Last week while reading 1 Corinthians 6:18 and encouraging you to read the version in the Message Bible for greater and lasting insight, saying that it could be used to share with those whom you have expressed love and are open to hearing the truth. While writing that statement He revealed what He wanted me to write about in today’s message. A message He’s spoken to me about often and what I’m excited to pass along to you now.
We won’t often use PR that is submitted because the sentiment comes across as Preaching. Often, there are comments to a post that do the same thing.
Most people, especially someone who is in sin, does NOT want to be told what to do. This is common in the churches and in the world. Instead, He says that we are each to be an Epistle [a letter or form of communication] read by all men. In other words, our life needs to be what they read about us—how they see us live our lives.
Nevertheless, it’s foolish to think, for one second, that living a self-righteous life or religious life will make anyone want to follow you or ask your advice or be open to anything you say. Instead, people in sin will ONLY feel drawn and come to you when you’ve exhibited unconditional love and a non-judgemental attitude towards them and everyone else.
Read these verses to lay the foundation of this principle.
John 3:17 AMP—“For God did not send His Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.”
Proverbs 20:19—“He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.”
1 Peter 4:8—“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
1 Corinthians 13:8—Because “Love never fails.”
If you’ll permit me, I can’t help thinking of my mother when reading these verses. Though my mother was far from perfect, her love for her children was perfect. She never spoke against others, and if we did, she said, “If you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” And even though she couldn’t keep a house (as you know from reading w@h), nor did she arrive anywhere on time (instead she’d be hours late), with all these faults, the part of her that everyone noticed was that she loved us and others! None of her children could ever deny that fact and because of it, none of her children ever went astray. And this is the way she’d treat everyone she’d meet too.
I’m not sure if I have that sort of love that she had, though I do believe I’ve exhibited that same love, due to my mother’s example, to my own children and others. But if I had to guess, I’d say witnessing her epistle of her life made me want to be like her, yet, it was experiencing His love that changed me! Without it, I’d never be capable of loving the unlovable. And that is almost always expressed through patience and not preaching at/to others.
1 Corinthians 13:4–8—“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails . . .”
This verse says a lot more that jumps out: like bragging.
Often Praise Reports come off as bragging and it’s this unbecoming attitude that, sadly, is so prevalent amongst Christians. They brag about their righteousness, while all the while their righteousness is nothing but filthy, stinking rags. (Read Isaiah 64:6 to see how filthy.)
Back to being preachy. It’s not altogether a bad thing to speak to a woman in a praise report, but only after you’ve first been real and transparent about your own mistakes. And always keep in mind, first and foremost, that it’s HIM who deserves the praise, so how could we possibly boast unless it boasts about our weaknesses? (Read 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 for greater and lasting insight.)
Yet even more important than when submitting a PR when WE are able to protect others from your preachiness: What about your preachiness when you foolishly believe that this will benefit your coworkers or your children or even your parents. Do you honestly think preaching or judging or being self-righteous will help them know the Lord? It won’t. Instead, it will put a huge wedge between them and God—most dangerously a loathing for the Savior who is capable of changing everything and who, you say you’re following. A Christian literally means a follower of Christ.
It’s only when someone feels LOVED, not judged or preached to, especially when it’s undeserving, that a person is open to hearing anything you or I have got to say—coupled with humility—like being transparent about how we’ve failed.
—And this means loving each person “while” that person is “yet a sinner” just as Jesus did in His willingness to die for them.
What He calls us to do is to be His ambassadors, which means we show them the love and respect they deserve, which we are bathed in being His bride. That’s when a loving relationship, that is without judgment, is secure and is the foundation to build upon.
Trust me if your epistle, your life, reads this way, then you won’t need to go looking—people will come to you to find out about Him—all due to your true humility that acts as a magnet.
The reverse side of this "epistle" lives full of arrogance and pride, act as a repugnant—driving everyone not only away from you, but from Him.
Bragging and preaching to me reflects an immature high school kid who flaunts his or her designer clothing or expensive car—when they did nothing to earn it. Instead, all they have belongs to and was given to them by their parents, so they should be humble and grateful instead of bragging or flaunting.
In closing, with a heart of gratitude and humility, remember that rather than preach—be transparent and boast about your weaknesses—then see what happens. LOVE others, with the unconditional love you are getting from the Lord and see if your life doesn’t change. If you believe you’re struggling in this area, remember to renew your mind by reading the verses from this message daily, until your desire for change happens.
Unleashing the TRUTH
Wonderful reminder, thank you, may He convict us and we desire to be humble and gentle with our lips and lives! He really does make our hearts willing when we ask Him to 🥰 Psalm 103:5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
“The Bible says, ‘If anyone wants to be proud of anything, let him be proud of his faith in the Lord. ’ The person who deserves praise is not the one who speaks well of himself, but the one of whom the Lord speaks well.” 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 TLA.
My Beloved led me to read this lesson today to share how He has helped me be free from the religious spirit of preaching I had for so long and made my ET move away from Him. First of all, He reminded me of when I was in adultery and I felt oppressed and hopeless, I believed that I had already lost my salvation, that there was no remedy… I remembered that I had been told that if I failed after being baptized, I would no longer have forgiveness, so I felt condemned to exile from the Kingdom of Heaven. Despite this, I sought to get closer to God and see what would happen. I wanted to be sure if that was or was not my destiny. Fortunately, my Heavenly Husband guided me and led me to a lovely woman who listened to my confession of sin and hugged me with so much love to tell me He still loved and forgave me. She spoke to me with so much love that I could feel that hug as Hers and thanks to that love [not the judgment, criticism, and condemnation that I was expecting, she was able to tell me we shouldn’t do this or what we should do is… not only did she lead me to HIM and His great love for me] I was able to seek more of HIM and not completely turn away like I thought I would have to do if I was “condemned.”
What Erin shares about love is true, where we receive judgment and criticism, where there is an attitude of “I am good, righteous and I do everything right and you are not” is where we want to run away the fastest, we can’t stand it! For a long time that was my attitude towards my husband, all I told him was “You are a hopeless case, I am good, but you are not” When he saw that my “goodness” was false, he ran away from God! He felt completely deceived! The worst thing is that he felt that my God was not what He said He was, due to my false attitude that did not live what I said, they were just empty words, what gives validity and weight to words is THE TESTIMONY, what we live, the way we live and therefore the fruits in our lives. Therefore I want to always share from my experience [testimony] with the ladies that the Lord sends me to minister.
In contrast, this lesson reminds me of the love that Erin describes from her mother. I experienced it from my earthly father. I have also felt encouraged to be more like him in that regard… He was always humble enough to tell us about the mistakes of his youth with honesty. He always let us know from his own experience what was good and what was not, according to the fruits he obtained. He always believed that what you sow you reap, and that is why he passed on his testimonies and fruits to us so that we could see and not make the same mistake. I sincerely remember those teachings more because I remember his testimony than those that were imparted to me as “human orders” with “we must we have or we should” I think when I read those words or hear them I immediately want to run away and I feel that they are “human laws” that are imparted to me, perhaps I run away instinctively because now I do not live under the law but under grace, and certainly I cannot do ANYTHING good on my own, I am His work and all the good that comes out of me is only by His grace in my weakness, because I am nothing… I need HIM so much to do any good!!
I hope to encourage you dear Bride to depend completely on HIM in this area and let go of the religious and preachy spirit that causes people to move away from HIM. In my case I just needed to pray and ask Him to free me from that Pharisee and preacher spirit, He says “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” Zechariah 4:6 He gave me medicine [His Word] that I took [read] continuously for several days until that Pharisee spirit was no longer there. I hope it helps you!