Bibledoorajar is in the secret chamber

     Our country girl is in the secret chamber with the king and is enjoying intimate communion with him. Much is being revealed to her about the king and his rule within his kingdom. The girl finds herself adoring the king and her adoration is growing. She can hardly wait to hear what he unfolds about their future together. As the king shares, the country girl is impressed with how limitless their future is to be and how pure and undefiled is the love of the king for her. Her standards of purity and performance are improving in his presence and she is becoming more and more acceptable to the king.

     In the chamber, the girl receives all that the king transmits, giving up her old ways for new ways. There were so many things that her unaided eye had not seen and her unaided ear had not heard before. But, now, in the chamber, the girl is attuned to the king and is made aware of realities never before considered. And best of all, she realizes that her experience is genuine.

    Paul wrote to Timothy (book 1; chapter 2; verse 5) that what Christ unfolds for His own in the secret places is LIMITLESS. It is for the upright and for those whose emotions are unmixed with the world. These who are primed to receive have a pure heart fit for the worship of God. They may approach the altar with the sacrifice of praise or, we might say, they approach the throne in purity of heart and with a good conscience and a genuine faith. This could be called "advanced devotion." Transformed by the presence of the king, we are redeemed to sing a new song and to share glad tidings with the world.

    Praise God for His wonderful plan to transform us into the righteousness of Christ. Praise Him that He sees more in us than the difficulties of sin. What greater miracle is there than that? Bibledoorajar  prays that each of us will seek to spend more time with Him within the secret chamber, basking in mutual love and adoration.

Bibledoorajar asks "Do you desire intimacy with your King?"

     Bibledoorajar asks the hard question: "Do you desire intimacy with your King?" It can, at first glance, seem like an easily answered question. "Yes!" But when we consider that there may be conditions attached to that intimacy, we may backtrack our answer. Jesus said, "If any man shall follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Obviously, there are things in our lives that must be denied and there are "cross" kinds of behaviors that must be adopted so that the needs of Christ may be met. But with the sacrifices comes the sharing of great joy in the secret place, for the Lord is all about sharing joy.

     Our country girl tells her lover that she wants more. Her request is for him to draw her nearer and her request is answered. He brings her into his chambers, his special and secret place. This is a place of affection, of intimate communion and a place of special revelations of the king himself. Here the country girl must accept the rule and reign of the king and be devoted to his purposes but with that devotion comes great joy in return.

In Psalm 91, God speaks of a secret place that is His. If one is blessed to dwell there, he can rest---"rest in the shadow of the Almighty". One can rest because of the trust found there. It is a trust that declares that God will save from the "fowler's snare and from deadly pestilence." As an old health worker, I would often start the day saying jokingly to a friend, "well, let's go stamp out disease and pestilence!" We did what we could, but God's promise to shelter dwellers reflects much more "almightiness".

It is my desire to hide under his feathers in that place of refuge. So, it you are looking for me, check under the feathers. And, by the way, there is unlimited space there for all who want to join me. If I peek out, I will "observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked". I testify that it is a safe place to be. Do you? So today, I claim this promise for all Bibledoorajar readers:

      "Because He loves me, says the Lord, ' I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name. He will call  upon Me; and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."----Psalm 91: 14-16

Bibledoorajar loves the quest for the kiss

We have been looking at our relationship with our King, through the eyes of the country girl and King Solomon. For the girl, a kiss from her shepherd became a quest from her heart. It was her starting point and the basis for all her future experiences with the king. She found that a true and thrilling melody began to flow from her heart. Everything about his nature became highly prized and considered to be of great value. We see her desires beginning to take on a certain strength of purpose. She praised him repeatedly and promoted his name: "all the virgins love you". She ran after him individually, but acknowledged that all (corporately) were running after him too. It is as if she is saying, "I am---we are, impressed with you and how much you love me---us"."

Have you ever noticed two people genuinely in love? Those around them may wish that certain behaviors were different in one or the other, but for the two, it's all about mutual praise and getting to know each other all the more. Love is a wonderful thing. God says it is the most important thing. According to Peter (1 Peter 4:8) love can cover a multitude of sins. Solomon wrote: "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates friends." (Proverbs 17: 9) So, many shortcomings can be overlooked in the presence of love. When we first receive the gift of life from our Shepherd, our love and gratitude for His overlooking our sin is paramount in our thinking. How wonderful it is that He can overlook our shortcomings and love us still. But as our love grows, a deeper mutuality which calls for our giving Him more righteousness occurs. We want that kiss! The Bible gives no time line for when a believer develops a deeper love for the king nor does it give the time line that the Holy Spirit follows to bring about the more mature love. But, even not knowing these things, the truly called pursue such depth of relationship. More. It's all about more. How can I know Him more and how can I express my love to Him more? And, so we sing with Eliza Hewitt:

        "More about Jesus let me learn, more of His holy will discern. Spirit of God, my Teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me.

         More about Jesus on His throne, riches in glory all His own. More of His kingdom's sure increase, More of His coming Prince of Peace."

Bibledoorajarcontinues to examine "the kiss"

Last week, Bibledoorajar observed that the country girl desired an intimate kiss from her newly found shepherd. She longed for that personal relationship that allows for such personal kisses. But, as you may recall, we also observed that such intimacy comes with a maturing mutual relationship. The king, himself, is also pursuing the kiss and very much wants to give it, but the timing must be perfect. It will come after the couple experience many blessed things together. The king is waiting until the girl appreciates that her shepherd is also the king and that therefore such a kiss cannot be taken lightly. The king has no desire to give the kiss to one who may continue to pursue kisses from another.

Our Christ has told us in the written Word when His bride gets the "kiss". It is a part of our maturing relationship with Him. As we mature in Him, our every righteous effort is met with the kiss. According to Ephesians 2:14, JESUS HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE. And, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, the Father "made HIM who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in HIM".

These verses make it clear that in our beloved, God perceives us a righteous and provides the help we need to live out a righteous point of view complete with righteous acts. Praise God, it is the kiss! In Psalms 85:10 we find that RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE kiss each other! The Father's criteria has been met; the relationship is blessed.

This is a freeing truth and the beginning of real spiritual progress. As the bride believes deeply within her spirit that the bridegroom will never leave her or forsake her, she is poised to live righteously. She  believes that any pain and tears she experiences as He helps us learn righteousness are worth everything. The bride gets the kisses because He is a rewarder of them that diligently (earnestly) seek Him and His gifts.

Thank you Father for our pathway to righteousness. And thank you for the King of Glory who showers us with kisses and will bring us all the way home to the palace. Lord, come quickly!

Bibledoorajar examines "the kiss"

     Bibledoorajar sends all its' readers "love and kisses". That's what we are examining this week. In our love story, the country girl has given her heart to her shepherd, but he then tells her that he must go away but she must know that he will surely return. So the girl waited and the days passed by. Her friends and family ridiculed her, saying that she had been hoodwinked by the shepherd. But she loves him and trusts him. She thinks about him all the time. One night she was sure she smelled his fragrance. She just knew  that he was near by. He had not forgotten her!!! As she was working in her vineyard one day, the girl sees dust flying like smoke. But she is busy and does not pay much attention to just who might be passing by. Perhaps another merchant in a very big hurry. Finally, someone comes and tells her that Solomon, the king, is asking for her. The girl is astonished that the king would be asking for her, a simple country girl. She demurely says, "me, why I have never even met the king. He can't be asking for me!"

But the king was and he said:

     "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away"--Song 2: 8-10

It was true. The king, himself, wanted to take her to his palace. When the girl gets to the palace she is in no wise ready for marriage to the king. She speaks often with the other ladies of court and tells them of her shepherd and how often he spoke with desire for her. She tells them she is very interested in the shepherd and wants to know him more fully. And, she says she knows that he is interested in her for the long haul, not just some fly by night experience.

     Meanwhile the king continues his plans to marry the girl and he provides her with vital communication and instructions. With these, she can become productive and worthy of marriage to him. The king has riches to share as well as authority. His abundant resources will help the girl. But what the girl is wondering is when can she get back to her shepherd and when will her shepherd KISS her? She longs for the kiss that accompanies a very personal relationship. The kind of kiss that reflects an intense need to be close and to be involved in a very personal pursuit. She wants the kiss NOW, but the suitor is holding off for some reason. She asks why?

In the beginning, we all desire a relationship with the Shepherd and we can honestly say, "I was glad when they said, let us go up to the house of the Lord". We love experiencing the grace and mercy and have an interest in getting to know our bridegroom more fully. And, we soon learn that Jesus, too, has a great desire for us and that his interest in us is for the long haul. He, in His wisdom, knows just what kind of bride he wants. In the long run, she must be mature and so He provides vital communication and instructions in order that we may grow spiritually. He provides many spiritual gifts which become great assets in our lives. We must learn how to rule and reign with Him, and He has sent His Holy Spirit to assist. He is well qualified to bring us into maturity. We are like the girl, wondering when He will kiss us. If we have experienced the kiss on the neck (forgiveness--see the story of the prodigal son) then we long for the kiss of intimacy. Forgiveness, as wonderful as it is, is no longer enough. We must have a personal relationship with Him. But just when does the written word say we will get that kind of kiss? We will take a look at that next week. In the meantime, we ask the Holy Spirit for His help--"Come, Holy Spirit, breathe on us and help us learn the etiquette of the King's court".