bar·ren
ən
adjective
1. not producing or incapable of producing offspring; sterile: a barren woman.
2. unproductive; unfruitful: barren land.
3. without capacity to interest or attract: a barren period in American architecture.
4. mentally unproductive; dull; stupid.
5. not producing results; fruitless: a barren effort.
If you have never struggled with infertility you may not be able to relate to what women like myself are currently walking through. There is a passion that God has given us as women, a passion to conceive and carry a child in our wombs. It is something that can overtake you. I realized that many women in the bible struggled with barrenness. I have recently been intrigued.
As I was praying and meditating on the word barrenness I decided to look it up. I found the definition listed above and I thought to myself, "that is it!" It explained the state of our country, the state of the church, the state of us as Christians....WE are barren.
God has allowed my husband and I to meet many Christians, in many different seasons of their faith, at many different places in their doctorial beliefs. What we have noticed is how everyone has their own personal bias based on their presuppositions, their history in the church, their circumstances and life experiences. What I am noticing is a lack of fruit in the lives of Christians like myself because we are stuck in our personal views of scripture.
How can we all be reading the same bible yet come to such different conclusions? Some believing in the complete sovereignty of God, some leaning more into a man's choice, some wearing skirts, some believing that one day is more holy to worship, some viewing the new testament Jesus as a flip flop wearing, forgiver of all, even if you don't ask kind of God.
I have been pondering, deep in thought, observing, listening, watching, hearing, and taking all of it in. What I have seen, heard, and experienced is a state of barrenness.
I wonder what would happen if instead of increasing in our own knowledge, we sought the wisdom and knowledge of God? (Philippians 1:9-11Philippians 1:9-11King James Version (KJV)
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.) What if being right took a back seat to being holy and pure, loving and kind, sincere and faithful? What if we begged the Lord to fill the womb of our soul the way Hannah begged for a child?
I have thought about the birth pains. When you are struggling to conceive either naturally or through adoption (waiting for a child is comparable to infertility), you don't think about the pregnancy and delivery. Morning sickness, swelling ankles, sleepless nights before and after the baby, all of that is out of the mind of a woman desiring a baby. This earth is experiencing birth pains. Christians are perishing daily, people are lovers of themselves, women are losing the natural affection toward their children, men's conscience are seared.
We need to become pregnant with the fruit of the spirit. In humility seeking the truth and speaking it in love, speaking from a place of remembrance. Remembering where we were when Jesus drew us and saved our souls. Being patient with other believers and not judging so harshly if they don't do "church" the way we do. Living and serving like it is our last day, with the passion of a barren woman.
As I was praying and meditating on the word barrenness I decided to look it up. I found the definition listed above and I thought to myself, "that is it!" It explained the state of our country, the state of the church, the state of us as Christians....WE are barren.
God has allowed my husband and I to meet many Christians, in many different seasons of their faith, at many different places in their doctorial beliefs. What we have noticed is how everyone has their own personal bias based on their presuppositions, their history in the church, their circumstances and life experiences. What I am noticing is a lack of fruit in the lives of Christians like myself because we are stuck in our personal views of scripture.
How can we all be reading the same bible yet come to such different conclusions? Some believing in the complete sovereignty of God, some leaning more into a man's choice, some wearing skirts, some believing that one day is more holy to worship, some viewing the new testament Jesus as a flip flop wearing, forgiver of all, even if you don't ask kind of God.
I have been pondering, deep in thought, observing, listening, watching, hearing, and taking all of it in. What I have seen, heard, and experienced is a state of barrenness.
I wonder what would happen if instead of increasing in our own knowledge, we sought the wisdom and knowledge of God? (Philippians 1:9-11Philippians 1:9-11King James Version (KJV)
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.) What if being right took a back seat to being holy and pure, loving and kind, sincere and faithful? What if we begged the Lord to fill the womb of our soul the way Hannah begged for a child?
I have thought about the birth pains. When you are struggling to conceive either naturally or through adoption (waiting for a child is comparable to infertility), you don't think about the pregnancy and delivery. Morning sickness, swelling ankles, sleepless nights before and after the baby, all of that is out of the mind of a woman desiring a baby. This earth is experiencing birth pains. Christians are perishing daily, people are lovers of themselves, women are losing the natural affection toward their children, men's conscience are seared.
We need to become pregnant with the fruit of the spirit. In humility seeking the truth and speaking it in love, speaking from a place of remembrance. Remembering where we were when Jesus drew us and saved our souls. Being patient with other believers and not judging so harshly if they don't do "church" the way we do. Living and serving like it is our last day, with the passion of a barren woman.
2 Peter 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
No comments:
Post a Comment