Sisters, Lift Me Up!

Today was my first day back, rejoining the Protestant Women of the Chapel on Andersen Air Force Base. These are a wonderful group of women who love the Lord, and love to study his Word. They are wonderful for Christian fellowship, and it is a place to get fed God's Word and to hear other women who are walking with my Lord recount what he is doing in their lives. One of the great things about belonging to God's family is that, even though you might leave one part of the family for awhile to be with another, God's Spirit welcomes you back when you return. It is His Spirit within the body of Christ that gives us unity. This is why we can move, join another church, and feel connected almost at once! This was my experience today. I saw new faces and old faces, but all of them were shining brightly with the joy of the Lord!

One scripture that comes to mind often when joining my sisters is:

Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Sometimes, fellowship with our brothers and sisters can be difficult. It is not always as easy as it was for me today. Sometimes, we enter the room with many worries, complaints, doubts and hurts inside of us that only our Lord can see! Some are struggling with pain in hurting marriages, adultery, lying, stealing, addictions. We, the body of Christ, can still be susceptible to these trials and tribulations. We can drift into sinful practices and feel as though we are all alone. We may even feel as though we are the only person in the room who is struggling with these "sinful" issues. Many of us feel the need to bottle up our pain, and our struggles and simply work them out between ourselves and the Lord in prayer. While this is necessary and important, the Lord has given us giftings for use in the body of Christ to lift up one another. Some have the gift of mercy, others have exhortation, and others have prophecy, giving, serving, administration, teaching or pastoring (1 Corinthians 12). There are many gifts and talents that God has placed within the body to help us to grow up together into Christ, as is said in Ephesians 4:15 (NIV:

"Instead, speaking truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

We are meant to build up one another and grow up into Christ! However, a major hindrance to doing this is that we often do not share our problems with one another so we can receive the gifts of the others members of the body!

Romans 15:1-3 (NKJV)

"We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself; but as it is written 'The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me."

We need to bear one another's burdens for the edification of the body of Christ! When we see a sister falling down, sinning, or just struggling to be strong in the Lord...it is the time to reach out to her and lift up her arms, and help her to have victory in the Lord! The same goes for the men of the body of Christ, but today this message is directed to my Christian sisters! Let's make a point to help one another to be lifted up, and bring God glory through the unification of the body today in the name of Jesus! All honor and glory to our Father God who is in heaven!

Today, I pray that as other members of the body come to you with a burden, you would be flexible with your time and your thinking to encourage him/her, bear the burdens of others, and to unify and edify the body of Christ, so that God may have glory! Do this with a grateful heart. I pray the Lord gives you the strength to be obedient to his commands, and the wisdom to know how to approach each situation in a Godly manner! I thank God for all the times he has shown me to let my sisters bear my burdens, and for the healing and victory that came through doing so! I pray for peace and joy to overwhelm your lives today, and that he would open your hearts to the hearing of his Word. I pray all these things, giving honor and glory to God, in the name of Jesus! Amen.

Overwhelmed by his Grace,

Sarah