Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Can I let you in on a secret? You cannot build a successful marriage when your life is "all about me." Selfishness never works. Expecting to be served and pampered doesn't work. Even Jesus did not come to serve, but to serve and give his life (Matthew 20:28).

The only way you find your life is by giving up your own life in serving others (Mark 8:35). Marriage is the perfect relationship to experience this victorious way of living.

Here's a project for you. Can I encourage you to change your thinking from "it's all about me" to "it's all about him"? Instead of dwelling on what your husband is doing wrong and how he is not doing this and that around the home etc, why not think of all the ways you can bless him.

Starting from today and for the rest of this week, think of at least two special things you can do for him, say to him, or write to him each day. Why not surprise him by initiating sexual intimacy instead of waiting for your husband to make the first move? And don't forget to have a lovely meal waiting for him each evening as he comes home.

Think creatively. Think out of the box. Think about him instead of you!

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

A young mother wrote to me recently, “My baby is five months and it seems like yesterday he was born. His smile is what greets me when I wake up in the morning, even if I am dog tired. He makes any mood I have change instantly to joy with one look at his smile. I feel God through the way he smiles and laughs and am so blessed to have him and nurse him.” Another mother says, “Everything my two year old does and says inspires me and gives me a new reason to love life. Even the expressions on his face crack me up.”

How blessed we are to be mothers. We get to smile and laugh more than any other sector of people. Each time we look at a baby we can’t help but smile. And they make you smile big! When we watch our children, we naturally smile and can’t help but laugh at all their childish antics. And every time we smile and laugh we de-stress! We release endorphins which make us feel happy and relieve stress from the body. What a great way to live.

This is just another blessing of all the blessings of motherhood. No wonder the Bible tells us that we are preserved through motherhood (1 Timothy 2:15).

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

How important do you feel it is teach your children to obey you? It's easy to let it slip, isn't it? It's easy to get into the habit of telling them to do something over and over again before we expect obedience. It's easy to ask them to do something and not press through to make sure they obey.

What do we teach our children when we do this? We teach them to disobey. We lay a foundation for them to disobey God.

1 John 5:19 (ESV): "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one." If this world is in the grip of the evil one, how do we live without getting pulled into its grip? How do we keep our children from its control? We've got to swim upstream.

It's not easy to swim upstream, is it? It takes all your effort. The moment we relax, we start floating downstream again, away with the current of the evil one. That's why we have to constantly fight the good fight of faith. We must fight it ourselves, and for our family. We must teach our children the principles of swimming upstream.

To which kingdom do you belong? God's kingdom is a kingdom of life, love, light, and liberty. Satan's kingdom is one of lies, deception, death, and destruction. He is a murderer! That's what Jesus said in John 8:44: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth; because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Because he is a murderer, no wonder he is the mastermind behind birth control, sterilization, and abortion. His plan is to stamp out life before it is conceived, but abort it if it is conceived.

Recently I read this quote from St. Francis de Sales, "Every Christian needs a half an hour of prayer each day, except when he is busy, then he needs an hour." Immediately I was convicted and wrote beside it, "This is for me." My life is exceedingly busy each day (as I am sure yours is, too). It's easy to crowd out prayer when there is so much to do in our day and our list is so long. But what's the use of all our activities unless they are bathed in prayer? They are like hay and stubble which will be burned up (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

Home based upon Christian marriage is so evidently an institution of God, that a man must become profane before he can deny it . . . Of this realm woman is queen. It takes its cue and its hue from her. If she is in the best sense womanly--if she is true and tender, loving and heroic, patient and self-devoted--she consciously or unconsciously organizes and puts in operation a set of influences that do more to mould the destiny of the nation than any man, uncrowned by power or eloquence, can possibly effect.

~ Dr. J. G. Holland

Psalm 37:34 (NLT): “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Travel steadily along His path.” I don’t have visions and dreams (I would love to). I don’t live by my feelings. How then do I live out my walk with God? By plodding on from day to day.

I don’t have to be disturbed by my circumstances because God is bigger than all the challenges I face. I don’t have to be intimidated by my antagonists because God’s truth will eventually win the day.

Do you remember when the disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?

Jesus responded by bringing a little child into their midst and said to them: "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me" (Matthew 18:1-6). Read also Mark 9:36-37 and Luke 9:48.

These words from the mouth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ tell us that our attitude toward receiving children reveals our attitude to Jesus. We are to receive them in His name. Therefore, shouldn't we receive each new baby as though we were receiving Jesus Himself?

No, I'm not talking about Ebenezer Scrooge! I'm talking about a monument stone that the prophet Samuel erected after God gave Israel victory over the Philistines. He called it "Ebenezer, saying, ‘Hitherto hath the Lord helped us’" (1 Samuel 7:12).

What a wonderful affirmation. It's a phrase we need to remember, too. Often we face a new challenge or difficulty and wonder how we'll get through. But, then we remember, God has got me through before and He will do it again! Praise His holy name. As we acknowledge the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord, we are encouraged to know that God will be with us in new trials and tribulations.

I read recently read that "Babies are built to expect the equivalent of an 'external womb' after birth." I m sure this is how God intends it to be. A baby that comes forth from the continual security and sustenance of the womb needs to know the continuing security and sustenance of its mother.

It is normal and natural for the babe to be nursed at the breast as the baby requires, not only for food, but for comfort and consolation. It is normal for a young babe to sleep with his mother and nurse at her breasts during the night, rather than lie in the coldness of a bassinet. It is normal for a babe to be constantly close to the mother's skin and heart as she carries him in a baby carrier.

Have you read the story of C. T. Studd, a famous cricketer in England, who gave up everything to serve the Lord in China? He wrote . . .

Lord, send us lion-hearted men
With good courageous habits
Who ne’er will run from the devil’s gun
Like hares and bunny rabbits!

What is your goal, dear mother as you train your little army each day? It's easy to lose sight of the great mission we have in the midst of the day to day challenges and everything we have to accomplish. Can I encourage you to keep your vision in front of you? It's a powerful vision. You have the responsibility of training God's end-time task force. Wow, you are not insignificant!

God is preparing an army and you are one of His chosen trainers. Are you training them to fit in with the groove of this world? Or are you training them to be true soldiers of Jesus Christ?

It's not an easy task to train a soldier. A true soldier must learn how to obey his commander immediately. As we train our children to obey us, we prepare them to be ready to obey their Great Commander. A true soldier must be disciplined. They learn how to get up at a certain time and do their chores quickly and happily. A true soldier keeps fit and toned.

Are your children becoming soldiers for God's army? Or are they flabby in spirit and more attuned to the amusements of this world than God's coming purpose for their life? 2 Timothy 2:4: "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

Train your children with purpose.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

I have always been inspired by the words in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, A Psalm of Life—“But to act, that each tomorrow find us farther than today.” I believe that each day should be a new day of learning and enlightenment, don’t you? We should never allow ourselves to become stagnant. How boring is that?

2 Peter 3:18: “But GROW in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” If a plant does not grow, it is because it is dead! Growing and increasing is part of LIFE!

Each new day we are to grow in grace of Jesus Christ, learning and experiencing more of His victorious life working in us. We are to grow in knowledge, especially the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ for “in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). There is always more and more to fathom, learn, and experience.

Doesn’t it make each new day exciting? Every new day is an opportunity to learn and experience more of Christ and more facets of wisdom and knowledge! A great question you can ask your children at your Family Meal Table this evening is, “What was something new you learned today?” Ask each child to share something—this gets them into the habit of always wanting to learn and expand their knowledge. They’ll want to hear from Mommy and Daddy, too!

Blessings from 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.

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.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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 these Scriptures. Constantly confess these Scriptures out loud. As you do, you will find that the weakness will turn into strength in your life.

Are you weary? Overburdened? Feel you can't cope? Jesus invites you to come to Him. He promises to give you rest. It's a refreshing rest. The word "rest" Jesus uses is translated "refresh" in other passages.

But Jesus doesn't give you rest by taking away your burdens and all the work you have to do. Instead He asks you to take on another yoke. Really? Yes, but this time it is His yoke. He yokes Himself to you and amazingly takes most of the burden upon Himself. I read about an old farmer using oxen to plough his fields. However, this pair of oxen were most unusual--one was big and one small. How could they possibly function when the yoke was so uneven? It was all to do with how the traces were hooked to the yoke in order for the large bullock to pull the weight for the little bullock that was being trained. In fact, the little one hardly pulled any weight at all as the big bullock took the strain

This is what happens when we take Jesus' yoke. We still have to face our challenges and difficulties but He takes the burden. He refreshes us even in the midst of all our overwhelmingness. He knows you can't pull the weight yourself. When two oxen are yoked together, they can do what is impossible for one ox to do.

Of course, you'll have to give up your pride and self-sufficiency. When you take Jesus' yoke, you are yoked to One who is "gentle and humble in heart." You won't fit too well if you are proud and stubborn and pull off in your own direction.

And when you take His yoke, He teaches you at the same time. He shows you how to do it His way, rather than your way. He not only invites you to come, but to come and LEARN. Little by little He changes you to be more and more like Him as you submit to Him. He leads you into a deeper rest, a rest in the very depths of your soul.

Dear mother, you don't have to stay in your stressed state. Jesus waits for you to COME. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. "And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Are you wrestling against the devil and his evil works, or nestling in his camp? Ephesians 6:12 says that we are 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 acquiescing 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, homosexuality encroaching on our nation? Is it because God's people are not fighting against these powers of darkness?

Ephesians 6:13-14: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, too stand. Stand therefore…”The words “withstand” means more than stand. It means to “stand against, to oppose, to resist.”

Let’s fight, and teach our children to fight. Stand up and speak out at every opportunity. Pray together daily as families and fight these principalities and powers in prayer. If we don’t, the next generation will be assimilated more and more into the ways of the enemy.

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.

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. He designed 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.