Women Who Build Themselves
Jude 20-21 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!
When you know you are accepted and loved then you will be able to love and be accepting of others. So many times when we are rejected or mistreated we think its about us but the truth is, its more about the other person. We need to resolve that we are loved and accepted by the One who really matters! Build yourselves strong in His Holy Spirit and no one will be able to tear it down.
Colossians 3:12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
There are some things we never leave home without like our underwear! I can only hope. He is telling us to make Love the “must have” in our wardrobe. The Love hat is the first thing we put on in the morning before we put on mom hat, business hat, work hat, ministry hat or anything other hat. Put on love and wear it well!
Women Who Build One Another
When I think of success in ministry, it is when others find success. Ministry is about others not ourselves. If you aren’t lifting others and moving them forward are you really doing ministry? We need to be cheering others on and forward. We don’t have time to compete, compare or criticize. Understand, your destiny has your name written on it and no one else can replace you. It was created and designed with you in mind. What God gives you, no one can take from you and what God takes from you, let it go. Insecurities will keep you from propelling others forward and in turn limits God’s ability to use you.
Women Who Build The Kingdom
There are two types of builders. First, you have the Demo Builder. She has a hammer in one hand and a sledge hammer in the other. She designs and builds and it looks like its coming along very well but soon she is frustrated and begins using the sledge hammer to tear down all she has built. Sometimes it’s because what she has began to build doesn’t seem enough, she second guesses herself, or someone begins to criticize what she is building. If that person was building they wouldn’t have time to criticize what you are building. So its a constant starting over to either please others or impress others. God isn’t looking for cookie cutter homes but for a custom built home that no one else can build.
1 Chronicles 7:20-27 Descendants of Ephraim
20 The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath,21 Zabad, Shuthelah, Ezer, and Elead. These two were killed trying to steal livestock from the local farmers near Gath. 22 Their father, Ephraim, mourned for them a long time, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23 Afterward Ephraim slept with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah because of the tragedy his family had suffered. 24 He had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah.
Next, you have the Bold Builder, Sheerah. When her father, who was Joseph’s son, lost his sons he was so defeated. His sons were thieves and taking what didn’t belong to them. They were trying to succeed by taking from others and they lost their lives in the process.
Through all the grief of Ephraim you never read that he clung to his daughter or even looked to her ability but the chronicler mentions her name in the middle of a genealogy in which most of the women are never recorded. It contains fathers and sons yet we get this small and brief mention of a woman who dared to build! God will always make your story read by someone.
She was the granddaughter of Joseph who knew something about overseeing a city. Building was in her DNA! Sheerah had a vision and a dream and was able to build 3 cities. Can you imagine, during the time when women were not empowered and she builds not one but 3 cities! What could we build if we had a vision? She may have not had the cheering from her family but apparently she had a vision others believed and helped her bring to pass. She must have orchestrated contractors, mason workers and others to do the work. They trusted her ability to see a city that did not yet exist.
It says she built in the low and high place. No matter what situation you find yourself today high or low, choose to build. She built a city in the Lower Beth-Horon, a low place. You can build in a low place. Candice Lightner who lost her daughter due to a drunk driver chose to build in a low place. She developed MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, which helped bring awareness and change laws. She knew how to build in the low place.
Maybe today you are in a high place of position and influence, build! Use your place to build. Sheerah built Upper Beth-Horon, a high place. Every First Lady of the U.S. uses their position to make a difference whether in human rights, education or equal rights. Many have paved the way women enjoy today. If you are in a high place do as Esther did, use your influence to build. She saved the people of God just by using her influence with the king. She was born for this cause to save much people alive. You were born to build!
All you need is a vision, a will to do and love and nothing can stop you from building that dream, that child, that marriage or the kingdom! There is a Builder within us all.
For more from Kelly Elders, please visit KellyElders.com
