savior and Shepherd. We are careful not to do anything in our homes that will grieve our Shepherd who wants to be intimately involved in everything we do.

Our Shepherd has a great shepherding heart and He wants us to shepherd our little flock in the same way He shepherds His flock. Shepherding is an enormous undertaking and from the Scriptures and the Hebrew meanings of the word "shepherd" we find that it includes the following tender and powerful ministries. You will see that a shepherd must be both brave and tender. Let God teach you as you read them. The full meaning of shepherding means . . .

befriending with an intimate relationship,
binding and bandaging up the hurt and broken,
bravely fighting off all enemies,
bringing back the straying and wandering ones,
carrying the lambs close to your heart,
comforting,
encouraging the weary,
eliminating fear in the dark and anxious times,
feeding physically and spiritually,
gathering in your arms and to your heart,
gently leading,
guarding and watching over your flock,
guiding your flock on the "right track,"
healing the sickly,
increasing the flock,
keeping them safe,
leading to good, fat, restful, rich, and green pastures,
nourishing,
persevering until you find the lost,
preparing a table,
protecting,
providing,
rescuing when they turn to by-paths,
restoring (renewing, reviving, and refreshing),
ruling with wisdom and discretion,
sacrificing and laying down your life for your flock,
saving your flock,
searching and seeking the lost ones,
strengthening the weak, and
tenderly folding your flock.

My, what an amazing mission you have as a shepherdess.

Embrace this beautiful role. It is not insignificant. I would suggest you read the above qualities over and over. It’s too much to comprehend in one reading, isn’t it?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Painting: Luigi Chialiva (1842-1914). A Shepherdess Watering Her Flock.

I began writing about the table of shewbread and I’m on a role. Lots more thoughts to share with you.

Did you know that the Table of Shewbread is also called by other names? It is called the “continual table,” the “pure table,” the “table of the presence,” and the “table of ordering.”

On the table the priests were to place twelve loaves of bread each week. The bread sat on the table in the presence of the Lord for one week before replacing them with twelves new loaves. The priests would then eat the bread that was taken off the table and fellowship together in the presence of the Lord. They did not eat stale bread as the bread stayed warm and fresh as it lay in the presence of the Lord.

The bread upon the table was also called “the bread of the presence.” The Hebrew is “lechem hapanim,” meaning “bread of faces.” Not one face, but many faces. The bread speaks of Jesus Christ who is our daily provision, sustenance, and nourishment. Jesus came as “the bread of LIFE.”  Our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ does not have only one attribute, but many attributes or “faces.” He is everything we need. He is the God who is Enough.

Not only does the bread speak of the many revelations of His character, but the bread also reveals the truth of God’s people living in His presence. God wanted twelve loaves of bread to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. We who have come to Christ are in Him. We also are in the continual presence and watchfulness of God.

It’s interesting that this table was made of acacia wood, a very common tree, speaking of Christ’s humanity but it was covered with pure gold, speaking of His divinity. It also applies to us at our tables. We come to our tables with all our children and little ones and I am sure you agree with me that many times it’s very “earthy”!

Nothing goes perfect. We are in the process of training children to sit up, we are stopping quarrels, and seeking to keep order. But God understands. He wants us to invite Him to our tables. He wants to come. He wants to come and cover our humanity with His divinity! Isn’t that wonderful?

The Table of Shewbread is the picture of the very first table. It is the picture of the provision of food for the physical and the spiritual man. Each time we come to the table we feed our bodies, but we take time at the end of the meal to open God’s Word and receive revelations of His truth and divine character. Remember, we eat the Bread of Faces. Many faces. Never ending. New revelations every day. Always fresh.

It was called the “continual table” and the “continual bread” because it was always on the table. Exodus 25:30 (NET) states: “You are to set the Bread of the Presence on the table before me CONTINUALLY.”

As the priest changed the bread each week, one set of priests would be ready to place the new bread on the table as another group of priests took the previous bread off the table. There was to be no lapse between the changeover.

Make your table a place for the presence of the Lord. Invite Him to your table. Bask in His presence. Be renewed as you feed from Jesus Christ, the Bread of many Faces.

In His love, Nancy Campbell

P.S. Scriptures that speak about the Table of Shewbread:
Exodus 25:23-30; 37:10-16; Leviticus 24:5-9; Numbers 4:4, 7, 8; 1 Chronicles 23:29; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 13:11; and 29:18.

Picture: “Little House on the Prairie” by Renée Graef.