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.

Strengthening Families Across the World through the encouragement of women in their high calling from God as wives, mothers and homemakers.

WHAT A PRIVILEGE!

WhatAPrivelegeMother, you are a sculptor, shaping lives to affect the nations. Your influence is greater than you realize. You determine the destiny of your nation. Not only do you influence a nation, but future generations! Not only do you influence future generations, but also eternity. When God gives you a little baby, you hold eternity in your hands! Your children come from God and will go on to His eternal purpose in the eons of eternity. What a privilege we have as mothers to prepare them in this life for their future destiny!

~ Nancy Campbell

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A QUARRELSOME WIFE

QuarrelsomeWifeIt’s a dreary life with a quarrelsome wife;

I’d rather be out in the rain.
Her nagging words drip out from a constant spout;
I feel cold and drenched and in pain.
The corner of a roof is where I’d like to be
To escape the constant war.
It’s safer and warmer and more comfortable;
Why should I come down for more
Of that complaining and discord and conflict and strife
From that woman You gave me to keep as a wife!

Or maybe I’ll live in a hot, dry desert
Wandering and dying of thirst.
Since in my own home my needs are not met,
Living there is definitely the worst.
The home I dream of holds a wife who’s content;
A woman placidly happy would be heaven-sent.
She’s satisfied, loving and usually unruffled;
Her infrequent criticism she tries to keep muffled.
This wife brings me good;
I feel understood.

I jump down from my roof and run in from the rain;
To be apart from this woman would just be insane!

~ Kim Newhouse

“Better to dwell in a corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife”
(Proverbs 25:24 TLV).

“Continual dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious wife are alike”
(Proverbs 27:15 TLV).

“It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome, worrisome wife”
(Proverbs 21:19 TLV).

Read also: Proverbs 19:13 and 21:9.

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TRAINING WARRIORS

ServingGod“You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, training them up in God’s fear, minding the house, and making your household a church for God as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of Hosts.”

Charles Spurgeon

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ESSENTIAL TO LIVING...

GraceUponDear ladies, Did you read yesterday's post, BIGGER THAN YOU THINK? The truth in this post is essential to living in victory each day in your home. If you didn't get to read it, check it out now. Or if you did, read it again. Sometimes it takes time for the revelation of truth to get into our sousl to become experiential in our lives.

~ Nancy

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BIGGER THAN YOU THINK

BiggerThinkOur redemption is far bigger than we can ever fathom. Jesus Christ not only died to give us deliverance and forgiveness from our sins, but He became a partaker of our flesh and blood so that we can become partakers of His life ( Hebrews 2:14). His glorious, victorious, perfect, joyful, longsuffering, loving, and powerful (dunamis) life!

This is amazing! This is revolutionary! If only we can truly get the revelation and live in it. Dear precious mother, you are not on your own in your little home, mothering and teaching your children. In fact, you can’t do it in your own wisdom and strength! But if Christ dwells within you, you share in His life. He wants to live His glorious life through you--in your kitchen, cooking meals, sorting out squabbles, and bringing peace and joy to your home.

Hebrews 3:1 states that we are “PARTAKERS of the heavenly calling.”

Hebrews 3;14 states that we are made “PARTAKERS of Christ.”

Hebrews 6:4 states that we have been made “PARTAKERS of the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:4 states that we have become “PARTAKERS of the divine nature.” The “divine nature”! Not our fleshly nature! Jesus Christ wants to live His divine nature through you! He wants to share it with you. He wants you to share it with Him. Not just at church, but every day and every moment in your home with your children. Right now.

You are not convinced? Listen to John 1:16 talking about Jesus the Word who “was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. . . . And of his FULLNESS HAVE ALL WE RECEIVED, grace for grace.” This is not talking about a scanty bit of grace, but an abundance of grace for every situation you face each day. You share in His fullness!

“Dear Father, please help us to get a glimpse of the glory and divine life that You want us to live in each day. Save us from living on the crumbs and imprisoned to our fleshly reactions when you have invited us to share Your divine nature. Help us to live in the fullness of your grace for every challenge we face. Thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Don’t live normally today, but supernaturally.

Nancy Campbell

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THE TIME OF LIFE

TimeofLifeThe Bible speaks about “the time of life” which relates to us as women. Every month we are blessed with a “time of life.” It is the time of ovulation during our monthly cycle, which can last from five to seven days. This is the time of the month when we can conceive; when we are able to receive life from God.

We read about this in Genesis 18:10 where God says to Abraham: “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.”

We know of course that Sarah was past the time of childbearing. She didn’t believe that such a thing could happen and so God speaks again the second time! Verse 14 says: “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son” (verse 14).

I believe that God restored Sarah’s cycle so that she could ovulate again and therefore God was able to come and visit her during her “time of life.”

Our “time of life” is also a time of “visitation” from God. We read again about Sarah’s conceiving in Genesis 21:1, 2: “And the Lord VISITED Sarah as he had said and the LORD did unto Sarah AS HE HAD SPOKEN (in Genesis 18:10, 14). For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”

We read also of God visiting Hannah and giving her children. After Hannah had taken Samuel to live at the temple because she had dedicated him to the Lord, 1 Samuel 2:21 says: “And the LORD VISITED Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters.” She was blessed with five more visitations of God.

What a privilege to be visited by God. A responsibility too. Understanding this truth makes clear what we are actually doing when we choose a plan to stop life during the time of ovulation. We refuse a visitation of God. We thwart the sovereign plans of Almighty God. We say No to life instead of Yes. And when we stop one conception, it is not only one baby, but a dynasty to come!

Love and blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

P.S. You can read another story about the “time of life” in 2 Kings 4:16,17.

Picture: I was looking for a picture of a newborn baby. My lovely Above Rubies helper said, “I’ve got one of my mother and baby sister.” This is little Emmaline, about two minutes old. I wish you could see her mother, Misty. This is her ninth baby, and now she is happily expecting No. 10, but she just looks like a teenager.

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SIX GENERATIONS!

SixGenerationsPaul wrote to Timothy to remind him that he was “the third generation of a strong lineage of faith” (2 Timothy 1:5 Mirror). What a great blessing.

I then thought of our grand-daughter, Rashida who is due to give birth to her first baby. This baby will not be the third, but the sixth generation in a lineage of walking with God on all sides of her family. And this is in my lifetime! What a heritage. There is something very powerful in beholding the work of God in each succeeding generation.

This is God’s plan--that we build godly generations, from one generation to the next. Perhaps you may not have the privilege of the heritage of a godly generation. Are you the first one in your family to walk with the Lord? Be encouraged. You are now beginning a godly generation! How exciting.

As you nurture your children each day, dear mothers, remember that you are not only mothering for today, but for generations to come. Motherhood is not transient! It’s not just for one day. Your mothering extends to future generations and on to eternity. Every day is a generational day.

Rejoice in this privilege. Take up your responsibility. Isaiah 59:21 (HCSB) says: “‘My Spirit who is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children’s children, from now on and forever,’ says the LORD.”

Be encouraged.

Nancy Campbell

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YOU’LL BE WISHING

BeWishingDo not worry, little mother
If there are tracks upon your floor
Years go by and you’ll be wishing
You could see those tracks once more.

There won’t be much satisfaction
Looking back along the way,
Though we kept our house all shining -
If we scolded every day.

Yes I know that little garments
Sadly torn and out of place
Make it hard for tired mother;
Hard to wear a smiling face.

They will leave their home nest shortly;
Some may fly to foreign lands -
Then your house will be in order
But you will sit with empty hands.

So let us all enjoy each minute
Of these lovely childhood days;
Just forget the dust that gathers,
And enjoy their childish ways.

Yesterday they were but babies,
Now they’re with us for awhile
But tomorrow they’ll be going -
Send them onward with a smile!

Anon.

Painting by Steve Hanks.

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PRECIOUS MOMENTS

PreciousMomentsThe following poem is written by a dear friend of mine, Val Halloran. She says: “I wrote this when I was mothering the little people referred to in this poem. Now, in what seems to be a blink of an eye, those "little people" are parenting their own little people. To those in the throws of raising children, savor these precious moments.”

I have some little people with fine hair and rosy cheeks,
They giggle and they squeal quite as often as they speak.
They climb on me each morning and chase me through the day,
Asking lots of questions and begging me to play.

It's easy to get busy with the things I need to do,
Forgetting that their playful days are fleeting and too few.
O Lord, please help me notice what's important and what's not,
To cherish precious moments and to mother as I ought.

Please keep me from distractions that would rob me of the joy
That you have planned to give me through my precious girls and boys.
Help me teach them of Your ways, this is my highest aim,
I long to see my children live to glorify Your name.

O help me be the model that would draw them to Your throne,
Let me make for them a haven that would turn their hearts to home,
And in these fast and fleeting years, please help me not to miss
The treasure that you give me in each cuddle and each kiss.

Please give to me a child's heart, to see the way they see,
To savor every moment with these ones so dear to me
That when I 'm old and looking back at every blessed year
I will rejoice that I was there to share each joy and tear.

C 1998 Val Halloran Music That Encourages the Heart www.valhalloran.com

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URGENT LAST MINUTE NOTICE! WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOST AN ORPHAN IN YOUR HOME DURING THE SUMMER?

An Above Rubies reader, Susan McMahon sends a request:

"Hello to my Above Rubies family! Have you ever dreamed about going on a mission trip? Do you think it’s impossible since you are a mom and a homemaker and cannot leave your children? Well let me tell you about the mission trip that comes to YOU!!! Be Love!

Orphan Outreach Missions (BLOOM) is a Christian organization which brings school-aged orphans from Ukraine and Poland to live with families for approximately 7 weeks over the summer. During this time, the children experience the love of Christ through Christian families who exemplify His unconditional love to them. In addition, through family time together, children quickly develop a basic understanding and use of the English language which helps develop a higher self-esteem and a feeling of accomplishment in many ways! The children also witness healthy relationships between parents and their children, perhaps for the first time in their lives! These basic skills provide tremendous social, educational, and emotional improvements that help the child as they return to their homeland. Happily, for some it doesn't end there: Many of our host families decide to adopt these children after hosting!

Why else is hosting these children so important? As the children age out of their orphanages (usually at age 16), what happens is truly heartbreaking. Most of the girls will turn to prostitution as a means of supporting themselves, and most of the boys will become hardened criminals. Perhaps saddest of all, however, is that 10-15% of these children will end up committing suicide before they turn 18 years old. (See statistics here: http://worldorphans.org/…/upl…/2015/05/Orphan-Statistics.pdf)

Orphan hosting changes all of this. Orphan hosting saves lives!!!

If you would like to host a child from Ukraine, the deadline to decide is May 10th. And matching for our children from Poland ends May 15th. Please take a look at our website for all the details about orphan hosting: https://www.bloomworldwide.org/hosting2.html . In order to look at the photo listing of available children, you’ll need to fill out a very brief registration form.

Please prayerfully consider coming along on this mission trip! All of our children have very generous scholarships which have been given towards their hosting fees. (And all hosting fees are fully tax-deductible.)

We believe that God has a plan for each of these precious children of His. Perhaps it is YOUR family who He is asking to bring a child to America! If you cannot host, will you please take a look at the photos of the children anyway and spend a few minutes praying for families for them? Let’s not let any of them be left behind this summer!

May each of your families be blessed as you advocate for “the least of these children of His” in the spirit of James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (NIV). Thank you for whatever you can do to help!

International Orphan Hosting Programs - BLOOM

Orphan Hosting: A short term family mission trip - but, the mission, the orphan, comes to you! Share love of family, Christ & more 4-6 weeks in your home!
bloomworldwide.org

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CHRIST HAS NO HANDS . . .

ChristHasNoHandsChrist has no hands but our hands to do His work today
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way
He has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read,
We are the sinner’s gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed;
We are the Lord’s last message, given in word and deed;
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with other work than His?
What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is?
What if our tongue is speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him or welcome His return?

—Annie Johnston Flint

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A TANGIBLE BLESSING

TangibleBlessingOur God is a blessing God. He wants to bless His people. How can He tangibly do this? He wants to use us as a physical expression of His love and compassion. We are His hands and His feet to our family and to the world. We are His smile of affirmation and encouragement to our husbands, children, older people, and the lonely and hurting around us.

Paul acknowledges the blessing that Onesiphorus was to his life. The Bible tells the whole world that Onesiphorus was an encourager and refresher. In fact, when Onesiphorus came to Rome he sought Paul out diligently until he found him to bless and encourage him.

The Mirror exposition of 2 Timothy 1:18 says: ”His visit meant so much to me that day in Rome: HE MADE GOD’S MERCY TANGIBLE.” What a challenge. Am I a visible and evident expression of God to my husband and family? What about you?

I love the quote of William Makepeace Thackeray: “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” We are the touchable expression of God to our children. Every day we show them what God is like. What about our husbands? Do they come closer to God through seeing Him manifested lives?

Let’s be the tangible proof to our husbands, our children, and the world of what God is like.

Love from Nancy Campbell

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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

NancyGardeningI read this morning: “The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases daydreams lacks sense” (Proverbs 12:6 TLV). This is one of the promises we have for provision. Make sure we grow a garden.

“That’s okay for you,” you say. “You live in the country whereas I live in the city.” However, I have only lived in the country for the last 16 years and I used to grow a garden even when living in the city. In fact, to grow a garden here in the country, we had to purchase our dirt! We live on a hill top and the ground is churt-like. It was hard and impossible to dig. Therefore, we made long raised beds and purchased our dirt to fill them. I have kept them going with manure and constant composting.

In our society where we can buy any vegetable or fruit we could imagine from the supermarket (at any season and from anywhere in the world) we don’t think gardens are important for food. However, where can you purchase food as fresh as harvesting from the garden as you prepare your next meal? Even organic vegetables (which are usually too expensive to purchase) often look old and wilted.

The first home was called the Garden of Eden and it was the prototype of all homes to come. Even when the children of Israel were taken captives to Babylon, God (the Lord of hosts) brought a word to the people through the prophet Jeremiah. He told them that even in captivity that they were to “Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them” (Jeremiah 29:5). In other words, keep doing the plan I gave you at the beginning, even though you are in captivity and life is difficult.

This is now the season to plant. I have planted 106 tomato plants and three rows of sweet and hot peppers, plus cucumbers, kale and lettuce so far. I hope to plant okra, zucchini, golden squash, and more cucumbers today. It’s hard work, but I am encouraged by the promise I read this morning of the wonderful harvest to come.

Can I encourage you that even if you live in the city and only have a tiny piece of earth, to try and plant something. Even if it is a few lettuces or one or two tomato plants. You can even plant these in pots to grow on your deck or verandah. And if you truly don’t have one piece of dirt at all, grow herbs on your window sill. At least have some vestige of a garden, for this is God’s plan from the very beginning.

Happy gardening.

Love from Nancy Campbell

THE WRONG WAY TO GARDEN!
A picture of Evangeline in the garden. Actually, she is a hard-working gardener, but she can work or relax in the garden!

WrongWayGarden

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DON’T GIVE UP

DontGiveUp2Do you feel dead inside? Is the love you once enjoyed in your marriage smoldered and gone out? Are all the beautiful plans for your family life buried in the grave of hurts and disappointments? Nothing has worked out the way you wanted.

Please don’t give up hope. Read this powerful promise from Job 14:7-9: “For there is hope of tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.”

Do you feel that everything is cut away from you? Life is finished. Dear friend, there is hope. Even if the tree is dead, it can live again. All it needs is some water! In fact, this Scripture says that even the smell of water will awaken life. Read the Scripture again. Read it OUT LOUD!

Water your situation in prayer. Water your marriage in prayer. Cry out for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to come. Zechariah 4:6 says: “Not my might, not by power, but by my Spirit saith the LORD of hosts.” The living water of the Holy Spirit awakens life. Soak in the anointing of God’s Word and speak it into your situation.

As you continue to water your situation with prayer, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Word of God life will come. Your dead situation will sprout again. “For I will pour water upon him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring; they will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses” (Isaiah 44:3, 4). Read also Psalm 1:1-3.

Be encouraged.

Nancy Campbell

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BEAUTIFUL WORKS

BeautifulWorksMany people today work in jobs that are not satisfying. It’s a paycheck and that’s all. As mothers we are very blessed to be in a job career where we do beautiful things. We are so privileged.

“Beautiful things?” I hear you say. “ I’m trying to keep a messy house clean. I’m doing the same mundane things every day. What beautiful things am I doing?”

Titus 2:3 exhorts the older women to be “teachers of good things.” The word in the Greek language is “kalodidaskalos.” It comes from two words:
didaskalos - teacher, instructor
kalos - beautiful, good, worthy, valuable or virtuous for appearance and function.

Therefore, when Titus 2:3-5 speaks about loving our children, loving our husbands, being submissive to our husbands, and keepers at home, it is talking about BEAUTIFUL works. They are beautiful in God’s eyes. They are beautiful in the eyes of your husband. They will also be beautiful in your eyes when you understand they are God’s perfect will and His ultimate plan for you.

Embrace your beautiful role wholeheartedly. When you get up in the morning, thank God for the privilege of having such a beautiful career. Thank Him for the privilege of nurturing your little ones with God’s love and compassion. Thank Him for the joy of cooking and preparing meals for your family. Oh yes, 1 Timothy 5:10 tells us that this is also a beautiful work: “Well reported of for good (kalos) works: if she has brought up children . . .” The words “brought up” mean to not only nurture and raise your children, but to feed them with food!

Thank Him for the privilege of loving your husband and making your home a sanctuary for God. And yes, thank Him for all the challenges you face, because how could you expect to escape challenges and difficulties when you work full time in the most important career in the nation?

Love from Nancy Campbell

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ON THE SHELF OR IN YOUR HEART?

InMyHeartGo to: http://tinyurl.com/OnShelfOrInHeart

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HOW SHOULD I READ THE WORD?

MulticoloredBibleCheck out: http://tinyurl.com/HowShouldIReadBible

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HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF READING GOD'S WORD

JournalingCheck it out at: http://tinyurl.com/ReadWordInQuietTime

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A "QUIET TIME" WITH LITTLE CHILDREN. IMPOSSIBLE?

QuietTimeLittleChildCheck it out at: http://tinyurl.com/QuietTimeLittleChildren

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HAVE YOU MADE A PRAYER BOX YET?

PrayerBoxYetAn Above Rubies reader, Brittany Howell writes:

“Nancy, thank you again for providing the wonderful Prayer Box at the conference. I had read all your articles on the importance of doing Prayer Boxes and had been convicted. I had even put aside a box to decorate and make up but had not completed it. So the box you gave me was just the push I needed to get this habit started

Since my three children are under three years I made a Family Prayer Box and put pictures of the family members on each card. I want to show what it looks like in the hope that it inspires others to start their own box too! Once we have used this box for a few weeks I plan to make a World Changing Prayer Box, an Evangelism/Unsaved Prayer Box and several other boxes you mentioned!”

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Above Rubies Address

AboveRubies
Email Nancy

PO Box 681687
Franklin, TN 37068-1687

Phone : 931-729-9861
Office Hrs 9am - 5pm, M - F, CTZ