In this
ongoing series, we will be looking closely at what lessons we can learn from
Solomon about how to have the kind of relationship with God that He desires for
us to have. I urge you to take the time to meditate upon each Truth presented;
to ask God to make each lesson REAL to you and to take quiet time to prayerfully
ponder each point and what it means to YOU! To visit the archive of past LESSONS
ON RELATIONSHIP FROM SOLOMON, please see www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons/folder_3/lessons_on_relationship_from_solomon
Lessons on Relationships From Solomon, Lesson 13
Unit 2: OUR Part in the Relationship;
Part 1: WE Must Desire God
More Than the Cleansing Blood
Over the past few weeks, we have learned that because He loves us so much,
God gives us special gifts. He gives us His Spirit; He gives us the fruit of the
Spirit; He gives us the gift of teaching, of healing, of prophecy, of tongues,
of interpretation of tongues; He's preparing a crown for us; He makes us appear
as a fragrant perfume to others; and He gives us the precious gift of having His
Son, Jesus, living on the inside of each of us. But in any successful
relationship, there must be TWO willing hearts! Let's go to the very first line
of Song of Solomon to begin learning about OUR part in the relationship.
"Kiss me - full on the mouth! Yes! For your love is better than wine . .
." (Song of Solomon 1:2a from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Pretty mushy, isn't it? Pretty intimate? Maybe we should cover the ears of young
children before reading this passage aloud? And perhaps this wouldn't be the
best passage to dramatize? What could this possibly have to teach us about our
relationship with God?
Notice that the woman who sings the first few verses of this book longs more
than anything else to be intimate with the man she is singing to! She desires
his kisses, his embrace, even more than wine.
When I first read this, I had the strong impression that there was something
hidden within this line, "better than wine." It only took a few
seconds to realize three things:
1) Wine is something to drink; it fills the stomach. One of the first things we
need in pursuing a relationship with God is to desire that relationship MORE
than food or drink!
2) Wine makes you feel good, makes your body relax. We need to desire that
relationship more than physical comforts, instead trusting JESUS to provide for
our comforts. After all, He TOLD us: "Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For
my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30 NIV); and
finally,
3) Wine is also often used as a symbol of Jesus' Blood. Hum. Is it possible that
we should desire a relationship with God more, even, than we desire His
cleansing Blood? So often we tend to think of a relationship with God in terms
of what He has done for us, in terms of what we can get out of it: A cleansed
heart, eternal life; freedom from addictions; healing; and all the other things
the Blood brings. But we are to desire a relationship with God even MORE than
His Blood, even MORE than eternal life, even MORE than healing and cleansing
from sin, and even MORE than changed lives! The Number One goal in our Christian
life is just this: To desire a relationship with God!
Pretty powerful stuff, isn't it? And enough to ponder for today. Please DO
ponder that our relationship with God needs to be the MOST important thing in
our lives, to be pursued even above His cleansing blood! Join us next Saturday
for Lessons on Relationships From Solomon, Lesson 14!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .