Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

It cost Job a lot to be obedient. Job's test concerned his integrity, honesty, uprightness, fearing of God and declining evil. God said to Satan in Job 1:8, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth (turns away from) evil?" At the end of the chapter, verse 22, it says, "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

Very few men could have stood the fiery temptations of chapter one, let along the trials of chapter two. Read them again. Job's three best friends did the right thing by sitting down silently with him for seven days and nights, not saying a word "for they saw that his grief was very great" (Job 2:11-13). They should have continued to keep their mouths shut and silently prayed for him.

Instead, they opened their mouths wide and in doing so became instruments to assist Satan's afflictions and pain on Job. A fourth young man called Elihu, who thought he was wiser than his elders, should have kept his mouth shut also. In Job 36:11-12 he accused Job in a cloaked way of disobedience by implying that when you do what is right, you will not suffer persecution and trials, but rather prosperity and pleasure. Does this sound like the unbalanced prosperity doctrine?

Jesus' life on earth was not an easy one. Nor the Apostle Paul's. All the disciples suffered hardships and trials. So did the true prophets.

However, at the end of Job's trials, because he never let go of his integrity, God blessed him twice as much as before his trial. Job confessed, "Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me" (Job 27:5).

Men, we like Job, must at all times hold fast to integrity. After incredible calamity had fallen upon Job, his wife said to him, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:9-10).

True sons of God are men of integrity. They will never denounce or curse God.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, true sons of God are valiant and overcomes when tested. Genesis 22:1 tells us that God tempted Abraham. This proving (testing) of Abraham's obedience concerning his faith and trust that God would "provide himself a lamb" (Genesis 22:8) must have caused Abraham a great deal of suffering in his heart and mind.

What agony he must have gone through when it came to the point of binding his long-promised beloved son with cords, placing him on the altar, and taking up his knife to slay his son (Genesis 22:2-10). It must have torn his heart in two as he realized how Isaac's child-like trust in his godly fathering was now in question. This certainly was not an easy test to go through in order to prove that he feared God and was willing to obey His voice (verses 12 and 18).

But, look at the amazing blessings and rewards he received for fearing God and being obedient, no matter what the circumstances.

Genesis 22:15-18 says, "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore: and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Abraham was reward with:
1) Great multiplication of children
2) Possessing the gates of his enemies
3) All nations of the earth to be blessed through him

Men, what price are we having to pay to prove our obedience?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

In past times, to have obedient children was considered a very good thing. In times past children were taught to respect and honor their parents. Today, however, with the popular mindset of liberal thinking and political correctness regarding discipline and spanking of children for willful disobedience, we are now reaping the rewards of an undisciplined and broken down culture and society. Our prisons and courts are overloaded and our cities are fast becoming more and more unsafe to live in.

True Christian parenting must set the standard to lead and restore the way to raise obedient sons and daughters. If we don't, our nation is doomed to self-destruction.

Disobedience is a very serious matter with God and it should be with us as Christian parents. How can we raise obedient sons and daughters for God if we do not teach, train, and expect it in our parenting? Disobedience toward God is often the fault of parents who are liberal-minded wishy-washy easy-going, and lacking godly convictions.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 says, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry."

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, why should God want to walk with us if we do not have a serious interest in walking with Him? We must cast off the spirit of casualness and apathy. We must not take this walking with God flippantly.

The first words that came from the Apostle Paul's mouth after Jesus intervened in his plans on the road to Damascus were, "Lord, what would you have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). This is the most important aspect of what it takes to walk with God. The self life and all of its subtleties has to be surrendered delightfully on a daily basis to the supreme will of the King of kings.

Paul confessed, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15;31). Jesus Christ confessed as He faced the cross, the greatest challenge of His life on earth, "Not my will, but Thine be done." We read that this was written of Him in Psalm 40:7-8, "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God." Jesus had no problem with walking with this attitude.

Men, not only our wives and families need men who put God's will first in their lives, but God Himself needs this type of man to walk with.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 says, "What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Leviticus 26:11-13 says, "And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

There are many men in the Bible who walked with God. Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets would have walked with God as well as our Savior, Jesus Christ. The disciples and the Apostle Paul walked with God. I am sure that in Heaven we will meet a multitude who "followed the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Revelation 143:4).

However, I can only find two instances where "walking with God" is actually stated as a major part of their testimony, Enoch and Noah. These two men stood in stark contrast to their contemporaries around them who walked in their own ways.

Many today want God to walk with them, but they make their own decisions based on their own logic, reasoning and wisdom, expecting that God will come along with them. However, to walk with God is to make Him Lord, Leader, and Guide of our everyday life.

These are the true sons of God who are sensitive to His voice in all matters so that His will shall be done in their lives. Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, if we are not walking with God, it is impossible for the image of Christ to be manifested through us. If we are not walking with God, as the true sons of God should be, we will soon gravitate to imitating the sons and daughters of men. The world's ways become our ways. The world's mindset becomes our mindset. The world soon becomes our friend.

Men, God's Word clearly states, "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4).

Genesis 5:24 says, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." What an amazing testimony. The testimony of Enoch and his lifestyle could well have been a powerful influence upon Noah who was only four generations later (he was the great-grandson of Enoch).

Genesis 6:8-9 says, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walking with God." There were three reasons why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and these same reasons apply to us as "sons of God" living in today's wicked world.

1) Noah was a righteous man
2) Noah was perfect in his generations (he had godly forefathers)
3) Noah walked with God

As we walk in the ways of Noah, we too will find grace in the eyes of the Lord as we face the judgment that is soon coming according to the Scriptures. Luke 17:26-27 says, "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, unto the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The true sons of God make it their business to walk with God. When the sons of God in Genesis 6:2 took wives of the daughters of men, they brought about a confusion and an attack on the godly seed from whom Christ and the salvation of the world would come.

Romans 8:14 says, "But as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Obviously the sons of God in Noah's time were not led by the Spirit of God which places them into a different category than being disobedient sons of God.

Men, I think the same problem occurs with the sons of God in today's world. If we are not being led by the Spirit of God, then the question is, what spirit is leading us? Most likely the spirit of this world which turns us into sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 2:2 says "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience."

Ephesians 5:6 says, "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." And again in Colossians 3:6, "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience."

Genesis 6:9 tells us that "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah WALKED WITH GOD." There was no compromise with the godly lineage which was important for the coming seed of Christ. This is also important for the sons of God today for He still wants to manifest His image through us.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

In 2 Chronicles 19:2 Jehu the seer confronts King Jehoshaphat, "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord." The sons of God must be careful not to make false alliances with those who are not walking with the Lord.

King Jehoshaphat nearly lost his life by going into battle to help the ungodly. King Ahab of the northern tribes of Israel was a wicked king whom God intended to be put to death in the battle. Ahab actually set a trap for Jehoshaphat by disguising himself so that he did not look like the king. Jehoshaphat, in his kingly clothes, became vulnerable to be killed by the enemy. If he hadn't called upon the Lord, He would have died [2 Chronicles 18:31).

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

This truth is abundantly manifested in many different ways and instances in Scripture. It covers marriage, as well as all associations with the world and the ungodly.

Be encouraged,

Colin Campbell

Genesis 6:2 says, "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." Verse 5 continues, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." There are some who interpret this chapter by putting the blame on angelic sons of God [Job 1:6 and 2:1). However, God squarely puts the blame on man. Genesis 6:5-6 says, "The wickedness of MAN [not angels) was great in the earth. And it repented the Lord that he had made man [not angels) on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

It could be possible that the "sons of God" were from the Adam/Seth lineage and the daughters of men from the Cain lineage. The giants may not necessarily have been physically huge, but massive in all manner of sin as the text explains. However, be what it may, whether or not the giants were half human and half demon, no sons of God are in any way meant to be cohabitating, out of marriage, with the opposite sex .

Psalm 53:1-4 reveals that "the children of men" are the workers of iniquity. There are many references in Scripture that draw a distinction between the "children of men" and the "children of God" or "the sons of God."

The bottom line is that the sons or daughters of God have nothing in common with the sons and daughters of men. Intermingling will only produce spiritual weakness, compromise and disaster.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Further to my post below, I am sure you will be blessed by the words of this hymn by Thomas O. Chisholm, which was published in 1897. We sang it together at our Family Devotions this morning.

Oh! to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Refrain:
Oh! to be like Thee, oh! to be like Thee,
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Oh! to be like Thee, full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinner to find.

Oh! to be like Thee, lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.

Oh! to be like Thee, Lord, I am coming,
Now to receive th’ anointing divine;
All that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

Oh! to be like Thee, while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love,
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." It appears to me that unless we seek to be like Him in this present world there is a strong possibility that we shall not see Him as He is in the next world.

The other thought that occurs to me is that we can only see Him as He really is when we have our resurrection bodies. In other words, these fallen earthly bodies have serious limitations and are not capable of seeing Him in the fullness of His glory.

The Apostle John states in Revelation 1:17, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feed as dead."

God spoke to Moses in Exodus 33;20, "For there shall no man see me, and live."

1 John 3:3 says, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure."

The Scriptures teach us in Hebrews 12:10 that "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heard, for they shall see God."

Men, we have to admit that much of our present so-called Christianity that is accepted by man does not represent Christ at all. We must cleanse ourselves from everything that does not represent His purity and righteousness.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

1 John 3:2-3 says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God . . . and every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure."

As born again Christians, we are the sons of God right now. As such, we should be living and acting as sons of God. Even while Jesus was only a child, He knew who He was. Jesus says in Luke 2:49-50, "Why is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be bout my Father's business? But they did not understand the words which he spoke to them." Perhaps we do not understand the ramifications that go with being "sons of God."

Sonship has everything to do with being about our Father's business. Romans 8:19 says, "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." And Romans 8:22-23 says "For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together unto now . . . eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."

Before His resurrection, Jesus lived His life on earth as the son of God. We look forward to the resurrection but here and now we also live as true sons of God on this earth.

Be encouraged.

COLIN CAMPBELL

Men, the true sons of God will tune themselves to be led by the Spirit of God. Romans 8:14 says, "For as many as a led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." I believe we should make it our highest priority to learn and understand what it means to be led by the Spirit of God.

If we are going to be successful for God in our manhood and fatherhood we will of necessity need to discern between what is the voice of the Lord and the voice of our own logic and reason. Human logic and reasoning triumphed over Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Sad to say, logic and reason still triumphs over the voice of the Holy Spirit in many believers today. This includes our parenting; having children verses contraception, sterilization, and abortion; state education of our children, discipline, etc.

In all areas of our lives we are privileged to be led by the Holy Spirit, not only in religious matters. We men must also teach our children this great truth.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Today we start a new series.

Men the true sons of God are those who seek to be the bearers of the likeness and image of God. Whatever the Father is about, whatever His business is about, the true sons of God are right there. They are involved with all their heart. Even as Jesus, the Son of His Father confessed "I must be about my Father's business" (Luke 2:49).

The true sons of God realize the privilege of their relationship with the Father and do not take it for granted. Their Father is the maker and upholder of the universe and all that it contains. Their Father is exceedingly special. He is the Father of all fathers, the God of all gods, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. What a great Father we have.

It is our privilege to be intensely devoted to Him. We must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, resist every temptation to fail in our affection towards Him. On the contrary, let us make every endeavor to be the most loving, grateful, and affectionate son that our Heavenly Father could possibly have.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We are continuing to look at Psalm 23:6, "And I shall abide in the house of the Lord forever." Men, holiness preaching that comes from a fervent heart that longs to please our Holy God is the appropriate message for this hour. However, this message also comes with a love for our fellow man who is flawed by a sinful nature, but seeks to lead them to the Only One who is truly able to set them free.

John the Baptist's ministry was to the nation of Israel prior to the first manifestation of Christ's ministry on earth (Mathew 3:1-3). His ministry to Israel, who regarded themselves as God's people, could be summed up in the words, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (v. 2). This same message is to be preached again prior the second advent of Christ coming back to reign in this world (Malachi 4:5-6). This great and dreadful day of the Lord is yet to come.

John the Baptist's ministry was certainly a partial fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6 and those today, like Israel, who regard themselves as God's people also need to repent if they wish "to live in the house of the Lord forever." This requires preparation and repentance.

If the hearts of the fathers needed to be turned back to the children and vice versa back in John the Baptist's day, how much more in this hour?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, we must not excuse sin by an unbalanced doctrine of grace. We do ourselves a lot of harm by not taking a strong stand against all sin, whether physical, mental, or spiritual.

There are some preachers who are in error because of their desire to correct the unloving, judgmental, and "hell-fire and brimstone" preachers of the past who revealed no evidence of the love of God. This love was revealed through Jesus when He spoke to the woman taken in adultery (John 8:3-12) and also the Samaritan woman at the well who had five husbands and the one she was living with was not her husband (John 4:7-30). Unfortunately they have swung the balance in the other direction which is also a great deception which I believe, according to Scripture, is just as wrong as the other.

Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 6:9, "Know ye not that the unrighteous SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

Jesus also said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, we want to dwell in God's house, but can God feel at home in our house? It is our awesome responsibility as fathers to teach our children the absolute importance of how to keep their bodies internally clean as a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit to abide.

Each one of our children have been birthed into this world for the primary purpose of expressing the likeness and image of God as revealed in the life of Jesus Christ, who bore the exact image of God. The image and likeness of God cannot be revealed in us, or in our children, if our hearts (spirits), souls (minds) and bodies are internally unclean.

We know how important it is to keep our external body clean, washed, and smelling fresh. Why do we not put even more importance on the inside where the Holy Spirit of God wants to feel comfortable and at home within us? We would not want to live in a haunted house where ghosts and unclean spirits scare the living daylights out of us. Why, therefore, do we expect the Holy Spirit to be comfortable with what we allow in our inner being?

In our future home called heaven there will be no cinemas or TV sets pumping out R-rated or even questionable PG movies or dubious literature that does nothing to promote the purity with which the Holy Spirit is comfortable.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

It is not just the church building, or even the gathering together of God's people to worship, where we should sense the presence of God. The New Testament house of the Lord is each and every one of us, no matter where we are.

Each one of our homes should be a house of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own." Wherever we are, we are privileged to dwell in the "house of the Lord."

The following verse, v.20 states, "For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Before we were converted to Christ our body was our own house, but now that we have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, our body has become the house of the Lord. We are indeed blessed to cohabitate with the Lord in our body that belongs to Him. This is a priceless treasure that should motivate us to CLEAN OUR HOUSE of everything, great or small. Anything that would in the slightest grieve the indwelling Holy Spirit or make Him feel uncomfortable in our lives.

Fathers, we must teach our children the absolute importance of having a clean house for God to dwell in.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Colin wrote this post in hospital the night before his surgery to clear a 95% plus blocked artery, stopping the blood flowing to his brain, and I brought it home from the hospital last night. I am sure he will write more now he is recovering. Nancy

Psalm 23: 6 says, "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." David was the sheep of Psalm 23, testifying to the amazing characteristics of His personal Shepherd. At the conclusion of his testimony he confesses the he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David had a great love for the close presence of God in his life. In many of David's psalms he mentions that He desires that God would come to him, comfort him, and deliver him from his enemies.

He says in Psalm 27:9, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."

What a blessing for our children to have fathers who, like David, love the presence of God and make His presence their number one desire. It is recorded in the gospels how children loved the presence of Jesus who took them up on His knees and blessed them.

How wonderful it is for children to feel the presence of God in and around their father.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Because God is such a good and merciful God, it stands to reason that we who profess to follow Him should also be the same. Christian fathers and mothers should be the most good and merciful of all parents on the face of the earth. The Spirit of God is ever seeking to conform us into the same image of our Great Shepherd of the sheep. How can our children observe the day to day goodness and mercy of the Lord if they cannot see it demonstrated through us?

We have to admit that many Christian families are as broken and messed up as the families of the world. In Matthew 5:7 Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." Without a doubt, we all want to receive God's mercy in abundance. But, is it not a paradox when we are so stingy at showing mercy towards our own loved ones?

Fathers, let us be known for our lavish and spontaneous goodness and mercy. If we feel we are falling short of God's goodness and mercy, let us ask ourselves, How much goodness and mercy am I showing to others around me?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell