Bibledoorajar discusses Savior and Lord

     Thank God that our country girl's nightmare has ended on a positive note. In the end, she realized the love of her life was both her savior AND Lord. When she told her friends that he was altogether lovely, her realizations were full of descriptions of his wonderful complex personality and physical attributes. He was altogether lovely. Her words, however ancient, describe someone who is full of beauty and splendor. He is matchless according to  her testimony and she convinces the daughters of Jerusalem that she had been wrong in rejecting his coming ("Oh, all you who hear"). The daughters respond, "Where has he gone, your lover, so that we may seek him with you?" And once again, they elevate the bride by calling her the "fairest among women." She is seeing clearly now!

     We can all rejoice when our testimony to our Lord is such that those around us are caused to declare their desire to seek Him. And those declarations call for a response from us too. From the beginning God the Father wanted the value of Christ to be known. When reading in the book of Leviticus about the Great Offerings God required of His people, one sees that God started by explaining the Burnt Offering. The offering made (by Christ) and its value was directly related to the Father ("God gave His only..."). Next the Meal offering and the Peace Offering and lastly the Sin and Trespass Offering---all ministering to the spiritual needs of God's people.  But when the people of Israel responded they did so in reverse by approaching first with the sin offering. This revealed understanding of their basic human need. God says His Son is altogether lovely, full of compassion even when He must whisper words of rebuke and never must we lose His value to the Father. The Father demands He become Savior and Lord.

     The ladies of Jerusalem are told that she knows where her shepherd--king will be. He has gone to his garden--to happy surroundings. She knows she must look for him there. Next week we will  see if they find him there.

     Just as the Father established four great offering to set forth the aspects of what Christ has done for us, so He ordained four distinct gospels to describe this savior and king in His earthly life. Reading them is a great way to get to know the Son of Man (the earth) , Son of God (the heavens). Enjoy!

    

Bibledoorajar explores the "nightmare"

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,

you will bear much fruit; APART FROM ME you can do nothing."

     In her nightmare, the country girl is not helped by the city watchmen to find her lover as she was in her first dream. Now the ladies of the court who once wanted to meet her every need have demanded that she give a good reason why they should help her. She was the one who by behaving so lightly had joined them in their more distant position from the king. Apparently, by treating the king so lightly, our country girl had infected others to treat him lightly too. She is no longer viewed by them as having exalted status. She had become like any other.

     In is a very sad thing to watch a Christian fall into and remain trapped in a public sin. One's attitude, if not careful, can be as the watchmen and the ladies of the court. But even if we struggle to pray and be compassionate toward that person, we still have the realization that they are missing eternal moments by placing sin at a higher place in their heart. But when they repent, our hearts are filled with joy because holy status has been reclaimed through the grace of God and eternal treasures have been reclaimed. 

Our country girl came to her senses too. She tells the others about the greatness of her husband. He is not only a shepherd with hair filled with dew from caring for the sheep, but he is also a richly adorned king. "He is the fairest of ten thousand and altogether lovely," she says. He is not only her beloved; he is her friend. This is the greatest of revelations and very romantic!

Today, may we all realize the goal: "In Him we live and move and have our being."--Acts 17:28. Have a blessed week.

Bibledoorajar looks at His inconvenient visit

     Yes, our country girl was indeed living in the palace married to the King. Her rooms and personal comforts were the best she had eve known. She loved them and enjoyed the luxury of them. She enjoyed the king too, but sometimes he had a way of showing up in her rooms at a most inconvenient time. Our story tells of one time when he came to her, calling out for his love, after she had already retired for the evening. It was a most inconvenient time and besides he came in from being with his sheep and did not clean up first. How in the world did he expect her to share her luxurious bed and her other comforts with a man who had been with all those smelly sheep? And so, though her heart leaped at the sound of her lover, she did not open to him. Surely he could come at a more convenient time. Did he not realize how thoughtless he was being? Did he really expect that she too must smell like sheep after having been delivered to such a luxurious place? Wasn't she, now the queen, above all that?

 Fortunately, for the Queen it appears she was having a terrible nightmare from which she was able to awake. Whew! I have been told by many spiritual people, and indeed I too have experienced it, that the Lord will come to you in the night asking you to pray and to share the inconveniences of the night watch. I can sadly say that I, being dulled by sleep, have turned Him away at times, asking Him to come when I am more rested and it is more convenient. But, PTL, there have been times, like this early morning, when I have known I could not leave him "outside" for I know He desires for me to open the door with the same love I had for Him when He first saved me. After all, the luxury of the sweet smelling spices and the comfort of safety that I enjoy have all come from Him. And so, I declare anew, I want to be with you, help me to do so. Help me to not disappoint and insult you, O, Lord with any lukewarmness. Please don't be angry with me as you were with Israel of old when they spurned you. but if you must chasten (Hebrews 12: 5-6) help me to mature and willing to help You establish your ways in the earth.

The church must awake and realize it may take 24/7 for us to accomplish all the Lord desires for the earth:

  "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,

and the gates of hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of

the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven."

Matthew 16: 18-19

Lord, we want to be a victorious Bride believing that the principalities and powers of heaven must cave as we participate with you in establishing your ways in the earth. Your kingdom can and must come through your church using all that You, O God, have. Faith is the victory!

Lord, it is a very serious prayer this morning. We know how you hate lukewarmness and the spurning of your Son by His love. Help us wield the keys of heaven with great authority. Amen.

Bibledoorajar looks at the best life has to offer

     The bridegroom had gifted the bride, our country girl, and she had offered her garden filled with beautiful scents and perfumes just to him. He had accepted her offer and had come and been thoroughly entranced with her beauty. It was the good life in Israel, the best one could ever expect, and it had happened to our country girl! The daughters of Jerusalem admonished the couple to "drink, yes drink abundantly"--a call to enjoy their love fully. The country girl had been given life to be lived at a higher level with the King of Israel, reflecting his glory. All the people around the couple were enjoying the celebration and the joy of their union.The guests were excited!

     In John 10:10, Jesus stated that He came that those who accepted Him would have life and life abundantly. He alone could give the best this life had to offer--life in the spirit. This offer of eternal life is the best this earthly life of death and sin has to offer. It alone will give us full satisfaction and meaning. Surely we, like the country girl, the bride of Solomon, would want to share our union with the One greater than Solomon to all who sees our joy. A while back, Bill Gaither wrote:

Get all excited, go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King

I said, get all excited go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King

Get all excited, go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King

Jesus Christ is still the King of Kings!

Share the joy today!

    

Bibledoorajar desires the odors of the garden

     I recently entered my home after having been away for several months. It wasn't that it smelled terribly bad but it did not smell fresh either. A friend boiled some sweet herbs and carried them through the house, gently wafting the pot. Within minutes there was a sweet smell within the house.

    The country girl, now married, is as a garden full of scents to the bridegroom. He lists all kinds of fruits and their scents and the waters that make them fruitful. It is a garden closed up that can only be entered by him. The country girl is so anxious that her scents be pleasant to the king that she invokes the north wind  to come but because of its drying capacities she asked that it be moderated by the south wind that would bring cooling rain to combat the dryness.  With the winds blowing through( not in) her garden, she could be assured the king would smell the wonderful spices and scents. He, the king, would have full rights to all the wonderful smells of the garden emanating from its' beauty and would want to come in.

      What a reminder, to us that, since we are married to our king, the garden of our lives is a place in which the Lord wishes to dwell and enjoy all the scents of our lives. O, Holy Spirit, blow through our garden too!  Help us to smell wonderfully for our king. O King, may You fully enjoy Yourself. We fully yield our garden to our King. You alone have access!

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, Falling on my ear, 

The son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own; 

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known.

Austin Miles, 1912

Bibledoorajar loves the King's Adoration

     Last night my favorite movie of the year, "The King's Speech", won the Academy Award. I was excited! But not nearly excited as I am when I think of the King's speech for his beloved country girl!
Married life has begun for the couple and the bridegroom is ecstatic with the promise of it. He sees nothing but good things happening for he and his bride. She is going to be so productive and wonderful fruit will come forth from the one who has "ravished the eyes of the king". They are now in Jerusalem in royal places and free to do as they wish without criticism.

The king is completely satisfied with his bride. And, so is our bridegroom. He has made us "without blemish and without spot" (See Ephesians 5: 27) and His desire is to be with us always.  He will take us to heaven, a place where we will no longer be criticized and where we can enjoy his presence forever united with Him. Can you see yourself as a thing of beauty for the King? Better than wine? Perfumed and fragrant? Better looking and more desired than all the rest of creation? Perfect? Don't think of your physical attributes--think spiritual attributes. Think of the beauty of holiness. Think of reciprocated love. I hope this is the way it is for you.

Take time to be holy, Speak oft with the Lord;

Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word.

Make friends of God's children; Help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek.

Take time to be holy, The world rushes on; Spend much

time in secret With Jesus alone. Abiding in Jesus, Like

Him thou shalt be, Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

  W.D. Longstaff

Bibledoorajar listens to the King's speech

The country girl has arrived! She is still a country girl, humbly human in all her qualities, but now she is adorned with a beautiful gold necklace given to her by the King. The necklace denotes that she belongs to the king. It was a necklace made up of many pieces hanging around it in rows and rows. This piece of jewelry completely complements her humanity which is described in beautiful ways. She has wonderful hair, wonderful teeth, wonderful breasts and Solomon is really trying to say, "Hey, you are perfectly beautiful to me, and my royal necklace shines forth completing your beauty!"

God has always wanted a people of his own that he could place a piece of heaven on and therefore shine forth through them. How often He told Israel this. In Psalms 50, He put it this way:

From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.

Our God comes and will not be silent... vs.2-3

But it is a sad story that God's people have not always wanted a heavenly relationship, being made one with the Beloved. Instead, He was forgotten, abandoned for other gods and finally totally rejected when He personally came to the humans He loved. But for those who have accepted His love and have received Jesus, He is perfecting us and hanging around our necks impartations of the heavenly nature.

He emphasizes our perfections. Our hair is lovely because we have come under His authority. We are a presentable human for the world to look upon. The country girl's temples were lovely. Our temples are lovely thanks to the renewing of our minds toward Christ and His reign. We are protected by our Christ just as the country girl's necklace of shields indicated she would be protected by her King. The country girl understood the strength given her upon being connected with the son of David. We, too, are connected to the son of David and so we sing:

Hosanna, to the Son of David,

Hosanna to the King of kings.

Hosanna to the Son of David,

Hosanna to the King!

Lord, thank You for Your plan that marries our humanity with the heavenly making us a beautiful entity to shine forth Your love and wonder!  Holy Spirit, illuminate us and make us full of His glory. Amen!