Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Why do mothers want to run away from motherhood? Why do they have to escape? That’s running away from who we are. Who God created us to be. Why run from who you are? Shouldn’t we embrace who we are? It’s only when we embrace who we are that we live in the fullness and joy of it (Psalm 113:9). Many mothers find it hard because they haven’t embraced who they are. They think they could be doing something else. They have the wrong attitude.

What attitude did Jesus have when He to this earth? Not to be served but to serve (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 8:34, 35; and 9:33-37). To lay down His life. And we are encouraged to have the same attitude (Philippians 2:5-8).

Let’s read Mark 8:35: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” God’s kingdom life is opposite to the natural, but it’s the only way that works. We try to save our own lives and we lose. We lose our own life for our family and others and we save it! It’s an eternal principle.

We have a strange phenomenon today that many mothers call themselves mothers and yet do not want to embrace the role of motherhood. They love their children but don’t love motherhood. How sad to not LOVE what has created you to do and called you to do.

Be blessed in your home today,

Nancy Campbell

“But I don’t seem to get time to read the Bible,” you answer. I know it is not easy when you have little ones around you. When my children were little I used to keep a Bible beside the toilet, one on my windowsill in the kitchen, and one in the place where I nursed the baby. There are many moments when you can receive life and sustenance if you make them happen. Open your Bible to the Psalms or Proverbs where it is easy to read a few verses in context.

It’s the same message for our children. We would not dream of starving their bodies. We faithfully feed them three meals a day, and often in-between. And yet we let their souls and spirits starve! Make sure you gather together as a family morning and evening to read God’s Word together. You’ve got to keep their souls and spirits alive too.

Blessings to you home today,

Nancy Campbell

It reminds me of the Scripture in Micah 2:9: "The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my GLORY for ever." It is the glory of children to be raised in the home.

The Amplified version says: "From her children you take away My splendor and blessing forever (by putting them among pagans, away from Me)." The homes of God's people should be filled with His presence. Why would we take our children away from God's holy and beautiful presence to put them with those who don't walk in God's ways? To learn the opposite of God's ways?

Have our minds become so indoctrinated? So brainwashed by society?

Let's seek to know God's heart and His thoughts, rather than live by the agenda of our humanistic society.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

Can you believe it? When I studied the Greek words for food, mealtimes, and tables in the New Testament, I found 31 different words! God certainly loves the subject of eating. Many of these words give the picture of eating together with others. Jesus loved to eat with others.

Our first ministry is to our family of course. But do you also like to invite “others” to your table who are not part of your family? Hospitality is not an optional ministry, but the lifestyle of the kingdom of God. It is an extension of our mothering anointing. We have big hearts. We want to invite people. We want to feed people. We can’t stop saying, “Come.”

We read about the lifestyle of the early believers in Acts 2:45: “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.”

Breaking bread was not specifically speaking about communion, but sharing meals with one another. They didn’t cook elaborate meals. How could they do that if they were sharing meals with others every day? They ate simple meals and shared them. Hospitality is not trying to cook a three-course meal to impress visitors. It’s sharing our homes, hearts, lives, food, thoughts, and revelations with others.

Do you notice that they ate with “simplicity” of heart? They kept it simple. When you keep it simple you can do it? You cook what you prepare for your own family, except add more to the pot!

I remember one day some folks arrived at our home at lunchtime. All we had in the house was potatoes! I was most embarrassed to invite them in for potatoes only, so nearly refused to offer hospitality. However, I managed to subdue my pride and invited them in. What great fellowship we enjoyed together. This couple always remember our lunchtime of potatoes. In fact, I don’t think they remember the times when I prepared a beautiful menu for them.

And do you notice something else? They ate their food with glad hearts. Food always makes us cheerful, especially if we fellowship together at the same time. Do you have a small family? Do you get bored at mealtimes? Invite in another family to join you. At least once a week. It adds spice to your life. And gladness. And joy.

Let’s look at some things that happen when eat together with others:
Food results in gladness (Acts 2:46 and 17:17).
Food results in being merry (Luke 15:23).
Food results in laughter (Ecclesiastes 10:19).
Food results in comfort (Genesis 18:5 and Judges 19:5).
Food results in strengthening heart and body (1 Kings 19:4-8 and Psalm 104:14).
Food results in good cheer (Act 27: 36).
Food results in joy (Ecclesiastes 9:7).

And there’s one more amazing thing. As the early believers ate together DAILY, the Lord added to the church DAILY those who should be saved. I wonder if we would see more people coming to Jesus if we lived this biblical lifestyle.

Love and blessings,

Nancy Campbell

Painting by Harold Anderson

Did you know that feeding is more than food? Yes, that’s huge, but there’s even more. And yes, I’m still sharing a little more of God’s heart about this subject. And I certainly won’t exhaust it in this post either.

Do you remember when Jesus went down to Lake Galilee to find His disciples after He had risen from the dead? Yes, He knew where He’d find them. They were out fishing again. He cooked a lovely breakfast for them on the shore and them called them into eat. Hang on a minute? Who was cooking breakfast? Jesus! The One who had risen from the dead, conquered death and hell! And what is He doing?

You’ve got it right. He’s cooking! And you thought cooking was a little too insignificant for you? But Jesus knew that cooking precedes important things. He wanted to give a special word to Peter and so He prepared him a meal first. “When they had dined” He spoke to him (John 21:15).

Three times Jesus asked Peter to feed His lambs and His sheep. Two times He used a word that means “to feed.” But one time He used are far more encompassing word. It’s the word “poimaino” and means to feed and tend as a shepherd (John 21:15-17). What is involved in a shepherd feeding and caring for his sheep?

Let’s look at the fulness of the word: Apart from feeding, it means to bind up the hurting and broken, to carry close to your heart, to comfort, to encourage, to defuse fears, to gather in your arms, to guide, to keep safe, to nourish, to lead to green and lush pastures, to prepare a table, to provide, to (renewing, reviving, and refreshing), to sacrifice and lay down your life for your little flock, to strengthen, and to tenderly fold your flock.

Jesus wanted His newborn lambs and sheep in the flock to be fully tended and fed. It is part of His nature. We see this picture in Isaiah 40:11: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

This is also the motherhood anointing. Shepherding is not a part time job. It is a lifestyle. We sacrifice our lives to tend to our little lambs and our big sheep. In fact, we never stop feeding. It should be our continual lifestyle even as our children grow and begin their own families.

Jesus never stops feeding. Even in eternity He continues to feed us. Don’t you love these words? “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall FEED them (poimaino – the same word that speaks of the fullness of shepherding), and shall lead them into living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

One more thought for today. Acts 20:11 tells us that “When Paul had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.” Do you notice how talking goes with eating? Feeding our families is eating and talking together, eating and teaching, eating and laughing, eating and fellowshipping, eating and opening up the Scriptures. It all happens at meal times.

What are you planning for your evening meal this evening? Not just the food. What are you planning to talk about? What vision do you have as you bring your family together this evening?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Painting: The Maternal Kiss by Mary Cassatt
You can enjoy more paintings by Mary Cassatt at this link: https://www.pinterest.com/ab…/i-love-mary-cassatt-paintings/

Are you enjoying your glorious role of child cherisher and nourisher? Dear Nurturer, don’t despise the time you spend in the kitchen. Sometimes you feel as though you spend half your life in the kitchen cooking! Well, praise the Lord! You are doing what you are meant to be doing. You are cherishing and nourishing the children God gave to you. You are in His perfect will. You are being like God Himself.

God loves to feed His people. God’s Word is filled with the subject of food and feeding. Acts 14:17 says: “Nevertheless He (God) left not himself without witness, in that he did GOOD, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, FILLING OUR HEARTS WITH FOOD AND GLADNESS.” The word food is “trophe” meaning nourishment. God loves to nourish us. He even nourishes the little sparrows, and then reminds us how much more He will feed us (Matthew 6:26).

God not only loves to feed us physically, but also our inner man. Do you notice that He wants to fill us with gladness too? Food and gladness couple together. Food and fellowship are twins. Eating is more than eating food. It is communicating with one another. We are not meant to eat food on our own. God wants us to gather our family (and others too) around our table to communicate and fellowship as we eat. This fills our hearts with gladness.

As we minister food to our family, let’s not only think of physical food, but food for their souls and spirits. Think of nourishing the whole man. Think of ways to nourish your children mentally, emotionally, and spiritually at your table. Enlarge your vision. Begin to see your table how God sees it.

Jesus came to this earth “eating and drinking.” He was always fellowshipping at a table with people. So often when we read of him sitting at the table, the Bible goes on to say, “And he said . . .” The table was where Jesus loved to tell parables, teach, and give understanding of the Scriptures.

Even after Jesus rose from the dead and suddenly stood in the midst of His disciples, He asked for something to eat. He still loved to eat in His resurrection body. “And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of a honey comb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them . . .” Once again, we see Him talking with his disciples as they ate together and He “opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:367-49).

I love the words of Luke 4:16: “And Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.” The words “brought up” are translated “teknotropheo” which we talked about yesterday. Do you remember that it means to cherish and nourish a child with food? Jesus came back to his home where he had been nourished--physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

What memories will your children have when they grow up? Will they have memories of a nourishing home? Where they were nourished with delectable, delicious, and wholesome food? Where they were nourished in their soul? Where their spirits were daily fed with the Word of God? Where they lived in an atmosphere of healing? Because to nourish is to heal! Body, soul, and spirit.

Make this your prayer for your children: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I send God’s blessings and healing to your home today,

Nancy Campbell

Painting: Laurts Tuxen

Here’s the full understanding. A mother loves and cherishes her children. Therefore, because she cherishes them, she nourishes them. Nourishing is the result of cherishing.

The moment God gives a beautiful baby into the arms of another, she immediately puts the baby to her breast. She begins nourishing. I love to see my daughter, Serene mothering her new baby, Solace. When Colin and I walked into their home last night, little Solace was nestled in Serene’s arms, as usual. She said to me, “Mother, I am IN LOVE.” Because she is in love with this baby, she nourishes her baby. She wants to fatten her.

There is something in mothers that wants to fatten their babies. That’s part of nourishing. Isn’t ‘it funny? This is the only time we drool about rolls and fat! When Serene’s last baby, Remmy, was born, he didn’t thrive. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t fattening up. She eventually discovered that he had a very high palate and couldn’t feed adequately. Immediately she ordered a hospital pump and began pumping night and day, for a whole year, giving her milk from a Lact-aid as Remmy continued nursing from her breast. We called her Mrs. Pump! Serene was determined to fatten up her baby!

But we don’t stop nourishing when our babies wean. We continue nourishing. As our children grow, we continue to feed them nourishing foods. We do not cherish our children if we allow them to drink pop and serve them foods filled with sugar and devitalized foods such as white flour, white sugar, white pasta, and white rice, etc. It’s not enough to pacify the hunger in our children with packaged and conventional foods. We are nourishers! What only give them that which nourishes their bodies.

One of the words for food in the Bible is “trophe” and simply means, nourishment. If it doesn’t nourish, it can’t truly be called food. Food should strengthen the body (Acts 9:19).

And our nourishing goes beyond their bodies. We are nourishers of their souls and spirits too. The whole passion of cherishing our children is to nourish them in every part of their lives. This takes mothering to another dimension. We don’t have time to vacate the home for our own interests. We have such a huge and heavenly assignment.

Embrace your heavenly duty today.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Painting by Polina Luchanova, Russia.

A thoughtful and well-written article by my granddaughter, Meadow Hall.

SHOULD ABORTION BE LEGAL IN THE CASE OF RAPE?
For many, the answer would be yes. Even those who say they don't agree with abortion (even some Christians) might let rape be the exception. If this is you, might I convince you to take a second look at this ideology?

I know WHY people argue in favor of this . . . Because "it's the rapist's child", "it's cruel to force the Mother to always be reminded of her rape if she keeps the child", and "you don't know what the Mother has been through . . . rape is a serious crime". None of these arguments should excuse abortion.

1. Yes, it is the rapist's child (and it is also the MOTHER'S child). But even if the Mother had no relation to the child she was carrying, is it right to punish the child for the sin of the Father? The Father should be punished for his crime, but his baby had nothing to do with it. Therefore, the child would become a second innocent victim as a result to murder.

2. There is something far more crueler than forcing a woman to keep her child . . . Convincing her to take the life of her own child. This goes against the very NATURE of a Mother and only brings more harm to her. Mothers are given the instinctive nature to love, protect and even give their lives up for their children . . . not take them.

According to HealthResearchFunding, women who have had abortions are three times more likely to commit suicide than women of childbearing age who have not had abortions. They are 81% more likely to have mental health issues than other women. Teens who have had abortions are ten times more likely to attempt suicide than teens who have not had an abortion. What does this prove? It is more cruel to allow a woman to abort her baby after being raped, because then it's as if she is being victimized TWICE.

I've met women who have had abortions and I know that it is a terrible thing to live with. Women can only be healed and broken free from their grief and pain by the grace of God and when they learn to properly grieve over their aborted child. Isn't it enough that she's already gone through the trauma of rape? Why on earth would we then encourage her to go through an abortion, which is an even worse thing to live with?

Those who say that women are more empowered when they are free to take the lives of their own children, do not understand what real womanhood is.

3. Yes, rape is a serious crime. But murder is also a serious crime. And no matter how much grief the Mother is going through from being raped, this should not permit her to commit the ultimate crime.
Abortion is murder. And it should not be sugar-coated to be called anything else. If you are a Christian, you should know that God considers life to begin in the womb, and one of God's commandments is to not take innocent life. If you are an American, you should honor the fact that the Declaration of

Independence says that everyone of us has a right to life. This moral principle in our country was based on the belief that a human being has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another human being. And if you keep up with science, you should know that scientists keep discovering amazing facts about babies in the womb that further prove they are human beings, (and it's crazy that we'd ever not consider them being that in the first place). Even the definition of "fetus" does not mean "clump of cells", it means "young one." You and I are made up of clumps of cells . . . does that mean our lives have no value?
"Well, maybe I don't believe in abortion, but it's none of my business what others do" you might say. Is it none of your business when you see someone pointing a gun at a victim in a back alley, so you decide not to call the police? Is it none of your business if you see a man raping a woman, so you do nothing to stop him? Is it none of your business when you see an adult brutally beating a child, so you just turn the other way? Whenever there are innocent victims, it should be our business to try and help those who cannot help themselves. There are millions of innocent babies dying who need our help.

"It's not the government's job to tell us what not to do. Abortion may be wrong, but it takes away their freedom." If that's the case, then you should also believe that theft, rape and any other kind of murder should be legal, because, "Yeah, it's wrong, but that takes away freedom too." The purpose of laws is to keep us being a civilized society and to protect citizens so that people can't run around the streets stealing, raping, murdering and doing whatever it is they want. The purpose of making abortion illegal is to prevent us from becoming a barbaric society where parents are allowed to murder their own children . . . Oh wait, that already is our society. Are we really just going to live with it?

Many pro-choicers believe that pro-lifers do not care about women, they only care about the babies. Maybe those of us who are pro-life could do a better job of showing it, but we do care about women. I'm against abortion because I care about the baby and ALSO because I care about the Mother. I care about her not making the worst decision in her life that she would deeply regret. I care about her not being at higher risk for depression, mental illnesses and suicide. And I care about her eternal soul.

I am sorry for any women who has become a victim of rape. It is certainly a tragedy. But God is an expert of bringing good out of bad. And that sweet innocent baby that was conceived out of an act of evil, can be just the thing that God uses to heal the Mother and turns into a precious miracle and blessing for the Mother. Just read about the testimonies of Mothers who chose life for their babies when they were raped. The Bible says that children are a blessing. Babies are a gift from God, no matter how he or she are conceived. God knows that the baby might be exactly what the poor traumatized Mother needs.

Back to the original question . . . Should abortion be legal in cases of rape? Ask yourself this:

Is it right to punish the child for this sins of the father?
Does murdering her child really help a Mother to feel better?
Is abortion murder?
Do two wrongs make a right?

Then no . . . abortion should never be legal in cases of rape.

MEADOW HALL
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://www.facebook.com/meadow.barrett/posts/1701819789872663

Picture: Meadow with her little baby, Warren Charles.

The way to abundant life is losing your own life by pouring it out for others. Jesus takes the challenge even further when He said in John 12:24, 25: “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

I love the lines from Elisabeth Elliot in her book “Love Has a Price Tag” where she writes: “The routines of housework and mothering may be seen as a kind of death, and it is appropriate that they should be, for they offer the chance, day after day, to lay down one’s life for others. Then they are no longer routines. By being done with love and offered up to God with praise, they are thereby hallowed as the vessels of the tabernacle were hallowed. A mother’s part in sustaining the life of her children and making it pleasant and comfortable is no triviality. It calls for self-sacrifice and humility, but it is the route, as was the humiliation of Jesus, to glory.”

In other words, it is the path to GLORY. Check out these Scriptures too: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 2:5-9; and 1 Peter 1:7.

We get another glimpse of the life in which God delights when we read the description of the older women God wants the church to provide for and to bless: “She must have been the faithful wife of one husband. She must have a reputation for good works. She can only be enrolled, if she has brought up children, if she has practiced hospitality, if she has been prepared to render the most menial service to God’s people, if she has been in the habit of helping people in trouble, if good works of every kind have been the aim and object of her life” (1 Timothy 5:9, 10 William Barclay trans.).

What kind of lifestyle do we live in our homes? Do we try to save ourselves or lay down our lives for others?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Painting: "Safe in Mother's Arms" by H. Anderson

If I love my husband I will . . .

Love to serve him.

Love to cook his meals.

Love to have a wholesome meal prepared for him when he arrives home in the evening.

Love to make and serve him breakfast.

Love to make his lunch to take to work.

Love to think of ways to romance him.

Love him to come home to a clean and fresh smelling house.

Love to keep an orderly home for him.

Love to make sure he always has clean laundry.

Love to make him coffee.

Love to encourage him and affirm him.

Love to purchase special goodies for him that he loves.

Love to buy him his favorite dark chocolate.

Love to do extra nice things for him.

Love to smile at him.

Love to ravish him and satisfy him sexually.

Love to follow him even though I may not agree with him.

Love to praise him instead of criticize him.

Love to wake up and cuddle with him.

Love to greet him passionately when he comes home from work.

Love to run a bath for him.

Love to encourage and compliment him with my words.

Love to make him smile and laugh.

Love to tell him that he is the best.

Love to text him during the day to remind him how much I love and appreciate him.

Love to speak well of him to my friends and to praise him in front of others.

Love to be his BEST and closest friend.

Love to be his only confidante.

Love to pray for him and with him.

Love to respect him and his decisions.

Love to pay attention to him when he talks to me.

Love to look at him adoringly.

Love to help the children do special things for him.

Love to give him massages.

Love to softly tickle him.

Love to rub his back, shoulders, legs, and feet.

Love to be with him while he works.

Love to do what he asks me with a smile and cheerful attitude.

Love to listen to his dreams and ideas and support them.

Love to raise the children in the way that pleases him.

Love to take an interest in his passions.

Love to do everything I can to keep him healthy.

Love to kiss him when he comes near me during the day.

Love to blow him kisses.

Love to give him surprises.

Love to appreciate him for working hard so I can stay home with our children.

Love to hold hands with him at every opportunity.

Love to admire and adore him.

Love to be faithful to him until death or we meet the Lord face to face.

Don’t forget to do something special for your husband today.

Love from Nancy Campbell

To do this takes more intensive mothering. You not only care for your children physically, but you watch over their souls and their spirits. You not only encourage your children, but sometimes you must warn them. It's much harder to warn and admonish. But we do it out of our intense love for them and our desire to see them walking in holiness.

Colossians 3:16 tells us that God's Word should "dwell in you RICHLY in all wisdom." That means we must also get it RICHLY into our children's hearts. This Scripture then goes on to say: "Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." ADMONISHING one another. What does that mean? The word is "noutheteo" and means "to put into the mind, to reprove gently, to warn." In other Scriptures this same word is translated as "warn."

I love the words Paul wrote to the new Corinthians believers. He wrote from the heart of a father, but it also speaks to us as mothers too: 1 Corinthians 4:14: "I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn (noutheteo) you. For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers." Paul wrote to warn them, but do you see his heart? He wrote to them as "BELOVED SONS." He warned them because of his great love for them and his longing to see them grow in Christ.

Acts 20:31 shows us again how Paul warned his children in the faith. For three years Paul "ceased not to warn (noutheteo) every one night and day with tears." How did he warn and admonish? With tears. Tears in their presence and tears before the throne of God.

Dear mothers, let's not lack in our mothering. We are nurturing the spirit of our children as well as the physical. We cannot let sin and waywardness go unattended. We must admonish and warn, but we do it with tears. We do it because they are our BELOVED sons and daughters. We will not let them be taken over by the deceptions of the devil.

Be encouraged today,

Nancy Campbell

P.S. Have you heard of nouthetic counseling? It comes from the Greek word we have studied today, "noutheteo" meaning "to warn, admonish." Wikipedia says: "It is a form of pastoral counseling based solely upon the Bible and focused on Christ. It repudiates mainstream psychology and psychiatry as humanistic, fundamentally opposed to Christianity, and radically secular."

Colossians 1:10, 11 says: "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: strengthened with all mighty, according o his glorious power, UNTO ALL PATIENCE AND LONGSUFFERING with joyfulness."

Did you get it? He strengthens you with all His glorious power to be patient! And longsuffering! You don't have patience in your own flesh, but when you yield to His life in you, His patience, and longsuffering pours from you.

Thank Him for His glorious power filling you with His patience. Thank Him for His longsuffering that fills your heart and consequently pours into our kitchen and your home. The MLB calls it "unlimited patience"! Our patience runs out quickly, but God's patience and longsuffering is unlimited. No matter what is going on in your home, no matter how frustrated you feel. God's unlimited patience is greater than your fleshly impatience.

And did you notice that we don't live in God's patience with resignation and desperation, but with JOYFULNESS?

The works of God are beautiful in us as we yield to Him. James  1:3-4 says: "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." The strange thing is, most of the time we are not patient enough to let patience have its full work! We give up before God hasfinished working out in our lives what He wants to accomplish.

I love how The Living Bible puts it: "When the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete".

Dear mother, don't despair when everything is going wrong. Rejoice! Let God work out His patience in you. This is how He will make you strong in character. God doesn't want to do a half-work in you, but a full-grown work!

Love from Nancy Campbell