Last week, while reading the first book of Corinthians “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, ‘The two become one.’ Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never ‘become one.’ There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for ‘becoming one’ with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.”² 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.
“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.”³
“He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.”⁴
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”⁵
Because “Love never fails.”⁶
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.
“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 . . .”⁷
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 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...”¹ 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 "But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness...’”⁸ 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.
Footnotes
Anastasia Johnson: “The one who wants to boast should boast about the Lord…” (2 Corinthians 10:17–18).
My Beloved led me to this lesson to show me how He freed me from the religious spirit that made me preach and pushed my earthly husband away from Him.
I remembered when I was living in adultery, feeling hopeless and unforgiven. I believed I had lost my salvation, but He guided me to a woman full of His love who embraced me and told me God still loved me. Her tenderness—not judgment—led me back to Him.
For years I treated my husband with pride, thinking, “I’m good, you’re not.” That attitude drove him away not only from me but from God. I learned that words only have value when they are backed by testimony and fruit.
I also remembered my father’s example—his humility in sharing his mistakes sincerely taught me far more than any “you must” or “you should.” Now I understand that I live under grace, not law; I can do nothing good on my own.
I encourage every Bride to depend completely on Him and let go of that Pharisaic spirit. As Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” His Word was the medicine that healed me and set me free.
Unleashing the TRUTH