I hope you are all doing well where ever you are on the planet.
I was thinking about life in the body of Christ of true believers and how it is a special thing indeed.
We have all been born by the gospel.
We are all bought with a price!
We all love God and we all have the great hope to come of salvation if we endure.
We are all striving to be holy.
We love each other with a godly love.
I share a collection of random verses somewhat related that came to mind that might encourage you as they did me.
I always have loved this one. It's all relative. Maybe it could apply to things other than money also. Say if a woman had lots of spare time and spent a tiny bit of that time on giving to the saints versus someone who had a bit of spare time and gave it all to the ministering to the saints and the lost. I don't know...perhaps I'm just thinking out loud here:-)
"And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had."
Luke 21:1-3
I love this one...and I'm sure you all do:-)
"And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Matthew 12:49-50
As striving to be holy saints, many/most will loose earthly family if they do not want to follow Christ...yet we get a spiritual family!
We see the same thing here in what Paul wrote to Timothy also...
"Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity."
1 Timothy 5:1-2
It's a truly wonderful thing.
The Word tells us how we women are to function when the saints gather for the men to teach.
"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
1 Timothy 2:11-12
In Philippians 4:3 Paul said, "help those women which laboured with me in the gospel,".
We know women are not to be the teachers and leaders among Christ's saints. Knowing that in Christ all are equal spiritually yet we women do have different roles. And we can do our part in sharing the gospel to eternal life with others.
We see women serving Jesus in His earthly ministry with material possessions.
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."
Luke 8:1-3
We see it is better to give than to receive.
"Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all."
Acts 20:34-36
All is done to edify the saints...and my blog is a part of that...to encourage you godly ladies to press on in the roles and life of a godly woman.
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"
Ephesians 4:12-13
We also know from Titus 2 that women teach other women on things pertaining to women.
"That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Titus 2:4-5
Don't expect to find true godly love in man made religion/church buildings and gatherings today. It won't be found. Oh yes they might make you feel so good...but they don't truly care about God's truth and your soul. Let us sisters strive on to live holy for the Lord ourselves, examine our own lives, and study the scriptures. True saints will always be following Christ and focused on God and His ways. Praise God for the few, the faithful remnant.
"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
Galatians 6:10
See the gospel to eternal life here.