Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

The big question is: What are the things that belong to peace? Whatever these things are, we as parent should know them and teach them diligently to our children. Mankind is forever searching for peace, but all too often, we look in the wrong direction. Multitudes have followed those who have promised peace, but sadly been deceived. Multitudes are still to this day deceived by slick, smart talkers who know not the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), who alone holds the golden keys to the true principles of peace.

1. RIGHTEOUSNESS
One of the greatest prerequisites for peace is righteousness, lived out in the lives of both the individual as well as the city, state, and nation. Even righteousness itself cannot be fully known and experienced without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Outside of Christ is self-righteousness which genders to pride and self-aggrandizement.

Righteousness in its most simple form is right living. Only God Himself, who created man knows how man can live righteously and there is only one person and one book where we can find the answer--Jesus Christ who is the greatest teacher of the Bible.

The greatest love affair with the greatest kiss is when righteousness kisses peace. This is the kiss of kisses. Peace like a river is the highest quest of mankind, but its only the truly righteous who receive this kiss of peace.

Psalm 85:10: "Mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other."

Isaiah 32:17: "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, peacemaking is very much part of God's heart. Peacemaking identifies the real children of God. Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace said so himself. The doctrine of peace is a major subject throughout all of Scripture.

The headline breaking news on TV is anything but peace. It seems that the whole world is full of crime, bloodshed, corruption, stress, and enmity. Many of our cities are experiencing a much greater increase in murder and violence. We live in a time of ever-increasing lawlessness and police are hard pushed to know how to handle it.

Much of what is happening in our streets can be traced back to homes where children have not been taught the biblical values that make for peace. Isaiah 59:8 states: "The way of peace they know not: and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace."

This nation, like many other nations in the world, is in desperate need of God-fearing fathers and mothers who will both live and teach "the way of peace." Somehow, with all our getting of material things and cramming our heads full of all types of knowledge, we have completely missed the knowledge of the way of peace.

We know how to fight and make war. We know how to tear our families apart. We know how to criticize and beat each other up with hurtful words. And we know how to divide and split our families and churches. How can we call ourselves the children of God when we do not know how to be peacemakers?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 24 mainly applies to the Messiah. None of us can claim that we are innocent enough to climb to the summit of the heavenly Mt. Zion. Moses was able to fulfill the call of God to climb up the earthy Mt. Sinai and see God. However, we can only climb to the top of the heavenly mountain and participate in the power, authority, and all the multiplied blessings by our being in Christ. It is in Christ that we have His "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30).

In order to reign in righteousness over all the circumstances we face in our lives we must stand by faith in this heavenly place we have been raised to in Christ.

It boggles the mind to try and even comprehend the enormity of God's grace that has placed us in this highly, exalted position at the Father's right hand. It is only the generation of them that seek him who will know the reality of what it means to be seated with Christ in heavenly places. The truth of this mountain top experience with Christ must be driven home to our hearts.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Moses was not content to stay the bottom of Mt. Sinai even when it was on fire with "the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumplet, and the mountain smoking." When God called him to come up, he faced the challenge and climbed up to meet with God, but the people stood afar off (Exodus 20:18-21).

There are too many Christians standing afar off. Positionally God has raised us up and seated us all together with Christ at the Father's right hand in the heavenly places. This is the mountain of mountains, the highest of all. This is the Everest of all mountains. God has not only called us up, but He has legally placed us on a throne in Christ with our name upon it. The difficulty that we face is the will, the courage, and the faith to personally position ourselves in our legal inheritance. This is the battle and this is the challenge.

Fathers, I think it would be a good exercise when your children are old enough to take them on a mountain climb. Climb it together and talk about the comparison and the lessons to be learned.

The city of God is seen from the top of the mountain. Revelation 21:10 says: "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 24:3 asks the question: "Who shall ascend into the hill (mountain) of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?"

Although it's wonderful to view THE MOUNTAIN ONF THE LORD with all its grandeur, we must step by step climb the mountain and experience all that it has to offer. As fathers, we must encourage our wives and children in all the blessings God's mountain provides.

To be continued.

Be encouraged Colin Campbell

Psalm 24: 6 says: "This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah." Selah--pause and calmly think about that! It is the pure in heart who seek (actively desire) the face of the Lord. Matthew 5:8 reminds us that the pure in heart are blessed by seeing God.

Men, we owe it to God, our family, our friends, and ourselves that we become the generation of men and fathers who daily order our hearts to seek God with pure hearts. This is how we become mountain men.

Legally, by virtue of Christ's finished work on the cross, we are are already positionally seated with Christ in the spiritual mountain in the heavenly places. Ephesians 2:6 says that God has "raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." However, we must experientially and practically work this truth out in our lives.

This passage especially applies to God's praying people. God permitted Moses and the nobles of Israel this privilege (Exodus 24:11). God gave Peter, James, and John this privilege (Mark 9:2-7).

Men, the world we live in is desperate for "mountain men." These are men who really seek to know God, not only know about God. These are men who climb mountains with God as did Abraham. Genesis 14: 12 says: "Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." Far too many fathers live their lives on the plain with their tents (family life) facing Sodom (the world).

Men, let us be like Abraham and climb all of God's mountains.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The conscience is closely associated with our hearts. Hebrews 10:22 says: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." Hebrews 12:24 also talks about "the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel."

God desires pure-hearted men in order to accomplish His purposes on the earth. You cannot watch pornography or anything else that promotes lust without having your conscience defiled. The devil is flooding this world through the media and electronic devices with all types of depraved violence and lust. He does this to pollute the human heart so it cannot see God, let alone know God.

As men and fathers we must avail ourselves of the continual cleansing power of Christ's blood. We must not allow any defiling influence to defile or weaken our heart's desires toward the call of God upon our lives.

Revelation 12:11: "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."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Moses obviously saw Him in creation as well as experiencing His holy presence at the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6).
Moses met with God on the top of Mt. Sinai when God gave him the Ten Commandments. He dwelt in the immediate presence of God for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 30).
Along with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, plus the seventy elders of Israel, Moses saw God (Exodus 24:9-11).
Moses spake with God "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Exodus 33:11).

Anyone else would have been satisfied, but not Moses. In Exodus 34:13 he earnestly prays: "I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight."

In verse 18 he prays: "I beseech thee, show me thy glory."

Do we who have the privilege of seeing God through looking at His Son, Jesus Christ, have this same unquenchable desire to see more of God. Do we really want to know Him? Do we long to see His glory?

Is it impurity that robs us of this greater vision of God? Or is it plain apathy? In a sense, apathy is an impurity.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

1 Corinthians 1:30, 31: "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

Personal holiness that enables us to see God is not self-manufactured. Self-manufactured holiness is deception, cloaked in pride, and is not acceptable to God. It is only as we lay claim to Christ's holiness to keep our heats pure that we will be able to see God. We must never have faith in our own righteousness or holiness to obtain favor with God.

God the Father has given us all the privileges of claiming and pleading the holiness of His Son without our help.

Men, the world today is full of distractions to turn away our eyes from looking at Jesus for our personal holiness. To have a real impact of purity upon our families, friends, and the world we must lay hold of Christ's holiness alone.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

How often have we sung . . .
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace."

God, the Father has privileged us to see Him and what He is like by sending His beloved Son into this world. By looking at Jesus the Son we see God the Father.

The world right now is in desperate need for a church made up of true born again families who have their eyes firmly fixed on Jesus Christ. If our eyes are not upon Jesus, the question is, what are we looking at? We always reflect what we look at.

Children desperately need fathers and mothers who steadfastly look at Jesus. How can we mirror Christ if we do not steadfastly look at Him?

2 Corinthians 3:18 says: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

It is unfortunate that the doctrine of holiness is not preached enough these days. It's an unpopular subject because it goes against the casual and loose lifestyle of the modern day church. Wherever purity and the holiness of God are preached, people become more God-fearing, circumspect, and pure. God's people should always avoid unseemly and inappropriate behavior. Going off to watch and be entertained by movies that promote promiscuity, lust, and fornication deliberately defile the temple of God.

Youth groups within the umbrella of even our biggest and so-called best churches have a far-too-tolerant attitude toward fornication. I don't want to jump up and down on the soap box of holiness, denouncing all those around me. Far be it. However, the church in general is responsible, as well as parents, to make sure all its families and adherents know the truth regarding purity of heart as well as the doctrine of holiness.

Church attendance, praise and worship, knowing the Scriptures, and having lots of fun and fellowship is not enough to prepare us to see the Lord. We have to have holiness, and without it we will not see Him.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

To have a pure heart in the midst of a polluted world is a miracle. However, the God we serve is pure and holy, far beyond our limited understanding, and our God is in the business of performing miracles. I think that the heart of man is where miracles are needed most, don't you?

Most civilized men seek to keep their physical bodies clean on a daily basis, but God is far more concerned with the cleanness of men's hearts than the cleanness of his body. The body of a man who is unwashed and unclean is difficult to be around for any length of time and most people shun his presence. However, although a man may clean himself ever so much in order to be acceptable in the presence of his fellow men, God smells the hearts of men and is not so concerned with his body.

The only fragrance that impresses the heart of our Holy God is the fragrance that comes up to Him from the pure hearts of His true people. Just as we don't like to be around smelly bodies, God does not like to be around smelly hearts where all sorts of filth and disgustingly dirty lusts are allowed to reign.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Paul speaks of the sowing and reaping ministry in 2 Corinthians 9:6: "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." Showing mercy is a giving ministry where, according to the measure of our giving, we shall also reap. Mercy is giving to people what they do not deserve. Many say that they will not give to a certain cause because they are to blame for the problem they are in. And yet mercy overlooks the individual's faults and gives anyway.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

At the end of this parable Jesus said: "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (Matthew 18:36).

Fathers, we have great need to take this exhortation of Jesus to heart. There is so much hurt and unforgiveness going on in many families. Mercy, compassion, and forgiveness are such a vital part of God's kingdom.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Perhaps, the real reason for their indifference was that both the priest and the Levite were so spiritually bankrupt that they had no godly mercy and compassion to give anyone, let alone this wounded man. Without question, God is known to be most merciful and we who have received so much mercy should also be very liberal in mercy.

Let's ask the question: How many of us are willing to show acts of mercy to someone? For example, a famous TV evangelist when he falls, even if it was his own fault? Most will say he deserves what he got and clap their hands. What about someone from a different denomination of the Christian faith who we know has been wounded? What about a member of our own family who has harmed us in the past and now lies wounded? What about a political enemy who lies wounded?

In spite of all our Christian churches, in every corner of the nation there are multitudes of spiritually wounded people who have been unfairly attacked, often by those who should know better.

Christian families are not exempt. They also have many wounded members. There are multitudes who desperately need our mercy and compassion, but where are the good Samaritans? Everyone of us should receive the injunction of Jesus at the end of his parable when He asked, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?" (Luke 10:36).

The lawyer answered: "He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise" (Luke 10:37).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, the Scriptures make it abundantly plain that our God is indeed a very merciful God. Numbers 14:18: "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."

Jeremiah 33:11: "Praise the Lord of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth forever."

Lamentations 3:22: "If is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Because we have received such great mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ, we of all people, should show mercy to our fellowmen. Men, our wives and families should know us to be merciful. Why is it that so many Christians condemn, criticize, and harshly judge one another? Someone has aptly said that the Christian church is the only army that shoots its own wounded.

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:33-37. He was not Jew, but showed great mercy and compassion to the man who was stripped of clothes, beaten, robbed, and left to die on the road going to Jericho. But the Jewish priest and Levite were not merciful and passed by on the other side of the road. They trusted in God's mercy toward themselves and yet were not prepared to show the same mercy to a wounded fellow man on the same road they traveled.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell