Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.

Strengthening Families Across the World through the encouragement of women in their high calling from God as wives, mothers and homemakers.

FROM WEAKNESS TO STRENGTH

WhenInDoubtHow much to do you believe in the power of God’s Word? I read this morning in Psalm 19:7-11 that His Word restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, gives us warning, and “in keeping of them there is great reward.”

I believe God’s Word has the power to fill up weaknesses in our own lives and our children’s lives. If you have a weakness in your life, search the Scriptures for God’s victory in this area. Meditate on and memorize the appropriate Scriptures you find. Constantly confess these Scriptures out loud. As you do, you will find that the weakness will turn into strength in your life.

I also used this principle as I raised our children. When I saw an area of weakness in their lives, or an area where I knew God needed to work in their lives, I would search the Scriptures to find answers. I would then minister these Scriptures into their lives. I wrote them out in big letters and pinned them up in appropriate places. I encouraged them to memorize the Scriptures. We talked about them at Family Devotions. It is not our words, but God’s Word that changes their lives.

I would encourage you to do this also in the training of your children. Write the applicable Scriptures up in big print and pin them in appropriate places on your walls. Teach and explain the Scriptures you researched to you children. Talk about them at Family Devotions. Use them as memory verses. Repeat and recite them over and over again.

You will be amazed at how the Word brings change into their lives and molds them into the image of Jesus. It’s the greatest way to fill up their weaknesses.

Be encouraged,

Nancy Campbell

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WHO REIGNS IN YOUR HOME?

HeadHouseholdJeremiah 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. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:4).

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, the least we will do is 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 do we teach our children?

Who or what reigns as King in your home?

Blessings,

Nancy Campbell

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SECOND NATURE

SelfEsteemWhat 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? Are you speaking encouraging words? 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.

Have a wonderful day blessing others today,

Nancy Campbell

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MAKE IT HAPPEN

Make it HappenAre you desperate to establish some order in your home? Here are a few thoughts for you:

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 to 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. This enable you to be ready to have family devotions together after breakfast. It will never happen if you don’t organize it to happen!

Appoint jobs for each member of the family to clean up the kitchen and get laundry started 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. This is just to get 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 what time you will get into the kitchen to get it going.

3. Share the plan with your husband and ask him for any changes or better ideas. 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 and pin it up where all can 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 have them finished. No dawdling allowed! Teach your children to work hard and fast. You are training them for the future! You are training them to be successful employees, or far better, employers! You are training them how to run their home when they get married. 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.

Blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

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DO YOU ASSIMILATE OR FIGHT?

AssimilateFightDo you wrestle against the devil and his evil works, or comply with his ways? Ephesians 6:12 reminds us 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 acquiesce 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, and homosexuality encroaching on our nation? Is it because God's people are not fighting against these powers of darkness?

Ephesians 6:13-14: “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.” “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.

Never give up,

Nancy Campbell

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GOD SPEAKS TO FAMILIES

ReadingGodsWordGod 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: "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.

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

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NOT FOR DUMMIES

LackWisdomI love the description of David from Psalm 78:71-72: “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: from following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

The word “feed” used here means more than feeding. It means to shepherd and tend to our flock. It means to associate with and have companionship. The shepherd has a personal relationship with each one of his sheep.

And how did David shepherd the nation of Israel? With skillfulness. The word in the Hebrew means “insight, intelligence, prudence, understanding, discretion and wisdom.” Shepherding is not for dummies! We need all the intelligence, understanding, and wisdom we can receive from God. And it is only from God we can receive it; our resources are not enough.

Don’t rely on the wisdom of the world and the culture around us. Seek God daily for His wisdom. Mothers must be truth-seekers, not only for ourselves, but for the sake of our children and the coming generation.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

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CEMENTED OR FRAGMENTED?

GodJoinedWho is your marriage all about? Is it all about you? Many couples live together, but are not bound together or even enjoy life together. They start off with great love, enjoyment, and enthusiasm but often their relationship grows boring and cold.

Why? I believe it's the "all about me" syndrome. What is my husband doing for me? How is my husband serving me? I have a right to be who 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. Forget selfishness. It’s self-destructive. God has given us a mandate to build a family and establish His kingdom on earth TOGETHER! It’s a TOGETHER TASK! The more we become one, the stronger we become. The more fragmented we become, the weaker we become.

Be inspired in your great calling today,

Nancy Campbell

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ARE WE WILLING?

Ps25 9Psalm 25:12: “What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.” This is one of the many wonderful promises to those who fear the Lord. Don’t you long to know God’s ways? It’s only when we know God’s ways that we can teach our children God’s ways.

However, I notice that God teaches us in the way that HE CHOOSES. We have to be willing to do things God’s way, which is often contrary to our way, or even the way of culture around us. My husband says, “We want God to walk with us, but do we want to walk with God?” There’s a big difference. We want God to fit into our way of doing things, but are we prepared for God to change our hearts in order to do it His way?

Psalm 25:9 says: “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” Let’s keep soft and tender hearts towards the Lord, hearts that are willing to change and be conformed to His way rather than our own way.

Blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

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WHAT’S YOUR NORM?

HolinessSeparatnessGod told His people of old, and I am sure we need to be constantly reminded today: “Do not learn the ways of the nations . . . for the customs of the peoples are delusional” (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”?

Be encouraged today, Nancy Campbell

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; and 1 John 2:19-21.

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BE READY TO RISE UP LIKE A LION

LikeALionGod gives mothers an anointing of strength and gentleness. These attributes come from God himself, for we are made in His image and likeness. We see a picture of this in Isaiah 40:10-11: “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him . . . 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.” God comes to rule with strength and might but He also comes as the personal and tender shepherd who holds the lambs close to His heart.

Tenderly shepherd your little flock day. Speak gently to them. Keep them close to your heart. But, also take authority over all disobedience and rebellion. The shepherdess must have sheep that listen to her voice and are obedient to her. Guard your flock from the enemy who wants to steal their souls.

God chose David to be king of Israel because he had a shepherd’s heart (Psalm 78:70-72). He loved his flock and fiercely protected them, sacrificing his life to kill lions and bears that tried to attack them. Such was his courage that he would take a ferocious lion by its beard and rescue his lamb from its mouth (I Samuel 17:34-36).

You are a tender mother. But also be prepared for the times when you have to rise up like a lion to protect your children from the enemy.

You are their defender.

Be encouraged.

Nancy Campbell

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MY PURPOSE

MyPurposeMy purpose as a wife and mother is to:

P Passionately love my husband and minister to his needs.
U Unflinchingly keep my eyes upon the goal of raising a godly generation.
R Resist all temptation to come down from my high calling (Nehemiah 6:3). .
P Persevere in building my marriage and home in the face of all obstacles.
O Order my home with diligence.
S Saturate my children with God’s Word and loads of encouragement.
E Embrace my life-giving role of mothering and nurturing.

Have a wonderful day,

Nancy Campbell

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DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILDREN

DisciplineChildrenUndisciplined and disobedient children bring sorrow to their mothers; disciplined and obedient children bring delight to their parents and everyone else they meet.

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YOU ARE A NATION BUILDER

NationBuilder2Can I remind you today to make every decision in the light of building your marriage and your home? Ask yourself, “Is what I am doing, or what I plan to do going to fragment my home or build and strengthen it? Do the words I speak to my husband strengthening my marriage? Do the words I say to my children building them up?

In this hour of the weakening of families, we must make every decision in this light. The decisions we make not only build or pluck down our family life now, but also future generations.

You as a wife and mother have power to affect this nation. You can strengthen this nation and turn it more toward God as you strengthen your marriage and your family life. The decisions to build can sometimes be sacrificial, but they bring great fruitfulness. The decisions to take the easy or selfish route may seem fine for now, but in the end they wreck havoc on the family.

Think not only of the now, but of the future. Be a nation builder today.

Blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

P.S. Painting by Tom Browning

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IT’S UNBELIEVABLE

UnbelievableIt’s amazing! It’s too much to comprehend. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; and Colossians 17 and many other Scriptures that God has chosen us to be the dwelling place of His presence.

When the children of Israel wandered through the desert, God lived and walked with them, dwelling in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. Later when the temple was built, God dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the temple. But there came a day when the thick curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was torn from the top to the bottom. God was no longer hidden. Because of the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross to atone for our sins, He now dwells in His personally by the power of His Holy Spirit.

When God tells us that our bodies are now “the temple of the Holy Spirit” the word used for “temple” is the Greek word “naos.” That’s the word that was used for the Holy of Holies where God dwelt in His Shekinah glory. God now uses that word for us! Can you take it in? Surely this changes the way we live and act! And every moment in our homes.

But there’s even more. Psalm 74:7 calls the tabernacle of God’s presence “the dwelling place of thy name.” God is His name and all His name represents. His name is powerful, mighty, and awesome. His name is “goodness, merciful, gracious, longsuffering, truth, and forgiveness” (Exodus 33:19; 34:6,7) and the continuing revelation of His name all throughout the Scriptures. The more we understand of His name, the more we are awed at who He is. And yet this is the One who wants to dwell in us.

We read in Psalm 74:7 that the enemies of God defiled the “dwelling place of thy name” (by burning it with fire and casting it down to the ground). The word “defiled” means “to profane, to defile (originally referring to sexual defilement), to desecrate something which is holy.” The enemy of our souls tries to tempt us to defile our bodies in order to defame the name of God, but because we are bearers of His glory and His name, we seek after purity and righteousness.

Our God is a dwelling God. He not only wants to indwell our bodies, but our homes. He wants to fill them with His presence and all that His name represents. May our bodies and our homes be worthy of His presence.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

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THE NATION IS AT STAKE AGAIN TODAY

election16Today, Americans will vote in the Republican primaries in the states of Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, and Mississippi.

Are you an intercessor? Is your family a praying family? Please pray for these states and that people will vote righteously and seriously today. Pray that all hype and deception will be exposed to voters and that they will vote for a godly man who loves God, loves the Word of God, loves family, loves life, loves Israel, and loves the constitution.

Did you know that Ted Cruz learned the constitution by heart as a young teen. He was able to recite it by heart and write it by heart. At that age he became passionate for the constitution and has never lost that passion.

With the possibility of the next president appointing up to three or four more Supreme Court Judges, we must vote in a man who would appoint judges who will not deviate from, but stand strong with the constitution of this country.

~ Nancy

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A FORMIDABLE FORCE

TwoBetterAt the last Above Rubies Retreat in Olympia, Washington, I read to the ladies the following lines about marriage. Some asked if I would post it on Facebook so they could copy and keep it. Here it is for you:

WHAT IS MARRIAGE?
--A Formidable Force

One man, one woman,
Fused into one.
God's plan! Is there a better?
There is none.

One body, one flesh--
Indescribable!
One purpose, one vision--
Unconquerable!
One soul, one spirit--
Invincible!

What is the foundation?
Praying together daily--
High priority!
Reading God's Word together daily--
Paramount for success.

What does it take?
Sacrificial love.
Yieldedness and submission.
No longer "me" but "you."
Laying down my life.
Delighting to serve.
Sticking together through thick and thin.

What is the fruit?
A union that cannot be broken.
A union that survives the storms of life.
A union that forges a path for God in this world.
A union that builds a godly generation
for now and generations to come.

What is the power?
A God-fearing family who are
formidable to the enemy!

~ Nancy Campbell

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HE ALWAYS WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE

WorthyLambFrom the beginning of the Bible we read of lambs being slain and the blood poured out to atone for sin. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sin( Hebrews 9:22). God ordained the daily morning and evening sacrifice of the lamb and the blood was sprinkled upon the altar. Every sacrifice pointed to the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and shed His precious, spotless blood for our sins. No longer do lambs have to be killed every morning and evening. Hebrews 10:10 tells us that Jesus Christ was slain for our sins “once for all.”

Just as every sacrifice pointed to Christ, now we look back to His sacrifice for us. And personally, I do not want to forget. That’s why, when each of us pray at our Family Devotions every morning and evening, I like to thank My Savior for His sacrificial death upon the cross for my sins. If every morning and evening sacrifice pointed to Christ, surely the least I can do is to gratefully thank and worship Him every morning and evening for His eternal salvation. We are not mandated to do this, but it is my personal conviction.

We know that Jesus was “The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But we often forget that He was the Lamb of God before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:18-20 and Revelation 13:8). But more. He will always be the Lamb. Throughout all eternity. In the book of Revelation John reveals many pictures of the Lamb.

I love Revelation 7:17: “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Even in the eternal realm it is the Lamb of God who leads us into blessings which our eyes and ears cannot even imagine. We will not even need the sun or moon because “the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23).

Let’s daily give to the Lamb the honor that is due to Him, for He was the Lamb from the foundation of the world and will be Lamb forever and ever. What a privilege to praise Him now. And of course, you will want to do this with your children each day. We, along with our families, must never take for granted the enormity of our salvation.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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A HIGHER PLANE

HigherPlaneI was pricked in my conscience this morning as we read the Scriptures at our Family Devotions. 2 Corinthians 5: 7 says: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” Can we truly say these words?

How often we get in a state of turmoil if everything around us looks overwhelming or even impossible. What do we do when we don’t know where the next penny is coming from and we can’t pay the bills? When we can’t see what we want, or think we need, we panic. But we, as God’s children, are not to walk by what we see, but by faith.

I pray that God will raise me to a higher plane. May we all rise to a higher plane. Why live on the plane of doubts, fear, and despair when God wants us to come up to the plane of faith? I love the words of the hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr.:

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s table land,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

We are also encouraged in 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Do you think we could seek to live by the truth of “what we cannot see” today? Try it for a day. When difficulties, afflictions, and problems arise, turn your eyes away from them and turn them on the Lord and the eternal perspective. Look at them with the eyes of faith. Look at how God sees them from the eternal point of view.

And remember, God is far bigger than your worries, your problems, and the biggest mountain you can face. He sees beyond what you see. As we look to the Lord and allow Him to have His way, our afflictions work for us a “FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT of glory.” Do you notice that God uses five adjectives to describe the eternal blessings we receive for a temporary affliction here on earth?

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

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HOW DO YOU SAVE YOUR LIFE?

HowSaveLifeGod’s ways are usually opposite to our way of thinking. To save our life we think we must cater to all our needs, pamper to our flesh, and have our own way. But God says we’ll save our life by losing it! That’s certainly the opposite to our way, isn’t it?

Jesus said in 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.” This Scripture has always been the greatest challenge of my life. It was the greatest test in my mothering. But I learned over the years that God’s way is right. It’s the best way. The only way. When we try to save ourselves we lose. When we try to find out who we are by catering to our needs, we become confused.

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.).

As usual, I am challenged again. Are you?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Above Rubies Address

AboveRubies
Email Nancy

PO Box 681687
Franklin, TN 37068-1687

Phone : 931-729-9861
Office Hrs 9am - 5pm, M - F, CTZ