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Lessons
For Christian Ladies
This
Series Of Lessons Was Taught By
Mrs.
James Modlish
This
is No Secret, Sisters
(This
devotion was presented at a ladies fellowship where we
exchanged names for a secret sister
program.)
Introduction:
For
me, sisters have always been a unique and mysterious idea
since I was raised with three brothers and never had the
experience of a sister. I really did want one, so much so
that when my youngest brother was born, I was devastated
he would be Daniel Edward instead of Marilyn Christine as
I had planned.
As a result
of this "deprivation" in my life, I took care to observe
my daughters in their roles as sisters... the bond and
the strife, the sensitivity and the brutal honesty. Now,
brothers are great, but they are cut from a different
cloth... they punch and torment while sisters touch and
hug... sometimes!
No one can
love you or hurt you as a sister can. They serve as
memory mirrors of the serious and silly parts of our
lives such as the ugly couch which graced the living room
for years or the way you had to stop three times and wave
to Mom as you walked down the sidewalk to
school.
It is also
sobering to remember that with only a few minute changes
in some chromosomes, and your sister would be
you!
The term
"secret sister" has much more meaning than you may
realize; in fact, these women are our spiritual sisters.
And as it is in physical families, so it is in your
church family. We have a responsibility to care for, pray
for and seek blessings for our sisters.
The whole
idea is not for you to receive a blessing, but for you to
be one. Let's begin by comparing physical sisterhood with
the spiritual equivalent.
I. Sisters
have the same bloodline -
A.
Obviously, the first requirement in physical
sisterhood
B.
The bond of spiritual sisterhood begins with the blood of
Christ. (Rom. 5:8-9)
II. Sisters
have the same parents -
A.
Physical sisters will feel that same basic instinct of
attachment and connection to their parents.
B.
Spiritual sisters also have common parents.
[1].
In ten of Paul's letters he calls God our Father.
[2]. (Gal. 4:26) tells us our mother is the
new Jerusalem.
III. Sisters
have love for one another -
A.
Physical sisters often give the other a kidney, a lung,
etc. without thought for personal safety.
B.
True test of spiritual "brotherhood" (and "sisterhood")
can be found in (1 Jn. 3:14 and 4:20). D. L. Moody once
said that it was no chore to love the whole world; the
real problem came in loving my fellow church
member!
IV. Sisters
have contentions, envy and strife -
A. Quarrels and strife often occur between physical sisters.
I often had to break up "knock-down drag-outs" between my
two girls; little girls can be pretty brutal!
B.
The Bible gives us examples of sisters who had problems
with each other.
[1].
Mary and Martha - (Lk. 10:38) Poor Martha was the
original New Testament tattletale.
[2]. Rachel and Leah - (Gen. 30:8) This sounds
like something you would witness on television!
C. We
are repeatedly reminded in the Bible to avoid strife
among ourselves.
[1].
Shark mentality - (Gal. 5:14-15)
[2]. Look where envying and strife originate -
(Jas. 3:14-17). (Prov. 7:4) advises us to call wisdom
our sister.
V. Sisters
have a bond of responsibility for one another -
A. Age and time do not change the link between sisters nor
lessen the burden of responsibility. There is a saying
that goes: "He's not heavy; he's my brother." We could
certainly substitute the word sister there.
B.
We're reminded of our responsibility to our spiritual
family in (Jas. 2:14-16). This is a Tribulation passage
doctrinally, but it surely has an application to us as
well.
VI. An
example of a spiritual sister… Phebe - (Rom.
16:1-2)
The
first indication of this woman's character is the fact
that Paul apparently entrusted her to deliver his letter
to the Romans. And then he went on to list her
attributes.
[1].
Sister - This is a simple but affectionate designation
for a member of the body of Christ.
[2]. Servant - In the early church more was
made of service than office. Phebe wasn't a deaconess,
a bishopette, or the associate pastor; she was a
servant of the church!
[3]. Succourer - She was a helper or deliverer
of many, particularly of the unprotected, despised and
converts in need. She was a fighter in the battles of
the oppressed, a help and relief when people were in
want or difficulty. Don't wait to do some great thing;
it may never come. Instead, do little things for the
greater motive... the glory of God.
It
appears Phebe also showed Paul hospitality... perhaps
her home was a meeting place for those early
believers. At any rate, she is certainly a great
example of a spiritual sister... and she only has two
verses!
Conclusion:
The
longer you are a Christian and a part of a church body,
the stronger your ties to your spiritual sisters will
become. (Matt. 12:48-50) Because of the "blood link," your goals and motivations will often times be more
closely tied to that of your spiritual sisters.
That
spiritual bond may twist and bend and fray, but the tie
is never broken. The goal: my
sister and my friend.
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