Back in February, I shared some specifics about our being better together in general, but I’d love to spend some time applying it to our discussion about burning bright. In recent posts, we have focused on Romans 12:1-2. But let’s keep reading . . .
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-13
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
When reading scripture, it is so valuable to look at the verses before and after some key statements as they typically provide more explanation and even richer meaning. Just as Romans 11 is all about God’s mercy, Romans 12 is kind of the ‘now what?’ of the gospel truth. Shall I be super cheesy and say that even scripture is ‘better together’?! 😉
Yet in order to live Romans 12 out freely and lightly and abundantly as Christ designed, we must do so together. Together with His Spirit and together with each other!
I pray by now our message has revealed to you the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you and how His Spirit is what truly burns bright from within! As we move into June, we are going to explore His Spirit more deeply in light of the Fruit of the Spirit. Stay tuned and subscribe below if you haven’t already. Even the characteristics of His fruit are produced in lives through He alone!
We are created for community with our Lord and with each other. And if you’re unsure, just think about how one of the enemy’s main goals is to isolate each of us. So whether its marriages, mother/daughter relationships, friendships, coworkers, PTOs, women’s ministry, etc, the enemy is using his lies to pull us apart. Because as NEED EACH OTHER!
Fanning the flame and continuing to burn bright cannot be done in our own effort. We need each other’s support, encouragement, confidence, vulnerability, trust, and faith. I love the analogy of the shield of faith and often share through Holy Barre that sometimes we can hold our shield of faith high on our own and sometimes we need to walk behind the shield of faith of our beautiful sister soldier.
Just as our acts as a living sacrifice require authenticity and vulnerability to confess and be real before our King, we need to have those trusted relationships in our lives where we can share and support each other through the good and the bad. The more real we are with each other, the brighter we burn.
In addition, consider the ways the Lord has equipped you with skills, passions, experiences, and gifts to make others better. We all have something to contribute! What started a faith-based barre LifeGroup has now been a place of encouragement and support, inspiring a yoga instructor, a pilates instructor, a functional nutritionist, a water color artist, and so many more! Because WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER!
There have been plenty of seasons of weakness and pain when I needed those around me to fan my flame. And plenty of times when I can think back and realize that if it wasn’t for biblical community, who knows where I’d be. My faith is brighter because my friends burn bright. My marriage is brighter because my husband and I choose to burn bright. Holy Barre is brighter because it’s full of women desiring to burn bright, better together. Because the joy of the Lord is our strength!
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