Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

It’s so important to have a right spirit, isn’t it? Our spirit is who we really are. Our body is only the house of our spirit. The attitude of our spirit determines how we live our lives, tearing us down or lifting us up. It determines the atmosphere we create in our home.

After David sinned with Bathsheba, he cried out in repentance and confession, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:11). The word “right” is "kuwn” and means “erect, standing up straight, faithful, fixed.” It is the same word that is used in Psalm 57:7 and 108:1: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” Also Psalm 112:7 speaking of those who fear the Lord and delight in His commandments: “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.”

Your home doesn’t suddenly become a home of tranquility and joy. Your home doesn’t suddenly become orderly. Your husband and children are not assured of your love and affirmation without your telling them. Nothing in life just happens. You have to make it happen.

Make beautiful things happen in your home today. Your attitude, your words, your doing what you have to do instead of dreaming about it, and your love and smiles will determine the blessing in your home.

There are those who would spurn the vocation of
mothers
And say of careers, it’s inferior to others,
I'll have to admit that it's not easy work,
It's relentless and from it you cannot shirk.

A while back I asked our readers to share the little things they do to show their husbands they love them. The following are the replies I received. Each one of us are different personalities and therefore we show our love in different ways. You may not do all the things written in this list, but take time to read it through. You are sure to find some new ideas. Never be content with a boring marriage. Always be thinking of new and exciting ways to love your husband. Surprise him with something you’ve never done before. And why not do it today.

Do you think you married the wrong person?

Zig Ziglar gives some good advice:

“I'll be the first to admit that it's possible that you did marry the wrong person. However, if you treat the wrong person like the right person, you could well end up having married the right person after all. On the other hand, if you marry the right person, and treat that person wrongly, you certainly will have ended up marrying the wrong person. I also know that it is far more important to be the right kind of person than it is to marry the right person. In short, whether you married the right or wrong person is primarily up to you.”

1. DIVINELY

The Creator of male and female divinely designed His perfect plan. It is God who joins the man and woman in marriage: “What therefore GOD hath joined together.”

2. PROPHETICALLY
God revealed His plan in the beginning for all future marriages: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Where were the father and mother? They were nowhere on the scene when God spoke these words. Adam and Eve had never seen a father and mother! God was prophetically revealing His plan and how it would work for all future mankind.

3. INTENTIONALLY AND FACTUALLY
God unmistakably states His plan: “They two (the man and his wife) shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh.” It does not matter what mere man thinks, it is what God states! His Word is eternal. It doesn’t change from the beginning to the end.

4. EMPHATICALLY
There are no “if, buts, or maybes,” but “And God said.” Not man (the created), but God (the Designer and Creator) has the last say!

5. PHYSICALLY
The coming together of male and female to be “one flesh” in marriage is a perfect fit. The sexual organs of male and female are opposite, (the man’s external and the woman’s internal), but they fit perfectly by God’s design. Male and male or female and female are not a perfect fit. This lifestyle is outside the Creator’s design.

When Jesus answered the questions of the Pharisees He said: “Have yet not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, FOR THIS CAUSE. . .” It was FOR THIS CAUSE (because He created them male and female) that the man cleaves to his wife. Please notice the words “man and wife,” not two of the same sex.

6. GENERATIONALLY
The coming together as “one flesh” results in the potential procreation of children and children’s children. From the two come one, or many, each bearing genetic genes of both the father and mother. This is impossible in a homosexual relationship which is outside of God’s blessing. These relationships end in nothingness and future destruction. It is the male and female oneness that God blessed: “Male and female created he them. And God BLESSED them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Children only come through the blessing of God.

7. DELIGHTFULLY
God must have been filled with joy and delight when He designed the “one flesh” marriage. Who but our amazing God could plan for the man and his wife to experience such ecstatic joy, fulfillment, and wonder together? Proverbs 5:18,19 speaks of the married couple ravishing and intoxicating one another with their love.

8. EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY
Human beings are not animals. We are created in the image and likeness of God. We are body, soul, and spirit. Because God created us with a heart, mind, and soul, the “one flesh” statement is more than physical. It is also a oneness of soul. I am not whole without my husband. He is not whole without me for “they are no more two, but one.” We complement one another and each one brings different strengths to the marriage to make it complete.

9. SPIRITUALLY
Our bodies are only the house of the real person, the spirit--the part of us which was made for fellowship with God. God’s highest purpose for us in marriage is to become one together in spirit--connected to one another by our spirits and God’s Holy Spirit. We are to be glued together as one.

10. PURPOSEFULLY
God brings the male and female together to accomplish His purposes. God’s primary purpose for male and female is to have children. As husband and wife, and together with their children, they are to be fruitful, fill the earth, and “subdue it: and have dominion.” Purposefully together they advance God’s kingdom in the earth, reveal His image and likeness, and bring more of His love, truth, justice, and peace to the earth.

11. UNDEFILEDLY
Marriage is called “holy matrimony” and the marriage bed is holy and sacred. At the beginning of the wedding vows, the minister says: “Into this ‘holy estate’ these two persons come now to be joined. Therefore; it is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly.”

Marriage is God-mandated and to be enjoyed according to God’s pattern, but it is designed only for male and female. Hebrews 13:4 (ESV) states: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” God created the sexual act to be totally fulfilling without the use of “toys,” alternative methods, or anything that violates the conscience.

12. UNENDINGLY
The traditional wedding vows state: "I take thee . . . to love and to cherish, till death do us part (or, as long as we both shall live), according to God's holy ordinance.”

Sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world and there are times when it is no longer safe to live in a marriage where one of the two continues in a despicable, ungodly, and unrepentant lifestyle. Jesus admitted when talking to the Pharisees that Moses allowed divorce because “of the hardness of your hearts,” but He continued, “From the beginning it was not so.” It was never God’s plan.

Jesus also forcefully stated: “What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder (or separate).” Or, let no man or woman, no organization, no church, no Facebook, or anything at all separate a man and wife from each other. They are to be fused as one.

~ Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

Read the following Scriptures referred to above: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:23, 24; Proverbs 5:18, 19; Matthew 5:27, 28; 19:4-9; Mark 10:2-9; 1 Corinthians 6:16,17; 7:1-5; Ephesians 5:31-33; and Hebrews 13:4.

How much to do you believe in the power of God’s Word? I read this morning in Psalm 19:7-11 that His Word restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, gives us warning, and “in keeping of them there is great reward.”

I believe God’s Word has the power to fill up weaknesses in our own lives and our children’s lives. If you have a weakness in your life, search the Scriptures for God’s victory in this area. Meditate on and memorize the appropriate Scriptures you find. Constantly confess these Scriptures out loud. As you do, you will find that the weakness will turn into strength in your life.

Jeremiah 10:7 asks: “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is your due!” What comfort to know that our God is King of the nations. No matter how much the nations rant and rave and turn away from God, God will have the last say. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:4).

Not only is He King of the nations, but He wants to be King in our lives and in our homes. If He is King, we are His subjects. We are to serve Him and honor Him for it is our due! If this is true in our family life, the least we will do is to come before our King as a family morning and evening to hear from Him, to worship Him, and to pray to Him.

What was the first thing God did after He created man? I'll give you a little moment to think about it?

He blessed them. Did you get the right answer?

Are you desperate to establish some order in your home? Here are a few thoughts for you:

1. Take some time to sit down and think about your home and how you want it to run (maybe this evening when the children are in bed). Write down your vision. Write down your plan to make it happen. Think of a schedule for the day. You don't have to be too rigid, but you do have to have a plan of action. If you don't, nothing will happen and you'll keep going the way you are. My constant affirmation is: Nothing just happens; you have to make it happen!

Do you wrestle against the devil and his evil works, or comply with his ways? Ephesians 6:12 reminds us to wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world. We have evil and deception all around us. What are we doing about it? Are we acquiesce or fighting? To wrestle means to fight hard to win.

We cannot be neutral. We cannot be tolerant towards evil. We must stand against it. We must fight and wrestle. If we don’t, we eventually succumb to the evil itself. Why are the evils of materialism, worldliness, feminism, socialism, progressivism, abortion, and homosexuality encroaching on our nation? Is it because God's people are not fighting against these powers of darkness?

God speaks to us individually, but did you know that He also wants to speak to us as families? God is vitally interested in our individual lives, but He also sees us collectively as families. This is the way He planned for us to live, as families. Jeremiah 2:4: "Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the FAMILIES of the house of Israel."

God wants not only you and your husband, but also your children to hear His words. This is why it is paramount to come together as families, evening and morning, and listen to God speak to us as a family as we read His Word.

I love the description of David from Psalm 78:71-72: “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: from following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

The word “feed” used here means more than feeding. It means to shepherd and tend to our flock. It means to associate with and have companionship. The shepherd has a personal relationship with each one of his sheep.

Who is your marriage all about? Is it all about you? Many couples live together, but are not bound together or even enjoy life together. They start off with great love, enjoyment, and enthusiasm but often their relationship grows boring and cold.

Why? I believe it's the "all about me" syndrome. What is my husband doing for me? How is my husband serving me? I have a right to be who I am and do my own thing. Soon the couple are living their own separate lives instead of being cemented together.

Psalm 25:12: “What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.” This is one of the many wonderful promises to those who fear the Lord. Don’t you long to know God’s ways? It’s only when we know God’s ways that we can teach our children God’s ways.

However, I notice that God teaches us in the way that HE CHOOSES. We have to be willing to do things God’s way, which is often contrary to our way, or even the way of culture around us. My husband says, “We want God to walk with us, but do we want to walk with God?” There’s a big difference. We want God to fit into our way of doing things, but are we prepared for God to change our hearts in order to do it His way?

God told His people of old, and I am sure we need to be constantly reminded today: “Do not learn the ways of the nations . . . for the customs of the peoples are delusional” (Jeremiah 10:1-3). Read also Leviticus 18:3 and 20:23). And yet we assimilate. When we look into the mirror of God’s Word we can be surprised at how much we are like the world rather than the standard of God’s Word.

That’s why it is so important to daily fill our minds and hearts with God’s truths and impart these truths to our children. Otherwise, we have no standard, except what we see around us, and often it is contrary to God’s way.

God gives mothers an anointing of strength and gentleness. These attributes come from God himself, for we are made in His image and likeness. We see a picture of this in Isaiah 40:10-11: “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him . . . He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” God comes to rule with strength and might but He also comes as the personal and tender shepherd who holds the lambs close to His heart.

Tenderly shepherd your little flock day. Speak gently to them. Keep them close to your heart. But, also take authority over all disobedience and rebellion. The shepherdess must have sheep that listen to her voice and are obedient to her. Guard your flock from the enemy who wants to steal their souls.

God chose David to be king of Israel because he had a shepherd’s heart (Psalm 78:70-72). He loved his flock and fiercely protected them, sacrificing his life to kill lions and bears that tried to attack them. Such was his courage that he would take a ferocious lion by its beard and rescue his lamb from its mouth (I Samuel 17:34-36).

You are a tender mother. But also be prepared for the times when you have to rise up like a lion to protect your children from the enemy.

You are their defender.

Be encouraged.

Nancy Campbell

My purpose as a wife and mother is to:

P Passionately love my husband and minister to his needs.
U Unflinchingly keep my eyes upon the goal of raising a godly generation.
R Resist all temptation to come down from my high calling (Nehemiah 6:3). .
P Persevere in building my marriage and home in the face of all obstacles.
O Order my home with diligence.
S Saturate my children with God’s Word and loads of encouragement.
E Embrace my life-giving role of mothering and nurturing.

Undisciplined and disobedient children bring sorrow to their mothers; disciplined and obedient children bring delight to their parents and everyone else they meet.

Can I remind you today to make every decision in the light of building your marriage and your home? Ask yourself, “Is what I am doing, or what I plan to do going to fragment my home or build and strengthen it? Do the words I speak to my husband strengthening my marriage? Do the words I say to my children building them up?

In this hour of the weakening of families, we must make every decision in this light. The decisions we make not only build or pluck down our family life now, but also future generations.