She, Herself & God Devotionals
An Urgent Call to All Kingdom Women
MONTHLY THEME: Kingdom Friendship
FEATURED VERSE: I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:2-3, CSB)
Philippians 4 is the last part of the so-called spiritual love letter of the apostle Paul to the church at Philippi, which was known to be an ideal church. Peace and joy in all circumstances is the theme of this chapter, which is further categorized into four parts: 1. Paul’s instructions to specific saints (verses 1 to 3), 2. his instructions on how we should be walking in Christ (verses 4 to 9), 3. his appreciation of the support given to him by the Philippians (verses 10 to 20), and 4. his final greetings to the church (verses 21 to 23).
Euodia and Syntyche, the featured women in our reflection today, were among the saints mentioned by the apostle in the beginning of chapter 4. Just by reading the verses above, we can conclude that these two women had a misunderstanding despite having contended for the Gospel at Paul’s side, which was the reason why the apostle asked his unnamed true partner to help them settle their differences. And this should serve as a warning to all Christian women living today: that while we are still literally living in the flesh, we have to be spiritually full and be dead to ourselves for the sake of the Lord’s kingdom.
As a woman of God, each of us should put ourselves last and the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven first even if we live in a self-loving world. Surely, we may disagree with one another from time to time just like Euodia and Syntyche, but we must not let our differences affect our ministries and the church as a whole. We have to agree in the Lord, set aside everything including our precious pride, and live in harmony with one another through it all. Most importantly, we have to be spiritually mature and stop being so childish that we will let our personal problems become a public issue and someone with the status of Paul shall call us out through a letter that will be read by all.
At the end of the day, our sisters in Christ remain our sisters despite our differences because we are ultimately related by blood of the Lamb of God. Unlike our blood relatives, our spiritual family is our eternal family, which means that every friendship we form inside the Lord’s kingdom is everlasting. Hence, we should establish it, nourish it, and cherish it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Let us try not to tarnish it with personal matters that are fleeting and foolish. Instead, let us strive for peace and joy in all circumstances because what matters most is that our names are in the book of life.
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER:
Father God, we thank You for the kingdom friendships and relationships we have, and we pray to keep them for Your glory, not ours. While we know that it is impossible to agree all the time just like Euodia and Syntyche especially since we are still in our sinful forms as human beings, we are determined to put aside our differences and agree in You instead. We ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, as we tell others the good news that Your only begotten Son lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died so that we could be saved and inherit eternal life. May we always focus on the Gospel instead of gossips that might ruin our ties with our fellow kingdom workers. And no matter how factual we think our statements may be, we pray not to speak them if they will not benefit Your holy kingdom at all. All these we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Savior, and King. Amen.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
Imagine if your life will be summarized in just one verse, how do you like it to be written? As a kingdom worker like Euodia and Syntyche, how do you think someone like Paul will address you in case he writes a letter to the church where you belong to? And what if he will focus on your kingdom friendships and relationships right now, what will he possibly call you out for?
QUOTE TO REMEMBER:
Gospel first before gossips. Son first before self. God’s kingdom first before your own empire.
