Song of songs 1:2-3
For your love is better than wine; your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you.
How have I missed the beauty of this book for so long? Oh, I have read it before, numerous times. Except for the Old Testament genealogies, I have read most of the scriptures numerous times. That just happens when you read the same book for over thirty years. But I have never before touched the revelation of His great love that we find in the Song of Solomon. Writing about it brings frustration though. This is not truth that you wrestle with and grasp with the mind, and then wax eloquent over coffee with a friend. No, this is truth you want to experience. This book, tucked away in the middle of the Bible, is like a window into the Kingdom. You meet Him there, you look into His eyes, you are touched by the love. You worship. I hesitate to write about it. I don't want to sound like I am trying to impress anyone with my spirituality. At the same time, I want to encourage anyone who would wander across this writing as they surf through blogdom, to take time to wait before the Lord in this wonderful little portion of the scriptures. Allow the Lord to refresh your heart with His presence and the revealing of His love for you.
Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
Lord, give me the heart of David. Give me a heart that sees that "your love is better than wine".
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Amazing love
Song of Solomon 1:4 says
The king has brought me into his chambers.
That is one of the most amazing sentences in the Bible. Once again, I am almost hesitant to even try to share what that truth is doing in my heart right now. Its like Moses, when the Lord told him to take off his sandals.
The King of all kings, the Creator of the universe, has invited us into His chambers. We are His bride. He wants to share with us the most intimate things in His heart.
Will we make His chambers our resting place? The enemies of our soul will do everything possible to keep us so busy and distracted that we never quite find the time to go there.
Help, Lord.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
That is one of the most amazing sentences in the Bible. Once again, I am almost hesitant to even try to share what that truth is doing in my heart right now. Its like Moses, when the Lord told him to take off his sandals.
The King of all kings, the Creator of the universe, has invited us into His chambers. We are His bride. He wants to share with us the most intimate things in His heart.
Will we make His chambers our resting place? The enemies of our soul will do everything possible to keep us so busy and distracted that we never quite find the time to go there.
Help, Lord.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Good intentions
I ran across a well-intentioned blog entry tonight about saving energy. This person was reacting to a European government hassling people for leaving on electrical appliances that go into a standby mode, and therefore are using energy even when you are not actively using them. Computer equipment, and dvd players are examples. This was my comment on his post:
There is more to conservation than energy consumption. Electronics for example. If you leave your computer on, in standby or sleep mode, it may last twice as long as it would if you turn it on and off every night. Heating up and cooling down, (turning on and turning off) are major factors in the eventual death of electronic components. So... the question is, which is more wasteful? Cutting the life of your computer in half, or using a very small amount of electricity to keep it on and warm all night? I don't know the answer, but its a question that needs to be asked. When the government tells us we have to turn things off to save energy, I would seriously question whether any actual studies have been done to consider the collateral damage. But, they can proudly say that they are passing laws to save the environment, and consequently should be re-elected.
So many good intentions get wasted on plans that are not well thought out. This seems to be especially true when it comes to government. Good intentions and wisdom do not necessarily walk hand in hand.
I am tired. Enough profundity for now.
that's a joke.
There is more to conservation than energy consumption. Electronics for example. If you leave your computer on, in standby or sleep mode, it may last twice as long as it would if you turn it on and off every night. Heating up and cooling down, (turning on and turning off) are major factors in the eventual death of electronic components. So... the question is, which is more wasteful? Cutting the life of your computer in half, or using a very small amount of electricity to keep it on and warm all night? I don't know the answer, but its a question that needs to be asked. When the government tells us we have to turn things off to save energy, I would seriously question whether any actual studies have been done to consider the collateral damage. But, they can proudly say that they are passing laws to save the environment, and consequently should be re-elected.
So many good intentions get wasted on plans that are not well thought out. This seems to be especially true when it comes to government. Good intentions and wisdom do not necessarily walk hand in hand.
I am tired. Enough profundity for now.
that's a joke.
Monday, January 15, 2007
He is worthy
Rev 5:11-14 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne... the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Sometimes it almost seems sacrilegious to comment on what the scripture already says. Sometimes it seems vain to try to find words to express what that truth does in your heart. He is worthy of more love and devotion and worship than we could ever begin to give. We want to question Him every time things don't go just the way we think they should, but we take for granted the riches of His goodness in our lives every day. We are surrounded by objects of wonder. This very body we live in is magnificent beyond words. The beauty of the land, the sky, the sea... they are all so awesome. And it all works together. All of creation is this grand system that is interwoven like a beautiful symphony. I reach for words, for a picture, and I just cant quite get it right. Maybe its my limited abilities of communication, or maybe words just can't do it all justice. I am reminded again of the words of Leonard Ravenhill. "The highest form of worship is speechless adoration."
But I want to share that wonder, that awe, that worship. I want to share it with anyone who cares to see and know and experience the greatness of our God. And that is part of the wonder. His love poured into our hearts.
Lord... you are so good.
Sometimes it almost seems sacrilegious to comment on what the scripture already says. Sometimes it seems vain to try to find words to express what that truth does in your heart. He is worthy of more love and devotion and worship than we could ever begin to give. We want to question Him every time things don't go just the way we think they should, but we take for granted the riches of His goodness in our lives every day. We are surrounded by objects of wonder. This very body we live in is magnificent beyond words. The beauty of the land, the sky, the sea... they are all so awesome. And it all works together. All of creation is this grand system that is interwoven like a beautiful symphony. I reach for words, for a picture, and I just cant quite get it right. Maybe its my limited abilities of communication, or maybe words just can't do it all justice. I am reminded again of the words of Leonard Ravenhill. "The highest form of worship is speechless adoration."
But I want to share that wonder, that awe, that worship. I want to share it with anyone who cares to see and know and experience the greatness of our God. And that is part of the wonder. His love poured into our hearts.
Lord... you are so good.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Its hip to be angry
Spent some time blog-surfing this evening. Man, it is so easy to "waste" a few hours that way. I love seeing what people think, and how they express it. I love "meeting" new people, and some blogs are real and honest enough to let you see who that person really is. I think my blog may have started that way, but mostly now I just preach. Its honest. I try to say what I really think and feel, but I don't often talk about my day, or how my cat died. Usually, if I take time to do this, I am trying to share something I just experienced in the scriptures. I guess that's just who I am. As crazy as it sounds, I really do enjoy reading the bible, and trying to "hear" the voice of God there. Not trying to sound all "spiritual", just being real. To me, that book is like a window into another world. The Spirit uses it to help us understand what this life is all about. Who is God? Who am I? Why are things are the way they are, and what are They planning to do to fix it? There are lots of questions, but I think those are some of the biggies.
Annnyway... I ran across a blog tonight where the guy was ranting about how a pastor at his church had hurt one of his friends. This guy was mad, and was venting his anger on behalf of his wounded friend. I added this comment to his blog entry:
The church is made up of broken people. This includes those who end up in leadership. We are in a process of being perfected in love. A vital part of that process is learning humility as we love people who don't really "deserve" it. Does this excuse bad behavior on anyone's part? Of course not. But the key question for me , and you, and all the rest, is "How did we respond to being mistreated?" Did we let it work deeper brokenness and humility in our own hearts, thus enabling us to love more genuinely ourselves? Or, did we take matters into our own hands? Did we lash out in anger, even if only in the privacy of our own hearts and minds? When we respond that way, when we give in to that very natural urge, we lose. We become part of the darkness. Jesus said to turn the other cheek. Jesus said to give them our coat. Jesus said to go the second mile. He said to look for the log in our own eye before trying to remove the splinter from the eye of our "enemy".
I know you were only venting on behalf of your friend. Been there, done that. It feels good. Standing up to "the man". The problem is, it doesn't do any good. It feels good now, but it wounds your soul. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue (and pen... or keyboard)." Its hip right now to lash out at religion. It can be good to confess our wounds. But an ongoing stream of anger and bitterness neither solves the problems, nor heals your soul. If I have cancer, a good dose of morphine will make my evening tolerable. When I wake up in the morning, the pain is still there, and I am still dying. I am not condemning you or coming down on you in any way. I am only encouraging you to take your pain, and your creativity, and put them to better use. "Love your enemies... bless and curse not..."
There is a lot of anger out there at the church. There are a lot of young people who were pushed into molds to fulfill Mom and Dad's best wishes and intentions. In the zeal of their youth, these kids like to go off on the church. One blog entry after another, ranting and raving about the church, often in the most colorful of language. I understand their frustration. Many times I have to agree with their perceptions. I just pray that the Lord will raise up voices of reason and healing to allow them to process their pain, and then to move on. A never ending rant can only end up in a bitter hardened heart.
And that is a terrible waste...
Annnyway... I ran across a blog tonight where the guy was ranting about how a pastor at his church had hurt one of his friends. This guy was mad, and was venting his anger on behalf of his wounded friend. I added this comment to his blog entry:
The church is made up of broken people. This includes those who end up in leadership. We are in a process of being perfected in love. A vital part of that process is learning humility as we love people who don't really "deserve" it. Does this excuse bad behavior on anyone's part? Of course not. But the key question for me , and you, and all the rest, is "How did we respond to being mistreated?" Did we let it work deeper brokenness and humility in our own hearts, thus enabling us to love more genuinely ourselves? Or, did we take matters into our own hands? Did we lash out in anger, even if only in the privacy of our own hearts and minds? When we respond that way, when we give in to that very natural urge, we lose. We become part of the darkness. Jesus said to turn the other cheek. Jesus said to give them our coat. Jesus said to go the second mile. He said to look for the log in our own eye before trying to remove the splinter from the eye of our "enemy".
I know you were only venting on behalf of your friend. Been there, done that. It feels good. Standing up to "the man". The problem is, it doesn't do any good. It feels good now, but it wounds your soul. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue (and pen... or keyboard)." Its hip right now to lash out at religion. It can be good to confess our wounds. But an ongoing stream of anger and bitterness neither solves the problems, nor heals your soul. If I have cancer, a good dose of morphine will make my evening tolerable. When I wake up in the morning, the pain is still there, and I am still dying. I am not condemning you or coming down on you in any way. I am only encouraging you to take your pain, and your creativity, and put them to better use. "Love your enemies... bless and curse not..."
There is a lot of anger out there at the church. There are a lot of young people who were pushed into molds to fulfill Mom and Dad's best wishes and intentions. In the zeal of their youth, these kids like to go off on the church. One blog entry after another, ranting and raving about the church, often in the most colorful of language. I understand their frustration. Many times I have to agree with their perceptions. I just pray that the Lord will raise up voices of reason and healing to allow them to process their pain, and then to move on. A never ending rant can only end up in a bitter hardened heart.
And that is a terrible waste...
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