People have all different things in their life that they cling to that help them to feel Ok about themselves and about life. For some, it may be the fact that they have a good job and some money in the bank. For others, it may be because they are involved in some meaningful activity that gives them worth. For others, it may be because of their position at work that causes others to look up to them with respect. Some may feel Ok because they have a cold beer in their hand and this helps them to relax and, at least for awhile, forget about their struggles.
And then should I dare to mention the obvious vices such as drugs, sex, pornography and the like. There are all sorts of options of things that can help to dull the pain of life.
Another really common thing that helps us feel Ok is having a significant other in our life who loves and accepts us just the way that we are and a little romance is always nice.
All of this sounds really sweet, yet there's only one problem. Quite apart from the obvious pit falls of drugs, alcohol and sex; we can also lose our jobs; tragedies can occur that drain our bank accounts; we can be demoted and we can get to the point in our marriages in which we don't get along so well anymore and don't feel all that accepted anymore.
When things aren't going well in life and in marriage, we can sometimes find friends who make us feel Ok, yet no matter who or what it is that we cling to that helps us feel Ok, we can lose it and people are continually letting us down.
This is why I keep returning time and time again to the only truly reliable source of strength, security and basic Okness and that is God and Jesus Christ.
Since we know that Christ loves us and died for our sins and that we can be forgiven for all our many flaws and imperfections, we can feel totally and completely Ok in Him, for the Bible says...
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Revelations
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John
“28) Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29) Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your soul; 30) For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
“16) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17) For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 (KJV)
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 (KJV)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (KJV)
“6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6 (KJV)
4 comments:
you know lista, as i was reading through this once more i realized something that never occured to me in reading it previously.
you speak of the relationship between God and mankind as one of a lover and his bride in the book of Solomon in one post.
then in your concluding post you present verses that reveal how that lover shows his love to his bride by all that he does for her.
and in doing so, reveal the traditional relationship between man and woman in a way that reveals what a woman could expect from the man she marries. and just as important reveals she should find his love more from what he does than by the words he speaks.
Hi Griper,
Actually the the Bride does not include all of mankind. It only includes "the Church". As I think I mentioned somewhere earlier, this is not the building, but the people, yet there is also something else that I should mention. "The Church" also does not refer to every one who attends church.
As I have heard it explained before, just because a mouse is in the cookie jar, that does not make the mouse a cookie. So also, just because a person is in the church, this does not make this person a Christian.
In order for a Member of Mankind to become a part of the Bride of Christ, he must accept the Marriage Proposal and say yes to Jesus. I never used to think of the basic gospel message this way, but it is a really sort of a cool way of viewing it. In a sense, when we "Accept Christ as our Personal Savior", "Invite Him into our Hearts", or however you wish to describe the experience and commitment; when we do this, we are in a sense saying to Jesus, "Yes, I will marry you."
Isn't that cool?! I tell you, it gives me goose bumps to think of God in this way.
And I really do love your observation, Griper, about the verses in this post.
I was just listing some of the common "Salvation Verses" or "Basic Gospel Message Verses". These are the verses that are commonly used when "Sharing the Gospel" or trying to persuade someone to "Accept Christ as your Personal Savior". These verses, as well as some of the words that I have just quoted, are so over used that after awhile they become empty of meaning. People shut their minds off when they hear some of these words and phrases as they think to themselves, "Oh no! Not that again!"
What a shame that is too, for these very same verses that can sometimes sound like repetitious recordings from a pre-rehearsed script are the very verses that reveal all that our lover (Bride Groom, Jesus Christ) does for His Bride.
Not only does Jesus gently knock at the doors of our hearts (Revelations 3:20) in order that He might give us Life (Romans 6:23, John 10:10 & John 3:16), Salvation (John 3:17, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 10:9), Grace (Ephesians 2:8, James 4:6) and Rest (Matthew 11:28-30); aside from all of this, Jesus was so love sick for His people and wanted so badly for us to receive that love and accept His proposal of marriage, that He died a horrible death on the cross in the hope of persuading us and wooing us to His side.
WOW!! What an incredible love story!! Can you think of anything more amazing than that?!! I'm just speechless! Here we have right before us the most fantastic lover in all of history, pleading and begging us for our love. How can one say no to that?!!
Excellent post, Lista. Reminded me of a graphic on one of my blogs.
http://reflecting-his-glory.blogspot.com/
It's on the left panel, titled "God-Shaped Void."
Very nice P Maillet,
I realize now who you are because I've seen some of your art work on Gayle's blog (The Dragon Lady's Den). I didn't actually visit your blog, though, until Gayle gave specific reference to you as one of the two main spiritual blogs that she likes to visit and since my blog, which I really thought was going to be a political blog, has turned really spiritual, I thought I should check out others who are doing something similar.
Here's a link directly to the graphic you're referring to if anyone else wants to also see it.
God Shaped Void
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