March 28

TRIPLET: Of Walking with Him

Chosen, we enter as His beloved; His bride, and we begin our bridal march. Yes, we start out in this life; as did the thief on the cross, but we end the day with Jesus in paradise.

Of His Desire Towards You and Me —

“I am my beloved’s, And His desire is toward me.” This, the Shulamite woman said of her beloved in the Song of Songs, Chapter 7; verse 10. Is this true for you? I pray so. Many who profess to believe in Jesus lack such assurance of God’s love and they languish in their guilt and shame. They wonder aloud, “Is He, my beloved?” But is that what is written in this verse? No, we; as the Shulamite, must by faith exclaim, “I am His; my beloved’s.” How do I know this? Because His desire is towards me! I did not look for Him to seduce Him, Left on my own, I would have run from Him because in my flesh… my sinful flesh and evil desires… there was so much more: greater enticements and activities. Still, I knew His desire. His Spirit interceded, quickened my eyes to see Him for the first time. He whisked me away; perhaps now in a wilderness to others, but protected during this increasingly darkened hour. Yes, as King David said, my Lord “makes me lie down by still waters. He restores my soul.”  Today, He dwells in me and desires me still.

Beloved reader, please do not make the same error that many have made in their union with Him. We are not the husband. We are the bride. A bride comes by invitation and says ‘yes’ when she knows her suitor is the most handsome, wonderful, powerful, wise, wealthy, kind and gentle person who ever graced this world! Oh, how could He even look at me; let alone engage me with His tender words of affection and love? Beloved, if we know He is there behind the lattice; peaking in, then listen for His call. Then, and only then, shall we know His desire is for us as did the Shulamite. His desire is made known; revealed to us in our hearts, souls, minds and working in us a will to believe. As One who appears to us through a cosmic lattice and sin-stained window, we find His eyes are on us. They are fixed; as even His eyes were fixed on Jerusalem when He went up to the cross! Yes, the cross! That is the lattice that He climbed and looking down and through our sin-stained heart-shaped windows, He saw… you. Such is the desire that He has towards us.

March 29

I love the imagery of the ocean and its mastery. More importantly, may we love its Master.

Of Staying on Course —

You know, it’s one thing to be like a ship, tossed to and fro, as James described it, by every flash-in-the-pan doctrine of fool’s gold. Yes, we can be thrown all over the map. However, where we are a ship with Christ at our helm, we are steady on course—a course heaven bound and eternal. We start our journey with our eyes firmly fixed on the horizon and our beloved guiding star. However, after a while, our journey can become what seems a blasé venture; especially when we see the many party ships passing by; most assuredly headed in the opposite direction. Of course, when that time comes and we suffer distractions, it’s not surprising storms arise. We might even be thrown off course for a time. The days can become frightening as the winds begin to howl; sheets of rain fall that threaten to drown us and lightning flashes over us. It is then, however, that we might find the Holy Spirit urging us to look down to see whose hands had taken the wheel. We see ours. Not surprisingly, we are more than willing; if not anxious, for Jesus to take it; after confessing our mutiny. It is then, and in the fulness of God’s time in our passage, that we  find the skies clearing and are able to see the distant shore once again.

March 30

In God’s desire for you and me and our course, we are all teachers. Other’s watch and observe us. Teaching is not just a matter of speaking. You’ve heard that words are cheap, and that is true, when they are not minted in purest gold. Our words often reflect actions of a fools gold; shiny but without any eternal value.

Of God’s Word, The Narrow, and Correction —

I don’t expect you to agree entirely with what I write. I certainly hope; as God leads that what I write is rightly divided. In that I mean, my views are neither left nor right of the ‘narrow’ way that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:14, but leads us to the strait gate. If the message and instruction of the Gospel is unclear, I have either communicated poorly what I’ve said, or the ears of the hearer may have bounced off a tympanic membrane that reflected the hardness  of their heart. Of course, where you believe that I erred completely, I pray you would feel safe to comment at this site.

Nonetheless, our personal understanding of God’s Word, meaning and application may be different, but we can walk that narrow path. If we are truly in Christ Jesus, then our lives are indwelled and sealed by the Holy Spirit. It is God’s faithfulness that preserves us; not our knowledge, works or personal piety. We live and worship because we were saved by the precious blood of the Lamb of God; and only that. We’re not perfect in understanding; especially given the inexhaustible nature of God and His eternal mysteries; as only partially revealed in the Scriptures. God has not disclosed all of His glorious secrets. Moreover, our conduct and behavior may not always reflect Christ Jesus as the Way, Truth and the Life. Personally, I must tell you that my pride often prevented me from confessing my known sins; first before God; then to those I’ve harmed. When I depend on my intellect; rather than His Spirit to instruct me, I surely err; but I pray I will not; as Demas (2 Timothy 4:10), return to the world. I don’t believe I will because God is faithful and true. I am His. However, there are many who return to the world. How does that happen? When they tasted of His Kingdom, involved themselves for their own profit and looking  to garner earthly accolades and praises—as preachers, teachers, self-proclaimed healers, talented singers and musicians—they didn’t receive what they expected. Sadly, many who tasted never fully found themselves consumed by the love of Christ. They turned aside, but…

I want to know the truth! We all should. But learning to know the truth involves more than simply understanding what is read or placing trust in another. It is neither a matter of literacy nor depending on another’s teachings—trusting in mine or another’s education, culture, background, longevity or reputation as teachers or ministers. These are meaningful qualifications, yes, but it is Christ Who anoints and sustains those who teach us; not men. True teachers—those who possess the gifts that teach and are led by the Lord to enter such an endeavor—earnestly seek that their message is:

1. attended by Christ and His Spirit, and thus,
2. conveyed in authority and power; affecting the heart, mind, soul, and most importantly, the will of the hearer.

Such words that are written or spoken by me or another must be consistent and defended no less by the authoritative Word of God. In fierce courage and conviction, we must know His Word ourselves; both in understanding and personal practice. It is one thing to possess a sword; another in how to wield it. To that extend, I pray that we grow each day in learning more, and God forgive us when we mishandle it. May God’s Word strike true, but we must know that the Word must be first preached to reach the tympanic membrane if ever it is to reach the hardened heart.

This ends this triplet ‘Of Walking with Him.’ Concluding this, may we all say with confidence: ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’