She, Herself & God
Lady Laborers in the Lord
MONTHLY THEME: Kingdom Friendship
FEATURED VERSE: Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, which women labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which woman hath labored much in the Lord. (Romans 16:12, GNV)
Romans 16, the last chapter of Paul’s epistle to Roman Christians, is basically divided into four sections: 1. the apostle’s greetings to specific people in Rome (verses 1 to 16), 2. his warning against people who cause divisions and offenses thus, serving as false teachers (verses 17 to 20), 3. greetings from those who were with him in Corinth (verses 21 to 24), and 4. a final hymn of praise to God called a doxology (verses 25 to 27).
Today’s featured verse falls under the first category wherein Paul greeted Tryphena and Tryphosa, who are believed by many to be twins given the similarities of the sounds and meanings of their names (Both originated from a Greek word meaning delicate or dainty). But more than being sisters in flesh, Tryphena and Tryphosa were also sisters in Christ along with Persis because they all labored in the Lord. And if Paul linked them together in one verse, we can assume that these ladies had formed a kingdom friendship that Christian women living today should emulate.
As a woman of God, be honest to yourself. Who do you consider your human best friends now? Who do you trust the most? Who comes first into your mind when you are in need of a help? Let us pray that our non-kingdom friends do not top this list. Instead, we should call first our fellow lady laborers in the Lord’s vineyard in case of emergency because even if they are not our sisters in flesh, these women are our sisters in Christ. Just like Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis, we are part of one spiritual family; for we have been adopted by the Heavenly Father into His kinfolk and are now siblings with God’s Firstborn.
At the end of the day, it does not matter if we are neither Tryphena nor Tryphosa, who had a sister by blood in our Father’s kingdom. What truly matters is that our social ties glorify the Lord because we are related by blood of the Lamb of God, who is no other than our Savior Jesus Christ. And when He comes back, may He find us faithfully laboring in the Lord and joyfully fellowshipping with one another. So before it is too late, let us re-evaluate our current relationships and friendships. Do we really belong in God’s kingdom now, or are we still attached to our earthly ties?
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your only begotten Son to live the life we should have lived and die the death we should have died. Because of what He did on the cross, we were redeemed through His blood and reconciled to You that is why we can come to You anytime. We are privileged to be adopted into Your own family, and we pray for the power of Your Holy Spirit to always guide us especially in our relationships and friendships. We hope to be like Tryphena and Tryphosa, who were not only sisters in flesh but sisters in Christ as well. But if in case we do not have blood relatives in Your kingdom, we ask You to teach us to fight the good fight of faith and be like Persis instead, who labored much in the Lord. May we prioritize our new and true home that we have found in God’s vineyard alone, and may we be lady laborers there like the women we just studied in today’s reflection. This is our prayer in the Name above all names: our Lord, King, and Elder Brother Jesus. Amen.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
Are you part of a Tryphena and Tryphosa duo in your household as well as in the kingdom of God? If not, how are you going to convince your sister/s in flesh to be your sister/s in Christ too? Or do you like it better if you do not have any family member serving God with you at least in the church? If yes, does that mean you do not believe that blood is thicker than water? But why is that so?
QUOTE TO REMEMBER:
Earthly friends are the flowers in the garden of life. Kingdom friends are the roots, and God’s Word is the soil where that friendship should be planted.
