Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

The Holy Spirit who dwells within us, if we are born again, is called the Comforter. What a beautiful name. The Greek word “parakletos” means “to speak cheerfully, to encourage, to come alongside to help, a legal helper, an intercessor.” Read John 14:26, 15:26; and 16:7-11.

Because the Comforter dwells within us to help and cheer us up, He also wants to comfort others through us. One of the evidences of the Holy Spirit in us is that we comfort others—our husband, children, and people who are part of our lives.

What do you think of when you think of a comforter? We think of someone who is kind, compassionate, consoling, encouraging, and who lifts us up. It also means they pray and intercede for us as the Holy Spirit does. I have to ask myself: “Am I a comforter to my husband, my family, and all I meet? Each new day? “Please help me to be a loving comforter to them, dear Father.”

However, we have to be a true Holy spirit comforter, not a counterfeit comforter. Just as we learn to discern the cries of our little baby, we discern the cries of our children. Sometimes they need consoling and comforting words. Sometimes they need our prayers. Other times they cry because they feel sorry for themselves or are mad with their brother and sister. This is not a time to side with their attitude. It’s a time to lift them up to see beyond themselves and teach them that life is not all about pandering to them, but also thinking about others. It’s time to pray with them and lead them to a higher plane.

There are many adults who still have this kind of attitude. I have often seen a woman crying and another rushing up to her and putting their arm around them as soon as they cry. Sometimes this is the right thing to do. The very thing they need.

But not always. Maybe they are crying because of self-pity. “Poor me. Everyone is against me.” Maybe they are selfishly thinking of their own agenda and want people to side with their side of the story. These women also need true Holy Spirit comforting—lifting up their spirits to see that God is bigger than their circumstances, that God is in control, that God is more interested in making them into the image of Christ than letting them stay in their state of self-pity and depression. Instead of siding with them, we need to encourage and pray with them, and lift them up from their miserable state.

I remember reading a book by Watchman Nee where he wrote of a woman who gently went to a woman who was crying. Instead of saying, “What are you crying for, my dear?” she asked, “Who are you crying for? Yourself or for someone else?”

When Jesus promised His disciples to send the beloved Comforter to them in John 16:7, He immediately states in the next verse that the Comforter “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (verses 8--11).

May God give us great discernment as we comfort. Let’s look to the Lord for His anointing as we comfort that we will comfort the way the Holy Spirit comforts—lifting us up to a new plane, not covering a wound with a patch of nice words when the problem still festers underneath.

Love and blessings,

Nancy Campbell

Picture: LOVE ONE ANOTHER--Art by Mary Engelbreit

Meadow wrote this song to her father when she was 13 years. She also recorded it on the father's CD, "Richest Man on Earth" which you can download or purchase from the Above Rubies bookstore:

http://bit.ly/RichestManOnEarth

http://tinyurl.com/RichestManOnEarthMP3

Samantha, one of our Above Rubies girls made a video of this song with pictures of Meadow dancing with her father on her wedding day, 10 September. You will love it.

~ Nancy

What kind of food do you eat in your home? Junk food or healthy food? I’m sure most of you try to eat healthy food as much as possible. As mothers we are very aware of our responsibility regarding what we allow our children to eat. I cared very much for my children’s bodies as they grew up. I never allowed junk food. Never had any refined foods, white sugar, or any of the “whites” (white flour, white pasta, white rice, etc.) in my pantry. I wanted them to grow healthy and strong. Apart from going to the emergency room for broken bones or the boys cutting their legs open throwing knives (!) etc., we didn’t even have a doctor for any of our children growing up.

But although I cared so much for their bodies, I cared even more for their souls and spirits. We didn’t feed our children scraps. Praise God, we live in a country where we have access to whatever food we want. They don’t have to live on scraps; we can give them the best food. But what do we feed their souls and spirits? Do we allow them to feed on scraps? I’m amazed that many Christian mothers don’t mind their children spending hours on Pokémon Go, Harry Potter, and many other negative and questionable games and books. Scraps for their souls.

What about their spirits? Many Christian mothers are satisfied to make sure their children attend Sunday School or church once a week. They are not diligent to daily (and that means more than once a day) feed their children a rich diet of God’s Word (Colossians 3:16). Once a week is equivalent to a few scraps.

Dear mothers, God has a RICH diet for us and for our families. Hear His invitation to you in Isaiah 55:12, 2 (GW): “Listen! Whoever is thirsty, come to the water! Whoever has no money can come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk. You don’t have to pay; it’s free! Why do you spend money on what cannot nourish you and your wages on what does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to me: Eat what is good, and enjoy the BEST FOODS.”

God does not want you to live on scraps. He wants you to enjoy the BEST foods--for your body, soul, and spirit. He wants to nourish your children with life-giving foods for their bodies, souls, and spirits. He wants you to live in abundance. But there’s one condition; you have to listen diligently to God Himself. You can’t do it your way. You have to search His word. You have to seek after His wisdom. Not your mindset, but His mindset (Isaiah 55:8, 9 - same chapter!). It’s only in Him that all treasures and riches are found (Colossians 2:3).

May you live on the richest of food,

Nancy Campbell

P.S. Here are some other translations of the above Scripture:
TLV: “Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself
in ABUNDANCE.” (Also AMP and NASB).
CEB: “Enjoy the RICHEST OF FEASTS.”
GNB: “You will enjoy the BEST FOOD OF ALL.” (God’s food is the BEST food of all!).
NCV: “Your soul will enjoy the RICH FOOD THAT SATISFIES.”
NET: “ Eat what is NOURISHING! Enjoy fine food.”
TLB: “Food that FATTENS UP THE SOUL.” (We must fatten our children’s souls and spirits as well as nourish their bodies).

Where do you keep the Bible in your home? On the shelf? We have lots of Bibles on our bookshelves. In fact, I have a whole shelf of different translations. Beside your bed? On the table? In the bathroom? On your iPhone? It’s great to have God’s Word in all these places, ready to pick up wherever you happen to be. But even if we have twenty or more Bibles in our home, it’s not enough. We’ve got to keep it even better places.

The Bible itself tells us where it’s meant to be:

IN OUR MINDS

Psalm 119:48: “I will meditate in thy statutes.” (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; and 119:15;130). Our mind is filled with God’s Word because we read it at every opportunity. We establish Family Devotions in our home to make sure our children receive God’s Word at least two times a day. More is better. They can never get enough. It is their wisdom, their education, their life, their guide, and their discernment to know what is of God and what is not.

IN OUR HEARTS

Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” We know we have to get it past our minds and down into our hearts. Have your children got God’s Word in their hearts? Is it settled in their hearts? Is it the foundation on which they base everything they learn? When we, and our children, have God’s Word imbedded into our hearts, it keeps us walking in God’s way and never veering to the right or left. I love Psalm 37:31:”The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”

Read also Deuteronomy 6:6,7; Psalm 40:8; 119:34; 111; 161; Isaiah 51:7; and Luke 2:19, 51.

IN OUR MOUTHS

We think it is enough to keep God’s Word in our hearts. No, God wants it in our mouths. He wants it in our children’s mouths. He wants it in our grandchildren’s mouths. Isaiah 59:21 is God’s vision for us as we raise our families: “As for me, 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, nor out of the MOUTH of thy seed, nor out of the MOUTH of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and forever.”

Is God Word freely in your mouth? Is God’s Word in your children’s mouths? When you are sitting together with them at lunch today, quote the beginning of some Scriptures. Stop half way through and see if they can finish the verse. Our children should be familiar with God’s Word. It should be coming out of their mouths.

Read also Psalm 116:10; 119:13; Romans 10:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 4:13; and Hebrews 10:23.

IN OUR HANDS

Psalm 149:6: “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God and is part of or armor. We can’t live without it. We can’t fight off the temptations of the devil without it (Hebrews 4:12 and Revelation 1:16). In fact Psalm 149:7-9 tells us more of the power of this sword we have in our hearts, mouths, and hands: “To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: THIS HONOR HAVE ALL HIS SAINTS. Praise ye the Lord.”

IN OUR FLESH

What does Proverbs 4:22 say about God’s Words? “For they are life unto those that find them, and HEALTH to all their flesh.” The word “health” in Hebrew means “medicine, healing, a cure.” God’s Word translations says: “They HEAL THE WHOLE BODY.” The Knox translation says: “They bring life and healing to his whole being.”

When we constantly speak God’s Word OUT LOUD our body hears it. God’s Word is life and healing and the more our bodies hear it, the more they live in divine health (Proverbs 3:18 and 16:24).

Make sure God’s Word is in the right places.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PICTURE: Our grandson, Zadok Johnson, who passionately loves the Word, God's two-edged sword, and who seeks to win souls to Jesus each new day.

QUESTION: Did you get a chance to look up the extra Scriptures listed? It's not my words, but God's Words that changes our hearts and lives. Check them out when you can.