Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

LOVE IS NOT PUFFED UP

Love dies to oneself rather than increasing oneself with pride and self-fame.

Paul speaks about being puffed up in 1 Corinthians 4:6 (NET): “So that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other.” Sadly verses 18 and 19 say: “Now some of you are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.” Paul is saying that there were people amongst them that were favoring some and not others. They were respecters of persons.

Acts 10:34 says: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.”

James 2:1: “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”

1 Corinthians 5:2: “Ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this dead might be taken away from among you.”

The Corinthians church were allowing fornication of a very serious nature to remain in the church. This type of sin is being committed all over our modern-day Christian church and yet they allow it in the name of love. We lovingly tolerate the things God abhors. We are puffed up with false love for we allow people to continue in sin who do things God hates. God’s love deals with sin and applies the necessary discipline.

We think we should not judge sin in the church on the basis of “Judge not that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). This is not talking about not dealing with sin in the church, but rather to not be a critical person who is always looking for faults in others.

1 Corinthians 6:3 says: “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Proverbs 31:26 says of the virtuous woman: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Ephesians 4:23 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

LOVE DOES NOT ENVY

Love is not jealous of others. The word envy means “a passion or zeal to move against someone because of envy.” Envy is divisive. It blocks fellowship and hinders the flow of the spirit of love. Envy causes one to argue and resist others even when they are more righteous.

When judging Jesus at the time of His crucifixion Pilate asked the people if they would prefer Barabbas, a notable prisoner who was a murderer (Mark 15:7-15). Matthew 27:18 tells us that Pilate “knew that for envy they had delivered him.”

The priests were envious of Jesus because the multitudes followed Him. Or was it because of the mighty miracles He performed? They were not performing miracles.

Jesus told the disciples to tell John the Baptist: “Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Matthew 11:4-6).

Why did Jesus tell John tell John the Baptist not to be offended at Him? Great miracles were happening with Jesus. Multitudes were following Him and yet John the Baptist’s ministry was fading. Even John the Baptist said himself: “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

We read in John 1:35-42 of two of John’s disciples who left John and followed Jesus. Sometimes this kind of thing can cause an offense and offense can lead to envy. I am not saying that John the Baptist was offended. However, Jesus certainly cautioned him about it.

We will not envy if we are filled with love.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

There Is nothing greater than love except God because God is love!

1 John 4:8: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

1 Corinthians 13;13: “But the greatest of these is love.”

The question is: how great is the love of God in us?

Love is the principle doctrine of the three abiding truths which are faith, hope, and love.

1 Corinthians 13:1: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Speaking in tongues is not forbidden in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 14:39), whether it be the tongues of men or of angels. However, in the church it must be interpreted, otherwise it is out of order. But even if we have a powerful gift of speaking in tongues and yet are not exercising the fruit of love we are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Every gift must be exercised from a heart that is filled with the love of Christ otherwise it will not profit the giver or hearer.

1 Corinthians 13:2; “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

Prophecy is a great gift because it edifies the church, but if the individual who prophesies is not filed with the love of God it prophets them or the hearers nothing.

Jonah was told to go and prophecy to the people of Nineveh. However, he was definitely not filled with the love of God. He had no love at all for the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to be destroyed and God did not reward him for his failure to love, even though he was miraculously delivered from spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale.

Because of this Jonah became a prophetic sign of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, 41: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and , behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

To be filled with wisdom and to understand all mysteries and knowledge would be a very powerful gift and could draw crowds of people desperately seeking answers to their problems and important questions. However, from God’s perspective, it would profit the individual nothing if not motivated by the love of God that is shed abroad in the believer’s heart (Romans 5:5). Such a gift, though given by God’s love could easily promote pride.

The user of the gift must at all times give all the glory to God and seek to be always filled with God‘s love. Otherwise this powerful gift will profit him nothing.

Jesus Christ made it very clear that the supernatural gifts give us no credence, nor do they give us God’s acceptance or reward.

Although supernatural gifts of God will attract people’s attention and people will flock to be blessed by these gifts, they can only bring reward to the stewards of these gifts if they operate in the love of God.

I am most certainly not downplaying any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but merely saying that every steward of every gift must make sure the fruit of love is flowing from their lives.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We can still call the things that we have faith and hope for as though they already were (Romans 4:17). Abraham not only believed for his son, Isaac, but he hoped for much more. He believed and hoped for future descendants and generations, as many as the stars in the sky that would come from his promised son (Genesis 15:5, 6).

Even Jesus Christ, the Messiah was included in the promised Isaac. The miracle baby was the down payment (Galatians 3:15, 16).

It is important for us fathers to take notice of Abraham, the “friend of God.” His desire for children was very great. He wanted children. He longed for children.

Genesis 18:19: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

Abraham was a prototype father, a pattern father. God declared Abraham righteous because he believed in a multitude of future sons and daughters. This should challenge us fathers to rethink our own position on this important subject. God himself is a lover of children (many children).

As fathers, we must teach our children all that God has promised us. How can they believe and have hope in the Scriptures if no one enlightens them of these “exceeding great and precious promises”?

2 Peter 1:4: “Whereby are give unto us EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

This world is full of hopelessness and unbelief in God’s Word. Many of the Christian faith are very ignorant of most of the promises of God’s word. A good father will teach his children the promises of God.

1 Peter 3:15: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

Most Christians today cannot give a scriptural reason of the hope that is within them. Why? Because they do not know the Scriptures. Let’s be fathers who diligently teach the Scriptures to our children.

Isiah 38:19: “The father to the children shall make known thy truth.”

Romans 15;4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

“Now abideth faith, hope and love.”

Hope is a doctrine that we don’t hear preached about very much these days. We hear a lot of sermons on faith, a lot on love, but next-to-nothing on hope.

The Greek word for hope is “elpis” and means “to anticipate, expectation, confidence” .

West’s Word Studies from the Greek new Testament explains hope as . . .
“ACTIVELY LIVE,
an ENERGIZING PRINCIPLE of divine life in the believer,
a Christian HOPEFULNESS AND OPTIMISM produced in the believer yielded to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
It is both an attitude of EXPECTANCY as the Christian looks forward to the inheritance awaiting him in heaven, and a HOPEFULNESS OF PRESENT BLESSING from God in this life in view of the eternal blessedness of the believer in the next life.
A child of god has no right to look on the dark side of things, and to look for the worst to happen to him. As the object of God’s care and love, he has THE RIGHT TO LOOK FOR THE BEST to come to him and to LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS.”

Hope is similar to faith but not the same. Hope is more futuristic than faith. Faith takes the promises of God that are meant to be experienced by the believer in the here and now and claims them for his benefit. Faith believes that miracles can be claimed from God for our present trials, sicknesses, and catastrophes.

Jesus said in Matthew 21, 22: “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Speaking of Abraham in Romans 4:17, 18 it says: “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

Abraham believed in the docrtine of hope. He believed in hope because God had spoken this promise to him. He still had to wait 25 years for Isaac to be born. Therefore, during those 25 years of waiting he employed faith that believed in a 25-year future hope. This hope was not based on uncertainty, but on the integrity of God’s spoken word.

The phrase, “who against hope believed in hope” can be difficult to get one’s mind around. However, when we consider the obstacles to this future hope of the birth of Isaac, we can understand.

Abraham was about 100 years old when “he considered not his own body now dead . . . neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” All of this, his old age and the deadness both in himself and in Sarah, worked as a natural law against his God-given hope.

Burt God had spoken this promise to him (Genesis 15;2-6 ; 17:1-10; and 18:9-19). Although there were major obstacles against his hope, he still believed in this hope. Therefore we see that hope and faith, founded on God’s Word work together.

Romans 4:20: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” He became strong in faith as he gave glory to God.

Romans 4:21: “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.“ Some people say that hope is the enemy of faith. However, I think that interpretation is not correct.

Romans 8:19-21 (NET): For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of God who subjected it – IN HOPE that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.”

We see that God has subjected his creature (man) to vanity (decay, futility, death, suffering), but at the end of this subjection is the realization of glorious hope.

More next week.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

1. Right NOW we are to be looking at the image of Christ revealed in the words of Scripture as well as in the unveiled faces of our fellow-believers (2 Corinthians 3:18).

2. Right NOW, at this present time, we are to be always increasing our knowledge of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Pearl of Great Price. He is the inexhaustible treasure of wisdom and knowledge. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). We must never, ever stop seeking more knowledge of Him. We must have an insatiable desire and appetite to know Him more (Philippians 3:10-14).

3. And NOW abideth faith hope and love. These three truths are the real essence of true Christianity. They are the three most important abiding truths that will never be done away with or superseded. These three truths are abiding both now and forever.

Faith is eternal. Hope is eternal. And love is eternal These are three everlasting truths that we must pay full attention to. We must be strong in them and grow stronger in them. We must live in these three truths and allow them to live daily in and through us. Faith, hope, and love are Christianity in a nutshell.

The Greek word for faith is “pistis” meaning “persuasion, credence, convictions of religious truth, especially reliance and trust upon
Christ for salvation, constancy in such profession, the system of the gospel truth itself, assurance, belief, faith, and fidelity.”

Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Surely, we all want to please God. Faith that is genuine takes hold of the promises of God and will not let them go until God gives the breakthrough. Faith believes in the heart and confesses with the mouth (Romans 10:9, 10).

Faith is very powerful and can move mountains, and God only knows how many mountains need removing mountains—mountains of trouble, mountains of fear, sickness, disease, and financial mountains, etc. One should never underestimate the importance of faith.

Jesus spoke a lot about faith and exercised faith in every miracle that He performed. The words “believe” and “have faith in God” are synonymous terms.

Faith is such a great subject and tremendous books have been written on the subject by such authors as Kenyon, Bosworth and T. L. Osborn, etc.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

In Job chapter 26 Job tries to describe some of the wonders of God but it is an impossible task. In verse 14 he says: “Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him?”

All the while we live on this earth, we can only gain partial knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is.

When I was a young boy, every Sunday morning our family of nine children attended a small “Open Brethren” church in a small township in New Zealand. Most of us who gathered were all related with some visitors from time to time. We loved to sing hymns from the hymnal, “Hymns of Light and Love.” We still have one of these hymn books in our home. I loved to sing No. 239. Here are some stanzas from the seven verses of the hymn:

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of thine,
My Savior, Jesus, yet this soul of mine
Would of thy love in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, it’s everlasting strength,
Know more and more.

But though I cannot sing, or tell, or know
The fullness of thy love, while here below,
My empty vessel I may freely bring,
O Thou, who art of love the living spring,
My vessel fill.

Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,
When on thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,
Then of thy love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
My soul shall sing.

It will take better minds with much better powers of understanding to comprehend all there is to know about our Lord Jesus Christ. But we are promised in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that when we see Him “face to face . . . that then we will know Him as He really is." So great will be the revelation that all our prior knowledge will be so limited in comparison. It will be considered “partial knowledge.” Partial knowledge will be replaced with full knowledge. “Face to face” knowledge.

However, we cannot ever give away our pursuit of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Even though our faith is weak and frail, we must make every effort to gain more heart-knowledge of the One who is our Lord of lords and King of kings. The more we know of Him the deeper our love will be for Him on this earth NOW.

The bride in the Song of Solomon describes her Beloved with the most endearing terms. Read Song of Solomon 5:10-16.

The greater our knowledge of Him will determine the greater our worship of Him.

When I was a young man, along with other young people who were on fire for God, we used to sing:
To know Him, to know Him
Is the cry of my heart,
Spirit reveal Christ to me.
To hear what You’re saying
Brings life to my bones,
To know Him, to know Him alone.

Most Christians would tell you that they know Jesus Christ from a historical perspective, e.g. they know how He was born, they know some of the Bible stories about Him, and they know some of the miracles that He performed. They know that He went to the cross and paid the price for their sins. They know that He is their Savior and that He was buried and rose again on the third day. They know that He ascended into Heaven and that one day He will return to earth and they will be changed into their glorious heavenly bodies.

However, sad to say, many Christians do not know Him NOW--on a daily basis. They do not know much about what Jesus Christ is doing for them and others NOW. They do not have a daily relationship with Him in His Word and in prayer. Therefore, they do not have an increased desire to worship Him.

If what we know of Jesus Christ does not move us to seek Him, love Him, and worship Him more, could it be that our knowledge of Him is only intellectual and has not yet reached into our spirits? The spirit part of man is where the knowledge of Christ must enter in order for our lives to be changed. All our knowledge of Jesus Christ must affect “the hidden man of the heart.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Let’s look at the three NOWS of 1 Corinthians 12;12, 13: “For NOW we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: NOW we know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And NOW abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

1. WE SHOULD BE LOOKING RIGHT NOW INTO THE MIRROR OF GOD’S WORD

“NOW we see through a glass darkly.” This speaks of looking into the Word to see Jesus. This may also relate to spiritual truths relating to the future “when that which is perfect is come” (1 Corinthians 13;10). Our knowledge and understanding of the future promised to all believers in Christ is at present obscure. It’s described as looking into a polished brass looking glass (which they used in those days) or reflection in water.

We definitely see things through the eyes of faith as we look into the Scriptures. They reveal to us that we will be resurrected from death and given an incorruptible body and we will be in a place called Heaven where the streets are paved with gold. We read that there will be many mansions for all of the resurrected in Heaven. We read that we will reign with Jesus Christ over all the earth.

Even though we have limited understanding of the hereafter, it does not mean that we should not be looking at Jesus Christ as read the Word and listen to the testimonies of His people. On the contrary, we need to make every effort to look earnestly into the person of Jesus Christ. The more we look at Him NOW, this side of eternity, the more we will be transformed NOW into all the various aspects of who He is in all His glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding 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.”

1 John 3;2: “Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” The greatest and highest pursuit of every Christian should be to live, look, and act like Jesus right NOW.

When He shall appear, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. All through our Christian life we should constantly strain our eyes into the looking glass of God’s Word, as well as His people, to behold the image of God revealed in His Son.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:2: “Ye are our epistle (letter) written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” Therefore, as we look into God’s Word, as well as the lives and faces of the “hungry for more of Jesus Christians” we will see more and more of Him. The Spirit of the Lord will take the image of Jesus that we look at and place that same image upon our lives.

Hebrews 9:28: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

I believe that what I am about to say is very important. When the Scripture says that Jesus Christ is appearing the second time to those who look for him, it does not mean that He is only coming to those who are looking for His second coming. He comes to those who are looking right NOW to see His glory. It stands for reason that those who are looking for His return and can’t wait for this great event to happen are those who have already been looking, seeking, and straining to see something more of His glory every day. They look for Christ daily while they patiently wait for the shout of the archangel, the trump of God to sound, and the Lord Himself to descend from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Two more NOWS coming.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell