Daniel 7:27, “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” 

Each year I keep a journal to write the Scripture that speaks to me the most as I read the Word each day. I write the Scripture and then write what I feel God is saying to me. This practice is one of the greatest blessings of my life. When I read the above Scripture in my daily reading, I was arrested by the phrase, “saints of the most High”. The word ‘saints’ in the Hebrew is qaddish and means ‘set apart, separate, holy’. The Knox version translates it correctly, “the people set apart for the most High.”

I responded in my journal by writing the following:

“This is speaking about the people of Israel, but also of God’s grafted-in saints, of whom I am one, blessed be His glorious name forever. What wondrous truth! I am set apart from this world system—all its materialism, lust, defilement, deception and pride. I am set apart, not for something insignificant, but for the most HIGH God. Unbelievable! I am set apart for the Highest One in the universe, the one who can go no higher because He is the highest, and the one who rules over all kings and dominions, the Supreme Being of the universe. This truth should direct the course of my life!”

It is impossible to live a normal life when you know this truth. Because we are set apart for the most High God, we are set apart for a life that has high value. A person who is set apart to serve an earthly monarch is aware of the importance of his or her work. How much more when we are set apart to serve the God who is higher than all earthly kings and dominions!

Paul confesses his goal in Philippians 3:13-14, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Each one of us has a high calling from God. The highest calling God has given to women is motherhood. This is a calling from God and it is a high, heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1). As a mother, you are molding children, not only for this life, but for eternity. There can be no higher calling that this.

We see another picture of the height of motherhood in Ezekiel 19:10-14, NIV. In this allegorical passage, God likens Judah to a mother. As we read, we see how God looks upon the high calling of motherhood. “Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and its many branches.” God paints a picture of motherhood being higher than any other career. It towers above all others. It is conspicuous for its height. The word ‘towered’ or ‘exalted’ as it says in the King James Version, means ‘to soar to a great height.’

Don’t ever be deceived again by the lies of our society that tell you that your role as a mother is insignificant. Those who think your work is insignificant are actually deceived. They may be working for an earthly employer--an earthly job to gain earthly materialism. You have a higher calling. You are working for the King of kings. Your work has eternal consequences. Soar to the heights God intends for you.

NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“I thank you, Lord that I am set apart for you, the Highest One in the universe. I am set apart for a high destiny. Help me to walk worthy of your high calling. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

FURTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

The MOST HIGH GOD:

Hebrew: Elyon, meaning the Supreme Being, the Exalted God.

Genesis 14: 18-22; Numbers 24:16; Deuteronomy 32:8; 2 Samuel 22:14.

Psalm 7;17b; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 46:4; 47:2; 50:14; 56:2b; 57:2; 77:10; 78:17, 35, 56; 82:6; 83:18; 87:5; 91:1, 9; 92:1, 8; 93:4; 97:9; 99:2; 107:11; 113:5.

Isaiah 6:1; 33::5; 57:15; Lamentations 3:35, 38; Daniel 3:26; 4:17; 24, 25, 34; 5:18, 21; 7:18, 22, 25, 27; Hosea 7:16; Micah 6:6.

Mark 5:7; Luke 1:35; 2:14; Acts 7:48; Hebrews 7:1.

Jesus Christ is called THE SON OF THE HIGHEST:

Luke 1:32, 35, 76.

God will place on high:

Those who embrace His salvation and deliverance. (Psalm 69:29)

Those who love Him. (Psalm 91:14)

Those who walk righteously, who speak uprightly, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay away from bribes, who stop their ears from hearing of blood and who shut their eyes from seeing evil. (Isaiah 33:15-16)

Those who keep their feet from breaking the Sabbath and doing as they please on God’s holy day. (Isaiah 58:13-14)

Children of the MOST HIGH:

“You are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6)

“Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest.”

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.

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ACCORDING TO THE WORD, Part 4

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

 6. UNDERSTANDING ACCORDING TO THE WORD 

Psalm 119:169, “Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word.”

“Give me understanding, Lord.” Is this the cry of your heart, dear mother? Oh how we need understanding each moment of the day. Proverbs 24:3 tells us that it is by wisdom and understanding that we build and establish our homes. That means that we can’t accomplish our great task of mothering without the anointing of understanding.

What is the middle letter of the word, truth? It is U, which stands for understanding. Understanding is the heart of truth. You can’t have understanding without truth. And you can’t have truth without the Word of God.

There is worldly understanding and there is godly understanding and they can be poles apart. Don’t be content with humanistic understanding and what seems good to you. Make sure it lines up with God’s eternal Word. Add an extra sentence to your prayer, “O Lord, give me understanding according to your word.” It is as you are immersed in the living Word of God that you will be filled with His understanding.

Oh yes, when you get God’s understanding, you might be out of step with the rest of the world. I am always challenged by the Scripture Romans 3:4. “Let God be true but every man a liar.”  Are we prepared to stand with God’s truth even if everyone else is doing something different?

How can we receive understanding from the Word?

1. By asking God. Make today’s Scripture your prayer each time you open the Word, “O Lord, give me understanding according to your Word. Open my eyes to behold wondrous things in your law.”

2. By digging. You need to get below the surface to hear the heart of God. It’s not enough to read the Word. You have to think about it, meditate upon and chew it over and over. I love to check out the Hebrew and Greek words. I use a wonderful Bible, which helps me to do this. It is the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible edited by Spiros Zodhiates. I wouldn’t use another Bible. I read the King James translation but also like to check other translations that often give further understanding.

There is one thing that is very important to remember. The truth of a particular subject is not found in one Scripture. It is what God says about the subject from Genesis to Revelation. When you check out every Scritpure in the Word of God on a particular subject, you’ll then have a full understanding of what God is saying.

3. By divine insight. God comes to my spirit with a flash of enlightenment. Oh I love it when this happens. But mostly I have to dig. Read Ephesians 1:18 and Colossians 1:9.

4. By discussing. Whenever I am meditating on a certain Scripture or thinking about a specific subject, I talk to my husband or daughters about it. “What are your thoughts about this?” I will ask. We always discuss our latest thoughts and revelations when we get together. It’s our favorite thing to do. It’s a great way to fine-tune your understanding. As we discuss together, we adjust one another, and are spared from getting on a tangent. Our thoughts are also deepened and expanded. There is nothing more satisfying than discussing the Scriptures and sharing insight and revelation with fellow believers. The only sad thing is that so few believers really want to do it.

Get into the habit of asking your husband for understanding. “Oh but he’s not walking with the Lord,” you exclaim. That doesn’t matter. God has made him your covering, whether he walks with the Lord or not. Ask him for his insight on all matters. Ask him for his understanding about Scriptures too. There’s nothing like asking him to get him searching. And because God has ordained for him to be your head, you’ll be amazed at what insight God will give him.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I long for your understanding. I can’t adequately mother without it. Please give me insight and understanding according to your word. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: 

Words of life, words of hope,
Give us strength, help us cope;
In this world where'er we roam,
Ancient words will guide us home.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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1 Thessalonians 4:9, “You yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”

 We don’t learn to love on our own. It is God, the source of love, who teaches us. Let’s keep learning more…

Leaping Love

2 Corinthians 8:7 says, “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing… and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.”  I love the Way’s translation of this Scripture, “Full you are to overflowing… of the love that leaps from you hearts to mine…”  What an exciting description of love. I think of a frog jumping from one rock to another. Can you get the picture of love leaping from one heart to another within your family? This is not stagnant love. Leaping love is vibrant, pulsating, overflowing. It won’t stay in the heart. It constantly leaps from one member to another within the home. Pray that God will fill all your hearts with leaping love for one another. This is what you call exciting living!

Disciplinary Love

1 Peter 1:22 in the Knox translation says, “Purify your souls with the discipline of love…” This is a good thought. Love takes discipline. To live an undisciplined life is selfish. It is not thinking of others but only of one’s self. To sleep in late, to let the household chores pile up, and to let the home get disorderly because of an undisciplined life is not love. Disciplinary love makes sure meals are ready on time. It makes sure meals are tasty and nutritious. It makes sure the home is orderly so everyone can enjoy living in it.  Even though it takes effort, true love will be disciplined to keep things in ship shape for the blessing of everyone in the home.

Sacrificial Love

1 John 3:16 says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Jesus revealed pure agape love when He, who was God, laid down His life for us who were sinners. This is the greatest sacrificial love. And yet, in the same way, He asks us to lay down our life for others. Read also Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 5:25. This certainly does not come naturally, does it? It is only when agape love kicks in that we can walk in sacrificial love.

Patient Love

“Love suffers long.” (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Greek word for longsuffering love is makrothumeo which means ‘to be longsuffering as opposed to be given to hasty anger; to endure patiently as opposed to despondency; and is used of exercising patience towards people.’ How easy it is to get impatient with those we love. They don’t come up to our standards. They take so long to do something. They can’t grasp what we are trying to teach them. They exasperate us. But God’s agape love that resides within us is full of patience. Instead of waiting in despair, it waits in hope, believing that God is working and will work to fulfill His purposes.

James 5:7-10 gives the illustration of the farmer who has “long patience” to wait for the harvest of his seed. In the same way, we often have to have long patience as we wait to see God work in those we love. Instead of getting impatient and despondent, claim the promise of Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Every day, thank the Lord for the good work He is doing in your husband and your children.

Kind Love

“Love is very kind.” (1 Corinthians 13:4) The word in the Greek is chresteumai and means ‘to treat as one’s own family, to show oneself useful, to act benevolently.’ One writer said, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Love gives! Constantly gives. Love gives tangible gifts, but love also gives reassurance, encouragement, smiles and cuddles. And perhaps the biggest gift that love gives is time! Time is a love-gift. “Love ever gives, forgives, outlives, and while it lives, it gives! For this is love’s prerogative, to give and give and give!”

We must also remember kind words. The testimony of the Proverbs 31 woman is that “in her tongue is the law of kindness.” (Proverbs 31:26) It is the law of love. The word kindness in this Scripture is the Hebrew word chesed which is one of the most important words in the Old Testament. It relates closely to the word ‘grace’ in the New Testament. It describes God’s unfailing love, kindness, devotion, favor, mercy and grace toward us. This is the kind of teaching that should flow lovingly from our tongues. May God anoint us and help us!

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

 “Lord, I thank you that you are my teacher. You are the source of love. Lead me more and more into the fullness of your love. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

We are going to become a Leaping Love family!

 Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.  

If you have missed the previous devotion in this series, go to the Above Rubies web page,  where you will be able to pick them up under the Archived Devotionals .

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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