It has been a while since I last wrote properly on this blog. I have had a hard time getting back into my daily routine after a time away, but I am grateful to be finally getting there. As I write tonight, my heart is filled with gratitude to the Faithful and True. I had the privilege of visiting a local congregation in the city and it was a lovely time to be with brothers and sisters whom I didn’t know. Truly, the aroma of Christ is around his followers. I was also reminded today of the God who fights our battle no matter how much effort we think we put in the “fighting”, the outcome belongs to the LORD and that is why we have to quit striving and simply rest in Him. Maybe like me, you needed that reminder today, so, be still and know the LORD (Psalm 46:10). In case that is not enough, remember that you serve a God that is faithful to His word, One who cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), One who keeps His covenant with His people. Furthermore, this God is with you and for you and to top it all off, He can do anything, far beyond what we can think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)! Sometimes, I wonder like the hymn says, “How can it be”? Today’s post is going to be a bit different as I do not have a specific topic I would like to address but simply share with you two of the big themes that stemmed from my reading this week.
The first theme is on marriage, and it is that the institution of marriage is sacred and beautiful. This is a given if you follow Jesus and submit to his teachings. However, I was struck in reading the Songs of Solomon to see how precious that union is and how much love and passion are essential to that intimacy in a married couple. It is sad to see how the world has perverted this beautiful union with sinful and demonic practices. Something that I couldn’t get pass by was the way the Bride and her Beloved delighted in one another, as though no one else existed and each other found the other party to be the best in the world (Songs 1:8-10; 2, 4). I must say, in reading it I wondered if that was even possible to attain, or if it was possible to have such love and desire for a person or whether it was more an allegory of how our union with Christ is. I am no expert at love, but I do know for a fact that, it is a kind of love you want to have and give to others. I am so thankful that this is the type of love we get from the Father as displayed in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for all those who would believe. In love, the Father pursued us, He was foolishly passionate with us, even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) and unworthy of love, He did that knowing full well that some of us would still refuse His love, yet He offered it anyway. What manner of love is this, indeed? If you do not know Jesus, I beseech you to get to know him because he offers the kind of love you are longing for, the kind of love you were created for. He is ready for you, he has made a way by dying on the cross, taking the punishment that you deserved, delivering you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, giving you a new identity, a new family and all you need to do now is accept him by repenting of your sins. This is the open invitation that the Father is extending to you through His Son Jesus Christ. You may not experience this kind of love on this earth, but I guarantee you, in Him, you will experience an even greater love. It is a mystery after all (Ephesians 5:32). To those of you that are married, I pray that you learn to love your wife, the way the lovers of the Songs of Solomon do, I pray you grow in passion for her or him and that you seek the LORD to stir your heart to love especially if it has gone cold. If there are no feelings, beg the LORD to give you the kind of feelings He intended for couples to have. The Bride and her Beloved in the Songs of Solomon are two very selfless people who enjoy each other so I pray your union reflects that.
The second theme that was prevalent this week while reading the scriptures is that much of what we do in our lives stems from fear. We are exhorted to be people of courage, but we are not. Yet, the Christian life is a life of courage, and we cannot walk faithfully without it. Unbeknown to us, we have become accustomed to fear, and we excuse it because it is culturally accepted or the norm. We are afraid of what people will think or say, we are afraid of being the odd one out, we are afraid of losing friends, we are afraid of losing money, we are afraid of dying, we are afraid of living, we are afraid of being alone, and the list goes on. I think it is a tragedy, and I am not sure how we got to this point. The reality is that for many of us, fear has become an idol. We have put it on a pedestal, loved it more than we love the God we have pledged our allegiance to, the One who deserves all the glory, honour and power. The Bible is filled with passages and commands about not being afraid or living a courageous life and that must be because our natural tendency is to be afraid. In Christ, we have been given every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3) which includes the spirit of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). Where there is fear, there is no love as we are told that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). I believe part of our problem is that we operate as though God is not with us, but Emmanuel has come, and He is! Yesterday, the verse of the day in my Bible app was taken from Luke 1:37 which says, “For nothing will be impossible with God”. Simple but powerful statement and I wondered, what would happen if we actually believed that it is true? How many passages are similar or convey similar truths in the Bible, yet we do not believe those, though we proclaim them. What would it take for us to get back to that childlike faith, taking God at His word like a child does? I don’t know about you, but I had to repent of this and pray for more faith to live like what I read every day is true and not just so I can be puffed up in knowledge or feel good about myself.
May we be people who are humble before the LORD, who trust in Him fully and whose lives are devoted to seeing His kingdom come. I pray the LORD gives us the grace to live courageous lives, to live in submission and to live in love. May we love the word of God which is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). Search us O LORD and know our thoughts, see if there be any wickedness in us (Psalm 139:23-24). We long to be true worshippers of you and spread your aroma wherever we are. Amen!
