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.

The vision for Meat for Men — UNCOMPROMISING MANHOOD blog is to encourage husbands, fathers and single men in Biblical manhood.

IS YOUR SPEECH KINGLY OR UNKINGLIKE?


PowerWordsToday will look at some of the Scriptures in the Psalms which talk about our lips. Firstly, lips that belong to kingly men. As you read these Scriptures, ask God to make these qualities come forth from your lips as you live with your wife and children.
 
ACCEPTABLE LIPS
 
Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable (pleasing) in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
 
COVENANT LIPS
 
Psalm 89: 34: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
 
GRACIOUS LIPS
 
Psalm 45:2: “Grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever.” As it was with Jesus, so it should be with us. (Luke 4:22).
 
GREATLY REJOICING LIPS
 
Psalm 63:5: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.”
 
Psalm 71:23: “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.”
 
HONEST LIPS
 
Psalm 17:1: “Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.”
 
PRAISING LIPS
 
Psalm 34:1: “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.”
 
Psalm 40:3: “He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
 
Psalm 51:15: “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.”
 
Psalm 63:3: “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus I will bless they while I live: and I will lift up my hands in thy name.”
 
Psalm 71:8: “Let my mouth be FILLED with thy praise and with thy honor ALL THE DAY.”
 
Psalm 149:6: “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth.”
 
Read also Psalm 66:17; 78:3; and 145:21.
 
PROCLAIMING LIPS
 
Psalm 35: 28: “My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise ALL THE DAY LONG.”
 
Psalm 71:24: “My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness ALL THE DAY LONG.”
 
Psalm 89:1: “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”
 
Psalm 145: 6: “I will declare thy greatness.”
 
Psalm 119:13: “With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.”
 
Psalm 119:46: “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.”
 
Psalm 119:172: “My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.”
 
Read also Psalm 40:5; 71:15, 24; and 145:6, 11, 21.
 
SINGING ALOUD LIPS
 
Psalm 51:14: “My tongue shall sing ALOUD of thy righteousness.”
 
Read also Psalm 126:2.
 
WATCHFUL LIPS
 
Psalm 39:1: “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.”
 
Psalm 141:3: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; deep the door of my lips.”
 
Psalm 17;3: “I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”
 
Read also Psalm 15:1-3; and 34:13.
 
WISE LIPS
 
Psalm 37:30: “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.”
 
Psalm 49:3: “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of m y heart shall be of understanding.”
 
May God bless you. Guard the lips of your mouth that you may be a kingly man in your home.
 
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
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KINGLY LIPS

SpeakGodSaysProverbs 16:10: “A divine sentences is in the lips of the king.”

Through the redemption provided us in Christ Jesus we have been made kings and priests  (Revelation 21:5 and 5:10).

I am dividing this subject into two sections, beginning with kings. This is such an important message, especially to us men. In this subject we discover our identity as a king.

Kingship becomes us men. Men especially have been called to rule and reign. We have been called to exercise authority, not only over our own lives, but also over our families. We must also exercise leadership and authority over all principalities and powers, including sickness and disease. Whatever Jesus exercised authority over in the realm of the demonic, evil spirits, waves of the sea, healing all diseases, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, etc., so we have been given this kingly authority.

Kingship is not only our identity in Christ, but also our calling in Christ. Jesus Christ, who inhabits our lives, is indeed a very great King. He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. This divine King not only reigns over us, but also reigns through us. This should make a huge difference to the way we speak and make decisions in our lives in comparison to the way we spoke and made decisions  before we became Christians.

There should be something very kingly in the way we speak now. There should be something very divine and godly about what passes through our lips.

Next time we will look at Scriptures about our lips.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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TIME FOR PRAYER AND ACTION


RemainSilentTonight, at the weekly prayer meeting in our home we are calling for a solemn assembly.
 
Joel 2:15 says: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that su ck the breasts . . . “
 
Sunday morning, we fell to our knees after hearing our government had passed the Omnibus bill where 500 million dollars is allocated to Planned Parenthood. We felt deeply betrayed. How could this evil happen to our country? How could our president sign a bill allowing this amount of “blood money” to go to such an evil organization? They primarily consist to murder babies in the womb of confused mothers.
 
It has been highly documented that Planned Parenthood harvest and sell baby parts. Recently on Fox News I heard a woman, who had been high up in the organization, tell how they stitch the baby parts back together as they get more money for the whole baby. Ironically, they call this room the Nursery.
 
This woman left Planned Parenthood and now has a change of heart. She mentioned that Planned Parenthood was not a facility to assist women’s needs (this is only a window dressing façade), but a facility to provide a certain quota of abortions each month or face a penalty from higher up the chain. Without a doubt, abortion is a very profitable business, but it is “blood money.” This is the cold-blooded truth. It’s plain straight insanity.
 
As far as I am concerned, Donald Trump could have accepted every other compromise in that bill, but not the one that gives money to the largest abortion provider in the nation.
 
The protection of the unborn child was one of the main reasons I voted for Donald Trump. Now it seems that crooked Hillary may just as well be president, at least on this major national sin of abortion.
 
God is my witness. I do pray for Donald Trump every day, and often more than once per day. I am glad he is our president. But I feel let down in this major matter.
 
I ask myself the question. What is the point of building a big border wall, costing billions of dollars, if at the same time we do not protect the lives of the innocent unborn babies that are within the walls and borders of our country?
 
Planned Parenthood is like an Auschwitz death camp that sheds the innocent blood of millions of future Americans. The most unsafe place in America today is within the womb of a confused, misdirected, or godless mother.
 
What is the point of our nation being great again financially, militarily, and educationally if we don’t have the moral backbone to stand up against the cold-blooded slaughter of millions of our nation’s unborn children?
 
We must pray that this nation, with our government, will repent of such hardness of heart towards God.
 
The greatness of the morals of a nation far exceeds all other greatness.
 
Without God’s blessing upon America, the builders labor in vain that try to rebuild it (Psalm 127:1).
 
We must call upon God for this matter is far too important not to address. Pray as a family. Gather friends to pray with you. Pray in your church.
 
I also believe that all God-fearing men and women should contact their elected officials and tell them you do not want these funds going to Planned Parenthood. Here are some links for you to do this:
 
Go to https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ where you can leave a message for President Trump. Encourage him to stand up for life and do something to defund Planned Parenthood.
 
Phone your senators. Go to:
 
 
Phone your congressmen. Go to: https://www.house.gov/representatives
 
If you would prefer to email, click on the name of your representative which will take you to where you can email them.
 
Be encouraged.
 
Colin Campbell
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IS HE LORD OF ALL?

LordOfAllLuke 6:46: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Does Jesus Christ truly reign in my life? Or am I still in control? Does He reign in some areas, but not in others? How much of our great King’s presence in my life do I manifest to my wife, family, church, and associates?

When we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, He forgives our sins by the cleansing power of the redeeming blood of our Savior, King Jesus Christ. When we invite Him into our hearts as a repentant sinner, He comes in to us with one primary purpose. That purpose is to reign.

Romans 10:9, 10 states: “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

To confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord is to confess He is your King. If Jesus Christ is your King, then it makes sense that Jesus now has the right to rule in and over your life. He has now become Lord and King over your entire life.

As Hudson Taylor said: "Christ is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all."

Revelation 17:14: “He is Lord of lords, and King of kings and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Considering what Jesus Christ, our heavenly King has done for us, surely, He is worthy to have total and complete control and reign over all aspects and departments of our entire lives. Sadly, the worldly-minded church still has many reservations concerning Jesus’ Lordship over every area of their lives.

There are some who decide that its okay to live intimately with a man or woman outside of marriage, have children, and still attend church on a regular basis. Some churches may accept it. However, in Hebrews 13:4 the eternal living Word states: “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

The NET translation says: “Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.”

Therefore, we must conclude that all sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is not acceptable to the reign of our great King of kings and Lord of lords.

Homosexual activity is not acceptable to the reign of our great King of kings and Lord of lords. This sin can and must be repented of to be forgiven. When Jesus Christ comes into a person’s life, He also brings His power to enable each person to repent and live a life under His righteous reign.

Should married couples have all the children God wants them to have? The church in general uses all the same excuses and objections as the world. However, the Bible makes it very clear that children are not to be rejected, but rather, we should let Jesus Christ reign over all the decisions concerning our reproduction. Read Psalm 127:3-5.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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LORD, REIGN IN ME

ReignInMeJeremiah 10:23: “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”

When we read Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 we note that our kingship and priesthood is unto God. Not to any one else. Not to self, the church, or any monarchy.

In Revelation 1:5, 6 we read; ”Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The adamic nature took the reign out of God’s control during the fall in the Garden of Eden and Adam usurped the reign of God. He made himself king over his own life and destiny. Adam was no longer a king unto God, but lord of his own life. In other words, he became a king unto himself.

I believe it is impossible for any man who reigns as king to himself to be in any way accepted by God. Ruling as king to ourselves always ends in making unwise decisions, egotism, and worst of all, offending God and man. There is no eternal value in ruling as king to ourselves and our own desires for control and power over others.

Man was made a spirit, soul, and body. He was made to be inhabited by God His Creator. This can only happen through the redemption provided us by the Prince of the Kings of the earth and His name is Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:5). It is God the Father’s will that His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who always surrendered Himself to the reign and control of His Father, should now reign in and through us as we surrender the throne room of our hearts to His absolute control.

Some reading this post today may remember the chorus we used to sing by Chris Bowater:

Reign in me, sovereign Lord
Reign in me
Reign in me, sovereign Lord
Reign in me

Captivate my heart
Let Your kingdom come
Establish there Your throne
Let Your will be done

Reign in me, sovereign Lord
Reign in me
Reign in me, sovereign Lord
Reign in me

I believe with all my heart that the best kings first know what it means to be reigned themselves by the only One who is worthy. It is only then that our wives and families can received the blessings of our kingship.

To be continued.

Be encouraged,

Colin Campbell

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DON'T BE CROWD PLEASERS

Daretobe

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KINGS AND PRIESTS

kingsPriestsAll who believe in Christ Jesus are kings and priests. However, fathers of families are especially privileged to apply this two-fold ministry.

We read in Revelation 1:5, 6: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.”

We read again in Revelation: “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

The titles of kings and priests are united in these two passages and given to all believers that have been redeemed by the blood of Christ out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. In the Old Testament the titles of kings and priests were generally separated with the kings coming from the tribe of Judah, although the first king came from Benjamin, the tribe of Levi.

In Genesis 14:18 we read that Melchizedek who was king of Salem (Jerusalem) was also the priest of the Highest God. Revelation 7:21 speaks of Jesus Christ with reference also to Psalm 110:4: “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek’.”

Because of the weakness and frailty of man’s human nature, God separated the two ministries so that kings who ruled over the secular affairs of the nation would not be able to easily corrupt the spiritual affairs of the nation. However, in many cases, corrupt kings still corrupted the the nation. We understand why we in many western natures have a separation of the powers of church and state.

Fathers, as kings and priests in our families we must watch out that the secular does not outweigh the spiritual. This happens in many Christian families.

The church, which encourages the spiritual state of the nation should influence the secular state of the country and not the other way around. It is grievous when the secular state of the nation becomes corrupt and spreads the corruption into the church. This occurred many times when wicked kings ruled over Judah and Israel. They also corrupted the priesthood.

We read in 2 Chronicles chapter 33 how King Manasseh set up images and idols in the house of the Lord: “So Manasseh made (seduced, deceived) Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:9).

Tomorrow we will see that our kingship is not to ourselves, but more importantly, it is unto God.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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OUR CHILDREN

childrenWithout our children we would have no family.
No cute babies.
No Home Sweet Home.
No family vacations.
No birthday parties.
No romances.
No weddings.
No future work force.
No future soldiers to fight evil.
No future fathers and mothers to raise children.
NO NATION!
Why do we stop having children?

~ Colin Campbell

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THE PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY

EducationStartsPsalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

Every child brought up in a loving Christian home where God’s Word is faithfully read each day has great potential to be a shining, dazzling light to expose and scatter the darkness.

Without heavy doses of the anointed Word of God such as Morning and Evening Devotions, how will we ever push back the powers of darkness?

Yesterday 177 young college students were gunned to death. Ten ore are in various stages of injury in hospitals in Florida. Our hearts and prayers go out to them all. There have been far too many school shootings in recent years. Schools are becoming increasingly dangerous and wise parents need to think more than twice about sending their precious children to be amongst the wolves that dominate by dark, murdering, evil spirits.

This school had thousands of students. The greater risk of exposure to students who are living and feeding on the dark media that espouses the violent side of life. When are Christian parents going to wake up and say: “Enough is enough.”

God’s Word is the greatest source of spiritual light and the state schools have done away with it. There are many that believe that the state school system provides the necessary light through their humanistic teaching programs for children to be successful in this world.

However, when the Supreme Court ruled out the Bible and payer from our state schools many wise, thinking people realized that God would lift His hand of protection from the schools. This has proven to be true. When you send your young and impressionable children to be among teachers and peers who often know little or nothing about God, are you being responsible before God? He gave you, the parents, not the state, the privilege of being the godly custodians and stewards of your precious children.

Another question parents must ask themselves: Are your children in state schools going to have their spiritual light increased? Or decreased? Or even diminished? Worse still—demolished! I think the chances of their little lights being damaged or even snuffed out completely are very high. All I can say to parents who are willing to run the risk and send their children to hours of exposure to the power of darkness that they better fortify their children with daily, strong doses of God’s Word, coupled with earnest prayer. They will certainly need it.

The best solution is to homeschool your children just like hundreds of thousands of serious thinking parents are doing. Or second best, if you can afford it, send them to a solid, Christian school where all the teachers are dedicated Christians and where all the children come from Christians homes.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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LET THERE BE LIGHT

LetShineGenesis 1:3: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

John 1:5 (ESV): “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Each Christian family should confess: “Let there be light.” How can Christian families be the light God intends us to be? The answer lies in fathers and mothers catching the vision for their own families to become lighthouses to their churches, communities, the nation, and the world.

There is only one true answer to the spiritual darkness that holds individuals, families, and nations captive to the chains of the myriad forms of evil and sin. It is the power of light.

Every individual that makes up your family should have their light turned on. As spiritually wise fathers and mothers, exert every effort to make sure that each individual member of your family is the brightest light they can possibly be.

It takes both parents working together and putting their whole hearts into this vision to make it happen. We must make our homes and families lighthouses that will scatter the darkness.

Having Family Devotions is a great way to encourage the light to burn brighter in all members of your family. Why is that so few families daily engage in this light-creating practice? It is no wonder that our nation is rocking and reeling under the relentless attacks of demonic darkness.

Much of the left wing mainstream media is a major tool of sinister forces of darkness which attack any vestige of light coming from our president and vice president. Cold blooded murder happens every day on the streets of our cities. Police are gunned down as they try to protect innocent citizens. Drug deaths through overrsdose are rampant in all our communities, both large and small. This evil list of darkness could take pages to fill.

While we as a nation seek to stop evil around the world, we are ravished by evil in our own country. The light from many so-called Christian families is barely turned on, let alone shining.

As families, we must do all we can to shine our lights to scatter the darkness. Make sure you and your family are shining lights.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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DAILY IMPART THE WORD...

ImpartWordBe diligent to daily impart God's living Word into the lives of your children. It is the most powerful thing you can do.

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SHINE CONTINUALLY

lighthouseThe High Priest’s task was to attend to the lamps from evening to morning. I am sure that Aaron’s sons, who were privileged to be with their father in the holy place, would have assisted their father. There were three ministries to attend to in the holy place.

The golden lampstand.
The golden table of shewbread.
The golden altar of incense.

We notice in Revelation 1:13 that Jesus is in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” He is described as our Great High Priest attending to the ministry of the seven candlesticks (churches).

The high priest of Israel would do his best to make sure each candlestick put forth the most light possible on a continual basis. Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest also seeks to make our candlesticks give us much light as possible on a daily 24/7 basis.

The fire on the brazen altar was to never go out. Leviticus 6:13 says: “The fire shall EVER be burning upon the altar; it shall NEVER GO OUT.”

In the same way, the same command was given regarding the candlesticks. The Hebrew word “tamid” means “continually, perpetually, regularly, at all times.” Exodus 27:20 states: “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn ALWAYS.”

Leviticus 24:1-4 says: “He shall order their lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD CONTINUALLY.” When God speaks in this passage He uses the word CONTINUALLY three times. He wants them to get the message good and strong.

Fathers, as priests of our homes and families, we must never, ever underestimate the importance of attending to the lamps of each member of our families.

Ordering the lamps entails trimming the wicks, cutting off the black, sooty part, cleaning the area where the lamp is lighted, and making sure there is sufficient oil in the lamp.

Trimming the wick entails making sure the wick is not too high. If it’s too high, it smokes. If its too low, it will not give enough light. As priests in our homes and families we assist our Great High Priest in this great ministry of making every family and every church a GREAT LIGHT to shine before all men.

How often? Sometimes? Occasionally? No, God wants our lights to shine CONTINUALLY.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Picture: Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

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BEATEN GOLD

BeatenGoldThe entire golden candlestick was one piece of beaten gold (Exodus 25:36).

For our Savior, Jesus Christ to become one with His church in showing light to the world, He had to take our beating. The hammer that fell on us, fell on Him. Isaiah 63:9 says: “In all their affliction he was afflicted.” Isaiah 53:4 says: “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Gold can be shaped in various shapes by other means. It can be heated in a furnace and once it becomes liquid it can be poured into a mold of whatever shape the craftsman desires. This is the easiest way to shape gold or silver. However, it requires enormous skill, time, and patience to shape gold into an intricate design by beating.

It was easy for Aaron to make the golden calf. Exodus 32:34 says: “Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire and there came out this calf.” This golden calf was a false god. There was no light of any description in this golden calf.

However, it was a challenging and painstaking task to create the golden lampstand by beating. Jesus Christ, who is the true light of the world, shining out through the seven-branched candlestick, is made of beaten gold.

Fathers, we should teach out families that the necessary disciplines we all face in our lives are only for our good. Though these trials, temptations, and difficulties often feel like we are being beaten up, we must remember that God’s light is ordained to shine on candles that are made of beaten gold.

Our Savior Jesus went through many trials and beatings.

Even the apostle Paul suffered much. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 he writes of enduring “labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, inprisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”

God knows exactly what He is doing and the object in view is a beautiful candle made of beaten gold.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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NO MAN IS GREATER...

NoManGreater

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ONE LAMPSTAND TO THE WORLD

OneLampstandWe rejoice that Jesus Christ, as solid gold, is one with us. He is united with us personally. He made us and calls us His own personal body on the earth.

We rejoice in Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 2:13, 19: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ . . . Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

We rejoice with Jesus that we are one with Him corporately. The truth is that all believers are one in Christ Jesus. There is no sectarian spirit in Him.

All the churches in Asia, mentioned in Revelation, chapters 1- 3, were equal in height. The numerical numbers of the church made no difference to their height. All were of equal worth. All were one in Him even though they were in different locations. All their problems and challenges were felt by the head of the church, Jesus Christ, and therefore were to be felt by the rest of the churches.

Solid gold is dependable, trustworthy, and can be counted on. This is our Jesus Christ. He is the gold standard. He is pure and perfectly one with all the churches. So should we be one as much as we possibly can.

We may not always agree with everything going on in our own church. We may not agree with everything going on in other churches. We may not agree with everything going on in our own lives. As we need prayer for ourselves, we should pray for other churches for we are all one lampstand to the world.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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ONENESS TOGETHER

OnenessThe solidness of the candlestick was in its oneness. Exodus 25:36 (NET) tell us: “Their buds and their branches will be one piece, all of it one hammered piece of pure gold.”

Without oneness there cannot be a true golden candlestick. Although each branch had its own light, yet it was all made of one piece of gold. No joins. When we abide in Christ and His commandments, which primarily come under the great doctrine and ministry of love, we become one with Jesus Christ and His Father God.

It is impossible for us to radiate the light of Christ unless we become one with Jesus, even as He could not radiate the light of His Father God without being one with Him.

Jesus Christ is one in three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But He is also one with every branch of the candlestick. In John 17:11 Jesus prays to His Father: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”

In John 10:30 Jesus states: “I and my Father are one.” One heart, one mind, one will, one walk, and one work or mission. Unless the churches really get this truth, not only as a major doctrine, but in experience, the truth of abiding and oneness are nothing more than pious statements.

Another great aspect of this truth to which we must give earnest heed is that we are not only to make certain we are one with Jesus our Savior and our Father God, but also one with each other.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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SOLID GOLD

SolidGoldThe golden candlestick, although cunningly intricate, was made from one solid piece of gold. It was a type of Jesus Christ who is solid gold. The Scriptures do not say the words “solid gold,” but it is inferred by the terminology of Exodus 25:36 (HCSB) and 37:22: “All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold.”

Seams did not join the candlestick. There were no joins. It was one solid piece of gold.

The manufacturing of the menorah or golden candlestick to give light in the holy place was divinely inspired. It took a chosen man to do it. Exodus 31:1-6 says: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship . . .”

The branches of this candlestick revealed all the stages of the almond tree--the flower, the bud, and the fruit. All the ornamentation of the various stages of the almond tree clearly speak to us of the importance of each branch abiding in Jesus, the Vine (the main lighted candle) so that we can be fruitful and allow His light to shine through us.

Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When God’s light shines through us, we will manifest good works. There are good works that all men can do that in many ways bring glory to themselves, even when they may not want it. I do not discredit these works.

However, when the good works that we do have the characteristic of the miraculous about them, that is when men give glory to God. The Holy Spirit baptized the believers in the upper room at Pentecost and tongues of fire came upon those candlesticks. Miraculous works immediately happened, and men gave glory to God (Acts 3:10).

Nicodemus said to Jesus: “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teach come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

The church was born to manifest the light through miraculous deeds.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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WILL YOU SHINE YOUR LIGHT?

ShineURLightI am sure that most Christians are glad that Jesus is the light of the world. As believers, we rejoice that our Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely pure gold. There are no flaws in Him at all. And yet this truth seems to have little impact on the lifestyle of many churchgoers today.

God’s people are meant to be the sppiritiual light of the world. But the true light can only rardiate from pure, golden candlesticks. Purity of heart and lifestyle has always been the throbbing heartbeat of the church walking in true revival.

These days, it is possible to end up sitting in church by couples who are living together and having children outside the covenant of marriage--and who have no conscience about it. Many have little conscience concerning the gay agenda because it is not politically correct to speak against sin and loose biblical values.

This failure to promote godly values for the fear of upsetting the conscience of certain people produces hardness of heart.

CURRENT BIG NEWS
Recreational marijuana is a multi-billion-dollar business and many states are rushing to legalize it. They want to finance their government programs (even police forces) through the taxes profited by the sales. Take notice that they are not using the profits to help the drug rehabilitation programs. It won’t be long before you will find people smoking dope out in the church parking lots.

The light of God’s people is dimming. It is no longer an antidote to drugs. People are no longer getting high on the Holy Spirit, so they resort to smoking dope!

However, the true light of Christ that comes from the pure, golden candlestick will always repel the darkness of the counterfeit. The states that accept and promote cannabis for the sake of billions of dollars they make from its revenue are no better than the South American drug cartels who smuggle drugs over our southern borders. They do it for the same reason.

Marijuana is much more refined and potent. These drugs always lead to substance abuse by those who have no, or little, spiritual restraining influences in their lives.

The light of our nation will quickly be snuffed out if the church does not rise and shine. Creative brains, talents, and gift will be dumbed down at the altars of making more dollars.

Wake up America. Do not invest in this multi-billion-dollar brain deadening industry.

Instead of getting high on dope, God’s answer is Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Isaiah 62:1: “I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as BRIGHTNESS (a brilliant, shining light).” It is righteousness that shines as a light in this dark world.

Pure gold has no cannabis or any other foreign substances in it. Jesus is pure gold, and this should be the main objective of the true church.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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PURE GOLD

PureGoldIn Exodus 25:31 and 36 we notice three descriptions about the golden candlestick. It was made of:
1. Pure gold.
2. Beaten gold.
3. Solid gold (made of the same piece of gold).

1. PURE GOLD
We can give praise to our Father God that His Son, Jesus Christ is pure gold.

Gold in Scripture speaks of heaven.
Revelation 21:18: “And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
Revelation 21:21: “And the street of the city was pure gold as it were transparent glass.”

Pure gold means that there is no impurity, e.g. no tin, iron, clay, or any other foreign substance at all.

1 John 1:5: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” The pure light of God can only come on a pure golden candlestick. Anything less than pure is not worthy of His light.

Jesus Christ is the great light of the world (Matthew 4:16) and is in the midst of the seven-branched candlestick.

John’s testimony in Revelation 1:12, 13 says: “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”

We ask the question: how is it that the candlestick was pure gold and yet the seven churches of Asia, which Jesus called the seven branches of the candlestick, were in many cases anything but pure? The answer is found in each of the church’s relationship with Jesus Christ. We are being made pure and accounted as pure gold because of what Jesus is and has already credited to us.

As the priests worked in the tabernacle to dress and trim the lamps morning and evening to keep them pure and clean, so our High Priest, Jesus Christ purifies us by His Holy Spirit morning and evening. He is pure and holy and therefore day by day sanctifying us. We must work with Him and by faith yield ourselves to the refining, purifying work of His Spirit in our lives. If we do not, we are in danger of having our candlestick removed.

Revelation 2:5: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK – An Exciting Study!

LightWorldWe are now going to look at the fourth golden ministry we read about in God’s Word.

The first golden ministry of the tabernacle we discussed together was the GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE which represents prayer and intercession and praise and worship. This ministry means so much to me. It challenges me in this time of great need in our nation and the world. Jesus Christ intercedes for us 24/7. What about us?

The second golden ministry was the GOLDEN TABLE OF SHEWBREAD. This speaks to us of the great importance of God’s Word in our lives. We cannot and must never ever separate God’s words in the Bible from the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is in the Old Treatment concealed and in the New Testament revealed.

As believers, we are exhorted to feast on His Word and in doing so we find ourselves feasting on the Living Word, Jesus Christ. We cannot be conformed into His image if we do not seek Him personally. We must ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us in His Word.

The third ministry was the GOLDEN THRONE on which was placed the GOLDEN ARK OF THE FIRST COVENANT God made with His people, Israel. On this ark was a GOLDEN MERCY SEAT. This Mercy Seat was once a year sprinkled with the blood of the sacrificial lamb which represented Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God whose blood is sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat in Heaven for us.

Today, we begin to look at THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. Please join with me each day in the revelation of this wonderful ministry.

This major golden ministry applies to all believers. The candlestick firstly speaks of Jesus Christ who is the light of the world. He is the GREAT light of the world. Talking of Jesus Matthew 4:15 says: “The people which sat in darkness saw GREAT LIGHT; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

Secondly, it represents all of God’s people, individually and collectively, set on fire by the Holy Spirit which lit up the early church at Pentecost (Acts 2:3).

This amazing golden ministry is important for us today. We live in a time of much deception. It is destroying the very foundations of our nation and the nations of the world. While, on one hand, we see the great benefits of the Internet (and we wonder how we could live without it), yet on the other hand, multitudes are addicted to its endless river of evil. We see in it the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was the temptation n Eden.

It’s time for us to arise and shine with the light of God and not fall for deception all around us. Isaiah 60:1-3 states: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

Matthew 5:14: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”

More to come.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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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