Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give into them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

We go over to the New Testament in Luke 4:21, 22 and Jesus said after reading these words: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.” His words matched His conduct.

A few Scriptures later we read that they failed to accept that He was the Messiah that Isaiah spoke of saying, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Jesus responded to their failure to know Him by speaking the uncompromising truth. They were filled with wrath to the point of killing him (verses 23-29).

Grace does not compromise the truth when the truth needs to be spoken. On the other hand, truth does not compromise grace when grace needs to be revealed and preached to those who will receive it.

Jesus showed grace in healing the broken-hearted.

He revealed grace in liberating those who needed deliverance from demonic captivity and addictions.

He demonstrated grace when giving sight to the blind and deliverance to the bruised.

Jesus did not act unseemly or rudely so that the people would be offended at His lack of grace. He did not come to deflect or compromise righteous behavior.

He did not come approving fornication so that fornicators would be attracted to him. He came to set the fornicators free from their sin.

He did not come approving of drugs and addiction. He came to liberate the victims from their addiction.

He did not come sporting tattoos all over His healing hands and arms to attract action to His physical appearance. He wanted people to see the glory of God.

He did not come using offensive, slang words. He came speaking gracious woods.

He did not come trying to get as much money from the people as He could. He came to serve freely and to give to the poor.

He did not come dressed in glamorous clothes looking like a king. He dressed in appropriate clothes, so He did not detract rom the glory of God.

He came in humility, riding on a donkey. “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

In no way could you say that Jesus lived or acted unseemly. He did nothing that would hinder people receiving salvation.

Whatever sin hindered people from being saved He called it what it was so that people would be convicted, repent, and be converted. He called the Pharisees “hypocrites,” “blind guides,” and “fools.”

Love does not act unseemly therefore it is love that motivates us to be like Jesus in all areas of life.

There are times when we must stand up and speak the truth in love even when we run the risk of being misunderstood or persecuted. The sinner needs to know that we love them, but they also need to know that we hate the sin that is destroying them.

If we love the person that is dying because of cancer, surely, we are not expected to love the cancer that is killing them! We do not tolerate cancer just because we love the person that is afflicted by it. Never.

We must not tolerate an evil thing. We must eek with all our hearts to help the victim to be set free, healed, and delivered.

We can so easily let our children who we love, become involved with Internet games that on the surface may seem harmless, but down the road will damage them. We cannot love our children and be tolerant of that which will eventually destroy them.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Our God is very great, majestic, and holy. He does not lower His righteous, holy standards when dealing with mankind. He sent His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ into this sin-filled world to redeem us with his precious, sinless blood so that we would become new creatures.

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

We must not fashion ourselves after the ways and culture of this present age, but rather be fashioned in the likeness of his Son.

Romans 8:29: “For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

As new creatures still living in these earthly bodies, our whole aim and objective in life should be to live , act, look, and speak exactly as Jesus did when He was physically alive here on this earth.

How wonderful that God our Father has given to us His precious, Holy Spirit to enable us to be like Jesus in every aspect of life. Jesus Christ is our perfect example and we should seek to emulate Him in every dimension of His life.

When people look at us, they should see Jesus Christ in all that we do, speak, and behave. In other words, Jesus Christ should still be walking on this earth in all his glorious character through His people, which is His body.

John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus Christ, our perfect prototype and example, was full of grace and truth. Therefore, we His people should also be full of grace and truth through the power of his indwelling Spirit.

More tomorrow.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

These Gadites, whose faces had a lion-like look about them must have indeed been bold men. All these mighty bold men came to help King David. But our King Jesus, who is the heavenly David, is surely worth nothing less than the earthly David.

Don’t you agree?

Let’s be bold in this hour to stand up for truth.

Be encouraged, men.

Colin Campbell

Although the King James Version uses the word “unseemly,” most translations use the word “rude.” The Strong’s concordance says this word means “indecency, shame, unbecoming.”

I believe it is important for all Christian parents to repeatedly teach their children this truth so that it enters deeply within them that God’s love flowing through them will not allow them to behave unseemly, rudely, indecently, or shamefully.

We are living in a generation that is far too disrespectful in their behavior and speech towards their parents, elders, peers, the elderly, and those who have rule and authority over them.

There was a time in our culture when we were taught to stand up, bow down, and kneel in the presence of those whose position rightfully deserved our honor and respect.

Proverbs 25:6; “Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men. For better is it that it be said of thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.”

To put oneself forward into an honored position in someone else’s home without being invited is rude and unseemly. Do not take the chair of honor in the dining room nor at the dinner table unless you are asked.

Leviticus 19;32 (NET): “You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder and fear your God. I am the LORD.”

This appropriate behavior is not only for special occasions, but for normal everyday life. Many of our English-speaking nations have departed from our Judeo /Christian culture norms to our own discredit. We no longer address an older stranger whose name we do not know as Sir or Mister, or an older lady we do not know as Ma’am or Madam.

It is now normal to be uncouth, brash, arrogant, and down right disrespectful in the presence of the opposite sex and innocent children.

Freedom of speech does not give us the right to say whatever we like for God will judge every man according to what comes out of his mouth. Even when we share a testimony or a word before God’s people at church or a Christian gathering, we must be careful to be honorable with our words.

Matthew 12:36, 36: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words that shalt be condemned.”

Ephesians 4:29, 30: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your nouth but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Colossians 4:6; “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

James 3:8-10: “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith cruse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeded blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

Unseemly speech will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Unseemly words or behavior do not promote the love of God nor are they motivated by the loved of God.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

LOVE IS NOT PUFFED UP

Love dies to oneself rather than increasing oneself with pride and self-fame.

Paul speaks about being puffed up in 1 Corinthians 4:6 (NET): “So that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other.” Sadly verses 18 and 19 say: “Now some of you are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.” Paul is saying that there were people amongst them that were favoring some and not others. They were respecters of persons.

Acts 10:34 says: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.”

James 2:1: “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”

1 Corinthians 5:2: “Ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this dead might be taken away from among you.”

The Corinthians church were allowing fornication of a very serious nature to remain in the church. This type of sin is being committed all over our modern-day Christian church and yet they allow it in the name of love. We lovingly tolerate the things God abhors. We are puffed up with false love for we allow people to continue in sin who do things God hates. God’s love deals with sin and applies the necessary discipline.

We think we should not judge sin in the church on the basis of “Judge not that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). This is not talking about not dealing with sin in the church, but rather to not be a critical person who is always looking for faults in others.

1 Corinthians 6:3 says: “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Proverbs 31:26 says of the virtuous woman: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Ephesians 4:23 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

LOVE DOES NOT ENVY

Love is not jealous of others. The word envy means “a passion or zeal to move against someone because of envy.” Envy is divisive. It blocks fellowship and hinders the flow of the spirit of love. Envy causes one to argue and resist others even when they are more righteous.

When judging Jesus at the time of His crucifixion Pilate asked the people if they would prefer Barabbas, a notable prisoner who was a murderer (Mark 15:7-15). Matthew 27:18 tells us that Pilate “knew that for envy they had delivered him.”

The priests were envious of Jesus because the multitudes followed Him. Or was it because of the mighty miracles He performed? They were not performing miracles.

Jesus told the disciples to tell John the Baptist: “Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Matthew 11:4-6).

Why did Jesus tell John tell John the Baptist not to be offended at Him? Great miracles were happening with Jesus. Multitudes were following Him and yet John the Baptist’s ministry was fading. Even John the Baptist said himself: “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

We read in John 1:35-42 of two of John’s disciples who left John and followed Jesus. Sometimes this kind of thing can cause an offense and offense can lead to envy. I am not saying that John the Baptist was offended. However, Jesus certainly cautioned him about it.

We will not envy if we are filled with love.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

There Is nothing greater than love except God because God is love!

1 John 4:8: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

1 Corinthians 13;13: “But the greatest of these is love.”

The question is: how great is the love of God in us?

Love is the principle doctrine of the three abiding truths which are faith, hope, and love.

1 Corinthians 13:1: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Speaking in tongues is not forbidden in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 14:39), whether it be the tongues of men or of angels. However, in the church it must be interpreted, otherwise it is out of order. But even if we have a powerful gift of speaking in tongues and yet are not exercising the fruit of love we are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Every gift must be exercised from a heart that is filled with the love of Christ otherwise it will not profit the giver or hearer.

1 Corinthians 13:2; “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

Prophecy is a great gift because it edifies the church, but if the individual who prophesies is not filed with the love of God it prophets them or the hearers nothing.

Jonah was told to go and prophecy to the people of Nineveh. However, he was definitely not filled with the love of God. He had no love at all for the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to be destroyed and God did not reward him for his failure to love, even though he was miraculously delivered from spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale.

Because of this Jonah became a prophetic sign of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, 41: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and , behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

To be filled with wisdom and to understand all mysteries and knowledge would be a very powerful gift and could draw crowds of people desperately seeking answers to their problems and important questions. However, from God’s perspective, it would profit the individual nothing if not motivated by the love of God that is shed abroad in the believer’s heart (Romans 5:5). Such a gift, though given by God’s love could easily promote pride.

The user of the gift must at all times give all the glory to God and seek to be always filled with God‘s love. Otherwise this powerful gift will profit him nothing.

Jesus Christ made it very clear that the supernatural gifts give us no credence, nor do they give us God’s acceptance or reward.

Although supernatural gifts of God will attract people’s attention and people will flock to be blessed by these gifts, they can only bring reward to the stewards of these gifts if they operate in the love of God.

I am most certainly not downplaying any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but merely saying that every steward of every gift must make sure the fruit of love is flowing from their lives.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell