Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Father, are you leading your sheep or are your sheep leading you?

Psalm 23:2 says, "He leadeth me beside the still waters." A good Eastern shepherd who leads his sheep will not lead them beside dangerous and roaring flood waters where they are likely to lose their footing and drown in the raging torrents. In this passage, the Good Shepherd is called the LEADER of His sheep. All fathers are shepherds and are called to be the leaders of their families.

In New Zealand, where I was raised, shepherds don't lead their sheep, the reason being that the flocks are generally large, often numbering thousands of sheep. The fields are fenced in order to contain and protect the sheep from straying. By the use of their trained dogs, the shepherds in New Zealand push their sheep from behind from one field to another or to a set of yards (pens, or sheds) where they shear the sheep or attend to their physical needs which are numerous. From this standpoint, my countrymen who own sheep farms have no personal relationship with their sheep, except for one or more that lose their mothers at birth. These are called pet lambs, are bottle-fed, and are often given a name.

However, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is likened to an Eastern Bedouin shepherd who goes in FRONT of his sheep and leads them to still waters and safe feeding pastures. Sheep who have a shepherd like the Middle Eastern Bedouin are indeed blessed.

John 10: 4 says, "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." From this statement we must conclude that the Shepherd speaks daily to His sheep. They know and trust His voice.

Father, are you speaking often to your children? Do they trust your voice? Are they following you?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, in churches where pastor/shepherds are not feeding their flocks the anointed Word of God, but just going through dry liturgy that has no practical or spiritual application, there will be malnutrition and discontent. Pastors and teachers need to wait on God to make certain the food they feed God's sheep is not half-baked, or perhaps not even baked at all.

This same principle applies to father/shepherds. Fathers must make sure that they are not only feeding their family with good natural food, but also good spiritual food. Every father should do his best to not let a day go by without providing them with solid servings of God's anointed word. This should be coupled with corporate prayer, each one praying short and to-the-point prayers.

Every father knows that he, his wife, and his children could not survive without three meals a day. Yet, how can the inner man survive on perhaps only "one" meal at church once per week? The inner man is more important than the outer man. No wonder the church of this era does is not the vibrant world-overcoming church that it once was.

Christ Jesus has not changed. God's Word (our spiritual food) has not changed. It's our eating habits that have changed. What's the point of having a strong outer man if the inner man is weak and starving?

Be encouraged.

COLIN CAMPBELL

Is your family lying down contentedly in a home of spiritually rich green pastures? Psalm 23:2 says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures." Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Chief Shepherd, makes sure that all His sheep that seek to follow Him are contented with the greenest, most succulent, and healthiest of all spiritual food. Not only spiritual, but natural food, too.

The lying down aspect of this Scripture speaks of contentment. How can a sheep that is hungry and malnourished lie down contentedly? It is impossible. In the natural, sheep only lie down when their appetites are satisfied. The Chief Shepherd desires that His under shepherds provide their families with a healthy and safe home life where both spiritual and natural food are nutritiously green.

Fathers who are good shepherds will make sure their families are contented and not stressed out with fears and anxieties.

The country of New Zealand where I was born and raised, is ideally suited for raising sheep. Because of its temperate climate it can grow healthy green grass all the year round. New Zealand has some of the greenest pastures of the world. It is a joy to behold the vast green hills covered with the rich green carpets. The hills and valleys are covered with the healthiest sheep in the world--contented and satisfied. It also has no natural predators in the whole country! But, even so, there are some bad shepherds who do not manage their flocks well.

We must pray that our home is a place of both spiritual and natural contentment where our lambs can lie down contented.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, do any of our children lack for the need of discipline? Do they lack for the need of encouragement? Do they lack for the need of our interest in their lives? In His love and mercy, our Great Shepherd attends to every need of each one of His sheep and lambs.

In order to avoid envy and jealousy a wise father will be careful not to show favoritism towards one child as opposed to the others. One member of the family may demand more attention that the others, perhaps in a negative sense. However, a wise father will not neglect the individual needs of any child in his family. In some cases of extreme necessity, such as a special needs situation, this is easier said than done, and we must show loving understanding in such cases.

As fathers, we are under shepherds of the Great Shepherd, and should seek to emulate His example. How easy it is, even for pastors, to give too much attention to some people, at the expense of others who may not be grasping for attention.

It is true that the Great Shepherd does reward some of His sheep more than others, primarily because of their loving obedience to the Shepherd's voice. And I think that reward for good behavior is very appropriate to each one of our own children who deserve it.

One of the greatest needs of all children is to receive encouragement from their fathers.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, just as the Chief Shepherd desires an intimate and personal relationship with each one of His sheep, in the same way every father should seek to develop a close and personal relationship with each member of his own family. The closer we get with each family member, the greater our shepherding will be.

It was, and still is important for the eastern Bedouin shepherds to have a one-to-one relationship with each of their natural sheep, even though they are mere animals. This is necessary to guard against their being attacked, lost, or becoming malnourished and sick. How much more should we become far more acquainted and personal with our children who have spirits and souls, as well as bodies?

We must never be too busy to take the time to communicate, show a genuine interest in all they are doing, go places with them, play with them, have fun with them, tell them stories, give them loving discipline, teach them from the Bible, pray with them, and pile upon them heaps and heaps of encouragement.

Remember, God has given them primarily into your care. Do not take this lightly for you will have to give an answer one day to the Great Shepherd for them. Do not abdicate your responsibilities to your own flesh and blood. Be careful not to speak too harshly or be too critical of them. Seek to be their best friend. Kind and loving words will always win the day.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, how can we encourage and teach our children to develop a more meaningful personal relationship with Christ as their own shepherd?

We notice in Psalm 23:1 that it does not say, "The Lord is our Shepherd," but rather, "The Lord is MY Shepherd." David knew that Jehovah God was Israel's Shepherd and this knowledge was meaningful and encouraging. Psalm 80:1 says, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth."

However, how much more meaningful and encouraging it is to know that God not only deals with His people in a national sense, but as David discovered, the great Jehovah wants to have a personal and individual relationship with us. He wants this with our children, too.

The hymn writer penned these words to our personal Shepherd, "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land, I am weak, but Thou art mighty, Hold me with Thy powerful hand." Amen.

Each one of us must take the time to pursue God in an ever increasing personal way, for it is only then that we will be able, by example, to teach our own families to experience God this way.

Abraham, Enoch, Noah, and Moses, as well as many others in Scripture, walked with God and were known as friends of God. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice , and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Christ speaks to us corporately, but it is even more meaningful when we He speaks and we listen to Him personally.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

It is the shepherd father's most important responsibility to bring each member of his family to the understanding and enlightenment to know God and Christ as their personal Savior and Shepherd. This understanding of God as a personal Shepherd is paramount truth. It is not good enough for God's sheep to only have knowledge about Him. They must have a personal knowledge and relationship with the Shepherd.

How blessed our children are when they are born again. Their relationship with God is no longer abstract but real, close, alive, and personal.

Fathers, this is our calling and we fail greatly in our fatherhood if we do not understand this. Sad to say, many fathers leave this responsibility to others, e.g. the church pastor or Sunday school teachers. However, God holds us fathers accountable.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 23:1 says, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Men, shepherding is synonymous with fatherhood, for both terms imply the feeding and raising of sheep and lambs. Biblically speaking, all God's children are His sheep. Psalm 79:13 says, "So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever."

Having been born and raised in New Zealand I am very familiar with sheep. My father had more than a thousand sheep, especially when the new lambs were born.

There is one very important truth regarding sheep and that is that sheep need to have a shepherd. God created sheep to be very dependant. They cannot survive, especially among predators, without a shepherd. Another truth is that if sheep are to be healthy and do well, they need to have a good shepherd. Not all shepherds are good ones.

Fathers, we are Under Shepherds. We are under the reign of the Great Shepherd of the sheep who wants to shepherd His lambs through us. For this reason Psalm 23 is a precise manual on what a good shepherd is like and how he cares for all those in his charge, including his wife. If a pastor/shepherd is not a good shepherd to his own wife and family, he has no right to be pastoring a church.

When the sheep and lambs can boldly declare that the Lord is their Shepherd you can be assured that their fathers are doing their shepherding well. If the fathers are not directing the children's affections towards the Good Shepherd, how can they say the Lord is their Shepherd who takes care of all their needs through their father?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, we are deceived if we do not realize that we are surrounded by great darkness. It is of utmost importance that we do not let the darkness enter into us. It is bad enough to have it around us. We have to make every effort to maximize the light that comes from each member of our family. We need to identify the areas or sources of darkness that hinder the light. Arguments, contention, disobedience, bad moods, and selfishness are all frequent causes that obstruct the light from shining.

Men, or teenagers, who watch pornography will most definitely have their lights turned off, although they might try to hide their sin to themselves. If the Holy Spirit within them is grieved, the light will be turned off and the darkness will not be scattered.

Men, there is only one thing in all creation that resists darkness and that is the light. Both forces are at war with one another. Jesus said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world" and in Matthew 5:14 He says to us, "You are the light of the world." As far as God and heaven are concerned, there is no other true light apart from His people. If we do not shine brightly, gross darkness will increase.

In order to assist the light in ourselves and our families, we must be more and more acquainted with the Scriptures for they feed the light. We, and our family, need them daily. Prayer, individually and daily with our family, will also increase more light. We must as well depend utterly upon the oil of the Spirit for without the Holy Spirit we cannot shine.

Isaiah 60:1-2 says, "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."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

I wrote yesterday that every child is another light bulb to powerfully flash forth light from your lighthouse home. Obviously, the more children we raise in the light of Gods truth, the more light will beam forth to save other marriages and families from the disasters caused by the rocks of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Men, it is our solemn responsibility to order our homes in ways that will increase the power of the light radiating forth from each one in our home.

Everyone in your neighborhood should be aware that your home is a lighthouse. Every time folk meet you as a family--in the shopping centre, on the street, or casual acquaintances, they should observe in you and your family's faces the light of Christ. We are in the business of creating and raising brilliant light bulbs! For this reason we must realize that our mission is of utmost importance for our neighbors will most likely perish unless they see the light of God's truth shining through someone, and why should not that some be you and your family?

Men, we must, no matter what the sacrifice, minister the Word of light and truth daily to our families. Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." We must pray with them daily that the oil of the Spirit of God will fill our lamps.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, how aware are we of the great battle, in both the spiritual and physical realms, to stop the light shining in and from our home? We must understand that God wants our home to be a type of mini church. Just as we are both individually and collectively the temple of the Holy Spirit, even so our home should be viewed in the same way. Whatever we would not allow in the church, e.g. worldly movies and music, worldly literature, and ungodly electronics etc., should not be fit for our lighthouses.

The truth is that whatever we allow into our home is what will come out of our home. The other truth is that whatever we allow into our home will also be what we allow into our own heart and life.

What effect would a lighthouse have to warn ships of dangerous rocks if the keeper of the lighthouse filled its interior with more and more of the same rocks it was supposed to be warning against? How crazy that would be. And yet this is exactly what multitudes of "Christian" lighthouses are doing. Many homes, like ships, are trying to navigate their way through the storms of life, but where are the brilliant lighthouses with each family member another powerful flashing light bulb warning of the dangers of worldly rocks that can are destroying so many family ships trying to find a safe harbor.

Matthew 5:14-16 says, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

2Corinthians 3:17 says, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." This is freedom to do what is right without force. It follows yesterday's post on Mr. Perfect.

Men, there is a place between being a Mr. Perfect and a Mr. Negligent. Mr. Negligent is indifferent to his wife and family's values and behavior. He doesn't give much attention to what they watch, who they hang out with, their education, or their church involvement. Mr. Negligent is not attentive to his wife or family's needs as much as he ought to be.

Mr. Negligent is just as bad as Mr. Perfect, possibly worse. His wife feels that she has to take control of most family matters. Mr. Negligent does not care about discipline for he himself is not disciplined or self-controlled. Mr. Negligent thinks he's doing fine as long as he brings home the bacon, or picks up his unemployment check from the government. Mr. Negligent is the complete opposite of Mr. Perfect, but both need balance.

To be easy going provides a vacuum for being a responsible husband and father. To be a little easy going, but at the same time, attentive, involved, and committed to your wife and family's needs is much better. Mr. Perfect needs to tone down on being overly demanding, which tends to engender tension, stress, and over control which robs the family of godly freedom.

Home is meant to be "Home, Sweet Home." A home of balanced order.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Romans 15:1 says, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

The most devastating earthquakes are generally not caused by minor fault lines in the earth's crust, but by major fault lines. Men, do not be a trivial fault-finder, but rather a fault over-looker. I'm not saying that major faults should not be addressed. Indeed, they should be. However, many marriages and families are weakened by individuals who make it their business to find fault in their spouse and children far too much.

Hair line crack fault-finders soon become a major fault line in their marriage and family. Most hair line cracks in the ankle bones of runners will heal quickly when given a chance to rest. They do not need to be x-rayed and given major surgery every day. In the same way, if you have gravitated into the x-ray fault finding daily habit you need to back down, lay off, and give your wife and family some needed rest. And time to heal.

Mr. Perfect will never have a perfect family. Rather, Mr. Perfect's family will most likely be brow beaten, insecure, nervous, rebellious, and gun-shy wrecks who never seem to be able to measure up to their father's perfect standards!

Men, you will not be able to deal with the major faults in your family if you have made far too much of the minor ones. Mr. Perfect shows imperfection by not cutting some slack to his wife and children when they need it. Our most perfect Heavenly Father is perfect, not just because of His demands on us to be His perfect children, but because of His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness towards us when we fall. He manifests His perfection in these attributes as well as His commands.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Jeremiah 8:22 asks, "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?" This is an interesting question. Evidently Gilead was a center for an aromatic gum of supposed medicinal value. The word Gilead means "uncertain" and according to the two references, Jeremiah 8:22 and 46:11, the balm of Gilead could not heal the deep inner wounds of the soul and spirit.

The good news is that Christ can heal all wounds, whether small or great, shallow or deep. Jesus Christ is not the uncertain balm of Gilead. He is the sure balm of Heaven, provided at Mariah, "the place where Yahweh provides" (Genesis 22:8, 14). Isaiah 53:5 tells us that "with his stripes we are healed."

Men, most marriages break up because of inner wounds, the result of destructive words and attitudes. Some marriages break up because of physical violence caused by uncontrolled anger. Worldly marriage counseling is the uncertain balm of Gilead. It may smell good, but cannot heal the broken spirit. The true church knows by the experience of the new birth (John 3:16) that every marriage can be healed if both parties are willing to go to the cross of Christ and receive healing through His stripes.

We must embrace Christ's death, burial, and resurrection power to put to death our own self will, negative speech, and attitudes. We can then arise out of the grave and prison of our own ideas and lifestyle. It is only then that we will experience the true healing balm, healing us, as well as our wife and family.

Men, please join me in your prayers this that the destructive forces that are weakening the testimony of Christ and His church will be broken and destroyed. Pray with me that Christ's healing balm will heal our marriages and children.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, I think the greatest attack from the arsenal of the enemy is the gradual breakdown of Christian marriages. It is heartbreaking that over 50 percent of Christian marriages end in divorce and multitudes of other marriages are barely making it. This sad state of affairs drastically weakens the godly well-being of the family.

What makes it even more tragic is that this behavior has to a large degree come an acceptable way of life in our 21st century Christian culture. While some children may be able to handle it better than others, who can tell what deep inner wounds have been made both psychologically, as well as spiritually, to all family members. The truth is, to not be hurt or wounded reveals a certain hardness of heart that God is not pleased with.

I am certainly not trying to make people who have had a marriage breakdown feel condemned. Rather, I desire with the Holy Spirit's help to awaken the church to the fact that we are not the church God intends us to be. Prevention is better than cure. However, God is indeed merciful and offers healing to those who are meek and repentant enough to receive it.

We must not delay any longer in taking affirmative action to correct the way we speak to each other as married couples. Your words and attitudes have the power to destroy or heal your marriage.

Proverbs 14:1 says, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

A great poem by C. T. Studd for men who want to be men!
GOD'S DREADNOUGHT
by C. T. Studd

Old Daniel was a Dreadnought!
If he was here to-day,
He'd make it hot for the pious lot
Who don't do as they say.

He didn't speak behind folks' backs,
But met them face to face;
He called spades spades, and dubbed knaves
knaves,
And always proved his case.

He neither cared for place nor power,
Nor feared the lions' den;
A godly cause will lock the jaws
Of beasts, or jealous men.

Whatever God at any time
Might write upon the wall,
He'd up and say, without delay,
To King and Court and all.

Dan didn't say "Belshazzar, Sire,
Your faults are peccadilloes";
He hit his sin with a rolling pin,
And not with feather pillows.

Dan didn't sugar-coat his pills,
Half doses didn't please him;
To save a life he'd use the knife
And bleed a fool to ease him.

Old Daniel ran a college once
Which turned out three invincibles;
A verse or two will let you know
What things he taught as principles.

Dare to be a Dreadnought,
With purpose true and firm;
Dare to live on simple fare,
And don't become a worm.

Dare to be a Dreadnought,
Dare to beard a King;
Tell him all the truth and don't
Emasculate the thing.

Dare to be a Dreadnought,
Faithful, loyal, bold,
Scorning under any threats
To worship man or gold.

Dare to be a Dreadnought,
Not a dressed up "toff,"
Nor glorified policeman,
Nor gun that won't go off.

Make a bold confession,
Though it means the rod;
Dare to kick the devil hard,
And dare to trust in God.

Here is a quote from the great English missionary, C. T. Studd (1860-1931) who gave up wealth and fame to serve the Lord in China, India, and Africa. The motto of his life was: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."

"Christ's call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from the devil's clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus Christ."

Start the New Year with smiles from the heart, loving and kind words, and loving embraces.

Fathers, your children pick up very quickly the tensions that build up between you and your wife. These tensions are like dark grey clouds and cold draughts of air that dampen their young spirits. Sometimes, these tensions are vocalized and hurtful. Sometimes they are the "silent treatment" of cold frosty hardness of resentful indifference, but without saying a word, the vibes speaker louder than words. No matter how it is expressed, is definitely not of God and is most damaging to the well-being of our children, as well as ourselves.

As Christians we have no excuse for this type of behavior and we are immature to allow it to continue. If we can't shine our lights brightly in our home, what right have we to shine anywhere else? For goodness sake, are we so blind that we cannot see that tension in the home damages our family?

Brighten the corner where you are. Start right now to wear a lot more smiles towards your wife. You can do this in the power of Jesus' name. Start right now to speak loving and encouraging words to your wife.

You do not have to be a victim when you can be a healer. A lover. And a winner. These positive responses will eventually bring a good response.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Fathers, God holds us responsible for the well being of our children. Responsible parenting is much more than providing food, clothing, and shelter. We must take responsibility for the home environment. Home must be a place where children live with parents that truly love one another. If this is not the case, we must face the facts that we are not being responsible parents. How can we teach our children to love one another when we as parents do not set an example of what this means?

In homes where parents really love one another the children will feel the security of that love. This is responsible parenting. Children thrive emotionally, mentally, and physically far more in a home where parents continue to demonstrate their love for one another on a daily basis. When the love of parents for each other breaks down it has devastating results on the children. The children become unsettled, often displaying sullenness or hyperactive behavior. Sudden outbursts of emotions, disobedience, and anger occur more frequently than normal. Eating habits and learning abilities can be affected negatively.

It is a very serious situation when parents allow their love for each other to cool down. Be a responsible parent as you move into the New Year and LOVE YOUR WIFE MORE AND MORE EACH DAY.

Be encouraged.

COLIN CAMPBELL

Men, whenever we relinquish our parenting authority or dominion to systems or forces outside of our authority we eclipse and negate the chain of command that comes from God Himself. In this way, we hinder the fatherhood chain of command that comes directly from God's fatherhood throne.

I believe that the greatest blessings we have as Christian men is to know that God is our Father. However, the big question is, does He know us to be faithful sons, ever seeking to emulate His fatherhood which He faithfully demonstrates to us?

Should we as fathers submit our children to any other form of authority that would teach them they should be tolerant of the homosexual agenda or even support it? Should we submit our children to mingle and be influenced by peers and classmates that come from homes where there are no boundaries to moral decency, bad language, etc.? The answer to these questions is No, even if there are some good benefits in the state system, e.g. status recognition, convenience, and professional teaching, etc. A thousand times, No.

I believe that one of the biggest influences on our children towards the moral breakdown of family values is through our children being sent outside the hedge of Christian parental authority into authority that is not permitted to recognize or practice the Christian faith within the educational boundaries. In this way, we surrender the most important and formative years of their lives to outside command.

God did not give our children to the state. They did not bring them to birth. The only right they have over them is what we give them.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell