Girlfriends in God - June 24, 2008
Live Love Revolution
I hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions. We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends. From time-to-time, the Friday devotions will be written by one of our friends in ministry. We call them our "Friday Friends." So grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our "Friday Friend", Angela Craig.
Today’s Truth
Proverbs
Friend to Friend
As my mother always said…”if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Could you imagine a world where this happened? How different the work place, the media, our homes and even our churches would be if we lived our lives only saying nice things?
What do we talk about around the water cooler or see when we turn on the TV or computer? This morning my homepage on my computer looked a little like this: Why
What about our homes? What do we say about our self or our family? What negative thoughts or words steal our peace on any given day? Did you wake up this morning feeling frustrated or critical of your weight, your children, your husband, or your job?
And our churches? Was there another critical conversation about a pastor’s teaching or the fact that he drives a nicer car than you do? Were there conversations about member’s dissatisfaction with the worship style or the current choice of Bible study?
How different would the world be if we asked ourselves this question before speaking: “If I were Jesus, would I be having this conversation?” In Matthew chapter 27, Jesus teaches us that we must love God and love our neighbors. Anything outside of loving and encouraging words should snap our lips shut.
I believe it is time for a “Live Love” revolution! If God created the world with words, we can change the world by words spoken in love!
Webster dictionary defines “revolution” as:
1. Sociology. A radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure.
2. A sudden, complete or marked change in something
This revolution begins with examining our self talk. Jesus said, “The mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart” (Matthew 12:34b NIV). When we assassinate our own character with words, we destroy our self-esteem and stop ourselves from purposeful living; we become who we say we are.
Likewise, when we criticize or judge another person, whoever we are giving our opinion to will now have a different perspective of the person we are criticizing. I have recently been personally convicted of this truth. I was sharing with a friend how an email received from a relative had hurt my feelings. Being the good friend that she is, she defended my position and took my side immediately. This of course made me feel better until the Holy Spirit convicted me of my actions. Without even thinking about it, I had scarred my relative’s reputation. My friend would never view my relative the same again. I was mortified, but knew I must apologize to both my friend and my relative.
It is time we distinguish ourselves as Christian women who speak life and “Live Love”. Together we have the power to change a world that pierces hearts like a sword, bringing division and breaking community. Together we can bring healing and build unity. The revolution starts with you and me!
Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I Thank you Lord that by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am a new woman in Christ. I thank you that I am growing in grace, humility, and compassion every day. I have a significant role to play in this world. That role starts with loving YOU and loving others. My role as a maturing Christian is to build others up. I will no longer allow myself to use words that wedge division between me and others or that destroy my own spirit and self-esteem. I am a woman of maturity and purpose, distinguished by the image of Christ. I speak life and live love. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Now it is Your Turn
1) Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and highlight or underline the descriptive words of what living love looks like (for example: patience and kindness).
2) Fill in the blanks with your name in the Scriptures below and read them out loud each day for the next 30 days.
1Corinthians 13:4-8 (NCV)
______________ is patient and kind. ___________ is not jealous, ____________ does not brag, and ____________ is not proud. _____________ is not rude, ___________ is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. ____________ does not count wrongs that have been done. ________________ is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. _______________ patiently accepts all things. __________ always trusts, always hopes, and always remains strong. [1]
3) Ask God to make you aware of anyone that you may have spoken about in an ungodly way; don’t exclude yourself in this prayer. If God identifies someone to you, go and ask for forgiveness.
[1] Lucado, Max, Experiencing the Heart of God (
More from the girls
Wow! Ouch! What a powerful and painful truth Angela shared today. I don’t know about you, but if I sifted through the words that I have spoken in just the last week, many would not have been spoken in love. Join me in a new commitment to speak words of encouragement that build up instead of tear down.
For more on this topic see Mary’s book, Sandpaper People.
