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.

THE BLESSING OF YOUR WOMB

BlessingWombGenesis 49:25 talks about the "blessings of the breasts, and of the womb." Blessings? Yes, God says they are His blessings to us as women. But they are ultimately His blessings to the whole world for without them mankind would come to a screeching halt!

One of the meanings of womb is "a place where something originates and develops." The womb is the commencement of life, the beginning and continuing of generations, the origin of dynasties to come, and also the filling of eternity. Every precious life that is conceived in the womb is an eternal soul who will live forever. The power of the womb is eternal.

Woman is a compound of two words, womb and man. Every woman is a "womb man." Her womb differentiates her from man. Why, then do many women deny their womb? Close off their womb? Makes sure it cannot function? It is the deception of Satan who hates life.

Not only is the womb a nesting place of life, it is also the source of our emotions and our compassion. It is amazing that the word womb in the Bible is interchangeable between the physical womb of a woman and God's compassion, tender love, and mercy. When we embrace our womb, we not only have the privilege of embracing children, but the honor of revealing God's compassion and love to the world.

Embrace the blessing of your womb. It is very much who you are as a woman. Ask your husband to pray for God's protection over your womb.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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OUTDO ONE ANOTHER

OutdoIsn't it the most boring thing in the world to get into a rut? You're stuck. You're going nowhere. This often happens in our marriage relationship. We go from day to day in the same old fashion. We are quite happy with one another and there are no problems. But there's no spice.

Sometimes we have to be stirred out of this rut. We don't even realize we are in it. The great thing is that you don't have to stay in the same old routine. Nothing ever happens without making it happen, but you can start making it happen. Hebrews 10:24 (NIV) says: “SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON toward love and good deeds.” THE LIVING BIBLE says: “LET US OUTDO each other in being helpful and kind to each other.”

I am sure you tell your husband every day that you love him. Even this can be a rut. Think of more exciting ways to remind him that you love him. Don't say it once a day--perhaps ten times a day and in all different ways. Prepare his favorite meals. Do and say loving and kind things to him that you never have before.

OUTDO ONE ANOTHER. If he is especially loving to you, find a way to be even more loving back to him.

Begin this fun stimulating one another to love and good deeds amongst your whole family. Encourage the children to be competitive in showing love and doing nice things to their brothers and sisters.

Can you imagine the change of attitude in your marriage and family life?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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GOD MEASURES YOUR LIFE

MeasuresLifeGod measures every inch of your life. Not one tiny thing is overlooked. Even every hair of your head is counted.

God is not haphazard. He is not forgetful. God is perfect in all His ways and He measures everything. He is a measuring God. We read how God "measured" over and over again in Ezekiel chapters 40 - 47. I love reading about our awesome God in Isaiah 40:12: "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"

Dear mother, you can trust every tiny aspect of your life to God. Every little thing that happens in your kitchen or in the lives of you family. God has already got it all measured out. Nothing takes Him by surprise. It's all accounted for.

Forget worrying. You are wasting your time. God has it all in His hands.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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WHAT IS MARRIAGE?

WhatIsMarriageOne man and 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—
Highest priority!
Reading God’s Word together—
Paramount for success.

What does it take?
Sacrificial love.
Yielding and submission.
No longer “me” but “you.”
Laying down my life.
Delighting to serve.

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 that is
formidable to the adversary!

~ Nancy Campbell

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THE SOURCE

StrongTowerWhere do you go when you need help and support? Where do you go when you don't understand why you experience hardships and problems? We usually resort to people for help, but the Bible tells us the ultimate source--the SANCTUARY.

Psalm 20:2 (ESV) says: "May he send you help from the SANCTUARY and give you support from Zion." The sanctuary speaks of God's divine presence. In Old Testament days God dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. Today we have direct access into His presence through the blood of Jesus. Let's get into the habit of going directly to Him for our strength and support--spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.

We must do this individually, but we must also do it corporately as a family. We must lead our children to the Sanctuary. We must lead our children to the family altar each morning and evening. This is where they also find God's strength to fight the battles in this life.

Sometimes you feel confused and even in despair at what is happening in your life. You can't understand why you have financial problems and difficulties and yet everything is dinky dory for those who don't walk with the Lord. The psalmist wondered about this too until he went into the SANCTUARY. It's in the sanctuary that we see the eternal picture.

Psalm 73:16, 17 says: "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the SANCTUARY OF GOD; then understood I their end."

When you go into the Sanctuary you will find your answers for God's way is in the SANCTUARY (Psalm 77:13).

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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ARE YOU BLESSING YOUR FAMILY TODAY?

BeABlessingWhat is the first thing God did to Adam and Eve after creating them? He blessed them Genesis 1:28). Our God is a blessing God. He loves to bless. And He wants to bless people through you and me. This was the task of the priests in the Old Testament, to "bless in his name" (Deuteronomy 10:8; 21:5; and Numbers 6:23-27). Through Christ's redemption, we are now holy and royal priests (1 Peter 2:5, 7) and we still have the same task. To bless.

Think of a special way you can bless your husband today. Think of ways to bless each one of your children. And if you have any more time after that (hopefully) think of someone else who needs blessing outside your home. Give them a call, write a beautiful card and send it to them, text an encouraging message, or make something special for them.

Make today a blessing day. And every day a blessing day in your home. Look for blessing moments.

Be a blesser.

Blessings to you from Nancy Campbell

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GET UP AGAIN

GetUpAgainDid you fall yesterday? Perhaps you yelled at the children or got angry with your husband. You may have blown it already this morning. You feel terrible. You didn't want to do it.

Dear friend, don't stay in the doldrums of self-pity. God is with you to lift you up again. He knows you are frail. He is a loving Father. In fact, our parenting instincts come from God. What do you do when your little ones are learning to walk? You stretch out your arms and encourage them to walk to you. But they fall. Are you disappointed? No, you pick them up and encourage them again, until eventually they run into your arms.

This is the attitude God has to you. Psalm 37:23, 24 says: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds him with his hand."

When you fall, He says to you: "Come on, get up again. I am with you. I am helping you. You are not doing this on your own." He waits with open arms for you to walk into His arms, into His strength and His enabling. He woos you to little by little change into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).

Proverbs 14: 16 says: "The just man falls seven times, and rises up again."

Blessings to you in your home today, Nancy Campbell

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VALIANT FOR TRUTH IN THE DAY OF FALSEHOOD

TeachChildren"He who comes forth fresh form beholding the face of God will never fear the face of man. If we dwell with Him, we shall catch the heroic spirit, and to us a world of enemies will be but as the drop of a bucket. A countless array of men, or even of devils, will seem as little to us as the nations are to God, and He counts them only as grasshoppers. Oh, to be valiant for truth in this day of falsehood."

~ Spurgeon

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TRUTH-SPREADING FAMILIES

MySpiritGod established the family unit before anything else--before church and before government. God wants His Word to go forth into the world for it is only His truth that enables us to live in the full blessing of all the God has planned for us. How should this word go forth? The first way is through families.

How do we do this? Firstly by richly implanting it in the minds, hearts, and mouths of our children.
Secondly, by speaking it forth from our families into the world. In Isaiah 59:21 God tells us that He wants His word to not only be in our hearts, but in our mouths, and in the mouths of our children, and in the mouths of our children's children, and throughout all generations. This can't happen without speaking it out loud. We don't hide God's words to ourselves. God wants families to share His truth with the world--through the way the live as a family and through parents and children speaking God's truths wherever they go.

We are to be truth-spreading families. This is what we are training our children for. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians : "For from you SOUNDED OUT the word of the Lord . . . in every place" (1 Thessalonians 1:8). The NLT says, "The word of the Lord is RINGING OUT from you to people everywhere."

What do you talk about most in your family? Do God's words fill every mouth? Just imagine what could happen in the nation if Bible-believing families became living and speaking truth-spreading families?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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CAN YOU DO IT?

ByMYSpiritYes, you can. Not in your own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How do we raise godly children in the midst of an evil world? The Bible gives us many examples. We think of Moses who was brought up to worship the pagan gods of Egypt. For 40 years he lived in luxury and all the worldliness of Egypt. History tells us that he would have been raised in the royal harem along with other children of royal blood and trained to become one of the high ranking nobles of the land (or maybe even a Pharaoh). And yet the Bible tells that Moses "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Hebrews 11:24-27).

The early years he spent with his mother (three to five years), as she nursed him from her breast and daily instilled him with the knowledge of the God of Israel influenced his future life. Such is the power of a mother.

I think of Joseph who became next to the Pharaoh of Egypt in power. He married the daughter of the priest of On (one of the most influential and noble families in Egypt) who led the people in worshipping pagan gods. And yet, in the midst of idol worship, wealth, fame, and prosperity, he never forgot his family and his God--the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His final destiny was not in Egypt, but with the people of God. When dying, Joseph took an oath saying, "God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence" (Genesis 50:24, 25). He did not want to be left in Egypt but wanted his bones to be buried in the Promised Land with his people.

I think of Noah who in the midst of corruption and violence raised children who refused to succumb to the temptations of evil around them (Genesis 6:9-13 and Hebrews 11:7).

We are raising our precious children and grandchildren in the midst of widespread deception, evil, and corruption where abortion is considered normal and homosexuality is being promoted as a "normal" lifestyle. Judgment is turned backward and justice stands afar off (Isaiah 59:13-15). But as you seek God for the anointing of His Holy Spirit to mother and train your children, to daily fill them with God's Word, and to pray fervently for them, you can also raise righteous young men and women who will not be lured by the deceptions of the father of lies. You can train godly children who will not be tempted by the gods of this world, but will stand true to the God of the Bible.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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WHAT'S THE REASON?

WhatsTheReasonTraveling to Washington State this last weekend to speak at the Above Rubies Retreat, I sat by an older couple. We got talking about children and he shared with me that his father was from a family of 13, he was from a family of six, but he only had two children! They were rather astounded when I told them we had over 40 grandchildren.

But why the decline in the number of children? This is typical today. The number of children per family is smaller each generation. What do you think is the reason? I believe that perhaps the greatest reason is that our concept of God has changed. We live life according to how we think of God. Many people love God, but often it is a god of their own imagination, a god who fits into their lifestyle, and who goes along with the current thinking of the day. They do not worship the God of the Bible who is I AM THAT I AM. The God who does not change. The God who reveals Himself through His Word and who does not fit into our human understanding.

God challenges us in Psalm 50;21 "You thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you."

People today seem to think that God is like our societal thinking that limits children because they interfere with our plans. But this is not the God of the Bible. He loves children. He loves life. He created us and plans for us to have children. We see the heart of God in Deuteronomy 7:12-14: "The Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land . . . Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle."

Don't you think it's time we began to think like God thinks instead of bringing Him down to our level? Colin and I had to change our thinking. Can you believe that in the beginning of our marriage my husband only wanted one child? After our first child, God gave us twins, so he gave up after that! But why did he think like that? He didn't dislike children. He came from a wonderful family of nine children and wasn't put off by a big family. He was conditioned by society and the thinking around him and was therefore deceived. God had to change his thinking and his heart (and mine).

And how does He change our thinking? By His Word of truth. Make sure your God is the God of the Bible, not your own imagination.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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I'VE DONE BY SHARE

DoneByShareI nursed a baby 'till he slept,
I held a toddler while he wept,
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak,
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.

What DID I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess it's true
Unless you think that what I've done
Might be important to someone
With bright blue eyes and soft blond hair.
If that is true, I've done by share.

~ Unknown

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GO TO BED

SerenePearlIn yesterday's post I talked about going to bed instead of staying up late, forgetting your husband, and wasting time on media. Here's another reason to go to bed at a reasonable hour. This is from my daughters, Serene and Pearl of Trim Healthy Mama. It's worth reading!

SLOW DOWN YOUR AGING!
Psalm 127:2 says, “For so he giveth his beloved sleep.”

Our Nana always said, “The sleep hours before midnight are the best.” We heard it all our lives but now science proves this true. If you wait too many hours after the sun goes down to go to bed, you interrupt the natural wake-sleep pattern God designed for our bodies.

Adrenal fatigue is a modern epidemic and the biggest blame can be placed on too many late nights. In a state of adrenal fatigue, your body cannot make sufficient amounts of the hormone cortisol, because your adrenal glands have been overworked. In healthful amounts it helps energy levels, improves digestion, eases joint movement, eases inflammation, stimulates the brain and heart, and even fights certain cancers like lymphomas. But its main function is to enable us to respond to stress and then bounce back to a calm state again once the stressful situation is resolved.

Cortisol responds to light. Levels of this hormone naturally lower at night as the sun goes down and we settle in for rest. If you stay up past midnight too often using artificial light, your cortisol hormone will not turn down. Instead it cranks up and turns from a healing hormone into a catabolic hormone that breaks down the body. It ages the body more quickly and has a track record of redistributing weight to a person’s middle.

Adrenal supplements and herbs may be of some benefit but they can’t hold a candle to the best remedy for this condition. Go to bed!

~ Serene and Pearl (Trim Healthy Mama)

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STILL IN LOVE

StillInLoveDon't you love this picture? I love hanging my clothes on clotheslines, although I am aware that most housing divisions today do not allow clotheslines. Isn't that sad? However, if you are allowed a clothesline, what a great way to tell your neighbors that you and your husband are still in love!

~ Nancy

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THE TREND

TheTrendI am sure we are all aware that about 10.00 pm each evening and onwards the activity on the Internet, and especially Facebook, escalates. This also happens on the Homeschooling media. It seems that this is "mommy time" for many women. After the day with the children mothers are ready for "time on their own" and to pan out.

However, I believe we have to watch this temptation. Maybe a couple of nights a week, but please, not every night. Schedules are different in every home, but most times this is the time that should be "husband and wife" time. It's time to go to bed together--talk, pray, cuddle, fellowship, and whatever else! When you leave your husband to go to bed on his own, you are not building your marriage relationship. It may seem insignificant, but when it happens night after night you give opportunity for the enemy to bring distance in your relationship, and even sexual temptation to your husband.

Now please don't think I'm preaching at you. I have most probably been the most guilty of all. I am a workaholic and for years, after the evening meal and devotions, I would work on Above Rubies until I could not keep my eyes open. I thought I had to drain every bit of life out of me before I hit the sack. But I have had to repent of this lifestyle. It's not conducive to the ultimate blessing of a marriage relationship.

We've always had a great marriage, but it's amazing how incredibly better it can be when you make time for your husband instead of yourself.

I know it's hard not to give into this media trend temptation, but building your marriage will bring far greater blessings to you and your husband, your family, and even to future generations.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?

bestfriendsWhen you have an opportunity to go out to enjoy yourself, who do you want to go with? Do you want to go with girlfriends? Or your husband? We lways want to go with our best friend, don't we?

In Titus 2:4 the older women are exhorted to teach the young women to "love their husbands." The Greek word used here is not agape (God's divine love which goes beyond the love of man). It is not "eros" which is sexual love. We need to experience both these in our marriage, but the one God uses in this passage is "philandros." This is a friendly, affectionate love.

We are not only to love our husbands, but to be friendly and affectionate to them. Throughout the day we should take every opportunity to cuddle, kiss, hug, and touch. The more we do this, the more we release love to each other. We have to work at being friendly. We can so easily forget about it in the challenges of the day and the tiredness of the evening.

We should speak to them as though we were speaking to our best friend. Do we yell at our best friend? Do we give the silent treatment to our best friend? Exodus 33:11 tells us that God spoke to Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." He told things to Moses that He didn't tell anyone else. There is a special way we speak to friends. We are usually polite, sweet, kind, and with respect. This is the same way we should speak to our husband.

If our husband is our best friend, we'll love him even when he's not so nice; even when he's being difficult. Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loveth AT ALL TIMES."

Another wonderful thing about friendship is learning from one another, encouraging one another, and sometimes debating with one another to greater intellectual and spiritual heights. My husband and I love to discuss subjects together (especially from God's Word), and we don't always agree. How boring that would be. My husband says, "We don't have to agree with one another, but we do have to love one another." Proverbs 27:17: "Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Forget Girls' Night Out! I'd rather go out with my husband (or stay home with him) than anyone else in the world. And that's after 52 years of marriage (in a few days)!

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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ENJOY YOUR WORK

EnjoyWorkDo you have lots of work to do today. I do too.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 says: "That everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man." Maybe you have a big pile of laundry that must get done. Instead of sighing about it, take pleasure in it! Sing while you organize it. Gather some of the children and teach them how you do it.

You've got to clean a certain room. Enjoy doing it. Praise the Lord for the joy of accomplishing another task. This is the joy of work. God gives work to us as a gift. When we work hard physically, we enjoy a good night's rest. As we work, we get creative ideas on how to do things better or create something new altogether. New inventions and creations always come out of work. We revel in the joy of completing a task.

Your mothering is your greatest work. What a blessed work. It is a good work. It is the work the Lord has given you. Rejoice and take pleasure in it today.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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WIELD YOUR ROD OF MOTHERHOOD

RodMotherhoodAs Moses wielded his humble rod before Pharaoh, he received resistance, ridicule, and rejection. However, in the midst of this mockery and derision, he wrought mighty miracles--some of the most outstanding miracles the world has ever seen.

As you embrace motherhood and the precious children God is giving to you and stay home to homeschool them, you often receive resistance and ridicule too.

Be encouraged. Your rod of motherhood may seem insignificant to you, but it produces great miracles. The career of motherhood is full of miracles. Every child God gives to you is a divine miracle. There never has been another child like your child in the history of the world, and there will never be another one like him or her again. Your child is a unique miracle, divinely created by the hand of God for specific purpose that none other will ever do.

Every day God gives you miracles of His wisdom, guidance, and protection as you mother your children. You may not even be aware of all the times God compassionately sends His ministering angels to save your children from disaster. I acknowledge that my children and grandchildren are only alive by the miraculous protection of God.

You have not yet seen all the great things God is going to do through your children to bring salvation to people and to reveal God's image in the earth. Often we have to take our head out of the sand to see the miracles. Don't miss them. Thank God for them.

Take hold of your rod of motherhood--your humble but miraculous rod! Don't run from it. Embrace it. Wield it for the glory of God as you impact this earth and the eternal world. Amen!

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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WE ARE GETTING THEM READY

Leaving-a-LegacyWhat an amazing privilege, and yet enormous responsibility we have to prepare our children for their destiny. Ultimately, it is the moving of the Holy Spirit in their lives that brings this to pass. However, God has chosen us as parents to be His vessels to teach, train, pray, and prepare their hearts for God's service. We are not parents for a joke! We are not parents just to have the name of mother or father. God has chosen us for a job. A massive undertaking. A divine mission.

It's not enough to diligently teach and train our children. We live our God-fearing, God-loving, daily God-experiencing lives before them. More than anything else, they will emulate our lifestyle.

Why did God choose Timothy to be a vessel to impact many lives? Of course, we know that Paul chose him, but God was behind that choice. We find the reason in 2 Timothy 1:5, 6 (ESV) when Paul writes to Timothy: "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well."

Timothy grew up seeing faith first hand. Yes, his mother and grandmother taught him the holy Scriptures from the time he was a babe (2 Timothy 3:14, 15), but he also saw it revealed in their lives. It wasn't a faith that was only in their head. It DWELT in them and therefore affected every word and deed of their lives.

The New Living Translation says, "the faith that first FILLED your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice." He couldn't help but notice it as it filled their lives. Do your children see your faith FILLING you and overflowing into everything you say and do? This is what will impact their lives more than anything else. And think of how many lives they reached for Christ through Timothy.

Are you raising children ready for God to use? God cannot use everyone. Only those who are trained and ready! What a God-anointed task we have as mothers.

Blessings to you today, Nancy Campbell

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WORKING ON MY DEGREE

ApprovedA confession. Did you know I am still working on a degree? Actually, I have been working on it for years, since I was about 18 years, and I still haven't got to the end.

I'm not sure whether you are familiar with this degree or not. It's the A.U.G. It's a biblical degree and found in 2 Timothy 2:15: "STUDY to show thyself Approved Unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." I need to work on it daily. It is my greatest desire to be Approved Unto God and one day receive my A.U.G.

It's not enough to have a casual understanding of the Bible and what God says to us. We must dig in. We must study. We must learn to rightly divide the Word. This takes being a Berean. The Bereans didn't gullibly receive everything they heard. They "searched the Scriptures daily" to check out if the things Paul was saying to them were true (Acts 17:11).

You may have other degrees, or you may not have any--it doesn't really matter. What matters is that mothers have a degree in correctly teaching God's truth to their children. We can't give a cloudy message. We can't be duped by a humanistic worldview. We can't tell them what we think God says. We must know what God says so that we pass onto our children a biblical worldview. We must give a "certain sound" (1 Corinthians 14:8).

The word "searched" is "anakrino" and means "to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, question, discern, examine, and judge." That's more than a casual knowledge, isn't it?

This degree is worth working on.

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