"A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones." Proverbs 14:30
Ladies, let's be truth-bearers, not talebearers.
Let us not profess faith in our resurrected King through the gritted teeth of bitterness.
Let us not be women that declare the power, resurrection, and redemption of Jesus Christ while also harbouring a spiteful spirit.
Let us not lift our voices in worship only to later hush them in slander.
Let us not allow envy to fester, surrendering to the lure of bitterness.
Let us not cultivate a hardening of our hearts to the joys of other women.
Let us not succumb to the beckoning call of bitterness towards the woman in the pew next to us- the one who is experiencing a plentiful season in her marriage, career, health journey, or relationship with God, though ours very well may be in the valley.
Let us not be women whose same hands offer open-handed service to the poor and backhanded slaps to our sisters.
This is not how a community marked by Jesus is to function. Christ's church is to draw strength, courage, and truth out of its members, not shame, failure, and rejection. The beauty of a devoted and faithful community of women in the body of Christ is that the once threatening nature of seasons -the ones in the valley- somehow dismantle in their power over our lives; we can rest in the sweet exchange of strength for weakness as we intercede on each other's behalf. So, let us never joy in the weakness of another woman, hoarding our strength in selfishness.
Let us not profess faith in our resurrected King through the gritted teeth of bitterness.
Let us not be women that declare the power, resurrection, and redemption of Jesus Christ while also harbouring a spiteful spirit.
Let us not lift our voices in worship only to later hush them in slander.
Let us not allow envy to fester, surrendering to the lure of bitterness.
Let us not cultivate a hardening of our hearts to the joys of other women.
Let us not succumb to the beckoning call of bitterness towards the woman in the pew next to us- the one who is experiencing a plentiful season in her marriage, career, health journey, or relationship with God, though ours very well may be in the valley.
Let us not be women whose same hands offer open-handed service to the poor and backhanded slaps to our sisters.
This is not how a community marked by Jesus is to function. Christ's church is to draw strength, courage, and truth out of its members, not shame, failure, and rejection. The beauty of a devoted and faithful community of women in the body of Christ is that the once threatening nature of seasons -the ones in the valley- somehow dismantle in their power over our lives; we can rest in the sweet exchange of strength for weakness as we intercede on each other's behalf. So, let us never joy in the weakness of another woman, hoarding our strength in selfishness.
Fight against the temptation to cultivate covetousness, because it will only lead to a bitter soul, rotting our hearts.
And never use the bitterness of another sister to condone your own. Because bitterness is ugly. And dark and painful and messy and everything ungodly.
I have come to believe that nothing grows as easily. Could that be because, unlike love and peace and unity and godliness, bitterness does not require any proactive effort to culminate?
It festers in the stagnant air of passivity and apathy.
And never use the bitterness of another sister to condone your own. Because bitterness is ugly. And dark and painful and messy and everything ungodly.
I have come to believe that nothing grows as easily. Could that be because, unlike love and peace and unity and godliness, bitterness does not require any proactive effort to culminate?
It festers in the stagnant air of passivity and apathy.
Bitterness is the product of an unkept heart.
So, we must actively tend to and guard our hearts, uprooting the weeds that choke out our holiness.
So, we must actively tend to and guard our hearts, uprooting the weeds that choke out our holiness.
Bitterness wears itself like a stain, and it speaks to the blemishes of brokenness rather than the purity of Christ's fullness.
Ladies, don't sport that look.
But rather be clothed with the attire God calls us to-gentleness, humility, kindness, selflessness, grace, and forgiveness. This is what God calls us to. So don't hastily settle for the bargain bin-seek the quality garments. Those that speak of who our Father is.
Ladies, don't sport that look.
But rather be clothed with the attire God calls us to-gentleness, humility, kindness, selflessness, grace, and forgiveness. This is what God calls us to. So don't hastily settle for the bargain bin-seek the quality garments. Those that speak of who our Father is.
God is not a narcissist. He doesn't call His people to holiness-to be like Him- to merely see our mimicking of His nature on earth. That's not the only objective of holiness, sanctification, or the church. God's chief aim in human history-that includes you and I today, right now- is redemption. Reconciliation. To woo the world back to God; to bring the broken home to the open arms of the Father. And we are to be that invitation, that slight glimpsing into His heart. But we are never going to do this while clinging to spite.
Just as dysfunctional family relationships may cause potential suitors to reconsider marriage into the family, so too do the seekers of God when witnessing an abrasive, harsh, and cold environment in the church.
Girls, we will not win the world to Christ apart from loving, kind, and tender relationships with each other.
If you carry a resentful spirit towards a sister with you as you read this- whether that be due to a grievance she committed against you, or a victory that has her exceeding you in one area or another-know that bitterness is not the answer.
Just as dysfunctional family relationships may cause potential suitors to reconsider marriage into the family, so too do the seekers of God when witnessing an abrasive, harsh, and cold environment in the church.Girls, we will not win the world to Christ apart from loving, kind, and tender relationships with each other.
If you carry a resentful spirit towards a sister with you as you read this- whether that be due to a grievance she committed against you, or a victory that has her exceeding you in one area or another-know that bitterness is not the answer.
But there is hope for the bitter in heart.
The beauty is that we do not need to cultivate these pure-hearted, well-intentioned, encourage-seeking relationships on our own. Maybe, like me, you recognize that it is a daunting task to not live out of the flesh.
But this is why we have a Saviour; One that will equip us, indeed. Who will give us the ability to live above reproach. Who will give us the ability to live out of HisSpirit instead of ours.
The beauty is that we do not need to cultivate these pure-hearted, well-intentioned, encourage-seeking relationships on our own. Maybe, like me, you recognize that it is a daunting task to not live out of the flesh.
But this is why we have a Saviour; One that will equip us, indeed. Who will give us the ability to live above reproach. Who will give us the ability to live out of HisSpirit instead of ours.
You see, I believe women often struggle in relationship with each other as a direct consequence of the enemy's attempts to destroy our potential, to ruin the glory that is unveiled when we are bound together. When we link arms we are a force to be reckoned with for the Kingdom of God. What a sight it is to behold women recklessly devoted to Christ and to one another! Girls, no matter the grievance, do not lose sight of this truth: Disunity is and always has been a prime tactic to dismantle the church and render it ineffective. Though its pews be filled, a church brimming with resentful and bitter spirits does not threaten the enemy. The only kind of church that possesses power is the one that refuses to succumb to the petty, with its eyes so set on Christ and His kingdom that it forsakes its offences. Let us be women that respond to this call, choosing to fight for the cause of Christ rather than that of the self.
So, let us not testify falsely of God's heart, but rather of the truth. The truth that love in God's economy is without charge and condition.
Let us not be women that love with restraint while our Father wildly lavishes His unruly, unmerited, and uncontainable affections on us.
No.
Instead, let us be women that are so set and rooted in Christ that the beauty, successes, and victories of our sisters do not threaten to dismantle ours. Let's open-handedly learn what it is to offer a compliment, encouragement, or blessing to a possibly unmerited recipient. I think it's in those exchanges that we learn of and become the most like Christ, anyways. Let's learn to praise God for these opportunities to have our love chiseled and molded and refined until it looks like His.
Let us grab ahold of what it is to authentically rejoice when our sisters rejoice, and genuinely mourn when they mourn. In essence, let's embrace what it is to do life together. Then, and only then, will the world see the gracious, redeeming, and overwhelming fullness of His work on the Cross.
So, let us not testify falsely of God's heart, but rather of the truth. The truth that love in God's economy is without charge and condition.Let us not be women that love with restraint while our Father wildly lavishes His unruly, unmerited, and uncontainable affections on us.
No.
Instead, let us be women that are so set and rooted in Christ that the beauty, successes, and victories of our sisters do not threaten to dismantle ours. Let's open-handedly learn what it is to offer a compliment, encouragement, or blessing to a possibly unmerited recipient. I think it's in those exchanges that we learn of and become the most like Christ, anyways. Let's learn to praise God for these opportunities to have our love chiseled and molded and refined until it looks like His.
Let us grab ahold of what it is to authentically rejoice when our sisters rejoice, and genuinely mourn when they mourn. In essence, let's embrace what it is to do life together. Then, and only then, will the world see the gracious, redeeming, and overwhelming fullness of His work on the Cross.
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21
Let's be overcomers.
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