This week my minister spoke to our congregation about securing our salvation--realizing the need to be trained and disciplined to fully accept the grace the Lord so willingly gives us. This idea of training and making progress can be seen in the three main divisions or themes of the Song of the Bride. There is that first stage. The bride is attracted to the King, but still is so into herself. Her position is 'what's in it for me?' Every Christian is either at this stage or can remember being there. The Spirit woos the believer to pursue Him, to think of Him, but most days are spent not doing so. It is so easy to dismiss Him and there are so many questions not yet settled. Frances Havergal explores this theme in the hymn, "Is it for Me?":
"Is it for me, dear Savior, Thy glory and Thy rest--For me, so weak and sinful? O shall I be so blest?"
Entranced, the bride wonders. Like us, she had questions. For her and us, in time, many of them are answered. We find ourselves asking not just what's in it for me, but now, what's in it for Him? Suddenly we realize He thinks of us and has desires that only we can fulfill. E.B. Lorenz wrote:
"Amid the trials which I meet, Amid the thorns which pierce my feet, One thought remains supremely sweet, Thou thinkest Lord of me!"
It becomes gratifying to know that He will not be dismissed so easily. The bride's old self did not suit the needs of the king. Like her, the Christian has to be willing to be changed. We begin to see what He wants as His reward and we are willing to pursue just that.
The third theme is one of the bride's love maturing into a beautifully transformed love. She is ready to be at home with him. Like the bride, Christians must become ready for their eternal home with our King. Now the question is not just, what's in it for me, or what's in it for Him, but rather, what's in it for us? What will we share together? And, we begin to see what our glory will be. As N.H. Lines penned:
"When in His glory the Savior I see, And in His likeness forever shall be; There from the trials of earth to be free, that will be glory for me, be glory for me."
There are sub-themes in the book and we will explore them, but these three are the primary themes: learning to love sacrificially, learning to love more dearly, and longing to live forever with Him in His kingdom. Vana Raye expressed it this way:
"In the kingdom of the Lord there is grace for for every heart; In the kingdom of the Lord blessings come and sins depart. In the kingdom, there alone, are the saved, the good, the blest; Here the Savior knows His own, Here is joy and peace and rest. In the kingdom of the Lord, Christ abides-He is the King! It is ours to love His word, To submit in everything; Oh glorious Kingdom! Bride of the Savior! Living forever, God's purpose to fulfill."
It is a thrilling and fulfilling journey that the Lord's bride is on. The important thing is to keep on seeking, keep on looking for the One we love, keep on pleasing Him. The door of the kingdom is fully ajar for such people. God is good!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Bibledoorajar looks at a Cinderella Story
The Song of the Bride and her groom is a sacred story. For those of us who wish to be loved by the Lord it is personal. The book is usually referred to in the Bible as the Song of Solomon. Solomon, as you may recall, means "peaceful". He was the son of David, so the song is also referred to as the Song of the Son. Sometimes it is called the Song of the Bride because of its' focus on the bride. The bride is characterized as the "Schulamite" woman which means " peace is hers". From these meanings we learn that the son "Peaceful" desires to give his peace to "peace is hers". The song is also referred to as the Song of Songs because it is felt to be the apex of all love melodies that one could sing. Scholars often compare its focus on love to 1 Cor. 13 in the New Testament. For every sinner who desires love through redemption, it is a Cinderella story come true.
We know that the song was composed by Solomon, a man who was called to be a lover of God. He wrote the song during his reign of peace and during the time he wanted to be close to God and to share His wisdom with all who came near. The setting of the story takes place in the main in the beautiful palace of Solomon, but there are some flashbacks to previous settings. It is dramatic with dialogue going back and forth between the lovers. But there is definitely a spiritual message for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The story announces what is to come for the spiritually minded. The bride is to be the groom's perfect reward. The groom is to be the bride's perfect reward. There is an engagement period and a wedding day. In the song, much happens to the bride as she prepares for the wedding. The message of the song is just the opposite of Solomon's Ecclesiastes. In that book, Solomon writes of a life of wandering and pursuit of things under the sun. He finds no satisfaction in knowledge alone and realizes that often wrong things are sought in wrong ways. The result: MISERY. But in the Song, Solomon writes of a life resting from wandering and of the realization that satisfaction comes only through love. If right things are pursued in right ways the result: BLESSEDNESS.
The theme of the book is excellent love--a thrilling and fulfilling love relationship. He is the beloved; she is the beloved. Such fragile love requires the delicate handling seen in the story. Who can deny that the Lord deals with us so delicately as He prepares the wedding feast? He is so patient and kind--the perfect manifestation of 1 Cor 13. How He gently woos us. Surely He is worthy of all our praises! How blessed we are to be loved and pursued by Him. How blessed we are to return His love.
We know that the song was composed by Solomon, a man who was called to be a lover of God. He wrote the song during his reign of peace and during the time he wanted to be close to God and to share His wisdom with all who came near. The setting of the story takes place in the main in the beautiful palace of Solomon, but there are some flashbacks to previous settings. It is dramatic with dialogue going back and forth between the lovers. But there is definitely a spiritual message for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The story announces what is to come for the spiritually minded. The bride is to be the groom's perfect reward. The groom is to be the bride's perfect reward. There is an engagement period and a wedding day. In the song, much happens to the bride as she prepares for the wedding. The message of the song is just the opposite of Solomon's Ecclesiastes. In that book, Solomon writes of a life of wandering and pursuit of things under the sun. He finds no satisfaction in knowledge alone and realizes that often wrong things are sought in wrong ways. The result: MISERY. But in the Song, Solomon writes of a life resting from wandering and of the realization that satisfaction comes only through love. If right things are pursued in right ways the result: BLESSEDNESS.
The theme of the book is excellent love--a thrilling and fulfilling love relationship. He is the beloved; she is the beloved. Such fragile love requires the delicate handling seen in the story. Who can deny that the Lord deals with us so delicately as He prepares the wedding feast? He is so patient and kind--the perfect manifestation of 1 Cor 13. How He gently woos us. Surely He is worthy of all our praises! How blessed we are to be loved and pursued by Him. How blessed we are to return His love.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Bibledoorajar opens for the Song of the Bride
As we have learned so much about our King via the Queen's visit with King Solomon, I thought it might be fun to spend some time looking at King Solomon's Song of the Bride. God has made it clear that He will rejoice over His people as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. In Isaiah 62:5, we read:
"As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."
In Revelation we read of Christ returning as a bridegroom for His bride. We read:
"Let us rejoice and be glad! Let us give Him the glory! For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself---fine linen, bright and clean has been given her to wear"--Revelation 19 ff).
Part of Christ's glory will be His bride dressed in fine linen --the righteous deeds of His people--the ones who are blessed to be invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. These are God's own words concerning the feast and are the ones that the angel instructed John to write down. The words are a testimony of Jesus--the Spirit of Prophecy and constitute a reassuring promise that will indeed come true. One day the faithful bride will see her faithful bridegroom and, therefore, we must realize the wisdom of our righteous deeds. Since it is in righteousness that He will judge the world, He will surely recognize our efforts. It will be wonderful to be included in this wedding feast and to be with our bridegroom -- the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is sad to think of those who will not experience the wonderful things of God at the wedding feast. They can expect to experience Him treading the winepress from which flows the wine of the furious rage of God. I, for one, prefer the wedding feast and eternal bliss. How about you? Next week we will begin the story of Solomon and the Schulamite bride. Have a great week!
"As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."
In Revelation we read of Christ returning as a bridegroom for His bride. We read:
"Let us rejoice and be glad! Let us give Him the glory! For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself---fine linen, bright and clean has been given her to wear"--Revelation 19 ff).
Part of Christ's glory will be His bride dressed in fine linen --the righteous deeds of His people--the ones who are blessed to be invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. These are God's own words concerning the feast and are the ones that the angel instructed John to write down. The words are a testimony of Jesus--the Spirit of Prophecy and constitute a reassuring promise that will indeed come true. One day the faithful bride will see her faithful bridegroom and, therefore, we must realize the wisdom of our righteous deeds. Since it is in righteousness that He will judge the world, He will surely recognize our efforts. It will be wonderful to be included in this wedding feast and to be with our bridegroom -- the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is sad to think of those who will not experience the wonderful things of God at the wedding feast. They can expect to experience Him treading the winepress from which flows the wine of the furious rage of God. I, for one, prefer the wedding feast and eternal bliss. How about you? Next week we will begin the story of Solomon and the Schulamite bride. Have a great week!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Bibledoorajar says farewell to the queen.
Today we say our farewells to the queen and to king Solomon. They have had a great story to tell and we thank them for all the lessons we have learned from this period of Jewish history. But we have come to know, and to know unequivocally, that "a greater than Solomon is here." There is even a greater story to tell! It is about the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus Christ. He reigns. He desires to manifest the fullness of the wisdom of God. In so doing, many of the world will abandon their spiritual ignorance and behold the glory and wisdom and knowledge of God and see Him in the midst of His people. People will become convinced of divine things and choose to love His kingdom as they invest time in seeking Him.
Are we helping to spread the fame of God abroad? Are we seeking the wisdom of the Lord in our churches so that the principalities and powers in the heavenly places see its' evidence in our lives? Do we desire to be a valued vessel cleansed and dedicated to honorable and noble purposes? The church is hallowed for His Name sake and is to be the pillar and bulwark of the truth, each member sharing a heavenly calling to esteem Jesus as the builder of the most honorable house, the one that is over all others. We strive to have good food on our church tables and to lead others in tasting the heavenly gifts. All over the world, churches are positioned to show forth the resources of His grace and to show how great is His kindness. We stand in His presence befitting the King. We are clothed in appropriate dress--the beautiful white linen of His righteousness. So dressed, we can confidently "go up to the house of the Lord". May all our visitors see the wisdom of the Lord in His church. Jesus, what a wonder you are!
"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything"
Hebrews 3:4
Are we helping to spread the fame of God abroad? Are we seeking the wisdom of the Lord in our churches so that the principalities and powers in the heavenly places see its' evidence in our lives? Do we desire to be a valued vessel cleansed and dedicated to honorable and noble purposes? The church is hallowed for His Name sake and is to be the pillar and bulwark of the truth, each member sharing a heavenly calling to esteem Jesus as the builder of the most honorable house, the one that is over all others. We strive to have good food on our church tables and to lead others in tasting the heavenly gifts. All over the world, churches are positioned to show forth the resources of His grace and to show how great is His kindness. We stand in His presence befitting the King. We are clothed in appropriate dress--the beautiful white linen of His righteousness. So dressed, we can confidently "go up to the house of the Lord". May all our visitors see the wisdom of the Lord in His church. Jesus, what a wonder you are!
"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything"
Hebrews 3:4
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