Greetings in the Lord to all you godly sisters!
How has your life in the Lord been? I hope and pray you held fast one more day and may the Lord give you His strength to press on one more day.
Today I wanted to write some encouragement and edification for us sisters on love and what it might look like amongst us as saints.
I read us sisters 1 Corinthians 13...
So let us have that kind of love and it is always something we can grow in and seek deeper because love...true godly love (and NOT the world's or false Christian's definitions of love) is of great importance in our life in Christ sisters, as I'm sure you all see! As it shows in that chapter, it is not selfish and self-seeking but seeking the good of the other. Well that chapter describes a lot for sure!
I know in Titus 2 we are told women are to love their husbands and children.
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Titus 2:4
That is a different Greek word to what the usual word love in scripture is. We have access to not only English translations of God's word but also greater study tools for seeing what the original writer (inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote)...so we have so much light amen sisters and so we will surely be held responsible to how we lived and sought after God and His truth.
We also see that kind of love (as in Titus 2) for the brethren...
(It's something each of us can do in our own study, look up what word is used where and study all the meanings and uses etc.)
A sister posted this verse...
That shows again how important love of the brethren is does it not?
We know godly women can teach other women to be good and pure and holy. Our love for each other would also surely be a part of that.
We see the works of a godly widow mentioned in 1 Timothy 5...and we see works of love for the saints that she did.
We know love will be a fruit of the Spirit in our lives...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Galatians 5:22
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 13:10
And caring for a person's soul would be the best love we would have because one soul is more important than the whole world, amen? A soul is eternal. Let us all be prepared with the gospel! And that is to call sinners to repentance and to the love of God through Christ. And let us be caring for one another as sisters in the Lord.
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James 5:19-20
But what are some actions of love we are to show? Our love for each other as the body of Christ will produce visible fruits of love. True love is most often an action rather than just feelings isn't it? Similarly we know that to love God is to keep His commandments and be doers of the Word.
I'm just going to share a couple ways and some encouraging scriptures for us to ponder. We are to love all the brethren and I am writing to sisters and how we express love for each other (brothers/sisters) will vary of course. But let's just refresh with some scriptures...
Bearing burdens:
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Rejoicing and weeping together:
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Romans 12:15
Encouraging/exhorting:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Edifying:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:16
And for us today, it's a great blessing to have technology in order to do these things across the miles as we are mostly scattered and few and far between.
Preferring one another:
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Romans 12:10
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5
Praying for each other:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16
Sacrificing time or other things:
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.
Acts 20:35
Forgiving:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32
If a sister hurts your feelings (unintentionally or not) you kill your flesh and forgive. And especially if she asks to be forgiven.
Willing to die for them:
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:12-13
Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
Romans 16:3-4
So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
1 Thessalonians 2:8
Warning of sin and rebuking:
Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
(See Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 5 also). If you see sin in a sister's life, if you are sure and you see clearly (without hypocrisy etc Matthew 7) and you see in scripture that it is sin and you carefully consider, you should tell her about it in love. And if she is a true and godly sister she will be grateful and look into that in her own life. So if you don't warn her about it then you don't really love her. I know coming from the idea of what the world and most believers call love which is usually just to all get along and don't say anything to anyone etc that may potentially upset them this can not seem loving but when it really is the deepest love. Because that is not loving that sister's soul is it if you clearly see sin and know and don't warn her about it, amen?
There is a time and place for rebuking too. Of course we need to make sure we do it with a right heart and with prayer and consideration etc and it is to warn of the danger of sin if she knows something is sin and doesn't repent. It is loving to rebuke...if done right.
Oh I know there's so much more to all this but that's just a few things for us sisters to think about.
How are we all going at this? Are we producing good fruits of true godly love for first of all God and then His saints and the lost around us. I'm sure we never stop learning the depths of this and becoming greater humble servants to others especially the body of Christ.
I shall go now. I hope my post (which is small for such a large subject) on godly love for us sisters edified and blessed you. Let us strive on together to be good examples and shining lights to those around us. Why? So that God is glorified!
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers,
in word,
in conversation,
in charity,
in spirit,
in faith,
in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12
Amen sisters...let us be examples in all these things so the Father will be glorified in us. Yes we all have different lives He has given us so how we love each other may vary for each of us but it's something we need to find a balance in especially considering how important love is as shown in scripture.
And sisters, let's praise God that He loved the world and sent His Son! What a great hope we have of eternal life through Him! I'm so grateful and joyous we have His Word and we know the Way! It really all is to do with our love for the Lord and out of that comes love for each other especially of the saints as we all love Him together and walk in unity and fellowship.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:7-12
Much love to you all in the Lord,
...from one of God's daughters
You can find the gospel explained biblically here.
