Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

On Saturday, 2 March, my wife and I celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary.

I must say that I am more in love with my wife now than when I first married her. What an amazing 50 years it has been, not only enjoying each other, but building a godly dynasty.

We are blessed with nine children, currently 39 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren--and hoping for many more. This is the amazing thing about a marriage. We start off with only two people, but as God blesses, we grow a godly dynasty that can bless the world.

Colin

John, the apostle spoke of Jesus coming from "the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18) This means from the heart of the Father or the lap of the Father. Because Jesus came from the Father's intimate affections, He could speak of His Father more authoritatively and more intimately than any others who had ever spoken about God. What an advantage Jesus had above all others.

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, God stated, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Jesus is "the beloved Son" who came from the bosom of the Father.

Wouldn't it be great if all our children could say the same thing about us? The father's heart is a place of intimate affections. Men, this is something we must, as fathers, seek to develop on behalf of our children. It is the greatest thing we can give to our children.

To be continued.

Be encouraged. Colin.

We all want our natural trees to be fruitful. Why not our family trees? In John 15:6 Jesus says that He will cut off the branches that do not bear fruit. We all agree that this passage primarily talks about spiritual fruit. However, there is a parallel here. Christ uses a natural vine to illustrate a spiritual point. God is glorified by fruitfulness, and more so, by “much fruit”. It is not for us to cut off branches, hindering fruitfulness. Yet this is exactly what we do when we refuse to have children.

To the natural man, it is not spiritual to have children. On the contrary, to the spiritual man, having children is not only for natural fruitfulness, but it also increases spiritual influence. Why? Because every child born and raised in God's ways has the potential to be fruitful in the things of God. No one in their right mind would go around lopping off fruitful branches from trees. Why do we want to lop off fruit from our family trees?

Isaiah 61:1-11 foretells the anointing that will be upon the Messiah “to preach good tidings to the poor; to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.” Why? “That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

With the Messiah’s anointing, let us be co-laborers with Him to raise up family trees of righteousness who will accomplish all the purposes of Isaiah 61. Verse 9 says, “Their offspring will be known among the nations and their descendants in the midst of the people. All who see them will recognize them that they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.”

Along with natural Israel, as the new Israel of God in Christ Jesus, we can also claim family trees of righteousness through whom the Lord will be glorified. Be encouraged. You are ordained by God to raise trees of righteousness that will bless the nations.

Be encouraged. Colin

Man was made for sacred purposes; trees were not. Of all the myriad of creatures that God created it was only man that was given the sacred and priceless privilege to bear the likeness and image of God. This should never be underestimated. After creating the vegetation and trees, God said that “it was good” but it was the family tree that God blessed and gave the divine commandment to “Be fruitful and multiply.” This commandment has never been revoked and is as important today as in the beginning. Time has not changed this generational mandate.

It would be understandable, if after the fall in the Garden of Eden, God had decided to give up His original mandate to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth with His likeness and image. But this was not the case. In Genesis 9:1-7 God repeats His first mandate, not once, but twice! Oh the mercy and grace of God toward His rebellious and sinful creation. Man still remains the only privileged creation to bear His likeness and image (God’s character and His ways of justice truth, love, joy, peace, and holiness and so on). The trees of the woods reveal His creative glory but they cannot reveal His nature and character.

In verse six of this same passage God says, “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood by shed.” Why would God say such a thing? He gives the answer in the same verse. “For in the image of God made he man.” It is obviously a serious crime to tamper with man because the divine purpose of man’s creation is to show forth the image of God. And yet, today, we frivolously contracept and abort the image of God in the earth. Every child, given the right opportunity, can be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit and in some way reveal to the world something of the likeness and image of God. Dare we stand in God’s way?

Be encouraged. Colin

One more post to come on this subject.

Here in Tennessee we live among beautiful hardwoods including oak, walnut, and hickories, etc. We are surrounded with logs and saw mills. Many of the hardwoods take years to mature yet the perpetuating of the forest continues. One wonders how the forests could possibly continue to yield such a vast amount of trees year after year, and yet, with God’s help they keep growing.

These forests are self-perpetuating generational forests. There are so many seeds in the ground and the top soil is continually enriched by the falling leaves. As soon as a tree is cut down and removed, dozens of little trees pop up through the soil to compete for its replacement. From the beginning God planned it this way. All those who make a living out of harvesting these forests would be devastated if our natural trees only yielded what our family trees currently yield. Isn’t it appalling that we are intent on saving our national forests but oblivious to the fact that our family trees are being destroyed?

I wonder why so-called Christian nations are antagonistic to God’s original mandate to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them and it was so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind, and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12 NASB). We whole-heartedly agree with our Almighty Creator that this creation of vegetation and trees was, and still is, very good. What would we do without them? How boring it would be to live in a treeless world. How unhealthy it would be for us to be without green vegetables or fruitful trees that provide us with all the life-sustaining enzymes and nutrients to live and perpetuate our own human family trees.

How can we have such a big disconnect between Genesis 1:11-12 and Genesis 1:26-28?

Be encouraged. Colin

In Gene3sis 1:11-12 we read how God created the vegetation on the earth, including all the many varieties of trees and "God saw that it was good."

Who would want to live in a treeless world? Just imagine no peach trees, no apple trees, no pear trees or any exotic fruit trees. We agree with God that it is good. But, we have a problem with family trees who have been created in the likeness and image of God. How is it that we agree with God about the fruitfulness of natural trees and yet have no revelation on the eternal worth of family trees? To me, that seems insane.

Family trees are fascinating. One could easily become absorbed in the history of our predecessors. A few years ago my wife and I visited CASTLE CAMPBELL in Scotland, originally owned by Colin Campbell, my namesake. I have always loved castles. Their grandeur, largeness, and strength intrigue me. I find myself contemplating the wealth, dignity, pride, and creativity that belonged to my ancestors of that era. I guess it must still be in the DNA.

Most of us do not have to look very far back into the history of our families to find that many of our forbears had large families compared to today’s 2.1 member families in the USA—the average is 1.3 in European countries. What with wars, vehicle fatalities, infertility, alternative life styles that produce no children, cancer, heart failures, and other diseases that cause death, the west is on the verge of self-destruction. We are told that within the next 40-50 years, much of Europe will cease to be the Europe we have known. It will instead be an Islamic Europe. Most of Europe is beyond the hope of reversing the huge demographic and cultural change that is already taking place.

USA, along with all western nations faces major cultural demographic challenges. We are fast becoming the oldest population in our history with insufficient young people to boost our economy. The youth we have are saddled with insurmountable national debt.

Jesus states in Luke 18:8, "Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?" When it comes to creating family trees as mandated in Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 9:1-7, we have to ask, Where is our faith?"

Be encouraged. Colin

Every blessing that God gives to us is always for our own good, otherwise it would not be a blessing. The big question we must ask ourselves, and be honest about it, is why do we 21st century Christians accept gratefully from God all other blessings, and yet for whatever reasons, refuse the blessing of children God would bless us with if only we would receive them?

We have our excuses and reasons, but will any of them be left standing when the great search light of Gold's truth examines them? Most of our excuses for not receiving the blessings of children stem from a humanistic and worldly mindset, generated from the unregenerate wisdom of man who does not consider God's wisdom worth paying any attention to.

The small family syndrome appeals to the scripturally illiterate on this subject who generate fears of over-population and dwindling world natural resources. All these fears are propagated through the education system, media, and sad to say, now through the deceived church!

The devil laughs and heaven weeps as we modern day Christians seek to disregard, limit, and destroy future children through whatever means possible, i.e. contraception, sterilization, and abortion.

It is true that some evangelical churches stand up against abortion, but many churches and even individuals within evangelical church are now accepting abortion as an accepted way of life, or should we say, death.

Many Christians laugh the laugh of unbelief when the truth of embracing children is mentioned, but be assured, God is not laughing!

Be encouraged. Colin

Genesis 1:28 says, "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..." The first thing we notice is that fruitfulness and multiplication is directly connected to the first blessing God ever gave to man. This is important to note because it points to the significance of that blessing. All other blessings that man receives from God are subsequent to this first blessing.

We need to understand that fruitfulness and multiplication of God's likeness and image is indeed a high priority with God, to the point that He made it His No. 1 blessing (and very first blessing to man).

We 21st contrary Christians need to have our eyes opened to this truth because in these days, not only do we fail to see fruitfulness as a No. 1 blessing from God, but many see it as a No. 1 problem. God would not have made this His first original mandate if it was not a priority to Him. The truth is that whatever is a high priority to God should also be a high priority to us who profess to be His followers.

On this point, the mainstream 21st century church is pro-choice! Fruitfulness and multiplication of God's image is a take it or leave it attitude. We are not in sync with God.

Take note further. God is not blessing us primarily with the fruitfulness and multiplication of OUR IMAGE, although He lets us have the joys of family resemblance. God wants His likeness multiplied in the earth. So should we, for the world needs His image much more than it need ours.

Be encouraged. Colin

Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, it is possible that Adam and Eve had an open channel, unhindered by sin, to reveal the true likeness and image of God. I cannot help but imagine what a magnificent couple they must have been. I wonder whether there was some type of glory covering their bodies because after the fall they knew that they were naked and felt a desperate need to cover themselves.

The next reference to God's original mandate regarding His likeness and image is found in Genesis 9:1-7. Verse 6 says, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood by shed: for in the image of God made he man." One would think that following the fall, when the glory of God's image was lost to man (apart from redemption through the blood of Christ) that God would have given up on man ever regaining His likeness and image.

Capital punishment is introduced upon those who murder their fellow man because God had not given up on His likeness being restored to man. This passage of Scripture underlines that an attack on man resulting in death, is an attack upon the likeness and image of God which Satan seeks to destroy. God's image is sacred to God, and likewise should also be to us. This is why contraception, sterilization, and abortion are an attack on the likeness and image of God.

The Scriptures teach us that through Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, who is called The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49) that we are completely restored by virtue of our faith in His finished work at the cross. God even brings something greater out of what He restores than from what it was before the fall. Originally, Adam could not have known how to manifest God's likeness and image in mercy, forgiveness, grace, and reconciliation until he experienced it personally. Before the fall there was no opportunity for man to demonstrate mercy and forgiveness for there was no sin to forgive. How amazing is the grace of God.

Be encouraged. Colin 

A true biblical father is a man who seeks to have a vision for God's original mandate. The original mandate was given by God to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the fall.

Genesis 1:26-28 says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion..."

a) GOD'S IMAGE AND LIKENESS IS SACRED

The first thing we notice In this original mandate is that man was created for the express purpose of the manifestation of the likeness and image of God. It is important to note that God's likeness and image was not mentioned for the purpose of creating any other species in all the myriad of creations in heaven or in earth. This to me is amazing and it makes man's creation very special, and in a very real sense, sacred.

God, in His sovereignty, has honored and blessed mankind with the privilege of bearing and multiplying His likeness and image. This means that man in His creative potential is designed to reveal all of who God is--His love, His peace, His holiness, His mercy, His faithfulness, His power and the list is never ending. It is no wonder that the devil's mindset is to destroy man from the face of the earth for in doing so he potentially destroys God's likeness and image.

Be encouraged. Colin

There are many types of fathers--good ones and bad ones. Good fathers earnestly seek to find out all they can to improve themselves to be better fathers. Bad fathers fail their families because they refuse to take their fatherhood seriously enough to find out and practice the requirements and responsibilities they need for good fathering.

I believe that one of the greatest needs of this world is true biblical fatherhood. There are good fathers throughout the different nations of this world who love their children and work to provide for their needs as much as possible. For such men, the world is indebted. They reveal fatherhood because God has put this instinct in every man. Yet, fatherhood without understanding a true biblical base falls far short of what the world really needs for fatherhood.

It would be wise for us to remember that God is a Father, the originator and prototype of all true  fatherhood. Therefore, in order for men to be the best fathers possible, we must above all else turn to the Father of all fathers and learn from Him--for our children's sake and for the sake of the generations to come.

We will learn more of this biblical understanding in this series.

Be encouraged. Colin

The Scriptures make it very clear that without faith it is impossible to please God, and surely we want to please God (Hebrews 11:6) This Scripture relates to Enoch who walked with God and as a result did not see death. It appears that Enoch's walk with God was a faith walk. Enoch's first 65 years evidently did not amount to anything worth mentioning, but when he was 65 years, he had a son called Methuselah.

His reward for walking with God for the next 300 years of his life was that he did not die and was not buried for God took him straight to Himself. What a reward. Obviously they searched for him, for Hebrews 11:5 says that he "was not found because God had translated him."

It requires faith to walk with God and anything else will not please Him, full stop.

The name Enoch comes from a primitive root, "chanak" meaning "to narrow, to initiate or discipline." Perhaps Enoch's first 65 years were not narrow enough or without discipline. Something must have happened to Enoch following Methuselah's birth. Methuselah's name means "man of a dart, missile, or attack.

It often takes something like the birth of a child to make a man straighten up!

Be encouraged. Colin

Wouldn't it be great if our church services were full of testimonies of God's healing. Don't you think that more people would want to know about our great God? Our hospitals that are full of the sick and diseased are a testimony of our present day lack of faith.

David praised the Lord in Psalm 103:2-3, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases." How strange it is that we confess we have faith that if we repent of all our iniquities God will forgive us. But, when it comes to diseases and physical pain, we have so little faith to believe Him for the healing of our diseases.

Seeing God Himself links forgiveness of sin with healing our diseases, should not we do the same? There seems to be something wrong when we are so hasty to rush to the doctor or hospital after we have received prayer. Often we don't even wait a little while to see if we are feeling better, and if so, cancel the visit to get another prescription of drugs  with all their negative side effects.

I am not against doctors and drugs. At least, If we don't have faith in God to heal us, there is the alternative. Yet, would it not be more refreshing to tell all your friends how God healed you?

Be encouraged. Colin

Men of faith are men who believe in God. The world could do with many more of them for the world needs them, though they know it not.

Faith is a most challenging subject and deserves a lot more attention that we generally give to it. Faith is a virtue that is a responsibility for all Christians to manifest. Faith is only superseded by love. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 it tell us, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

The opposite of faith is unbelief and we should at all times take a strong stand against it. Unbelief is a most crippling state of mind and spirit for it holds back so much blessing that God would have us experience. Not only does unbelief hold back personal blessing, but also blessings on our families and our fellow man who have a right to receive it through us.

We Christian men believe we have saving faith for our own personal salvation, and yet we often do not have faith to get many other people saved. There seems to be something wrong with this type of faith that only affects the individual, but falls far short of effecting others.

To be continued.

Be encouraged. Colin

The extent to which this nation knows, loves, and obeys the truth, will be the extent of the freedom we will enjoy.

John 8:32 says, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

Freedom! Oh what a blessed word. Men, we must never take it for granted. We are so blessed to enjoy freedom which others have sacrificed and paid for with their own blood on the battlefields, both here and abroad. Therefore our freedom should not be abused, lightly esteemed, or lightly given over without a big fight.

When we do not honor God for the freedom and grace He has so lavishly bestowed upon us we become cold in heart towards truth and like Israel of old, we will forget God and God Himself will raise up enemies against us, both from within and without. I believe we are beginning to see this happen before our eyes.

Within, we have a government hell-bent on taking our liberties away from us. Despite all our freedoms, there is ever increasing violence in our public schools as well as the work place. It seems to me that to the degree that we as a nation forget God, to the same degree we will see insanity, violence, and chaos arise from within our own society.

Without, we have many enemies that hate us and are ever ready to strike us severely. The answer is for us as a nation to repent and to come back to loving the truth.  

Be encouraged. Colin

We cannot be passionate lovers of God without being passionate lovers of His truth.

This nation desperately needs men who passionately love the truth.

Many may be believers, but how many are disciples?

Christianity has had a strong influence on North American culture ever since its birth as a nation. And yet, because of mediocrity and comfortable living, coupled with an abundance of material wealth, the love of many has waxed cold. Evangelistic fervency is barely simmering. Like the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 we have left our first love. Like the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-16 we are neither cold or hot. We have become lukewarm and in danger of being spewed out of the God's mouth!

Some may dispute such statements, branding them as too condemning. To them, the divorce rate in the church, the porn in the church, the increasing liberalism of the church, and the abortion in the church is nothing to get too upset about.

We would not have a second term, pro-communist, pro-homosexual, and pro-abortionist as our president if it wasn't for many so-called Christian liberals in our churches who voted him back in. When morals in leadership do not matter anymore, and when we are afraid to speak out from our pulpits in fear of losing our tax exempt status, it shows that we again need men in this country who are passionate lovers of the truth.

Be encouraged to be a passionate truth lover. Colin

Like Israel in the past the United States, more than most nations, has the privilege of having its foundations laid with truth and justice for all. However, truth must be not only acknowledged; it must be heralded.

Men, truth is of little value until someone puts arms, legs, tongue and pen to it. It is only when truth is lived and spoken that it has the power to break the false and scatter the darkness. Truth and lies cannot live together for they are opposites. Just as light cannot dwell with darkness, so spoken truth will oppose all darkness and falsehood.

When one person in a dark room stands up, speaks up, and declares that homosexuality, abortion, pornography and the likes are darkness and "living a lie," they turn on a small light of truth that scatters some of the darkness in that room, just as one match light scatters a small portion of darkness. When several people stand up and speak the same truth, the room is filled with more light and those who love their darkness will leave the room.

If I were to stand up in a church service and ask who will stand up if they believe what I am saying to be true, I think that most would stand up. However, if in that same church I asked for people to stand up if they would be prepared at every opportunity to speak the truth, how many would stand? This is where the rubber meets the road.

Men, truth is something that requires action. Without action, truth remains dormant.

Be encouraged. Colin

Isaiah 26:2 says, "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which KEEPETH THE TRUTH may enter in."

Men, we must do all we can to find more effective ways to make the truth known. Whenever we face a lie, we must speak against it. Whenever we face the truth, we must speak up on its behalf.

Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). How tragic and selfish to know the truth and keep it to ourselves. Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

(1) The people perish when the media holds back the truth, suppresses the truth, and publishes the opposite to the truth. They are a lying media.

(2) The people perish when the government forsakes the truth and governs through lies and falsehood.

The land languishes for the want of God-fearing, truth-loving leaders.

(1) The people perish when church leaders refuse to preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help us, God!

(2) The people perish when the congregation of the church refuses to go outside its four walls to live the truth and witness to the truth.

Executive orders are being abused by our president. The Second Amendment is being seriously attacked. This is just the beginning.

Men, ARISE AND TAKE YOUR STAND!

Be encouraged. Colin

Much of government denies the truth. Most of the media opposes the truth. The great need of this hour is for men of truth, men who will not be silenced.

I have been reading a book called "Escape From Davao--The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War" by John D. Lukacs. It describes the extremely cruel treatment of American prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Many thousands of Americans perished through starvation, daily brutal beatings, and denial of medical aid for the treatment of serious diseases, unbelievably inadequate and over-crowded accommodation, and virtually no sanitation.

The US Forces were sent to resist the Japanese invasion of the Pacific, but the government failed to provide them with the necessary equipment of planes and war machinery. These men fought like heroes with extremely poor support from the homeland. After surrendering to the Japanese some very brave men escaped from one of Japan's most notorious prison camps in order to tell the world and get help for their comrades. But, when they eventually got home, emaciated and nearly dead, their mouths were stopped from telling the truth to the American people because the US government feared the outrage it would cause politically.

Finally, after many months the truth came forth because some brave men would not be silenced.

Men, we must speak the truth before it is too late to speak it!

Be encouraged. Colin

The men who dare to be different will not be known to be different unless they speak up!

TRUTH FAILS FOR THE WANT OF THOSE TO SPEAK IT!

"Speak now, or forever hold your peace." These words are spoken in conservative wedding vows to those who have any reason why the couple should not be joined together in holy matrimony.

Those who dare to be different, who refuse to allow the people of "the box" to ruin our country and values that have stood the test of time, must speak up now! There is a time to speak up in a court room, for when the Judge has given sentence, it will be too late.

"Speak now, or forever hold your peace" is the clarion call for Christians in this hour. Soon it will be too late. We must all do our part. Yes, you have a voice. If you can use your voice for everyday things, you can use your to speak up for what is right--to your work associates, friends in the church, or outside the church.

We must publically deplore the attack on our nation's constitution. Our right to bear arms is being seriously attacked. Our right to freedom of speech is being attacked in order to shut down conservative opinion. What a sad day it will be when it is too late.

Ask God to give you an opportunity speak for truth today.

Be encouraged. Colin