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The GT Weekend! ~ Fervent Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) It’s supposed to be so simple, but it can feel so complicated, and if we’re honest, empty. What are we talking about? Prayer. In what ways have you wrestled through the significance and power available through prayer? What are the questions your heart wants to ask, but your tongue is afraid to voice? Maybe you’ve been blessed to listen as someone of great faith prays, or perhaps you’ve read some prayers in the Bible and wondered why God doesn’t seem to listen to you in the same way. I hope you’ll spend some time being honest about your fears, your questions, and your hopes for what prayer really is over the next few weeks of this Journey Theme. For now, take some time and write out some of your thoughts and experiences with prayer. Write down your doubts and some ways you’ve seen God working through your prayers. Close out your journal time by asking God to show you what HE wants you to know, deep in your gut, about truly fervent prayer!

2) Very interesting things start bubbling to the surface when we begin studying prayer in Scripture, especially the prayers of New Testament authors, on whose shoulders the first century church was rapidly growing. While there are many things we can take and apply from prayers in the Bible, among the easiest to begin applying right away is intercession for one another. Paul’s prayers are flooded with strong emotion for his brothers and sisters in the church. Though he had strong correction for many churches he wrote to, he loved them all fervently and prayed for them each with great persistence. Spend some time sitting silently with the Lord, asking Him persistently who He would have you interceding for. Then commit to praying specifically and consistently for that person. Consider reaching out with a text or phone call to let them know how the Lord has brought them to mind. The Lord will do much through your prayers for one another!

3) What are some things you know to be absolutely true about the Lord? Maybe He has been faithful to show His heart to you in specific circumstances in your life, or maybe you know Him because you’ve read of His character in Scripture and you trust His word. Or maybe, you just aren’t sure who God really is. Is He kind? Angry? Disconnected? Loving, but only out of obligation? Is He waiting for you to mess up so He can mock you? Trusting God, and speaking to Him in an on-going daily dialogue, is precious, but it isn’t a prize won overnight. We cannot manufacture depth with a God we do not know for there is no trust to build upon. The Lord knows this, and He invites us to come and to know Him deeply. His heartbeat is found in the pages of His Word and the context of biblical community. Whatever your next step into knowing Jesus might be, begin carving out time this weekend to explore what that could look like. Know Him, trust Him, and watch your prayer life flourish!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 40:4-5 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

4 How happy is anyone
who has put his trust in the Lord
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!
5 Lord my God, you have done many things—
your wondrous works and your plans for us;
none can compare with you.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.

Prayer Journal
Lord, entering here into prayer with You feels too simplistic for a God whose grandeur and majesty are infinite and unfathomable. Yet, it is You, this very deity, who invites me to sit, and learn from the rhythms of Your good Father heart, and know what it is to both speak to You and hear the cadence of Your voice. Teach me, Abba. Teach me to pray. Teach me to know You. Teach me to pray earnestly for others, for myself, for the ones I love, for the ones I do not know yet Your Spirit has burdened me for, and teach me, Lord, to pray for my enemies. Loosen my heart strings, knock down the defenses I don’t even know I have, and draw me deeply into this mystery of fervent prayer.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Reveal Day 15 The Gift Of One

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ezekiel 34:20-31
Philippians 2:5-11
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 10:14-18

Reveal, Day 15

We murmur with excitement at the whisper of a snowflake or two in the cold, December air. The trappings of Christmas beckon all to lean into the “most wonderful time of the year.” And we celebrate, with brightly wrapped packages. With twinkling lights, and cheerful holiday music, and cozy socks.

Yet, beneath the swirl of bright colors and enthusiasm, there is an underlying emptiness.

“Not enough,” and “too much,” are somehow equally accurate descriptions of the way our culture embraces the Christmas season. Because how does one properly celebrate remembering the birth of our Saviour? So little of what is familiar resonates with the simplicity of that miraculous event. We lean into more, forgetting that it all comes down to one.

One dark, starry night. A young couple, weary from a journey.
One tiny babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
One promise, foretold by Scripture and the prophets, passed down from generation to generation, and finally fulfilled in the virgin birth of Emmanuel, God With Us.

One Way. 

Paved by the crucifixion and resurrection of the one spotless Lamb of God, come down to earth and wrapped in flesh, to pay for all the sins of the world.
Lined by the selfless service and sacrifice of countless followers of Him.

One. The man, Christ Jesus. He alone is the One Thing we crave more than anything else.

The Love we each ache for so intimately, so desperately, was given to us freely. Simply.
One day of celebration isn’t enough. One life isn’t enough.

Still, we seek what He gives so freely from everyone and everything but the Giver. We seek it in our earthly relationships, from our spouses, from our lovers, from our children, from our parents, from our friends. We seek it in acceptance, through our titles, and our accomplishments, and our social statuses. We seek it in the way we feel, through food, in drink, in substances. In busy-ness, in usefulness, in commitments.

We seek it in ourselves. In our own intellect, our own wisdom, our own perspective.
We work to fill the ache, the need, with all these things, every day, every year.
We’re born trying, and many of us die trying.
We yearn, and we strive, and we fail to fill the divine void with something tangible.
Over, and over, and over.  We work to better ourselves.
To become stronger, kinder, smarter.
To become more.

When the gift of Christmas, this Jesus, beckons us to become less. To stop trying, and stop doing, and simply accept this priceless gift He paid everything to extend.

Where are you striving in this season, Love? In your marriage? In your mothering? In your providing, or your homemaking, or your working? Where are you faltering? Where are you seeking approval from anyone other than your Heavenly Father?

Lean in close, Beloved. Listen to His words.
Let freedom wash through your weary soul this day.

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

This, HE, is the Gift of Christmas. Our Saviour, come to life, and to death, and then to life once again.

For you, Sister. For all of us. This is LOVE. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the priceless gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for loving me so much, You would send Your Son to pay the price for my sins. Help me to understand this Gift more fully, to accept the freedom and salvation You give me so freely. My life, and everything I have are Yours. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Beloved Day 13 Catching Foxes

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 2:15
Galatians 5:22-26
Philippians 4:8-9
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Matthew 22:37-40

Beloved, Day 13

“I now pronounce you husband and wife . . . and now present to you, Mr. & Mrs. Brad Daniel.”
[Audience applause as we joyfully exit the church]

Oh, how sweet are the memories of that day! We believed the best in each other, couldn’t imagine what could possibly ever come between us, had no idea that someday we’d have to actually work to make time for each other. And we certainly couldn’t imagine we’d ever be so angry with, indifferent toward, or deeply wounded by one another. We were embarking on a journey full of mystery, knowing and becoming known, memories, and the true meaning of the vow, “til death do us part.”

Marriage is a gift.  How sweet that our Father has established a relationship so intimate, it provides a glimpse of the most intimate relationship of all, God’s relationship with His people, His Church.

I don’t remember the night I met Jesus as my savior as clearly as I’d like, but I do recall wanting to make sure I knew Jesus. I didn’t understand a lot of the Bible at the age of 10 or 11, but I knew Jesus loved me and had sacrificed Himself for my sins. As a child, I couldn’t grasp the gravity of my sin and the costliness of my salvation, I knew I wanted to follow Him with all I had . . . I just didn’t know what that meant.

Beginnings.
We love them.
We dream about them.

Everything seems fresh and fun as we begin to learn something new, whether it’s in marriage or our relationship with Jesus. We start off with stars in our eyes as we experience new love and speak of “forever” as if it’s clearly visible to us.

One of my favorite ways to serve with my husband is to meet couples for pre-marital counseling. It is an honor to walk with an engaged couple, helping prepare them for marriage.

In counseling sessions, we work through various areas in the relationship possessing the potential for conflict, and provide tools to navigate those areas well. We encourage intentional communication and potential resolution before little problems become big ones. We also affirm areas of strength and encourage the couple to keep communicating and working together.

Song of Solomon paints a picture of two lovers, completely enthralled with one another and willing to do whatever it takes to be together.  Song of Solomon 2:15 advises them to “catch the foxes” before they ruin the vineyards. Foxes are known for being cunning, sly, and destructive, an enemy to the vineyards, not only eating the grapes, but gnawing and digging, destroying an entire vine.

What a great analogy when applied to the marriage relationship! In the beginning, everything is new and fun and effortless. It is then we should begin to prepare for the possible “foxes” to creep in, small and seemingly innocent at first, taking just a few minutes of our time or attention, but if left unattended, potentially destroying the relationship.

Relationships require quality time and attention. My husband and I encourage engaged couples to find a recreational activity they both enjoy, and to use its intentional pursuit to provide relaxation and something different to look forward to doing together.

To sustain any relationship requires time. Our culture tends to value busyness, so our spouses . . . or Jesus . . .  can get the leftovers of our day if we are not intentional in planning and honoring our time together.  We all need time alone together to remember the specific reasons we love each other, and to nurture the unique friendship marriage brings.

Distractions come in all forms, including electronic devices, children, and careers, as well as our own pursuits or selfishness. Most of these are not inherently evil; we just have to hold them in proper perspective.

One of the most familiar distractions in our society is the cell phone. I know I am guilty of mindless media scrolling, as my husband is in the room with me, neglecting prime time together. Instead of pursuing genuine connection, I look at the lives of others, comparing myself, my life, and my marriage to those on the screen. This has the potential to evoke jealousy, insecurity, and irritability.

In addition, our scrolling habits tend to rob us of time we could be spending with Jesus, allowing His presence to guide our thoughts and actions. Paul instructs us in Philippians 4:8-9 to think about what is true, honorable, lovely, and worthy of praise.  When we begin comparing and focusing on what we lack, we abandon lovely thoughts toward our spouses, or the truth about ourselves.

Marriage was created by God and is GOOD. Good marriages serve others and each other, out of the overflow of being strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we spend time with Jesus, we are filled with His perspective, strengthened by His Word, and able to bear good fruit. (Galatians 5:22-26)

Empowered by God, we see the needs of our spouses, and set aside the time necessary to invest in and nurture the relationship. We are able to prevent cute little fox kits from destroying an entire vineyard. With vigilance and intentionality, prioritizing time with both God and our spouses, we can help the vineyards of our relationships to flourish!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Beloved Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Beloved!

Blessed Day 9 Intimacy: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Intimacy!

The Questions

1) Who are the lovers featured in Song of Solomon 7:1-13?

2) Why does the Bible include these passages about sex and intimacy?

3) What does it mean that the woman has treasured up every delicacy, old and new, for her love? (verse 13)

Song of Solomon 7:1-13

How beautiful are your sandaled feet, princess!
The curves of your thighs are like jewelry,
the handiwork of a master.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory,
your eyes like pools in Heshbon
by Bath-rabbim’s gate.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel,
the hair of your head like purple cloth—
a king could be held captive in your tresses.
6 How beautiful you are and how pleasant,
my love, with such delights!
7 Your stature is like a palm tree;
your breasts are clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes,
and the fragrance of your breath like apricots.
9 Your mouth is like fine wine—

Woman
flowing smoothly for my love,
gliding past my lips and teeth!
10 I am my love’s,
and his desire is for me.

11 Come, my love,
let’s go to the field;
let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms.
12 Let’s go early to the vineyards;
let’s see if the vine has budded,
if the blossom has opened,
if the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my caresses.
13 The mandrakes give off a fragrance,
and at our doors is every delicacy,
both new and old.
I have treasured them up for you, my love.

Original Intent

1) Who are the lovers featured in Song of Solomon 7:1-13?
The biblical book Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, as it is sometimes called, was written by Solomon sometime between 971 and 931 BC. Most scholars believe the lovers are Solomon and his wife, though which wife is not as clear. Author Tom Gledhill asserts in his book The Message of the Song of Songs that instead of being Solomon and his lover, “The couple are representative types of Everyman and Everywoman” (94) Whether we view Song of Solomon as a true love story between two specific people or simply as an example of a good marriage, there is much to be learned about love (both human and Divine) and intimate sex in the chapters given to us. Author Sharon Jaynes writes, “God made sure the explicit picture of romance and sexual intimacy is in the Bible for a reason (. . .) It’s as if He’s saying, this is how it’s done.” God gives us a road map for intimacy in marriage in Song of Solomon, but many theologians agree He is also giving us a picture of Jesus’ love for His Bride, the Church. Author Natalia Kohn suggests, “Solomon, the bridegroom, is meant to symbolize the powerful love of our eternal bridegroom, Jesus Christ. The Shulamite woman, our protagonist, models passion and love for her lover, a fascination with who He is, and a hunger for more of His love.” God wants us to love Him deeply and passionately, the way He loves us. (Ephesians 3:18) In giving us a guide for how to love our spouses well, God is also showing us how to love Him with fervent hearts and deepest devotion.

2) Why does the Bible include these passages about sex and intimacy?
If you read the Bible cover to cover, you won’t find another book like Song of Solomon full of romance, eroticism, poetry, and spiritual significance. While other Bible books mention love, sex, and romance, none enter into as much depth of description and creativity found in the Song of Solomon. Why would God include this evocative book about love and sex in His Scripture? God’s primary intention for including this evocative book on love and sex was likely to teach us how to view His amazing gift of sexual intimacy for married couples. Pastor Chuck Swindoll notes, “The fullness of the union that takes place at marriage is described in some of the most splendid poetic language in the entire Bible. In a world where so many speak of God’s special gifts with coldly clinical or apathetic statistical language, the passion of Solomon’s poetry refreshes a world thirsty for the truth about marriage.”  Many believe that beyond the literal description of human love and intimacy, Song of Solomon provides a sense of how deeply Christ loves His bride, the church. Author David Guzik writes, “We find that this great song of songs illustrates the love, the intensity, and the beauty of relationship that should exist between God and the believer.” The bride responds to her Lover in Song of Solomon 7:10 by proclaiming, “I am my Love’s, and his desire is for me.” This phrase alone exemplifies how God loves us and created us for a holy union with Him, and how He longs for us to recognize and accept His great love. The Song of Solomon is God’s two-fold gift to His people, for it teaches us how to nurture sexual intimacy and how to relate to a God who loves us extravagantly.

3) What does it mean that the woman has treasured up every delicacy, old and new, for her love? (verse 13)
In Song of Solomon 7:13, the woman invites her lover to come away with her to the vineyards, telling him “The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our doors is every delicacy, both new and old. I have treasured them up for you, my love.” According to commentator David Guzik, “This difficult to translate phrase may have the sense that she is inviting him to enjoy intimacy in ways that are both familiar and new to the couple. The idea would be they would enjoy their lovemaking in creative ways that were planned in advance by the maiden.” Indeed, the mention of mandrakes would indicate a literal meaning of sexual intimacy, for, as commentator David M. Carr points out, “The mandrake or ‘love apple’ is a pungently fragrant plant long considered an aphrodisiac.” There are also arguments that the “old and new delicacies” of Song of Solomon 7:13 hold a spiritual significance. Author Tim Keller suggests, “Sex is for fully committed marriage relationships because it is to be a foretaste of the joy that comes from being in complete union with God. The most rapturous love between a man and woman is only a hint of God’s love for us.”  The Bible provides this surprising guide to sex and marriage in the Song of Solomon to help us build intimacy in marriage, but it also instructs us that God gave the gift of sex within marriage to remind us of God’s intense love and deep longing for a covenant relationship with His people.

Everyday Application

1) Who are the lovers featured in Song of Solomon 7:1-13?
In Song of Solomon 7:1-9, Solomon is describing the beauty of his wife. He starts at her feet and moves all the way up to the crown of her head, appreciating every last detail he beholds. Some of the metaphors describing her beauty are easily understood, while others are lost on a modern reader. However, the love, romance, sensuality, and passion in the text are evident to readers of all eras. The couple knows one another so intimately that she takes up the steamy description in Song of Solomon 7:9, finishing his sentence for him. She knows she has his heart, and her words of love and desire are equally as symbolic and erotic as his are. King Solomon seems to be utterly in love with his bride, and she with him. It is confounding to me, then, that Solomon could love so deeply and so well and yet have a harem of wives and concubines, as seen in Song of Solomon 6:8 and I Kings 11:3. Why would God choose King Solomon, this woefully imperfect man, to pen this beautiful book about intimacy in marriage? Author David Guzik suggests, “Perhaps the Song of Solomon does not reflect Solomon’s actual experience – certainly not in an enduring sense – but his wise analysis and skillful presentation of the glory of romantic and sensual love.” It is difficult for me to accept admonitions from someone who made as many mistakes as Solomon did, but I must remember that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says “all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” God inspired the words of King Solomon, so I know I can trust its message is perfect and true, even though the human author was far from perfect.

2) Why does the Bible include these passages about sex and intimacy?
The Bible contains instruction on how to be a better parent, how to manage finances, and how to treat other people, but looking to the Bible for instruction on sex and intimacy seems…uncomfortable. In fact, when a pastor says to open our Bibles to the Song of Solomon, people tend to squirm. Nobody wants to hear the preacher read, “Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle” (Song of Solomon 7:3)! If, however, we move past our discomfort of discussing sex in the Bible, we discover much about marital intimacy from God’s perspective. When describing the lovers in Song of Solomon, author Duane Garrett suggests “They relish their pleasure in each other not only with physical action, but with carefully composed words. Love is, above all, a matter of the mind and heart and should be declared.” Song of Solomon teaches us that thoughtful communication is part of a successful intimate relationship. We also learn from this book that God created sex to be a joyous celebration of love. Author C.J. Mahaney suggests, “Solomon’s Song teaches us that lovemaking is intended by God to be an elaborate and pleasurable feast of the senses — a holy immersion in erotic joy.”  C.J. Mahaney also concludes that the lovers do not have sex just to fulfill physical desire. “They want to be together because they are in love, and the sex they enjoy with one another is an expression of that love.” God has given us the Song of Solomon to show us how to have a fulfilling marriage, but it can also point us to having a fulfilling relationship with Jesus. As author Iain Duguid notes, “A depiction of the best of all loves and the most wonderful of marriages will inevitably turn our hearts toward Christ, who has truly loved us and is the answer for our deep brokenness.” No human relationship, regardless of how intimate or rewarding, can bring healing and restoration to our hearts like knowing Christ can. (Psalm 147:3)  Those of us who have trusted Jesus as our personal Savior make up His church, which He calls His Bride. (2 Corinthians 11:2) He loves us with the devotion of the husband in the Song of Solomon, and he wants us to be His faithful and loving bride.

3) What does it mean that the woman has treasured up every delicacy, old and new, for her love? (verse 13)
A recent societal buzzword has been purposeful or intentional. It is interesting to note how the Shulamite woman in the Song of Solomon does exactly this. She invites her husband to steal away with her, “Come, my love, let’s go to the field; let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms.   Let’s go early to the vineyards; let’s see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my caresses. The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our doors is every delicacy, both new and old. I have treasured them up for you, my love.” (Song of Solomon 7:11-13) She plans and initiates an intimate time with her husband on purpose. She chooses a romantic place and assures him she has treasured up delicacies, both old and new, for them to share. He has been pursuing her, saying, “Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, the hair of your head like purple cloth—a king could be held captive in your tresses. How beautiful you are and how pleasant, my love, with such delights!” (Song of Solomon 7:5-6) The couple intentionally nurtures their unity and passion. Author Sharon Jaynes argues, “The Shulamite was a wise woman who took deliberate action to make her marriage sing with intimacy that was purposeful and playful. I envision her sauntering up to her husband as he’s overseeing the fields. She whispers in his ear, and her warm breath teases his neck. Tempting him. Flirting with him still. . . And God whispers to us through her words, this is one of the secrets to lifelong love. Pull away. Be intentional. Leave nothing to chance.” Many marriages start off with both partners making time for each other, but stressors and responsibilities dim the passion and purposefulness that once nourished intimacy. We would do well to heed the deliberate acts of the Shulamite woman. Their intimacy was worthy of their sacrifice in other areas. We all have responsibilities that need our attention, but none as important as our marriage relationship. Strong marriages can point others to the love of Christ! Let’s purpose to put our marriages ahead of other priorities.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Beloved Week Two!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Beloved Day 7 A Lover’s Delight: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out A Lover’s Delight!

The Questions

1) What is the setting of this passage and why should we believe it is more than allegorical?

2) Why does Solomon refer to his bride as his sister? (verse 12)

3) What is the meaning of the garden in these verses?

Song of Solomon 4:12-16

My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—a locked garden and a sealed spring. 13 Your branches are a paradise of pomegranates with choicest fruits; henna with nard,14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices. 15 You are a garden spring, a well of flowing water streaming from Lebanon.

16 Awaken, north wind; come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.

Original Intent

1) What is the setting of this passage and why should we believe it is more than allegorical?
An allegory is defined as a “a story, poem, or picture that uses symbolism to reveal a hidden meaning of a deeper moral or spiritual truth.” Although there are several Bible commentators (many from the Puritan era of history) who believe this book is allegory, it is best interpreted as a poetic, but powerful description of the deeply romantic and sensual love between a husband and his wife. The structure and setting of the book do not provide a chronological story, but instead give the reader “snapshots” of a couple’s pre-marital and marital relationship. (enduringword.com) It is true that God uses marriage as a gospel illustration of the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-32), but it seems apparent to most Bible scholars that the literal meaning should be the primary way the book is interpreted. The straightforward way in which Chapter 4 contains specific details of the sexual love demonstrated by a husband and a wife reveals the beauty of sexual intimacy in Christian marriage. It seems unnecessary to allegorize these passages that present a marital love consistent with Scripture’s other teachings about marriage and sex.

2) Why does Solomon refer to his bride as his sister? (verse 12)
Solomon uses the term “sister” three more times in his book in addition to verse 12. (4:9-10 and 5:1) No conservative Bible commentators believe this is a reference to him marrying his biological sister, and no scriptural evidence provides reason assume familial relations. “Sister” was a common expression in the Hebrew language of familiarity and closeness. As in many cultures, Egyptian love songs included lyrics which call one another ‘brother’ and ‘sister’. Years later, Solomon is using familiar language drawn from then-modern-day poetry. Theologian Charles Spurgeon writes, “‘My sister’ – that is, one by birth, partaker of the same (human) nature. ‘My spouse’ – that is, one in love, joined by sacred ties of affection that never can be snapped. ‘My sister’ by birth, ‘My spouse’ by choice. ‘My sister’ in communion, ‘My spouse’ in absolute union with myself.” By referring to his bride as his sister, Solomon was showing her double honor. He loved her with the physical desire of a spouse and with the natural love of a sibling. It is significant to understand the deep affection Solomon had for his bride, and how he demonstrated that to her.

3) What is the meaning of the garden in these verses?
Bible teachers and commentators who take the book literally, not allegorically, believe this “locked garden” represents a sort of separation and privacy regarding the bride herself. This likely refers to her being a virgin on her wedding night. (enduringword.com) As he has done previously, Solomon expresses his admiration for her. Specifically, he is enthralled with her beauty and purity that reminds him of the “choicest fruits and best spices”. (verses 13-14) As his bride, the fact that she had remained sexually pure was deeply attractive to him. Her sexuality was sacred, and as husband and wife, they both recognize this. The Bride both acknowledges her virginity and agrees it is right for him to find pleasure in knowing that. (verse 16) We see a beautiful picture of the bride’s trust in her new husband. She is freely and gladly unlocking herself to him, inviting him into this sacred act of sexual intimacy. As we dig deep into the meaning of these verses, it may appear they are infringing on moments that should be kept between a married couple. This may be the hesitancy among bible scholars to see them as literal. But an honest study of the book renders it difficult to interpret this as anything but a biblical and literal picture of godly love and passion that honors both spouses and God, the creator of sexual intimacy.

Everyday Application

1) What is the setting of this passage and why should we believe it is more than allegorical?
In considering how we apply these verses, I am enlisting Pastor David Guzik’s help. His sermon on chapter 4 is so well stated, I can’t improve on it, “When you think of the many crude terms that men use to refer to women’s body parts, isn’t there something so beautiful and powerful in this poetic, intimate, and dignified way of expressing love. It is a celebration of the strength and purity and goodness of marital love. There’s nothing insecure here … or dirty … or crass about it. There is simply nothing like this in ancient literature.” So, friends, we can celebrate this love story. As women who desire to live with a godly, biblical perspective regarding purity, we need not back away from the passion we read in the Song of Solomon. The poetry in these passages should be seen as sincere devotion and deep affection between man and wife. We can approach this book with the reverence it deserves, and with an understanding of the high value God places on intimate passion in marriage.

2) Why does Solomon refer to his bride as his sister? (verse 12)
There is an interesting parallel in Song of Solomon 8:1 where the bride says to her lover, “If only I could treat you like my brother, one who nursed at my mother’s breast, I would find you in public and kiss you, and no one would scorn me.” This sweet bride craves the freedom to publicly convey her love for her husband. In that day, outward expressions of affection were considered distasteful except for close kin. She wishes for the same opportunity to show her love to her husband as she would to her own brother. Today, there are jokes and memes about PDA (public displays of affection). Sadly, we have become shameless as a society as we have left behind honor for our bodies and brought every lewd display into the public eye. As wives, we would do our marriages a favor by praying for a desire toward our husbands that is appropriately expressed in public. One of the most beautiful displays I see that almost always brings me to tears, is a couple well into their later years, walking along arm in arm or holding hands tightly. Oh, sweet married friends, let’s show our spouses double honor with physical and natural love!

3) What is the meaning of the garden in these verses?
The literal reading of Song of Solomon may be difficult for some women. Maybe you feel it’s an intrusion on what should be a sacred trust between a married couple. Women who strive for holiness are encouraged by the church to be pure and modest in our dress and demeanor. Reading such an explicit passage could possibly leave someone feeling exposed or embarrassed. Sisters, I get it! I have often wondered why God would include in His inspired Word such an intimate exchange between a man and his bride for all to read. If not understood correctly, it may seem that God is advocating for women to be viewed as objects to be displayed like a trophy. Or maybe you are feeling shame because you did not enter marriage as a virgin, and you wonder if your husband can ever see you in the way described in this passage. I plead with you, dear married friend, to keep praying and digging into the difficult passages and find the joy. Pray to the good and gracious Father who desires to reveal to you the garden of God-ordained sexual fulfillment. Allow the Spirit of God to inspire and equip you to experience the holy intimacy He desires in your marriage.

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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Beloved Day 6 A Lover’s Delight

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:12-16
Genesis 2:18-25
Proverbs 31:10-12

Beloved, Day 6

Have you ever walked in a garden under a pale moonlight? It’s counterintuitive, but at night, a garden truly glows. Everything is bathed in the moon’s gentle light. Visitors can breathe in the sweet fragrance of roses and lavenders, an intoxicating aroma.

During the day, the gardener tends to the plot, and the garden becomes hard-working and industrious. But at night, the garden invites the gardener to lay down the stresses of the day and rest in the pleasure of the fruits of his labor.

Our God is a giver. In Scripture, we encounter His gifts of both literal and metaphorical gardens. In the beginning, He created a world full of blessings. Then, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over creation and entrusted them to rule as He would. God also gave mankind the gifts of food and His Sabbath rest. Tucked away in the midst of all those blessings was another gift, a command to be fruitful and multiply while subduing the Earth.

In Genesis 2, we learn of the creation of the first man, Adam, and how God entrusted him with two gardens. The literal garden of Eden was given as part of Adam’s domain to cultivate, because it is where Heaven met Earth. The second and metaphorical garden, Eve, was given to Adam because God saw Adam needed a companion and helper in order to fulfill his purpose.

In the union of Adam and Eve, we find the design for pure delight and pleasure within marriage:

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, but felt no shame.”
(Genesis 2:24-25)
Wrapped up in the sacred space of marriage, both husband and wife were truly free and truly satisfied.

Song of Solomon builds upon the foundation laid in Genesis, giving us a detailed look at God’s plan for pleasure and delight within the boundaries of marriage. Chapter 4 recounts the culmination of the wedding ceremony; here, we find the groom describing his bride as an abundant garden.

Within the garden metaphor, our Creator begins to unlock the mystery of Godly marriage. A good gardener tends carefully to his garden, looking forward to a fruitful harvest. He protects it from pests and disease and rot. The gardener removes troublesome weeds, ensuring a nutrient-rich environment. Finally, his gentle hand encourages flowers and fruit-producing trees to grow. Such a prized and prioritized garden will not only produce an abundant harvest, but will be a great beauty to behold.

In the same way, a husband is to tenderly care for, encourage, and protect his wife, helping her to flourish. Proverbs 31 describes a wife who is industrious and productive under the care of a good gardener.

Within the partnership of Godly marriage, both husband and wife, gardener and garden, delight in the pleasures of a fruitful harvest. In the safety and innocence of lifelong commitment, spouses find every physical sense captivated and exhilarated:

“You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes;
With one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,
And the fragrance of your perfume, than any balsam.
Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.”
(Song of Solomon 4:9-11, emphasis mine)

As with a garden, cultivating joy and pleasure within marriage requires time and intention. After the battles of the day have been fought, and the responsibilities of the day are laid to rest after bedtime prayers, husband and wife must intentionally turn their hearts, minds, and bodies to one another. Just as a vigilant gardener tends to every corner of his garden, we must make space to nurture our emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical connections.

But this sweet image of man and wife delighting in the fragrance and abundance of their nighttime garden is incomplete. Spouses will never find full delight, full satisfaction, full completion, solely in their mates . . . because husband and wife are human, and imperfect, and sinful.

Only when we have first found fullness of delight in God (our perfect, holy, lacking-in-nothing and possessing-all-we-need God) can we turn our attention from the scarcity in our spouse to overflowing gratitude for all the ways God blesses us through him.

And so, sisters, in the gardens of our marriages, let us first pursue and delight in our Master Gardener. Then, let’s enjoy the blessing of love and take delight in our spouses all the days of our lives.

“Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)

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Beloved Day 5 Beloved’s Pursuit

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 3:1-5
Proverbs 15:3-10
1 Timothy 6:6-14
Philippians 1:25-30
Ephesians 5:22-33

Beloved, day 5

Pursuit.

The mere word evokes images of a hunt, doesn’t it? It brings to mind words like… desiring, chasing, overtaking, capturing, conquering. 

There’s a reason such great emphasis is placed on “playing hard to get” in current culture. The human race has placed immense value on being the individual who is sought after, regardless of the situation or relationship dynamic. Whether we are interviewing for a new job, foraying into a new friendship, floating a corporate merger, or attempting to infuse “life” into our marriage, we have bought into the belief that the individual who is not easy to “win” holds a loftier, more powerful status.

But what if that narrative doesn’t exactly line up with what our Father shows us?

Song of Solomon is a beautiful portrayal of the joy, desire, and intimacy God has given the human race in the form of sex. We witness the intense desire, breathless longing, and yes, pursuit, of each party, laced across every page of the book. Physical pleasure aside, what do we see here?

I see a woman who longed for intimacy with her lover, but she didn’t merely pine away for him; she pursued him. She roamed city streets, looking for her love. She asked passing guards if they had seen him. When they told her they hadn’t, she kept looking. She didn’t give up until she’d found him. 

And when she found him, she did not let go.

The words are stirring, because we each long to be pursued like that, don’t we? We long to be so passionately pursued, so sought after, so desired, so wanted.

Before marriage, pursuit is mainly surface-deep. We show our beloved we are interested in all kinds of little ways. We learn more about the things they are interested in. We communicate many times, each day. Sometimes we choose clothing, or makeup, or jewelry, or hairstyles we know are appealing to them. We pursue their interests and desires, and in that pursuit, we assist them in pursuing us.

When we enter into marriage, the dynamic shifts. The “newness” begins to fade, and it’s easy for us to believe the pursuit actually ended with marriage.

Beloved, this isn’t so! Throughout the New Testament, marriage is repeatedly held up as the embodiment of Christ and His Church. Husbands and wives are exhorted to mirror Christ in the way we love one another. To submit to each other in love, not so one can lord their power over the other, rather, in this loving deference, Christ alone is glorified.

But what does this look like, five, ten, fifty years in? What does it look like beyond spontaneous romantic encounters and flowers for no reason?

Sometimes, it looks like waking up early to make him coffee.
Sometimes, it looks like showing up for his parents in their time of need.
Sometimes, it looks like slipping a hand in his when his voice wavers.
Sometimes, it looks like reminding him who he is when it seems he’s forgotten.
Sometimes, it looks like going to marriage counseling.
Sometimes, it looks like driving him to every treatment.
Sometimes, it looks like being silent when you want to scream.
Sometimes, it looks like recounting all the times the Lord has seen you both through, when it feels like all is lost.
Sometimes, it looks like following him down a dark road you never expected, taking him by the hand, and walking back into the light together.

Sometimes, it looks like staying when you want to leave.

Beloved, how many times has your Shepherd Bridegroom carried you back when you’ve wandered far? Has He found you, when you’ve tangled yourself in all the places you never belonged? Has His voice been gentle as He quieted your fears and brought you back to His fold?

He invites us to love our husbands this way, too. To pursue them, gently, completely, guilelessly.

Marriage is not an end to an exciting pursuit; it’s an open invitation into the lifelong adventure in the pursuit of our lover, and to being pursued in return!

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Beloved Day 2 Unveiled Faces: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

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The Questions

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship? 

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?

Song of Solomon 2:1-17

Woman
I am a wildflower of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.

Man
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.

Woman
3 Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet hall,
and he looked on me with love.
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,
for I am lovesick.
6 May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.
7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.
8 Listen! My love is approaching.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
See, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:

Man
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing has come,
and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;
the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.


Woman
15 Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.
16 My love is mine and I am his;
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the divided mountains.

Original Intent

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship?
Song of Songs suggests it is the greatest of all songs and found within its pages are lyrical poetry arranged as dialogue between a woman and her lover. While scholars maintain that the love story makes allegorical connections between God and His love for mankind, Song of Solomon is also, undeniably, a sensuous book reveling in God’s good gifts of intimacy within marriage. To properly understand this poetic song, we must remember to set our minds on the then-current time and culture. The Shulamite Bride compares herself to a wildflower of Sharon and a lily of the valley, both of which were common. The “Sharon” was a fertile plain between Mount Carmel and Joppa along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea producing beautiful wildflowers in abundance. Likewise, the lily was plentiful in Palestine. By saying of herself, “I am a wildflower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys”, she is not speaking in arrogance, but rather that, while she is beautiful, she is also common. (verse 1) Solomon picks up on her imagery of flowers, but responds by pronouncing, “Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young women.” (verse 2) He sets her apart from all other young women, describing everyone else as “thorns” in comparison. The Lover extols her beauty for she was not at all common in his eyes. In similar fashion, the woman uses the imagery of an apricot tree to depict her lover. “Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest, so is my love among the young men.” Where every other man is simply a tree in the forest, her man is completely unique to her. Apricot trees are generally 30-45 feet tall, quite strong, and bear sweet fruit. Thus, the Shulamite woman describes her man as tall and strong while bearing a sweetness about him. He provides shade (protection) and his love is described as a banner (generally signifying complete peace and victory) over his lovely young woman. (verses 3-4) The comparison of lovers to gazelles, does, or stags throughout the song are symbolic of grace, beauty, strength, and speed. (verses 7-9) The man refers to the young woman as his dove inferring her to be beautiful and soft, waiting to be called out of singleness and virginity by her husband lover and into marriage.

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)
Within historical context, we don’t know exactly who the “young women of Jerusalem” were first intended to be viewed as. Maybe they were equivalent to our modern day “Bridesmaids” who helped the bride prepare for her wedding day. Maybe, because Song of Solomon is a song, they are representative of a chorus, and the entire song was meant to be sung over the course of several days leading up to a wedding. What most scholars agree on is they were a group of some kind, probably unmarried, intending to represent a community around the couple, either singularly to the Beloved Bride or to both husband and wife. In verse 7, the Beloved Bride gives a warning to these “young women of Jerusalem”, “Do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time.” The description of the woman’s intimacy with the man in previous verses is so enticing the Bride feels she must charge the young women of Jerusalem to not jump into a passionate relationship prematurely. Intimacy is definitely wonderful and definitely worth the wait, but foregoing the commitment of a marriage relationship just to experience physical intimacy, misses the real depth of love and sex entirely. The woman’s senses are heightened and stirred by the man’s presence and affirmation of love for her. She finds herself feasting on it all, and feeling “lovesick”. (verses 5-6) She hungers for more of his nearness, and his offering of love only intensifies her desires. She began with a desire for his kisses and then longed for his embrace. (verses 4-6) Her passionate experience with her Lover urges her to give this charge to wait for “the appropriate time” to the unmarried women around her. She knows that intimate love, both physical and emotional, should have its own rhythm and proper progression. TOO Fast TOO soon spoils it all. Theologian, D Garret, adds his insights by saying, “For a woman to awaken love before it pleases is to deprive herself of the full experience of romance and sexuality…”.

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?
In Exodus 34:15 (KJV), Israel is being warned not to “whore after their gods.” By describing idolatry with the language of prostitution and sexual immorality, Moses uses the sacredness of marriage as a metaphor to mirror the holiness of God’s covenant relationship with His people, Israel. Again, in the biography of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer, who continually leaves him to return to prostitution. In Hosea’s life, God was giving Israel a visual, real-life picture of what it is to abandon Him as their God. (read more about this story in our Journey Theme, Bride!) In the New Testament, Paul applies the metaphor of marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church of believers. “This mystery (of marriage) is profound, and I am saying it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32) In Matthew 9:15, Jesus describes Himself as a Bridegroom and was recognized as such by John the Baptist. (John 3:29-30) After we understand the original context of the Song of Solomon, we can, by looking at the whole of Scripture, see how some of Solomon’s descriptions could describe the relationship between Christ and the Church. Where the apricot tree was the Beloved’s description of her Lover (verses 3-4), Christ is our ultimate strength and protection, totally unique and unlike any other for no one else can rescue us from our sin. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) As the Lover and Beloved care for each other, finding delight in each other in all things, so does God care and tenderly love each of us who call upon His Name for rescue from sin’s consequence. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:6-7) The Beloved and Lover celebrate their physical oneness. This picture mirrors how Christ-followers are to find spiritual oneness with God as His people. “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Jeremiah 32:38)

Everyday Application

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship?
Celebrating our spouse as unique and special runs hard against our culture’s screaming voice. Pornography runs rampant, sex slaves are common in many cities, and the cut throat game of comparison is widespread across marketing, media, and even within our own hearts. How shockingly refreshing it is when one spouse brags on their marriage partner as being one-of-a-kind-wonderful?! In fact, when a husband or wife chooses to intentionally celebrate their spouse, they are fostering this kind of celebratory language to be shared between them. When they take it a step further, and celebrate their spouse to someone else, this encourages other marriage partners to step up their game when it comes to praising the attributes of their beloved one. While celebrating your spouse sounds simple, it can be difficult, especially if you’re walking through a difficult season in your marriage (as all of us have/are/will!). This challenge isn’t meant for us to close a blind eye to abusers within marriage, while amplifying “good things” to excuse abuse. Rather, this model from Song of Solomon is intended to give us a tool to speak life and unconditional love over our husbands. Where will you begin?! If you aren’t married, this challenge extends to you too! Consider this celebration as a tool to initiate flourishing in each of your relationships. Take the challenge to celebrate and begin to think highly, and uniquely, of others, speaking out loud these things to them and about them! Maybe you won’t use fruits, flowers, and animals in your descriptions, but, who knows, maybe you will! Leading like a lion or having hair that feels like silk are both encouraging and celebratory in our culture.

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)
True Love is worth waiting for! Oftentimes, in our culture, waiting to fulfill one’s sexual desires until marriage is an antiquated notion. Mainstream media encourages us to indulge in our sexual desires anytime we please. What the world doesn’t tell us, but God’s Word makes clear, is that “following our hearts” instead of God’s perfect plan only leads to pain and heartache. (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 3:5-6) During my “young woman years”, I carried a strong conviction to never give myself (body or heart) away to any man until marriage. God gave me strength to hold fast to this conviction. When I met the man I would marry, and we began sharing emotionally, it became very difficult to keep myself pure. My mom warned, “It only takes one a passionate kiss to let go of your senses and go too far.” There were moments in our pre-marriage we came very close to not waiting as we shared passionate kisses, but we made it by HIS grace and strength and our marriage consummated in HIS time. Now, forty years of marriage have passed, and we rejoice in God’s love which has held us fast to Him despite struggles along the way. Everyone’s sexual history is different, but God’s grace is the same for each of us! Human love will always fail us, but redemptively, God allows even our broken relationships to continually point us to the ONE whose love will never falter and whose love will never let us down. There is no fear in the perfect love of God! (1 John 4:18) Whatever your sexual past, or present, looks like, confidently know that the Lord of all Love is waiting, not with condemnation, but with a wide welcoming embrace of love and forgiveness. I count my marriage struggles as JOY in spite of the scars of fallen human love because, through these, the Lord has brought us closer to the cross, both individually and as husband and wife. True Love is worth waiting for! Never give in, never give up, be patient in fervent prayer, and F. R. O. G. (Fully Relying On God)!

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?
The Shulamite woman likens her Lover to an apple tree among the trees of the forest. He is strong and sturdy, and his shade covers and protects her from the scorching rays of the sun. In the same way, Jesus, our perfect bridegroom, shelters us with the power of His unfailing love. We are wrecked with our own sin, condemned to die and be eternally separated from the beauty and love of God. Christ, the perfect Love, took our place by suffering our due consequence for our sin when He died on the cross. He became separated from the glory of God the Father as He took on our consequence, though He was sinless. (Matthew 27:46) Three days later, He proved His victory over sin and death by coming back to life and later ascending through the clouds to sit at the right hand of God the Father. (Ephesians 1:20-21) Once we choose to fully trust Christ’s work on the cross for us, we become His and He becomes ours. He guards and protects our souls for eternity because He, the all-powerful God, loves us perfectly. (John 10:28)  As women, most of us spend our lives searching for our “perfect Lover” from teenage years until we find Mr. Right, our knight in shining armor. Ultimately, our hearts are designed to discover that only the Lord God can satisfy us completely. Whether we end up married or single, Christ must remain the fullness of our delight. When we shift our eyes to any lesser love, elevating him over God, we will find heartache, disappointment, and dissatisfaction. If we marry, husband and wife are designed to move forward together with many goals, but the highest being Christ. If we are single, the same is true as we move through life with many hopes and dreams, but our highest being Christ. He alone is to hold the position of pre-eminence. (Colossians 1:15-20) There will be rough roads all along the way for both single and married women, but the love of our great God never falters or abandons!

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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
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in your everyday!

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Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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Worship VII Day 13 One Day

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 4:1-5
Romans 5:6-11
John 3:16-21
Revelation 22:6-20

Worship VII, Day 13

What a difference a day makes!

I remember the day I came face to face with the knowledge that I was hopelessly lost. Old Slew foot, the devil, had blinded my eyes to the light of Life found only in Jesus. He said, “You’re a good girl. You have nothing to worry about.” Even though my parents, and their parents, and their parents before them were all Christians,
I was still lost in the darkness of my sin.

The old evangelist preached hard that night. Was it his warning of hell and damnation or the fact that my grandfather had recently passed that got my attention? Maybe both. The Spirit of God was opening the eyes of my heart, and I was brought into His Light that day. I recognized I needed a Savior so, at an old-fashioned camp meeting, I walked the aisle and gave my heart and life to the Lord.
Oh, what a day when I came into the Light!

At the turn of the 20th century, another great evangelist, J. Wilbur Chapman, was also intently determined to preach the Gospel. Chapman served several pastorates before going into the evangelistic circuit. He preached with the legendary D. L. Moody at the 1893 World’s Fair before traveling with gospel singer, Charles Alexander. Their first campaign in Philadelphia saw 8,000 conversions followed by Boston and 7,000 recorded conversions. Chapman and Alexander continued having tent revivals all around the world for the next 10 years until his death in 1918. [Wholesomeword.org]

While Chapman will be forever known as a great evangelist, he also blessed the Church with many hymns like “Our Great Savior (Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners)”.  Perhaps he “gave the Christian world the greatest gospel content song of all time when he penned the words for “One Day.” [Truthful Words Biographies]

“One day when Heaven was filled with His praises.
One day when sin was a black as can be.
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He.”

It was indeed a dark day when sin began running rampant and men turned from the living God to please themselves. Ever since that day in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), men and women have been impossibly lost in sin with no hope to save themselves. Until that one day when, at just the right time, God sent His angels to proclaim the miraculous, Jesus had come from Heaven to earth! (Luke 2:8-12) He came to the sinful and impossibly lost, born of a virgin to live fully as a man experiencing everything we experience, yet, living a sinless life because He was and is God Almighty. (1 Peter 2:20-25)

“Living He Loved me.”

How much God loves us! We are familiar with John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son…” But, even better, the darkness of our sin is chased away by His glorious light! (John 3:16-21)

Not only does He love us, but He came to provide our forgiveness before we even considered asking for it or being remorseful. (Romans 5:6-11) He loved, and forgave, while we were still deep in our sin.

“Dying He Saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away.”

Yes, one day they arrested Jesus and falsely accused Him. That day, He took on our sin to pay our debt of punishment for that sin on a cruel cross.  He carried our sin upon Himself so it would no longer rule our lives. In Jesus, our sin has been removed “as far as the East is from the West.” (Psalm 103:12)

Our debt of sin has been erased! Gone! Forever Gone! Praise the Lord!
“He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations,
that was against us and opposed to us,
and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.”
(Colossians 2:14)

“Rising, He justified freely forever”

Even greater than taking on the punishment of death we deserved, after three days in the grave, He rose again, breaking the power of sin and death. On that day, He freed us forever from the slavery of sin. In Jesus, we can be both saved from our sin’s punishment and justified before a Righteous God! Jesus moves our status from “hopelessly sinful” to “just as if I’d never sinned!”. This doesn’t come automatically because we’re alive, faith is required. (Hebrews 11:6) Faith that places our full-weight trust in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross to pay for our sin. Do we believe what the Bible says about Jesus? If we accept His offer of salvation in genuine faith, we will live forever with Him in Heaven one day.

“It will be credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:23-25)

“One day He’s coming, Oh Glorious day!”

Ah! Yes! One day! One day He is coming again for us!
When Christ ascended into Heaven, the angel come down with a promise that ONE DAY, He would return just as He had left in the clouds. (Acts 1:6-11) It will be a glorious day when he comes and sets up His kingdom.

And who can enter in?
“Those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 7:14)

I am ready for that Glorious day!
Are you?
Have you repented of your sin and asked to be free from the slavery of sin and its punishment of death? Make today your own “One Day” that changes everything!
What a difference a day makes!

“Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.”
(Revelation 22:17)

Author’s Note:
Though this hymn is over 100 years old, listen in to Casting Crowns for a remade version!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship VII Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship VII!