Encouragement
“BETTER THAN WINE.…†(Song of Songs 4:6-10)
“Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.
Come with me from Lebanon, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of leopards.
You have ravished My heart, My sister, My spouse; you have ravished My heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace. How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices!†(NKJV)
These evocative words from the Song of Songs are a cry from the heart of Jesus the Bridegroom, as He calls us, His Bride to come away with Him and know the sweetest love we could ever know. It is an invitation to come closer, to be lost in His arms, to look into His beautiful eyes, and experience His holy love like never before! Jesus cherishes His blood bought Bride. He longs for her with a passion that resonates in the colors of creation and the miracle of new life. It speaks to us through showers from heaven and the glory of a rainbow shimmering through the sunshine. The Bridegroom loves us, and these words from the Song of Songs are just a small reflection of His heart. Receive what He wants you to know today!
• Jesus sees His Bride as beautiful. “He says you are all fair, my love and there is no spot in you.†When He looks at us, He sees the beauty of His finished work upon the cross. He sees the finished work of His Spirit upon our lives. Not the struggles and failings, or the many times we may fall and grieve His heart, but a perfect creation, a new being, filled with His love and glory. Satan comes to accuse and condemn, and tries to fill our hearts with guilt; he constantly reminds us of all the times we fell, or the many occasions we never made the ‘mark’, but Jesus says “I died for you. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. You are holy and set apart for me. You are precious and perfect, and beautiful in my sight, and I am so in love with youâ€! Like a person so blinded by love that he/she sees only good things about the object of their love, Jesus truly sees no fault in you! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and He sees only beauty in you. He says to you today “You are all fair, my loveâ€; “everything about you is beautiful to meâ€.
• The Bridegroom calls us to come with Him “from Lebanonâ€. Lebanon means “white one†(from laban, in Hebrew, which means “whiteâ€), and refers to the snow covered mountain range. Amana (which means ‘faithful’), Hermon (on the north eastern border of the holy land), and Senir (believed to be the Amorite name for the same peak) were a part of the same mountain range. When we entered into covenant relationship with our Bridegroom, He cleansed us from all sin and made us pure (laban). The Bride is spotless, she is white as snow. She is called to be faithful (amana) and true, as she falls more and more in love with the Bridegroom and follows Him, forsaking every other. He takes her to higher heights of heavenly intimacy, as she walks the mountain ranges of supernatural revelation, and begins to hear and know her Lover as He knows her. Mountain climbing is not comfortable – it takes determination, strength, and endurance, but the views are breathtaking, and the higher you go, the better they get. The exhilarating sense of joy and fulfillment is so wonderful when the mountain top is reached. It is a conquest and a reward! It is a place for the chosen of the Lord. It is the place God has for you – higher ground!
• “From the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopardsâ€. The higher calling is filled with joy, but also fraught with potential dangers and the excitement of the chase. We may sometimes walk the knife edge of near destruction, as the enemy rises up to stop the climb to victory. Lions and leopards in the wilds can be dangerous to man but we walk with the Bridegroom, and there is heady excitement in navigating the stormy waters of life with Him. The Bride can climb any mountain and face any danger, so long as her Bridegroom climbs with her and holds her hand. He picks her up when there are stones or thorny bushes along the way. He carries her when she is weary or weak. So long as we trust Jesus as we walk this upward path, there is no demon that can destroy us, there is no challenge that can be too much; there is no weapon formed against us that can prosper. Just let Him pick you up and hold you close to His heart, where no beast of prey can touch you. As you learn to rest in Him, you will be climbing ever higher! You are safe in His arms. Hallelujah!
• “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.†You may be experiencing many challenges and struggles, and may feel like you are surrounded by shadows, trials and uncertainties, but there is a way out, which is worship. Myrrh is symbolic of death, and was applied upon corpses (including the body of Jesus). For us, it means death to ‘self’. Frankincense is symbolic of the fragrance of sincere and humble worship and prayer. It is a ‘hill’ because frankincense carries a strong perfume and a little prayer and worship takes us a long way. We begin to climb the mountain through true worship, when we allow the ‘me’ factor to be wiped out, and offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). As we worship Jesus in sincerity and holiness, His glory comes down, and the supernatural becomes natural as we see the manifestation of miracles and the visible signs of His presence. The darkness breaks, and the shadows flee away as we seek to get alone with the Bridegroom and worship Him for who He is.
Friend, you may be facing disappointments and difficulties in your life, but your whole perception can change if you realized how much Jesus is in love with you! You would want to worship Him with all your heart, and lay your life at His feet. He says “You have ravished my heart, My sister my spouse. You have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklaceâ€! He loves you with a fierce and fiery passion, so much that He laid down His life just for you. Just one look from you and His heart is filled with joy! As you look up at Him and call His name, there is laughter rising up from His heart, which is the joy you feel within you as you worship. There is no good thing He will withhold from you as you rise into this holy calling, and become as one with Him. It takes one moment, one song, one prayer, one person who seeks God’s heart, just one link of the necklace to connect with Him. He loves our worship and the expression of our love for Him. He says “How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices!†Our worship is a fragrance before Him, and the expression of our love like a heady and potent drink! It is incense before the throne.
The Bridegroom Prince says to you:“Come with meâ€! He is calling you today into a deeper intimacy, and a higher level of love and anointing. It is a high mountain where the air is sweet and heady, a place above the clouds and storms of life. It is a place where eagles fly, where leopards roam, and lions have their homes. It is a place of excitement and adventure and great spiritual victory, but are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and climb the heights? Are you ready to take the hand of Jesus and step up into a new place in your walk with Him? The voice of God said to John (in Revelations 4:1) “Come up here and I will show you things which must take place after thisâ€. He has so much in store for you and infinite spiritual mysteries to unravel for you. Take the hand of Jesus, and let Him teach you how to climb the stars! You are precious and beautiful and the love of His heart. He says your love is better than wine!
Minoli Haththotuwa, 09 May 2011
www.risingonwings.org
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Very encouraging. Thank you.
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