Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

What was the first thing God did after He created man? I'll give you a little moment to think about it?

He blessed them. Did you get the right answer?

God is a BLESSER. He wants to bless you. He wants to bless your family.

And because we are created in His image, we should be blessers, too. It should be second nature to us. More correctly, it is God's nature in us.

Did you bless your husband this morning? Have you blessed your children today? If not, there's still more time in the day.

Let's make it a habitual part of life to speak life, blessing, and encouragement to each one in our family each day, and to all we meet.

Love from Nancy

God told His people of old, and I am sure we need to be constantly reminded today, “Do not learn the way of the nations… for the customs of the peoples are delusion” (Jeremiah 10:1-3). Read also Leviticus 18:3 and 20:23). And yet, we assimilate. When we look into the mirror of God’s Word we can be surprised at how much we are like the world rather than the standard of God’s Word.

That’s why it is so important to daily fill our minds and hearts with God’s truths and impart these truths to our children. Otherwise, we have no standard, except what we see around us, and often it is contrary to God’s way.

Why is it that Christian parents limit their families, and sometimes even scoff at having more children? Why do Christian parents want to send their children to state schools where the Bible and prayer (which are foundations of our nation) have been banned? What do Christian parents run their children around to every sport and extracurricular activity? Isn’t it because they have assimilated?

In many cases, the Christian’s standard of dress, movies, literature, and divorce, etc. lines up more with the world than God’s Word. And they think it’s normal!

Isn’t it time for a turning back? Isn’t it time for “normal” to be God’s normal, rather than the world’s normal?

What’s your “normal”?

Love from Nancy

Some extra Scriptures to check out if you have time!
Isaiah 60:1-2; Jeremiah 6:16; 18:15; Matthew 5:13-16; James 4:4; 1 John 2:19-21.

Jeremiah 10:7 asks “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is your due!” What comfort to know that our God is King of the nations. No matter how much the nations rant and rave and turn away from God, God will have the last say. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Not only is He King of the nations, but He wants to be King in our lives and in our homes. If He is King, we are His subjects. We are to serve Him and honor Him for it is our due! If this is true in our family life, it will be surely the least we can do to come before our King as a family morning and evening to hear from Him, to worship Him and to pray to Him.

It is sad that many Christian families are too busy to take time for the Family Altar twice a day. Sports and other extracurricular activities take precedence. Is this making Jesus King in our home? What example are we teaching our children?

Who or what reigns as King in your home?

Love from Nancy

“She always made home happy.” This was an epitaph a husband inscribed on his wife’s grave after 60 years of marriage. What a powerful life. Imagine 60 years of making a home happy. As she put aside her own interests and sought to make her husband, her children, and all her came into her home happy, she must have influenced thousands—and generations to come.

Could this be written over my grave, or yours? Are we consciously seeking to make our husband happy? Are we intentionally blessing and encouraging our children each day? Are we seeking to make our home a delight? Or, are we too busy taken up with our own problems, self interest, and self pity.

Can I tell you a secret? The best way to get out of the doldrums and depression is to forget about you and try to make someone else happy. “How can I make someone happy when I feel so lousy?” you ask. Forget your feelings. Just do it. You will be amazed at what happens.

When you make others happy, you become happy yourself. As you become happy yourself, you’ll make others even happier. Your husband will be happier. Your children will be happier.

This is the way to go, mother! Start making someone happy right now. If your husband is around, sneak up on him and give a big kiss and cuddle. Or give him a call at work and tell him you love him. Do something special for one of your children.

Have a fun day making your home happy.

Love from Nancy

We read yesterday how Jesus wants to be where He is. He wants our company. He wants us to be His friend.

In John 15:14-15, Jesus says, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth now what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." How wonderful.

I want to cultivate His friendship, don't you? Get into the habit of listening to Him throughout the day, even in the midst of caring for your little children. You constantly need wisdom. You need His counsel, and He is waiting to give it to you. He says, "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom" (Proverbs 8:14). He is with you to speak into your heart and guide your way. Be His friend. Let Him talk to you.

Love from Nancy

One of the Scriptures we read in The Daily Light at Family Devotions this morning was John 12:26, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be.”

How often we ask God to bless our plans and what we are doing. We want God to come on board with everything we are doing, don’t we? But, do we stop to think about being where God wants us to be? To listen to what He is saying? To walk in obedience to His truth, rather than our own plan?

“Father, I want to be on board with you. Please save me from bringing you down to my level. I want to follow hard after you. Amen.”

Love from Nancy

You know the following Scripture back to front, I know. Proverbs 18:21 GNB SAYS, “Death and life is in the power of the tongue. You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say. What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.”

Our mouth can be a “well of life” (Proverbs 10:1) to all we speak to, or it can minister death. Dear mother, can I encourage you to take on a challenge for this day? I’m seeking to do it, too. Let’s see if we can be only a “well of life” today. No discouraging words. No negative words. No complaining and griping words. No nagging words. No angry words.

Instead, only life-giving words. Only encouraging words. Only kind words.

Just for today. Can you do it?

Love from Nancy

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you today, mother. You are doing a great job. You are employed in the greatest career of the universe as you nurture and train your children to walk in God's ways and to reveal His character in this world. You may not always feel victorious, but I want you to know you are doing a great job. God is with you and behind you all the way. He will nor forsake you, even when you feel faint and weary.

You are employed by God. What an honor! You have a God-given career. Satan hates it, but God loves it. Mothers who have a vision to embrace children and raise them to be mighty for God are the biggest threat to the enemy.

Lift up you head. Put a smile on your face and rejoice. You are advancing the kingdom of God and pushing back the kingdom of Satan.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day as you bask in the joy and blessing of your children.

Much love from Nancy

Are you wrestling against the devil and his evil works, or nestling in his camp? Ephesians 6:12 says that we are to wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world. We have evil and deception all around us. What are we doing about it? Are we acquiescing or fighting? To wrestle means to fight hard to win.

We cannot be neutral. We cannot be tolerant towards evil. We must stand against it. We must fight and wrestle. If we don’t, we eventually succumb to the evil itself. Why are the evils of materialism, worldliness, feminism, socialism, progressivism, abortion, homosexuality encroaching on our nation? Is it because God's people are not fighting against these powers of darkness?

Ephesians 6:13-14 says, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, too stand. Stand therefore…” The words “withstand” means more than stand. It means to “stand against, to oppose, to resist.”

Let’s fight, and teach our children to fight. Stand up and speak out at every opportunity. Pray together daily as families and fight these principalities and powers in prayer. If we don’t, the next generation will be assimilated more and more into the ways of the enemy.

Love from Nancy

I think we sometimes forget that God's Word is for all generations, and that includes our 21st century. God, who created mankind, designed and planned the way for us to live. And what was His plan? Marriage and family life. Because God planned it, it is the healthiest and happiest way to live. Sadly, we don't always see the evidence of this today, do we?

Why? Because people are too modern for God, even though He is the same, yesterday, today and forever! They think the "ancient paths," the principles God established in the very beginning, are too old fashioned for them.

We live in a humanist and deceived age. There are bypaths everywhere and many of them look wise and good, but if they veer off the highway of God's plan, they'll eventually take us down a road of destruction.

Jeremiah 18:15 MLB says, "My people have forgotten Me... they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, and have walked in bypaths, not the highway." This is the way it is translated in most versions, but the ESV says they "walk into side roads, not the highway." The NLT says they "walk in muddy paths." Moffat's translation says that they "take to bypaths of their own."

The Hebrew for "walk in bypaths" is translated in other places in the Old Testament as "desolation, astonishment, or waste."

Are you on THE highway, or walking a bypath? Make sure you and your family are filling your minds and hearts with the Word daily. This is the only map to keep us on the highway, and unless we constantly refer to it, we often don't realize we are on a bypath.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."

Love from Nancy

After my post, Why Don’t we Like Obedience?, it seems that many are desperate to establish order in them home again. What can you do? Here are a few thoughts.

1. Take some time (????) to sit down and think about your home and how you want it to run (maybe this evening when the children are in bed). Write down your vision. Write down your plan for how you can make it happen. Think of a schedule for the day. You don't have to be too rigid, but you do have to have a plan of action. If you don't, nothing will happen and you'll keep going the way you are. My constant affirmation is: Nothing just happens, you have to make it happen!

2. Some things you need to think about. All children need to be up and dressed (and if old enough), beds made by breakfast time (and hopefully you will have devotions together after breakfast). Appoint jobs for each member of the family so the kitchen can be cleaned up and laundry on the way for the day. All children need to be involved from the youngest to the oldest. Make sure everything is cleaned up before you start homeschooling. I am just getting you started. You can think about the rest of your day. But, make sure you also think about how you will prepare your evening meal and when you will start.

3. Share the plan with your husband and ask him for any changes or better ideas and pray over it together.

4. Gather the family together at a suitable time. Share with the family that you can't keep going the way you are. A family must run smoothly and so you have got a great plan to make it happen and you are all going to be involved. Then share the plan with the family and tell them their appointed tasks. You can also print it out for the fridge so they can all see it.

5. Be excited about it and let the children catch the vision. When you start your tasks in the morning, aim for a time to get them finished. No dawdling about! Teach your children to work hard and fast. Isn't this how you are training them? You are training them for the future! They must know how to work hard, fast and joyfully! If tasks are done by a certain time, put a star on the fridge. At the end of the week, if there are a certain number of stars, plan a celebration. Go out for ice-cream. Have a special meal, or purchase a little gift for each of the children who played their part. Incentive is great. There is nothing wrong with giving incentives.

The above are a few thoughts to get you started.

Love, Nancy

God's kingdom is based on obedience, starting with the God-head. Even Jesus Himself, the Son of God, was obedient, obedient to the death of the cross--and we are commanded to have this very same attitude (Philippians 2:5-8).

Every blessing hinges on obedience. God told His people in Isaiah 1:19, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." And yet why do we resist obedience? We are so prone toward the flesh, aren't we? We want to do it out way, and yet it never brings blessing.

We cannot run our homeland unless it is based on obedience. Titus 2:5 commands us wives to be obedient to our husband. We set the example for our children who to be obedient to us. When obedience is established in the home, the home runs smoothly.

When a wife resists her husband, there is no peace. When children are not trained to obey, there is chaos! No mother can enjoy mothering disobedient children. No wonder many mothers don't like mothering. They have children who are out of control.

Establish obedience in your home and the blessing of God will come down.

Love from Nancy

Jeremiah 15:19 reminds us to stand strong and not be lured back to worldly ways, deception, and humanistic thinking through the words, "Let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them."

It is very clear in the New Living Translation, "You must influence them; do not let them influence you!" I am sure you constantly hear conflicting voices and reactions against what you believe. You are laughed at for embracing more children. You are scorned for homseschooling. Are you influenced by these comments? They should roll us off like water on a duck's back. We know we are walking in truth. Why should we be affected by the ignorant and deceptive words of others?

The Message Bible is even more powerful in its translation, "Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them. I'll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. They'll attack you but won't put a dent in you because I am at your side, defending and delivering."

Stand tall, dear mother. Stand strong. Constantly influence others as you speak words of truth. Don't be influenced by their words. Even when you are attacked with words, it won't even put a dent in you because God is with you. Praise the Lord.

Love from Nancy

God speaks to us individually, but did you know that He also wants to speak to us as families? God is vitally interested in our individual lives, but He also sees us collectively as families. This is the way He planned for us to live, as families. Jeremiah 2:4 says, "Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the FAMILIES of the house of Israel."

God wants not only you and your husband, but also your children to hear His words. This is why it is paramount to come together as families, evening and morning, and listen to God speak to us as a family as we read His Word.

We discuss together what He is saying to us a family. We learn together as a family. We press on in the ways of God together as a family. We pray together as a family. We do not leave our children behind.

As you hear God speaking to you as a family, you will be cemented strongly together as a family.

Love from Nancy

Have you blown it? You've fallen again! You feel as though you have failed! Don't despair. God has put a principle in the universe that we fall we will get up again. Isn't that great? Jeremiah 8:4 says, "Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not repent?"

If you've fallen, just get up again! That's the way! Isn't that how we encourage our little ones when they are learning to walk or when they are learning anything new as they grow older? This is the same way God treats us. He knows that we are weak and frail, but He encourages us to get up again. If you have sinned, repent and receive God's forgiveness which flows freely to you through His blood that He shed for you.

Psalm 37: 23-24 says, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand."

Even if you fall seven times in one day, you can get up again each time (Proverbs 24:16, Psalm 145:14 and Micah 7:8). Praise the Lord.

Love from Nancy

Here are the 15 specific blessings God pours out upon us in our land of motherhood. Take some time to look up these wonderful Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 15:4 says, “The Lord shall GREATLY BLESS thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it.” And you must read Deuteronomy 28:8; 30:16


Blessings of fruitfulness (Genesis 1:28; 22:17; 28:3; Deuteronomy 7:13-14; Psalm 107:38; 115:14).
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb (Genesis 49:25).
Blessings of weddings and celebrations (Jeremiah 33:10-11, cf. Jeremiah 7:34; 16:9; 25:10).
Blessings of bread and water (Exodus 23:25).
Blessings of God’s watchful care (Numbers 6:24-25).
Blessings of peace (Numbers 6:26; Psalm 29:11).
Blessings upon all that we do (Deuteronomy 2:7; 14:29; 15:10, 18; 16:15; 23:20; 24:19; 28:8, 12).
Blessings of health (Deuteronomy 7:15)
Blessings on our children (Psalm 115:14; 147:13b; Isaiah 44:3).
Blessings if we live in the city or the country (Deuteronomy 28:3).
Blessings on our cattle and produce (Deuteronomy 28:4-5, 11; Psalm 132:15; 107:36-38).
Blessings on our daily walk (Deuteronomy 28:6).
Blessings of reigning instead of servitude (Deuteronomy 15:16; 28:13).
Blessings of lending to others instead of borrowing (Deuteronomy 15:16; 28:12).
Blessings on our land and gardens (Deuteronomy 30:16; Psalm 107:37).

Love from Nancy

I have been speaking lately about the land that flows with milk and honey. I take the descriptions that God gave of the physical land of Israel and relate them to the land of motherhood that God has brought us into. I noticed again this morning in Jeremiah 2:7 that God says, "I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled my land."

God intends your land of wifehood and motherhood to be a fruitful and good land. There are so many wonderful blessings to possess. (I'll share with you some of the blessings in another post). When we embrace all the "fruits and rich bounty" that God has provided we will live in His blessings.

God's plan for the land of motherhood is good, but we have do it His way. When we think our way is better we end up in confusion.

Isn't it sad that many despise the land of motherhood? They leave the land to find other lands, but in doing this, they leave behind the blessing of God, for His blessing is in the land, not out of the land.

Love from Nancy

Can I let you in on a secret? You cannot build a successful marriage when your life is "all about me." Selfishness never works. Expecting to be served and pampered doesn't work. Even Jesus did not come to serve, but to serve and give his life (Matthew 20:28).

The only way you find your life is by giving up your own life in serving others (Mark 8:35). Marriage is the perfect relationship to experience this victorious way of living.

Here's a project for you. Can I encourage you to change your thinking from "it's all about me" to "it's all about him"? Instead of dwelling on what your husband is doing wrong and how he is not doing this and that around the home etc, why not think of all the ways you can bless him.

Starting from today and for the rest of this week, think of at least two special things you can do for him, say to him, or write to him each day. Why not surprise him by initiating sexual intimacy instead of waiting for your husband to make the first move? And don't forget to have a lovely meal waiting for him each evening as he comes home.

Think creatively. Think out of the box. Think about him instead of you!

Love from Nancy

Who is your marriage all about? Is it all about you? Many couples live together, but are not bound together, or enjoy life together. They started off with great love, enjoyment and enthusiasm but now their relationship is pretty boring and cold.

Why is this? I believe it is because of the "all about me" syndrome. What is my husband doing for me? How is my husband serving me? I have a right to be whom I am and do my own thing. Soon the couple are living their own separate lives instead of being cemented together.

The very first marriage principle that God gave is oneness. Genesis 2:24 states that the married couple are to be "one flesh." We are not separate entities. We are one. We should think oneness. We should be yielded to one another to be "one flesh" as much as possible. We should be yielded to one another in one spirit, mind, and purpose to build our marriage and family. We haven't got time to be pursuing our own life. We have been blended as one to build a family that is strong, , powerful and will impact the world. This will only happen through oneness.

Love from Nancy

When we commit to establishing Family Devotions in our family, our children become aware that we honor God's Word. It’s not enough for us to go to church on Sunday or Saturday, but our children need to know that we can’t get through one day without the sustenance of God's precious Word.

When we make it a commitment to read the Word and pray together morning and evening, they know that we truly are Bible believers and praying parents.

If your children do not see you honoring the Word of God each day, will they think it is something worth studying and reading? If we do not gather with them to pray together every day, will they get a vision for prayer?

The children see by our lifestyle what is important to us. What do they see? A materialistic attitude, trying to keep up with the Joneses, and following the crowd? Or do they truly see that God is the priority in our lives?

Love from Nancy