It all depends on our attitude.
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Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.
Are you a JOY-filled mother?
God gives a description of mothers in Psalm 113:9. In fact, it is His design and plan for mothers. Do you know the description? He calls them JOYFUL mothers!"Oh my," you retort. "How do you expect me to be joyful when I hardly have time to get one moment for myself? I'm over-worked and underpaid! I've got crying little ones around me all day!" Dear mother, can I let you into a secret? It's all in your attitude. If you think you could be doing something else, you'll resent you powerful role of mothering. If you think you deserve to be in some more "significant" role, you'll be frustrated.
I want to remind you today that you could not be doing anything more powerful. You are in the perfect will of God. You are fulfilling the greatest career God has given to women. You are determining the course of this nation. You are doing an eternal work. As you embrace your high calling with all your heart, the joy will come. God intends you to be filled with joy, not just because everything is perfect and easy, but because you are doing what He wants you to do.
The full understanding of the Hebrew word "JOYFUL" is that we will be glee-FULL, merry-FULL, happy-FULL, cheer-FULL, rejoicing-FULL, and of course, joy-FULL! Motherhood is not a half-measured life, but a FULL life.
And this Scripture ends with, PRAISE THE LORD!
Can you say, Praise the Lord” with me?
Love to you today,
Nancy Campbell
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It is easy to say “Trust the Lord to someone who is going through a difficult time. It can be like a cliché. But dear friend, IT IS TRUE.Anything and anyone else you put your trust in can fail you. When you lean on your own resources and your own flesh, they are not strong enough to hold you. 2 Kings 18:21 (NLT) says: “On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand.”
Conversely, God, who is your Rock, is able to take all your weight. He is strong enough to bear all that you cast upon Him--all your burdens and traumas.
I love the confession of Moses in Psalm 90:1, 2: “LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
God is our Rock from one generation to the next. With all my heart I want to encourage you to speak these words out loud today: “FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, YOU ARE GOD.” Say them consistently. Say them over and over again. Get your children to learn them. The more you speak them out, the more the power of these words will go into the depths of your spirit. They will strengthen your hope and trust in God. They will carry your through your difficulties and heartaches.
Blessings to you today,
Nancy Campbell
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Mother, you are not only building into your children’s lives, you are building into a nation. A nation is only as strong as its families. Therefore the mothers in the home are the backbone of the nation.Mother, you are the hidden strength of the nation!
You are also building future generations and for eternity. You are I. The most important. Holding program in the nation. Be a great builder!
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We must hang on with every fiber of our beings to our God-given and Constitution-affirmed freedoms. We must NEVER give up our God-given and inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They are our personal God-given rights. Not the rights of the government.
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Another wonderful family wedding on the weekend, our grandson, Isaiah Allison (Sam and Serene’s son) and his new wife Addie. Addie used to be one of our lovely Above Rubies helpers. Many of you will remember how Isaiah had a near fatal car accident and perhaps even prayed for him. God miraculously delivered him. We rejoice in the goodness of God in bringing Isaiah and Addie together. They are so perfect for one another.
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It is good to pray the Scriptures. We have so many evil, deceiving, and fake speakers in this land. But we can win the battle as we don’t give up praying. Do you gather your family morning and evening to pray for this nation and the world?
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The popular opinion is not always the right one. Search for truth and stand for truth even when you are in the minority. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
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The Christian life is all about overcoming, conquering, getting the victory, and prevailing over sin and all evil. We cannot do this in our own strength but through the power of the life of Jesus Christ who dwells in us. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
Read Revelation 2:26, 3:5, 12, 21; 12:11; 15:2; and 21:7.
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Charles Hadden Spurgeon writes: "It would not be easy for some of us to recall the hour when we first heard the name of Jesus. In very infancy that sweet sound was as familiar to our ear as the hush of a lullaby. Our earliest recollections are associated with the HOUSE OF GOD, THE FAMILY ALTAR, THE HOLY BIBLE, THE SACRED SONG, and the FERVENT PRAYER."It was this foundation that produced a man such as Spurgeon.
Are your children experiencing these memories? Do you take them to the house of God every week. No excuses. No exceptions. It’s the habit of your life and therefore becomes the habit of your children’s lives.
Do you enjoy The Family Altar in your home? Help? What’s that?” you may ask. Many Christians have never heard that phrase. The Family Altar is another name for gathering together as a family each morning and evening to read God’s Word and pray together. You may call it something different in your family such as Bible Time, or Prayer Time, or Worship Time.
Years ago, it was always called The Family Altar. Of course, we don’t have an altar of wood or stone in our homes. But we make a time and place each day where we meet with God to hear Him speak to us and where we all call upon the Lord. This should be a memory of every child in a God-fearing family.
And it’s at The Family Altar where your children will experience the memories of Bible Reading, singing hymns and worship songs together, and praying together.
These were Spurgeon’s memories that set him on a path to bring God’s word to millions of people. Will your children have these memories?
Have a beautiful day with your children in your home today,
Nancy Campbell
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What an awesome blessing. Pray this prayer over your precious baby growing in your womb. It is even be better to pray together with your husband. Ask him to lay his hands upon your womb and pray over you every day of your pregnancy. If you have a friend who is pregnant, you could also pray this prayer for them."Father, I thank You for filling my womb with life. I know this precious little baby comes from You and has been destined by You from the beginning of the world. I thank You for this miracle growing inside me in the "secret place" of my womb. I thank You that You are giving this little baby to us as a gift, but also as a gift for the world. We can't wait to see another image of Yourself come forth into this world and the plans You have for this child.
“We ask you, Father, in Jesus' name, to hedge our little baby about with Your mighty protection. Watch over this little one each day as You intricately create him/her in the hidden sanctuary of my womb. Please sustain me in good health and vitality throughout this whole pregnancy.
“Please fill me with Your joy and that everyone will see the glory of God upon me as I nurture this precious life within me. Thank You again for this amazing miracle and for giving my husband and me an eternal soul that will live forever. It is awesome to think that I am part of something eternal. I pray that You will keep this baby growing in the womb until FULL TERM and this baby will come forth in Your perfect timing. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Dear pregnant Mommy, may God pour out His blessing and refreshing on you each new day,
Nancy Campbell
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What a joy and privilege. Dear mother, you are blessed beyond measure. God is so good. When He gives you a precious new baby, He doesn’t leave you to manage on your own. He fills you with wonderful hormones to help you in this God-given task.When you nurse your baby, you produce prolactin and oxytocyn. They are called the love hormones. They are also called the anti-stress hormones. Who would like to be filled with anti-stress hormones? Well, embrace nursing babies!
God doesn’t intend women to be high-powered, stressed-out women in the workforce. He designed them to have His anointing of peace upon them (Isaiah 66:11-13). Do you realize that the more your nurse your baby, the more prolactin and oxytocyn you produce? Therefore, you become more loving and motherly. The more relaxed you become. Your brain marinates with dopamine and therefore feelings of pleasure. And without having to take a pill, God-induced anti-stress hormones fill your brain and body.
Who wouldn’t want to be a mother? Don’t miss out on all the blessings God has for you. Don’t only nurse your baby for food. Nurse your baby to console, comfort, delight, and satisfy his God-given sucking instinct. Don’t use a pacifier which is a mother substitute. Don’t try to wean your baby too soon. Let your baby wean when he is ready. Bask in the joys of God’s blessing hormones as long as you can. It is your inheritance as a mother.
Sadly, Satan wants to rob women of the fullness of motherhood that God planned for them. He comes to rob, kill, and destroy. Don’t let him rob you. Embrace all that God has for you. Live in the glory of your motherhood.
God bless you in your mothering today,
Nancy Campbell
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The BEST infant seat is mother’s arms,
The BEST baby swing is mother’s lap in a rocking chair, The BEST stroller is mother’s body, The BEST nursery record is mother’s own heartbeat, The BEST lullaby record is mother’s singing, and of course, The BEST food, pacifier, electric warmer,and tranquilizer can be found at the mother’s breast.
~ Sally Simmons, Nebraska.
Printed with permission from LLL News
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It's amazing that King Hezekiah turned out a godly man. His father, Ahaz, was a very wicked king and even sacrificed his own children to Molech. He was so wicked that when he died, they did not even bury him in the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. But Hezekiah, his son "wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God" (2 Chronicles 29:1, 2 and 31:20, 21).
Why did he turn out to be a righteous king? 2 Kings 18:1-6 tells us: "Hezekiah . . . reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. HIS MOTHER'S NAME ALSO WAS ABI (shortened version of Abijah), the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord." He obviously had a godly mother. A mother's influence is powerful. It is interesting that when the Bible writes about the kings of Israel and Judah it begins by stating whether they were wicked or good--and includes the name of their mother! The mother's influence determined the course of their lives, and ultimately the destiny of the nation.
Perhaps your husband is not walking in the ways of God. Do not give up. Keep pouring God's truths into your children. Live your godly life before them. Pray for them daily. God has chosen you to steer them in the ways of God.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting: "A Mother's Love" by Carol Gartzman Gooberman
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We talked yesterday about knowing God. The Scriptures translate it “Know Him in ALL YOUR WAYS” (Proverbs 3:6). What does it say? ALL your ways. That means ALL the practical ways of our lives. We can often feel very close to God when we are on our own with our Bible and no distractions. In fact, we can feel very spiritual. But what about when we get back in the fray? In the midst of babies, toddlers, tantrums, teens, frustrations, and overwhelmingness! How can we know God then?Dear mother, God wants you to KNOW HIM in all your mothering ways. Let’s get to the reality of life. God is the One who created our bodies. He wondrously, intricately, and amazingly created them to carry and nurture life in our wombs, to give birth, to pour out life and sustenance from our breasts, and to mother and teach our children. We are created, called, chosen, ordained, designated, and destined—physically, emotionally, and spiritually— for this purpose.
Therefore, as we realize this divine truth (and can I please interrupt my sentence here--it is a divine truth although our humanistic society does not embrace it). Because it is God’s plan the enemy wants to rob us from it. When he robs us of this truth, he robs us of our full understanding of God. As we embrace this divine truth, we come to find out more and more who God is like. And the more we embrace His ways for us as wives and mothers, the more He reveals to us and leads us in His paths.
Seek with all your heart to KNOW GOD in the way He created you. Discover all the amazing hormones He gives to you when you are pregnant. Experience the blessed hormones He gives you while you nurse your baby. God is wrapped up in all your mothering. You miss knowing much of who God really is when you discard your mothering ways for other ways.
Let’s be those who know God and who He created us to be and how He created us to function.
Be blessed,
Nancy Campbell
P.S. Here are some links you may like to check out:
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I am sure you have memorized and have taught your children Proverbs 3:5, 6: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” These are good Scriptures to memorize as a family, aren’t they?Although I have known these Scriptures from a child, it was only in recent years that I discovered that the word “acknowledge” is “yada” in the Hebrew. This is far more than a casual acknowledgement of God. It means to know God in an intimate way. This same word is used of sexual intimacy. We read how God knew Abraham in a personal relationship (Genesis 18:19), He spoke with Moses face to face (Exodus 33:17 and Deuteronomy 34:10), and He knew Jeremiah in the womb (Jeremiah 9:23, 24).
We can only experience God’s true direction in our lives as we KNOW Him. If we have put God into our little box and made Him a god of our own understanding, we will end up on a deceived path. We must pursue knowing God.
And dear mothers, we must seek above all things to teach our children to KNOW God, not only know about Him. When God spoke to the little boy, Samuel in the temple 1 Samuel 3:7 states: “Now Samuel did not yet know (yada) the LORD.” Samuel lived in the temple with the priests but didn’t know God personally yet.
Your children can grow up in your godly home and know about God, and yet miss KNOWING Him personally. Pray that they will come to know God intimately. Fill them with the Scriptures daily because it is the Word that makes them “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:17). Make sure you are revealing to them the God of the Bible, not a god of your own making. They will only know God’s ultimate direction upon their lives as they know God truly and intimately.
Be blessed,
Nancy Campbell
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Here are seven tips to remember when cooking your meals:1. MAKE IT SIMPLE
You do not need to cook an extravagant meal. You can do this for special occasions. A basic meal at our home consists of a choice of meat, two or three different vegetables either steamed or sauteed, and a salad. I love to include lots of vegetables. A baked potato meal is a nice change. Bake potatoes and make lots of different fillings to add. Each member of the family can choose the fillings they like best. This is even fun to do with visitors if you make lots of interesting fillings.
2. MAKE IT NUTRITIOUS
Eliminate all refined foods. Use brown rice instead of white. Grind your grains freshly and back your own bread if possible. Do not over-cook your vegetables—steam them or short cook them in a tiny amount of water. Or raw! Children prefer eating raw carrots than cooked.
3. MAKE IT TASTY
This is the secret. Food must taste delicious. Delicious food is the spice of life. Bland food is boring. Gradually stock up on your herbs and spices and experiment! Be imaginative! Try a bit of this and a bit of that! It is the enchantment of cooking! If you use your spices and herbs sparingly at the beginning you won’t spoil a dish by using the wrong ones, but you’ll gradually find what works best. In our home we like our foods HOT AND SPICY, but you will do it to your own taste.
4. MAKE IT FULL OF AROMA
The spices and herbs and the smell of the meal cooking should draw everyone to the kitchen and make them hungry for the meal.
5. MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE
Coordinate your meal so you have different colors and always arrange your food attractively, whether on each plate or in serving dishes for the family to help themselves. Use herbs, flowers, and leaves to decorate. Set the table nicely and welcomingly. Your children can do this task and teach them to do it creatively and beautifully.
6. MAKE PLENTY
It is better to have more than you need than not enough. If you have extra, it’s great for leftovers for lunch the next day, or you can freeze it for another meal. However, the idea in cooking plenty is to be ready for that unexpected guest or person who needs a meal.
7. MAKE A SALAD
Make a big salad at least once a day, either for lunch or for supper.
Most of all, have fun! Instead of preparing meals as a chore, embrace the challenge of making the most nutritious, attractive, delicious, exciting meal you could ever make!
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
P.S. I’d love to hear some of your tips.
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We find one of the most amazing incidents in the Bible in Exodus 24:9-11 God gives an invitation, not only to Moses, but also to Aaron, his sons, and the seventy elders of Israel to come up to Him on the mountain. They had just seen the power of God on the mountain when God came down to give the Ten Commandments. They had quaked with fear as they watched the mountain smoke like a furnace, they had trembled as they felt the earthquake, and their hearts had melted when they heard the trumpet blast louder and louder. God had commanded that no one must “touch the border of it: whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death” (Exodus 19:12).And yet now they have been invited to come up on this fearful mountain. Wow! How would you feel? I think I would have obeyed with great fear and trepidation. Let us read what happened.
Exodus 24:9-11: “Then went u Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drank.”
I have to say “Wow!” again! They ate a meal in the presence of God. The New Bible Commentary comments on this passage. “A sacrifice involved a sacrificial meal, and Moses, following the command of verse 1, took the elders up the mount, there to eat the flesh of the sacrifice and so to commune with the God to whom it was offered. While they were eating God granted to them, as a token of His favor, a vision of Himself which revealed Him as the God who not only thunders in wrath at all iniquity, but whose glory is also manifested in surpassing loveliness.”
Once again, it was WHILE THEY WERE EATING that God revealed Himself and gave them a glimpse of His glory. The NLT says: “they ate as covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!”
Exodus 33:20 tells us that: “no man shall see me, and live” so they obviously did not see the pure fullness of God’s glory but were privileged to behold a reflection of His dazzling splendor, all while they ate and communed in the presence of God.
God not only visits people at church. He longs to visit them at their tables. God wants to bring His presence to your table too. He delights to join you. Do you invite Him? Do you expect Him to be with you? It will make all the difference to your mealtimes.
Have a beautiful day,
Nancy Campbell
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“May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace” (Psalm 144:12 NLT).THE CORNERSTONE
“That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace” (Psalm 144:12).
Daughters as pillars so fixed and grounded
With roots in a rock immovably founded,
An ancient faith and an ancient quarry
Has brought them forth to Heaven’s glory.
For Sarah’s daughters are pillars of life,
Not dead pillars of salt like Lot’s backslidden wife,
Look forward and not back with hearts ablaze
To see your house of God filled with praise.
Stand strong in faith and uphold the roof
That shields from storm and welcomes truth,
For pillars sculptured in palace style
Will stand the test of time and trial.
As one great pillar made of pearl
You stand a witness to the world,
That the worth of the kingdom far excels
The worth pursued on other trails.
With faith unbending and eyes on Him
Who redeemed you to Himself from sin,
Let fulfillment’s greatest goal be found
That on the cornerstone be placed the crown.
~ Brayden and Tali Waller
What is the cornerstone? The cornerstone is the foundation of the home. In building the home all other stones are set from this foundation stone, thus determining the entire structure. It is the crown. We as mothers are the cornerstones of our home and are training our daughters for this great task. Rejoice today in the great commission God has given you.
~ Nancy
Brayden and Tali are organizing the coming Above Rubies Family Retreat in Missouri THIS COMING WEEKEND! You can still come at the last minute! Would love to see you!
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