May. 14, 2008-No Day Must Pass...
No day must pass,
though ever so busy a day,
though ever so sorrowful a day,
without praising God.
God is every day blessing us, doing well for us;
there is therefore reason
that we should be every day blessing him,
speaking well of him.
~ Matthew Henry
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Mar. 22, 2008-Have a Blessed Easter Sunday
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Dec. 4, 2007-1 Corinthians Christmas
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights,
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals,
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Nov. 12, 2007-Sharing A Psalm
"O God, thou art my God: early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips;
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me."
Psalm 63: 1 - 7
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Nov. 1, 2007-Dentist appointment
This afternoon I am taking my "Dear Son 11" to the dentist to have two teeth pulled! No fun. 
I am thankful that he has had a tooth pulled before and does not seem to be too nervous. I am thankful that my son is in good health today, as the other 3 kids have had sickness the past week. I am thankful for a beautiful sun-filled autumn day to drive out in. I am thankful for a little time alone with one of my children. I am especially thankful that the LORD is with us where ever we go and knows each of our concerns of the day!
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Oct. 1, 2007-Women's Devotional resource
(link at the bottom)
Above Rubies Women's
GET UP AGAIN
Jeremiah 8:4, "Thus saith the Lord, Shall they fall, and not arise? Shall he turn away and not return?"
Have you failed recently? Or have you fallen into a hole right now? You feel stuck and don't know how to get out. We have all been in this place. But I want to remind you that you don't have to stay down, you don't have to stay in your hole and you don't have to continue feeling like a failure! God has promised that when you fall, you will rise again.
I like the NLT translation of Jeremiah 8:4, "This is what the Lord says: when people fall down, don't they get up again? When they start down the wrong road and discover their mistake, don't they turn back?" It is instinctive within us to get up again. Watch a little baby learning to walk. He falls over many times, but every time he gets up, with a smile on his face, and off he goes again. We continue to fall throughout our lives. It is part of life. But we are not meant to stay down. We were born to get up again! Here are some other Scriptures to encourage you:
Job 5:19, "He shall deliver thee in six troubles; yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee."
Psalm 37:23-24, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand."
Psalm 40:2-3, "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." You don't have to stay in your pit of despair. Put your hand up to the Lord He will take hold of it and pull you out, no matter how far you have sunk in the mud and the mire. He will do more than that. He will put a new song in your mouth. People will not only see it, they will see the joy on your face.
Proverbs 24:16, "A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again." Is it just the wicked who fall? No. it is the godly also. You don't have to feel a failure for falling--as long as you get up again! The NLT translates is, "They may trip seven times, and each time they will arise." Take heart from these words. I want you read them again... "each time they will arise." Each time you will arise too.
Micah 7:8, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall I shall arise: when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."
Thank God for this wonderful hope.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Thank you, Lord, for your encouragement to me that when I fall I will arise again. I thank you that you are the lifter up of my head, and you are my deliverer when I fall. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
God lifts me up, He is my Friend!
Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.
If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to subscribers-on@aboverubies.org
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Sep. 15, 2007-I Sing the Mighty Power of God
"I Sing the Mighty Power of God"
~Issac Watts/Gersangbuch der Herzogl, 1784
I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise;
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord, that filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with His word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where'er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!
There's not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise, and tempest blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care,
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God, art present there.
Thank you, Jacque, for this Meme.
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May. 1, 2007-What's Mine is His
I borrowed the book “500 Timesaving Hints for Everywoman” by Emilie Barnes from my library. I started flipping through it and Chapter 16 “Cornerstones for Money Management” jumped out at me. It didn't seem to fit with the theme of the book but I'm sure glad she put it in! Reading through the chapter, she got me thinking about what God has given me and how tightly I tend to hold on to it. (She has some great points, which you should read for yourself since I am not at liberty to share them here due to copyrights 
) I started taking notes and here are some of my thoughts:
In reality, God owns everything – Psalm 24:1. I KNOW this, but do I SHOW this? I like “My stuff” but these things are not truly mine, they belong to God. I am a care-taker of them. All of our possessions, including my children, came from God and belong to Him. Everything needs to be turned over to Him. That’s easy to say but harder to do.
In the book, Emilie encourages us to make a list of what God owns and we are stewards of, here is mine:
2. My home
3. Cars
4. Each item in my house. Everything.
5. money
6. Myself (he bought me with a price – 1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23)
Is anything I own more important than another human being? No. Yet, I’m convicted about my own selfishness. I tend to think “if we had more I would surely give it” then I remember the widow’s mite. We can’t wait to be wealthy before we start giving. It’s time to pour out (our money, our time, ourselves) and let God re-fill it. It’s another case of “we reap what we sow”. Another area of concern for me is being an example for my kids. I'm an example either way - good or bad. They are my most precious possessions and yet, sometimes, I'm too busy with this or that to be concerned with them at the moment. Ouch. I have to re-think how I'm spending my time.
She also writes about being content at your present income level in order to gain true financial freedom. “Contentment” – I think of 1 Timothy 6:6-7 “... godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
Taking our focus off God and looking (coveting) material things causes discontentment. We see this everywhere. I see it in my own home.
One more thing I really liked was Emilie’s statement about having a spiritual purpose in life. If our spiritual purpose is to serve God, then all of our resources become tools for ministry. (paraphrase) It is wise to set a “standard of living” for your family. Whatever God blesses you with beyond that standard, you give back to Him instead of gratifying yourself. Must I buy a fancier car, more clothes, etc… just because I can? God has richly blessed me far above the necessities but the flesh always wants more. I was reminded of this again this week while watching video of fellow Christians in Jamaica. We have so much in America – but take it for granted!
Of course, God doesn’t need my money! He doesn’t even need me. His will is carried out regardless. But we will receive a blessing by giving back to him with the right motive. He truly looks at the heart. He cares about WHY we are giving. Give out of gratitude and give privately so as not to become proud.
This has been my “food for thought” the past week. Sometimes it helps me to collect my thought and put them in writing! I haven't even read any more of the book - another 33 chapters await me.
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Mar. 1, 2007-We're celebrating a Birthday today!
Today, both my oldest child and I are celebrating this special day. Looking back, the Lord surely has worked in my life through my children! Kids can bless us in so many ways -- one important way in my life has been that being a parent brings me closer to God. I need to depend on him more, I need to search the scriptures for wisdom and I need to rely on His strength!
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Feb. 23, 2007-An Example of Prayer
Praying for Other Christians:
An example from Paul written in Colossians 1:3 - 11
1. Be thankful for their faith and changed lives (vs.3)
2. Ask God to help them know what he wants for them to do (vs.9)
3. Ask God to give them deep spiritual understanding (vs.10)
4. Ask God to help them live for him (vs. 10)
5. Ask God to give them strength for endurance (vs. 11)
6. Ask God to fill them with joy, strength, and thankfulness (vs. 11)
How many people in your life could be touched if you prayed in this way?
I’d like to take the credit for this but I found it in my study Bible. What a great model of prayer Paul has left us to encourage our fellow believers and petition the Lord on their behalf. I picture him in the dungeon, bound in chains, praying hour after hour for fellow saints, people he has met personally as well as others he has only heard of.
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy..." Phillipians 1:3-4
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