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.

NOW THAT YOU’RE A FATHER!

NowFatherNow that you’re a father,
There’s some things that you should know,
The way you walk from now on
Is the way your child will go!
And he’s going to follow you
To find out just what is the best
And what is good and true.
 
His little eyes will watch you
In everything you do.
His little hands will copy
And his feet will follow you;
You’re his brave and fearless hero,
The one he loves the best.
Stand firm and strong, please, daddy,
‘Cause he’ll put you to the test.
 
He’ll make you feel so happy—
Your heart will burst with pride,
And deep down you’ll be feeling
A love you cannot hide;
Then sometimes he’ll be naughty
And you’ll have to spank him too,
But even then he’ll trust you
‘Cause he so depends on you.
 
His mind is very active,
And his memory’s extra good,
So be careful how you teach him
To do the things he should.
You’re setting an example
In all you say and do,
For the little boy who’s waiting
To grow up to be like you.
 
By G. Gallon

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KEEP SPEAKING TRUTH

SpeakTruth2

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PROMOTE TRUTH

WeBestOpposeWe best oppose error by promoting a solid knowledge of the Word of Truth.

~ Matthew Henry

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A FATHER’S HANDS

FathersHandsA father’s hands are gentle,

A father’s hands are strong,

Guiding, helping, teaching,

Showing right from wrong.

The protection of a father’s hand

And the love that’s in their touch

Give the feeling of security

A child needs so much.

And although they may be rough from toil,

A child still understands

How much of life’s true beauty

Comes from a father’s hands.

~ Anonymous

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I'M A BETTER MAN

BetterMan“To feel his little hand in mine,

So clinging and so warm,

To know he thinks me strong enough

To keep him safe from harm:

To see his simple faith in all

That I say and do;

It sort o’ shames a fellow,

But it makes him better, too.

And I’m trying hard to be that man

He fancies me to be,

Because I have this chap at home

Who thinks the world of me.

I would not disappoint his trust

For anything on earth,

Nor let him know how little I

Just naturally am worth.

But after all, it’s easier

That brighter road to climb,

With the little hands behind me

To push me all the time.

And I reckon I’m a better man

Than what I used to be

Because I have this chap at home

Who thinks the world of me.”

~ Anonymous

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DON’T BE A WIMP

DontBeWimp2When the pace seems slow

And few there be to care or know

That the world’s crept in the doors

And slackened every godly cause,

When folks no longer want to pray

And seek the Lord to know His way,

For sloth and ease have broken in

And robbed the church of the power to win,

Then do not let this crippling sin

Take hold of you and lock you in.

Buckle up as ne’er before,

Take hold of heaven and knock its door.

Smash every tendency to be

Like others around who cannot see.

When the tempting battle gets to boilin’

Treat the world as deadly poison!

No matter how many may be your foes,

They will never stand your knockout blows.

When all around are misbehaving,

Sound the trumpet with banners waving.

Though the world and devils around may scoff

Just lift your sword and write them off.

There’s no time for messing about,

Tell the lazy ones, “Stop being a lout!”

For there will be a sure reward

For those who diligently seek the Lord.

It’s true you see, the surest way to victory

Is always on the bended knee.

By COLIN CAMPBELL

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DAD IS THE HERO

DadHeroSomehow a fellow can’t express

The feelings he has had,

While through the years he’s walked and talked

And laughed and played with Dad.

He cannot put in words the love,

The pride that wells within,

The admiration in his heart

Whene’er Dad looks at him.

Dad is the hero of his dreams,

This king upon the throne;

The pattern for that ideal life

Which he would make his own.

He knows that Dad well understands

The conflicts in his breast,

And shares the problems he must face

Though often unexpressed.

The pressure of his Dad’s strong hand,

The look deep in his eyes,

Speaks volumes to a fellow’s heart,

When cares of life arise.

And when he kneels with Dad in prayer

Before the throne of grace,

The glory of the unseen world

Illumines all the place.

How could a fellow go astray

Who with his Dad has stood,

Within the secret place of prayer—

Before a holy God!

And this my constant prayer shall be,

Until this life is done,

My conduct here shall honor him

Who proudly calls me, “son.”

~ Anonymous

Painting by Daniel Garhantz

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THE PATTERN FATHER

PatternFatherRight from the beginning and down through the ages

God revealed Himself through prophets and sages,

But He waited until the fullness of time

To show the whole world what was most in His mind.

Though God is high and very great

And through His power the world has state,

Yet above all this He wanted rather

To show the whole world that he is a Father.

God sent His well-beloved Son

To reveal Himself in a world undone,

If you have ears to listen you will hear Him say

So much of His Father in a very proud way.

Father keeps every promise to me, His Son,

He will never fail one word, no not one,

His discipline strong has a purpose you see.

For righteous character to be formed in Me.

My Father’s a teacher, a Vinedresser too,

He hears me and tells me what I am to do,

My Father protects, never leaves me alone,

I’m so one with my Father, such unity I’ve known.

He’s my greatest companion and loves me so much

I want others to know of His special touch,

If you want to find my Father, don’t ask me, “Where,”

Just look at Me for His image I bear.

Let fathers throughout this world behold

That this is the pattern our lives to mold,

If we would sons and daughters raise

Let God the Father be our gaze.

For God ordained that father’s role

Should have a high and noble goal

To hold, show forth that special part

That shineth most from His own heart.

So now the world has much to find

What God has shown to all mankind,

True fatherhood will not just happen

Unless we follow close to His own pattern.

By COLIN CAMPBELL

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THE LITTLE CHAP WHO FOLLOWS ME

DadSon2A careful man I want to be—

A little fellow follows me.

I do not dare to go astray,

For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes,

Whate’er he sees me do, he tries,

Like me he says he’s going to be,

The little chap who follows me.

He thinks that I’m so very fine,

Believes in every word of mine.

The base in me he must not see,

The little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go,

Through summer’s sun and winters snow,

I’m building for the years to be—

The little chap who follows me.

~ Anonymous

Painting by Emily Elizabeth

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GREATEST THING A FATHER CAN DO...

FatherDaughter

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THE FIGHT IS ON!

DadSonFishingThere is a rock of much strength filled,

For upon this rock the nations build,

As granite cliffs rise strong and tall

The rock of fatherhood should never fall.

When fathers of wisdom, strong and bold,

Stand up for their families, God’s ways to hold,

Blessing will flow from heaven above

And fill those families with God’s great love.

But forces of darkness, cunning and sinister,

Much disturbed that fathers should minister

To the needs of their families, small or great,

Have unanimously decided, ‘Fatherhood – liquidate.’

The fight is on, hell’s in a storm,

Destroy this image to which man was born,

Get rid of fatherhood, whate’er the cost

And earth will suffer man’s greatest loss.

Make fathers small, make them a shrimp,

Turn them into a jellyfish wimp,

Alcohol, drugs, anything goes,

Even to bash his family with blows.

Make him too busy to take the family away

On a fine day’s outing or school holiday,

Better to hit golf balls around the green

Than take family away to a nice mountain stream.

“Adultery, adultery,” the devil cries.

This wrecks the family and fatherhood dies.

Let feminists rise and take his place

And this will give God a slap in the face!

Let’s change his appetites, make man a boar,

Who follows his lusts for a sleazy whore.

Oh yes, oh yes, if that’s not effectual,

We’ll turn him into a gay homosexual.

Yet ignorance, plain ignorance is the best tool

To destroy fatherhood and make man a fool.

For who will take time to study, excel,

To raise sons and daughters, God’s ways to tell.

Fathers arise, stand up and be counted,

Be a part of the army that God has mounted

To revive, restore, and bring back from the sand

The highest role God has given to man!

 ~ COLIN CAMPBELL

Painting: Art print by John D. Benson

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TWO PRAYERS

TwoPrayersLast night my little boy confessed to me

Some childish wrong;

And kneeling at my knee,

He prayed with tears—

“Dear God, make me a man

Like Daddy—wise and strong;

I know you can.”

Then while he slept

I knelt beside his bed,

Confessed my sins,

And prayed with low-bowed head.

“O God, make me a child

Like my child here—

Pure, guileless,

Trusting Thee with faith sincere.”

~ Andrew Gillies

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THE MERCY SEAT, No. 8 - PARTAKE ALL OF CHRIST

MercySeat8In my last post, I wrote about the enormity of the emphasis placed on the blood of bulls, goats, and lambs in the Old Testament. The amount of blood that was shed every day, beginning with Adam and Eve who were clothed in animal’s skins (which involved the shedding of blood), all the way to the coming of Jesus Christ was an enormous price for God’s people.

In Genesis 4:26 we read of Adam and Eve having another son whom they called Seth. Seth’s first born was called Enos, “Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”

This is very significant because usually calling upon the name of the Lord involved building altars and sacrificing the life blood of lambs, bulls, and goats. All the blood that flowed from Old Testament altars cannot be estimated in price. It all pointed to the priceless value of the one supreme sacrifice whose atoning blood ended all the vast rivers of blood shed on Old Testament altars.

Matthew 26:26-28: “And as they were eating Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Mark 14:23: “And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.”

John 6:53-57: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they had to eat all the lamb, including the internals. These days the Jews only partake of the shank portion of the leg of the lamb.

However, we who believe in Christ, are to partake of His head (His mind and His vision), His hearing, His speech, His internals (bowels of mercies), His heart of love and compassion, His legs (to walk as He walked), and His hands to be our hands of welcome, love, embrace, and healing.

This is all because of Jesus’ shed blood.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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THE MERCY SEAT, No. 7 - IS THE BLOOD OF CHRIST JESUS A BIG EMPHASIS IN YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR CHURCH?

MercySeat7The blood of Jesus Christ was, without doubt, a very big emphasis in the Old Testament church.

Genesis 3:21: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Adam and Eve clothed themselves with fig leaves, but God shed the blood of an innocent animal to clothe them.

Exodus: 12:3, 13: “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house . . . and WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD, I WILL PASS OVER YOU, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”

Genesis 4:10: “And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance.

Hebrews 12:24: “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” The voice of Jesus’ blood speaks better things (mercy, forgiveness, salvation, deliverance, and healing) for all mankind.

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they had to take a lamb for every household. Every day in the life of the Old Testament church, there were two lambs killed, the morning and evening sacrifice (Exodus 29:38, 39).

For the dedication of Solomon’s temple, they killed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep (1 Kings 8:63).

At Josiah’s Passover, he gave of his own substance 30,000 lambs and goats and 3,000 cattle; his princes gave 2,600 lambs and goats and 300 bullocks; and the Levite leaders gave 5,000 lambs and goats and 500 bulls (2 Chronicles 35:7-9). Wow, that’s 38,700 in all!

It was not the slain animals that God was impressed with, but rather the innocent blood. The inestimable value of all the blood of millions of sacrifices beginning with Abel to the patriarchs, to the sacrifice of the firstborn animal, to the dedications of the temples, as well as all the daily free will offerings, all pointed to the one great final sacrifice of absolute inestimable worth—the precious blood of God’s own son, Jesus Christ. He is the only One who takes away the sins of the whole world.

All these sacrifices and their blood pleaded day by day and year by year (as on the Day of Atonement) for mercy, favor, and forgiveness for all the sins of Israel (God’s chosen people).

How much more should we, every day, sing and shout the praises of Jesus’ blood that was so very much more effective and precious to cleanse the darkest stains of our sinful nature and give to us eternal salvation, mercy, and forgiveness?

The amazing truth is this: it took just one perfect and sinless sacrifice to take away sin and fulfil the rivers of blood that flowed from all the Old Testament altars.

If your church does not exalt and praise the precious blood of Jesus, you and your family can be deceived to build a Cain altar of your own works.

Make praising the blood of Jesus a strong part of your family worship time.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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EVERY FATHER WANTS TO BE A...

KingPriest

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THE MERCY SEAT, No. 6. - HOW MUCH MORE SHALL THE BLOOD OF JESUS PREVAIL continued.

With the precious blood of Jesus sprinkled upon Heaven’s mercy seat, there is no limit to what our prayers can accomplish.

Even under the Old Covenant, which was sealed with the blood of bulls and goats there was still great mercy shown to God’s covenanted people as they humbled themselves, prayed, and turned from their wicked ways (1 Chronicles 7:14).

When they called upon God, pleading His divine mercy to flow from His mercy seat which was the seat of His throne in the earthly tabernacle and temple, God answered their prayers. Why? Because of the blood of bulls and goats abundantly sprinkled upon the mercy seat.

But now, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, the sinless, spotless, Lamb of God, whose blood is on Heaven’s mercy seat, HOW MUCH MORE greater and abundantly above all that we could ask or even think shall our payers be answered.

Men, we must teach our families this great truth. I believe with all my heart that there is absolutely no limit to the leverage we have obtained in and through the precious blood of Jesus. Through His blood we can receive from God all that we could possibly imagine.

Psalm 81:10 says: “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” This means that God calls His people to ask Him for BIG requests. In this psalm God reminds His people of His great miracles when He delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt.

To see His mighty power again, all they had to do now was to repent, walk in His ways, and stop worshipping false gods.

Verse 11 states: “But my people would not hearken to my voice.”

Verse 14 says: “I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.”

Verse 16 says: "He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”

This was all under the Old Covenant, sealed with the blood of bulls and goats.

HOW MUCH MORE shall the sinless, spotless blood of Jesus Christ prevail for us?

How wide do we open our mouths?

Teach your family the power of Jesus’ blood to receive answers beyond their wildest dreams.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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THE MERCY SEAT, No. 5. - THE BLOOD OF CHRIST ON THE MERCY SEAT IS MUCH MORE POWERFUL!

MercySeat5Hebrews 9:14: “How MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

We should be eternally grateful for the blood of Christ to cleanse and purge our deepest conscience, no matter how greatly it has been defiled, stained, hardened, and contaminated by our actions or thoughts. It should never cease to amaze us. It is only through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all dead works that we can serve God with a clear and clean conscience.

All our service, to and for God, can only be acceptable to Him based on the blood of Jesus Christ. All our so called good works become dead works if we think they can save us and make us more acceptable to God. Perish the very thought!

The only good works that are acceptable to God are the good works based on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. The power of His blood purifies our hearts from all the boasting and pride of all the works done through the energy of our self-life. It is only the blood of Jesus that makes our works acceptable to God.

Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.

• It is not how much more good works we have done; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER there is in the blood of Jesus.

• It is not how much more knowledge of the Bible we have; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER that is in His blood.

• It is not how much more sacrifice we have made, even to the laying down of our lives; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER that is in His blood.

• It is not how much more we have prayed; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER there is in the blood of Christ.

• It is not how much more we have attended church; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER there is in His blood.

• It is not how much more gifted we may be than others; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER is in the blood of Jesus.

There is power, power, wonder-working power,
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

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FATHERS RULE THROUGH PRAYER

FatherRule

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A SURE SIGN OF A MAN'S STRENGTH...

SureSign

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THE MERCY SEAT, No. 4. - THE BLOOD ON THE MERCY SEAT IN HEAVEN

MercySeat4Hebrews 9:23: “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”

The mercy seat in the earthly tabernacle was made after the pattern of the heavenly one. Hebrews 8:5 tells us of the priests “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.”

The heavenly tabernacle, including the mercy seat, required purification, not with the blood of innocent animals, but with the precious blood of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ.

If mercy flowed from the mercy seat on earth through the blood of animals for the temporary forgiveness of sin, how much more shall the blood on Heaven’s mercy seat obtain for us a FAR GREATER forgiveness and salvation? Through the mercy seat on earth the blessings flowed to protect, heal, prosper, and give victory over enemies. How much more from Heaven’s mercy seat? And we also have a stronger guarantee that our prayers will be heard and answered when we plead the precious blood of Jesus Christ rather than the blood of earthly bulls, goats, and lambs.

Why don’t we plead the blood more?

Hebrews 10: 4 states: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” They only provided a temporary band aid until the true sinless, Lamb of God was slain and His blood applied to Heaven’s mercy seat. Jesus’ precious blood is the only guarantee for our prayers to be heard.

In Hebrews 9:7 we read that the High Priest of Israel could only approach the earthly mercy seat once a year and He could only do this with the blood of animals. But now we can come boldly through the name of our heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, who by His own blood entered ONCE AND FOR ALL into the Holy of Holies in Heaven, “having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

Men, we must teach our families this great truth so that our faith will be increased to see our prayers answered.

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