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 12
Unit 1: GOD's Part in the Relationship;
Part 4: God's Gifts to us
A Garden Fountain
In last week's lesson, focusing on Song of Solomon 1:12, we discovered the
truth that when we are in Christ, God gives us the gift of being truly
lovely. In Him, we bear the fruit of the Spirit that can only come from Him.
In Christ, we truly emit a pleasing fragrance to fill the room! Let's take a
look at one last gift He has for us:
"Dear lover and friend, you're a secret garden, a private and pure
fountain . . . A garden fountain, sparkling and splashing, fed by spring
waters from the Lebanon mountains." (Song 4:12, 15 from THE MESSAGE:
The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
Did you ever want to be a fountain? I can't say as I'VE ever given it much
thought. Yet everyone enjoys a beautiful fountain. It usually stands as the
central point of gardens, splashing out sparkling water. Children gather
around in its spray on hot summer days to get some relief from the heat, and
if their parents let them, they pull off their shoes and dangle their feet
in the fresh, clear water. And have you ever noticed that the grass around a
fountain is always the greenest? So much fun, so much peace, so much joy,
all because of the water in a fountain.
Hum. Maybe being compared to a fountain isn't so bad after all! But I'M not
a fountain! I don't stand as the central point of a garden and people don't
come from miles around to admire MY beauty or to soak up MY spray. Children
don't dangle their feet in MY pool. And what about the grass around me? It
CERTAINLY isn't the greenest!
Or is it?
Friends, whether you see yourself this way or not is irrelevant. What's
important is that THIS is how GOD sees you! He comes from miles to just sit
in the freshness of your spray, to dabble His feet in the coolness of your
pools, to admire your beauty. For Him, you are the highlight of the garden.
For God, you are a "private and pure fountain", a "garden
fountain, sparkling and splashing".
"But why?" You ask. "After all, we are ALL sinners! How can
we bee seen by Jesus in this way?"
The answer is because the fountain is "fed by waters from the Lebanon
mountains". When you accept Jesus into your heart, He comes to live
inside of you. His living water begins to pour through you. Your fountain
becomes fed by none other than the source of Living Water Himself, Jesus
Christ! And with such a source of water, why shouldn't you become the center
of the garden? Why shouldn't others delight in the spray of Jesus that you
pour out? Why shouldn't children dabble their feet in the pools of Living
Water that gather at your feet? Why shouldn't the grass around you be the
greenest anywhere? And if this is the case, why shouldn't Jesus see you as
the central point of beauty in a secret garden?
What a precious gift to be filled with Jesus, to become the central point of
a garden because Jesus is on the inside!
Enough to ponder for today. Please DO ponder this though, my friends. Ponder
the truth that because He loves you so much, God gives you special gifts. He
gives you His Spirit; He gives you the fruit of the Spirit; He gives you the
gift of teaching, of healing, of prophecy, of tongues, of interpretation of
tongues; He's preparing a crown for you; He makes you appear as a fragrant
perfume to others; and He gives you the precious gift of having His Son,
Jesus, living on the inside of each of you. And with Him in your heart, you
are, truly, a private and pure fountain, sparkling and splashing for the
world to see. Why? Because you're being fed by "spring waters" -
by the pure and Living Water - by Jesus Himself! What a beautiful gift to be
considered a fountain for Jesus!
This concludes Unit 1: GOD'S Part in the Relationship. We've learned that
God sees you as VERY special; God desires to spend time with you alone; God
cares about your intimate thoughts and feelings; and because He loves you SO
much, He has prepared special gifts for you! Please join us next Saturday
for Lessons on Relationships From Solomon, Lesson 13, where we will begin to
learn about OUR part in the relationship with God!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .