Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

I woke up this morning with the phrase “the Spirit and the Word” upon my heart. It is not good to have one without the other. I love the quote:

If you have all Spirit, you’ll burn up,
If you have all Word, you’ll dry up,
But if you have the Spirit and the Word, you’ll grow up.

This truth applies to us individually and as families.

God’s mandate to families in Isaiah 59:21 states two things—He wants to pour out His Spirit upon us and He wants His words to be in our mouths: ”This is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, not our of the mouth of thy seed (thy children), nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed (children’s children), saith the LORD, from henceforth and forever.”

These two things are at the top on God’s priority. Are they your top priority too?

God not only wants His Word to be in our hearts and the hearts of our children but also in our mouths! Is the Word of God in the mouths of your children? It saddens my heart that most young people today seem to know more about movie stars and sports than they do of God’s Word. If you repeat a common Scripture and ask them to finish it, many of them don’t know it. It’s not even in their hearts and minds, let alone their mouths.

Are you reading God’s Word each day to your children? Are you getting them to memorize the Scriptures?

How we need the power of the Holy Spirit flowing in our homes. In fact, how can we mother without the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit? I cannot do anything effectively in my own strength. In fact, the prayer I pray more than any other is from Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the LORD of hosts.”

We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit to open God’s Word to us too. When you read God’s Word to your children, read it with passion. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and illumine it to you. Get your children into the habit of relying on the Holy Spirit to give them understanding of the Word.

Do you remember that story in Luke 24:27-32 where Jesus spoke to the two disciples as they walked to Emmaus? Jesus expounded the Scriptures to them and when they eventually realized it was Him, they said: “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:27-32). When you feel that burning inside you, that witnessing to truth, it is the anointing of the Spirit confirming the Word.

I love the words of Ray Stedman: “The Word is interpreted by the Spirit, and the Word becomes fresh and vital as you look to the Holy Spirit to make Jesus Christ step out of the pages and stand in your presence in living flesh.”

We see this principle in the beginning. “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light” (Genesis 1:2, 3). The Spirit of God moved and God spoke—the Spirit and the Word working together.

Dear precious mother, I know you are so busy and there are so many things to do. If you are like me, you never accomplish everything you have planned in one day. My lists carry on to the next day and even the next day. But of all the things we feel we must accomplish the greatest is to seek the anointing of the presence of the Holy Spirit to flow in our homes and to richly fill our children with His living Word.

Can anyone say Amen?

Love from Nancy Campbell

These are the words of Jesus. They will never fail. If Jesus says that we will not lose our reward if we give a cup of water in His name, what about preparing a whole meal?

Every time you prepare a meal for your family—breakfast, lunch, and supper, God is watching. When you do it with the right attitude, when you do it as unto Him, when you do it in His name, He promises that you will not lose your reward.

Oh what a blessing to be a mother. Just think of how many rewards you are going to receive from cooking meals day after day for years! Of course, we do it in His name, not with a bad, complaining attitude.

And what a blessing to prepare each meal for our family, but at the same time “as unto the Lord, and “in His name.” It takes you to a whole new realm. Because you are doing it for the Lord, you will want to make each meal special, knowing that Jesus desires to sit with you at your meal.

Don’t you love these words?

Christ is the Head of this home,
The Unseen Guest at every meal,
The Silent Listener to every conversation.

Many people have these wonderful words hanging on their wall. It’s a great reminder isn’t it? Jesus wants to be included at your meal table.

Many blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

Picture: Interesting observation: when I look for a picture of a mother cooking in her home, it is nearly impossible to find a contemporary one—they are all vintage. What has happened to mothers cooking homemade meals? Or maybe you have a picture to send me. That would be wonderful.

More than material possessions, more than making sure every school subject is finished each day, more than keeping up with the Joneses, the greatest thing we can do is to seek the manifestation of the presence of God in our homes.

God’s presence will impact the lives of your children more than anything else in this world.

Will the atmosphere of the presence of God that permeates your home be the greatest memory your children take with them into their future?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Top five people who have influenced you outside your family and why.
Top five places you have visited and why.
Top five places you want to visit and why.
Top favorite moves.
Top five favorite books.
Top five favorite songs.
Top five favorite smells.
Top five favorite articles of clothing.
Top five favorite Bible verses.
Top five favorite foods.
Top[ favorite historical figures.
Top five pets.
Top five wedding days.
Top five childhood memories.
Top five goals for your life.
Top five habits you’d like to make or break.
Top five things you would take a desert island.

I’d love to hear some more ideas from you."
~ Simone Campbell

It’s worth printing these off and having them in a handy place. I have found that it is such a great idea to bring a subject or a question to the table when the family gathers to eat together each evening. If we don’t do something positive like this the conversation can often go nowhere or add up to nothing at all. Bringing a conversation starter gets everyone talking. We usually go around the able and make sure each person has a turn, no one left out. You can gradually go through the whole list and add more of your own.

If you have a bigger family you could make it the Top Three or if you have an extra big family, make it the Top One!

I have already prepared two sheets with ideas for table conversations which I keep to refer to if I run out of ideas (I’ll give you the links below), but I’ll be printing these off too.

http://aboverubies.org/…/797-family-meal-table-dinner-time-…

http://aboverubies.org/…/798-family-meal-table-presidential…

Have a blessed day,

Nancy Campbell

Photo: My son, Stephen, and his wife Simone of 30 years.

To truly educate your children, you must give them the right foundation, which is GOD-THINKING, not humanistic thinking!

Are your children more accustomed to the thinking of our humanist, socialist society, or are they more familiar with God’s living and eternal words? Sadly, I find that most children and teens, even from homeschooling families, know very little of God’s Word. They don’t even know familiar Scriptures.

Your greatest teaching is what God thinks. Therefore, dear mother, what are you doing about it?

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

P.S. Read these Scriptures again: Deuteronomy 6:5-9; 11:18-23; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-4; 119:97-99, 148; Isaiah 59:21; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 3:15; and 2 Peter 1:4.

No matter how fierce the storm in your life, God is bigger. You may drown on your own, but when God comes and brings His cheer and courage, you’ll weather the storm! You don’t need to fear when He is with you.

Have a blessed day,

Nancy Campbell

Actually, our flesh is meant to be dead! The Bible tells us that when Christ died, we died with Him. When He rose, we rose with Him. When we come to Christ, we die to our flesh and instead yield to the life of Jesus Christ who dwells in us.

Galatians 2:20 says: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loves me, and gave himself or me.”

A dead person doesn’t react! When we react with anger or get into a mood, we show to everyone around us that our flesh is still very much alive.

The problem is that one rotten potato doesn’t stay to itself. Because it is part of a bag of potatoes it begins to pollute all the potatoes around it. It’s the same with us. We live in a family. When we react negatively, live in self-pity, “fly off the handle,” or put on a miserable attitude, we affect everyone around us. We make them miserable too. They have to smell the stink of the rottenness.

Are you giving off bad smells or the beautiful aroma of Christ?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Read Romans chapter 6, Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14; Ephesians 4:22-27; and Colossians 3:5-9.

Psalm 126:5, 6 says: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubles come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” This is true in the natural, and also the spiritual.

You have “precious” truth that’s worth sharing and the principle is true that you will reap what you sow. As you are faithful to continually drop seeds of truth, there will be those who humble themselves and receive the truth.

Keep faithfully sowing the seed into your children’s lives and the people you meet each day. God does the watering.

Have a wonderful day, Nancy Campbell

And what about wonderful? I love this word. It is “pala” in the Hebrew and means “distinguished, extraordinary, miraculous, astonishing, marvelous.” Wow, what a word! God’s Word is extravagant. It not only uses adjectives, but when we look up the Hebrew or Greek, we find even more adjectives to help us understand the word.
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The first time "pala" is used is in Genesis 18:14 when God says: “Is (pala) anything too hard (pala) for the LORD?” Nothing is too hard for God. It was nothing for Him to give conception to Sarah when she was past the years of childbearing. Pala speaks of when God goes beyond the bounds of human powers or expectations (Exodus 3:20).

It is the same word used to describe the way God wonderfully and marvelously creates the baby in the secret place of the womb: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: MARVELOUS are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14).

Psalm 111:4: “He hath made his WONDERFUL works to be remembered.” God’s works are wonderful in creation. They are miraculous in performing miracles. But His most marvelous works are the children He creates in His image.

Psalm 96:3: “Declare his glory among the heathen, his WONDERS among all people.” And so many more wonderful Scriptures.

The greatest wonders the world waits to see are harmonious marriages and happy, unified, strong families. When marriages and families are strong and stable, the nation is strong and stable. When marriages and family life are weakened the nation weakens.

Aim to build a WONDERFUL marriage. You’ll have to work at it. You’ll have to go beyond your feelings. You’ll have to press through into miracles. But with the power of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit you can see marvelous and extraordinary things happen. Proverbs 12:25 (TLB) says: “A word of encouragement does WONDERS.”

Aim to build a WONDERFUL family life. Don’t settle for the ordinary. Seek to make something marvelous happen in your home each day. Realize that often the little things are marvelous things—a hug, a smile, a forgiving spirit (even when you’ve been hurt) or making a “family togetherness” happen.

And remember, each one of your children reveal God’s "pala"—His marvelous, wonderful, and miraculous works. Your home is filled with the extraordinary wonders of the Lord.

Have a wonderful day in your home,

Nancy Campbell

PHOTO: Brooke Schultz | Portra 400 | Mamiya 645 AF

We must change gears in our brain from building a home that is like every other home around us. Instead, let’s build homes that are ABOVE the normal, above the mediocre, and above the status quo. Let’s build homes that not only subsist from day to day, but overflow in every area of our family lives. This is the lifestyle God intends for us (John 10:10). Let’s get out of the rut. Let’s get away from the boring and normal.

Sadly, in the average home today, members like to do their own thing. Each one going here and there, glued to their iPhones, or shut out from each another as they listen to other things on their earphones. But in the “above the norm” home, family members give time to one another—working, interreacting, and sharing together. They are a family unit, not fragmented from one another.

In the average home, there are more TVs in the home than children. The "above the norm" home has more children than TVs.

In the average home, most families don’t sit together at the family meal table very often. In the “above the norm” home, they delight to meet at the family table each day—to eat and communicate together. They understand that true fellowship is eye to eye and face to face.

In the average home, most families are so busy that they don’t get time to have family Bible reading and worship together. In the “above the norm” home, they make everything else fit around their morning and evening times to pray and read God's Word together.

In the average home, there is often bickering and fighting. In the "above average" home, the siblings are friends rather than fighting with one another.

In the average home, most families live to themselves. In the "above average" home, they love to open their home in hospitality. They love to invite others to share their meals. They enjoy food, gladness, and laughter as they share with others.

In the average home, they spend much of their time running here and there to sports and extra-curricular activities. In the “above the norm” home they spend more productive time at home. They continually think of ways to strengthen their family unit rather than weaken it.

It’s so normal to be average. Are you ready to go a step further and build an “ABOVE THE AVERAGE” home?

Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell