The deepest, purest love…

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine; your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you. Draw me after you; let us run. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you. (Song of Solomon 1:2–4)

While the debates continue, this book of the OT endures as part of God's Word to His people. Whatever He intends, it seems obvious that this describes the love relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ to His people by comparing it to human love and intimacy. It is not for those who take their faith as mere personal belief, but as a close relationship like that of lovers.

“Therefore virgins love you” suggest this is about ‘one and only’ love. There is nothing or no one else so important and vital to the life of those beloved by Him. He brings us close to Him and gives us every reason to have a deep response to Him. This attitude goes beyond that ‘honeymoon’ phase that is soon challenged by trials and doubts. Jesus is the preoccupation of a loved one’s heart.

One Christian course has the line; “He grows sweeter and sweeter as the days go by” suggesting that not only faith increases through testing and hardship, but so does affection. At my age, it reminds me of the emotions of trust and joy that go with loving and being loved by my spouse. It takes time to become deep, solid, and at the same time comfortable and accepting, without selfish demands and without room for doubt and suspicions.

When I think how much God loves me in these terms, I sometimes find my mind dancing with Jesus in a field of flowers, laughing in the purest of joy. Not often. Life can be not only distracting but seem cruel with all sorts of events and issues that try to convince me that I’m alone, defeated, not loved at all — but He isn’t like that and pulls me back, sometimes with little hints and clues, and sometimes with gifts of great surprise. And my heart is blessed.

Lord Jesus, it is right to love You and to be loved by You. In this world gone wrong, Your love is the anchor, the stronghold in the storms of uncertainty and unkind people who whine about being loveless without realizing that Your great love is the only reason they are allowed to live and breathe. Deepen this in our relationship. And enable me to share it with the host of love-starved people around me.

… without ceasing…

One question in our small group Bible study was, “What makes you feel most loved: when someone says they love you, or when they do actions that show love?” Most in the group said both. A few cited one of the love languages from a book on that topic.

I’ve since thought about it and notice that one way I feel loved is when I’m standing alone in a crowd and someone spots me, their eyes light up and they hurry over to talk.

Today’s reading is about being delighted in God and how nearness to Him is “the only all-satisfying experience of the universe.” In other words, when I see or sense Him, my eyes light up and I rush to talk with Him. “Pray without ceasing” is a reality with constant conversation about everything with Jesus. This is not to make God feel loved but has the reverse effect; it makes me feel loved!

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. (Psalm 63:1–2)

David prayed this way while he was in the wilderness. He was called a man after God’s own heart and that indicates the way we were created to be. I am at my created best when I am longing for God and seeking Him. This can include obeying all His commands, believing all His Word, thanking Him for all His gifts, yet the essence of loving God is enjoying all that He is, delighting in Him, especially when desolation surrounds and life is not comfortable.

This past week was filled with stresses. Strokes and heart attacks in folks too young for such unexpected events. Friends needing financial help, one because of an injury, another because of an accident and unexpected insurance problems, and several who needed help with expenses. Two families were moving, one involving a very pregnant mom who is having her baby today, and the other a young father with many responsibilities besides moving. He was remodeling the house with only a few days to make it livable. We could not physically chip in but everyone involved requested prayer support. My hubby visited a friend dying in hospice care in another city. We had a family pet in surgery and not too happy about it, plus two major celebration events. Add to that some decisions with actions involving our own home.

Each event in itself was bearable, but all happening in a few days felt like too much for people our age! However, the presence of our loving God gave us the attitude and stamina needed, and of course He talked with us.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

PRAY: Jesus, Your presence made the difference in all events and the choices we made. Naps became extremely appealing this week, yet somehow You kept helping us with stamina and choices to do otherwise — move now and nap later. Truly You renew the strength of those who wait upon You — and a huge part of that is also delighting in You and that marvel of constant conversation. My gratitude.

My Best Friend

Someone once told me that I was either a genius or autistic. When I take the tests, add ADHD to that. As a child, I was home and mostly without peers for several years, so not socialized. My parents were told I would die before 15-16 so they didn’t teach me to live. Add to that thirty relocations, many too short to get to know people, and many involving being far from those I did know. This is not a pity party but an explanation why my thinking seems out of place in a social setting. Some look at me as if I am the white elephant in the room. Those who understand become dear friends, few in number but deeply appreciated.

Then there is Jesus. Of all the people I know, He is the closest, the most understanding, the one who sticks by me and explains life to me. Theologically, He is my righteousness and advocate as the following verses say:

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24)
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:22–25)
God saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. (2 Timothy 1:9)

Add to that that He endures. Often others get to know me and then ignore me. Jesus never does that. He is “the Lord, my righteousness.” and has “redeemed me from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for me” and for my sake was made sin even though He never sinned, so I could become righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Not only that, I am secure — He will lose no one that the Father has given Him. All this is good reason to trust Him, but even more, I know Him as my best friend. He said:

You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14–15)

Being close to Jesus, as most Christians know, means constant change. He works all things to transform us into His image. My husband says, “The closer I am to God, the closer I am to you.” This is true; being like Jesus is unifying, another reason He is so precious. He brings me through life experiences by using them for His plan for me. Not only that, He relates to my situations. He knows what it feels like to be misunderstood, ignored, dismissed, and rejected, even by His own people. He also knows the joy of unity with those who do understand, accept, and spend time with Him. He pulls together diversity without making clones or brain-washing to make us think alike, or be like puppets.

PRAY: Jesus, these are some of the reasons that I love You and that You are my Friend. It is Your doing all this, not what I am. You give me hope along with the reality of being like You as my eyes and heart focus on You — without much concern over what I’ve missed or the vacancies experienced. You fill the empty places. You, my incredible Lord and Savior — and Friend. Oh how I love You.

The peace of being loved...

 

Love is often shown by small things. Hubby washing the dishes when I am tired, or making the bed every day, or buying supper so I get a break from cooking. God is our example. Pink tulips may mean nothing to many, but when I said, “Lord, if I’m to have a wreath of pink tulips for my door, You will need to provide them” — He did. And parking places, directions in small things, help with my chores, so much more.

The same love shows up in many prayers. Once I prayed for expensive ivory carved scrimshaw with audacious words: “Lord, I’d like one and only ask because You love me.” And He gave me two pieces, not just one. Such is the love of God. He shows it off and nothing can change it.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39)

That love shows up in what most children would say is not love at all, but because I know He loves me, then I know His rebukes, corrections, discipline chastening and discipline also are acts of love. I didn’t get much of that as a child and actually remember only one time. My mother rebuked me for being a sassy know-it-all at the dinner table. God fills in what she didn’t do. These verses are changed a bit to suit my gender:

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as daughters? “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every child whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as His child. For what daughter or son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not His children. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5–13)

Healing means being rid of the selfishness that is never satisfied because with healing God gives great contentment and peace. Being out of joint is not fun, always wanting and striving rather than being at rest. It is like Jesus in that He gladly abandoned all that He might do the will of God, and when that was declared finished, He sits on an eternal throne and lovingly desires that I sit there with Him.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–7)

PRAY: Lord, nothing has changed in my world. That to-do list is still long. Many prayers are not yet answered, but in the shift from wanting a vague something to being content, I have that peace that goes beyond comprehension. So thankful. Fill me with Yourself that I might glorify You today.

Nothing else will do it . . .

 

 

READ: Ephesians 1-6

I’ve been annoyed with a person who answers everyone, not just me, with stuff about herself. Yesterday I wondered if her failure to be interested in others was God’s way of showing me that I am like that also. So I asked Jesus to show me what I need to hear from His Word. He revealed something else that was a surprise and a blessing. Here are the verses He used:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places . . . . (Ephesians 1:16–23)

From this, He says that I need to remember what God has given me. I don’t need to rely on others to give me what Christ has already given. Then He pointed to this passage:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19)

This passage says my need is to be rooted and grounded in His love and be filled with His fullness. I know that is true; I don’t need to rely on others for love. Christ has given me every bit of love that I need! Then He stopped me again at the next two verses:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20–21)

These words are ‘according to’ —link two ideas. That is, there is a connection between answered prayer and my spiritual life. If I am praying for something and God seems deaf, it could be that He is wanting me to change: either to be better equipped to handle the answer, or to get out of His way, or that I must do something or change before He will work accordingly in whatever I am praying for. I thought it was about seeing my own sin in that person, but He went deeper by telling me His love is sufficient and I don’t need to be loved by others to know that is true. Just rely on His supply.

The passage does tell me how to behave toward others, including those who do not seem to care about me. I’m to walk worthy of my calling with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love . . . and Let no corrupting talk come out of my mouth, but only such as is good for building up . . . that it may give grace to those who hear. I’m not to grieve the Holy Spirit but let go of all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander along with all malice and be kind to others, tenderhearted, forgiving others as God in Christ forgave me.” (Ephesians 4:4:1-3; 29–32)

However, the reading goes on to say I can do none of this without being “filled with the Spirit” and “giving thanks always and for everything” in “reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18–21) This includes wearing God’s spiritual armor so I can speak as I ought to speak (Ephesians 6:17–20), and loving even selfish people as I ought to love, not because I’m particularly good at it, but because Jesus loves me — I do not need this person’s loving attention. She can be unloving without taking away the reality that Jesus loves me!

Lord Jesus, we sing how Your steadfast love is better than life. Nothing else will do. Nothing else will fill the God-shaped vacuum in my heart. Forgive me for wanting human love or anything else to fill that place. None of it satisfies anyway. Grant me grace to be totally satisfied with You and Your great love for me . . . because loving those who seem unable to love is beyond my ability.

 

Tested again . . .

Some people are more lovable than others. Sometimes a person is more lovable at times than at other times, like a cooing baby vs. the same baby whining all day. The measurement is usually how that person (or baby) makes me feel. This is not the love of God.

The love of God is not about being lovable. If it was, He would have no reason to love me. I can be a pain in the neck to people, never mind to a holy and perfect God who looks for righteousness and whose standards are higher than I can reach or even imagine. Thankfully, His love is not based on my performance.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6–8)

The love of God is about who He is, not about who I am. It is unconditional and flows from His heart because that is who He is — a loving God.

And He tells us to love one another like that, not because of the performance of the other person but because I am given this unconditional love and able to pass it on, to love others unconditionally because of Jesus.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7–12)

I got tested on this last night at a quilter’s meeting. Quilters are a generous group and usually kind and loving rather than demanding. I sat beside a person I’d not met and soon discovered that she was an exception, critical of the way the meeting was run, the speaker, how they did the door prizes, the quilts that were displayed in ‘show and tell’ time, the temperature in the room and how long the meeting lasted.

Since love begins in the heart, my initial battle was in my own attitude. I could have responded with criticism of her critical spirit. I could have contradicted her remarks. I could have got up and moved. This was, for me, one of those “what would Jesus do?” situations.

The test included a critical remark about one of the charity quilts. She didn’t know that I had made it. Her remark was subjective and a matter of taste as the quilt itself was not wonky or ugly. How was I supposed to respond to what she said? I didn’t. I thought about defending the quilt but realized that this was not necessary. What was more important was my attitude before God. She had no idea that He was using her to test me and I knew that whatever was motivating her had nothing to do with me. Even so, thoughts of retaliation ran through my head. Thankfully, even though they came in, by the grace of God I was able to let them keep on running and go back out again.

Today I write about this as a reminder that Jesus died for me while I was still a sinner. His grace set me free from the wrath of God. I have no right nor reason to be angry with anyone who ‘sins’ even if they sin against me. Jesus changes love from something based on how the other person makes me feel to something based on the reality of His love that is based only on His character.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, this is a vivid illustration of Your amazing care. I know in my head that Your love is given without me doing anything to deserve it. From this experience, I also have a bit of a glimpse of how Your love feels when I act like a jerk. I’m both amazed and humbled that You care for me because of who You are, not what I am. I’m also dumbfounded that You grant me the grace to care for others the same way.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- God loves me no matter what.

- the Holy Spirit causes that love to be spread to others through His people.

- another wonderful time of prayer with my sisters in Christ.

- a good medical system where I don’t have to wait all day for blood tests.

- my hubby is helpful wherever he sees a need!

- Finishing a quilt — finally.