Robert Frost once noted, "Love is the irresistible desire to be desired irresistibly." I just think it's crazy. In a couple of weeks we will celebrate Valentine's day and many looking for love will turn to horoscopes for hope, some even cling to a "word" that a "prophet" or "prophetess" gave them. They seem to sprout up everywhere this time of year hissing BEAUTIFUL LIES, sugar-coated fesis and other sweet blessings about a new year, new beginnings and new love. The air seems saturated with this golddust, leaving everyone with a good feeling. Then, they try to pin it on God like pinning the tail on the donkey. They seem to have forgotten that God created the donkey and He doesn't need anyone's help.
I recently heard John MacArthur talk about one of these false prophets teaching how you can have "Your best life now," which is contrary to the Bible, isn't it? They teach that with enough faith you can control your life, you control if you LIVE OR DIE. Their teachings center around you and what you want, but the gospel tells us that our lives are all about God.
They teach that you can control your life by speaking it into existence. The gospel teaches God is in control and He spoke things into existence(Genesis 1:3-31.) Too many Christians have developed a "spiritual" sweet tooth and become fat on this fesis. Encouragement and inspiration is truth, not lies. The people of God used to be prophets and martyrs(those who died for Him.) These days we're more like THIEVES AND MARTYRS. Author Bill Hybels once wrote, "God tends to offer divine direction to those who are willing to order their daily lives around receiving input from Him."
Those of you who know me, know that I am not a big fan of sweets or desserts, unless I am about to go work out, run or bike; my motive is to use the sugars to give me a burst of energy to help me get through the activity without burning off muscle. If the sugar isn't burned off, my body will store it as fat and defeat the purpose for eating sugars. I know that breaks a lot of ladies' hearts reading this, hoping for some chocolate that they "love" on Valentines day. Bruce Williams wisely stated, "Never love anything that can't love you back." The truth sometimes hurts.
Before I began working on rewriting this blog, I had a feeling that it would change the way I looked at things. But I never realized how much miseducation and lies I had bought into and it is MIND BLOWIN' how many of us practice it. So let me pick up where I left off with my last blog, prophecies about Jesus. Through His birth, life and death He fulfilled more than 360 prophecies exactly when God said He would.
That is what should give all of us hope. Remember every since the fall in the garden, mankind has been going the wrong way and God has promised to save us. Jesus' life is part of the divine romance between God and man. God loves us so much He died on the cross so we could spend eternity with Him. Someone once said, "If you love me, let me know. If not, please gently let me go."
It's important to note that God is always communicating, even before Jesus was born. First through His word(John 1:1-5,) then His prophets. I emphasize "His" because He always spoke to them about His people as a whole. There are only two times when prophecy is about individuals; in regard to Jesus and the Antichrist, because they affect the people of God as a nation. The rationale behind this is the same as I explained in a previous blog, communication is the most important thing in any relationship.
In his book A Gentle Thunder Max Lucado explains, "God does what it takes to get our attention. Isn't that the message of the Bible? The relentless pursuit of God. God on the hunt. God in the search... man rejected God. God won't give up until He wins him back."
The Bible is a MESSAGE OF LOVE, it's the first love letter and it screams READ ME. It is part of the reconciliation between God and man(2 Corinthians 5:11-21.) Webster's defines reconciliation as "the action of reconciling;" while reconciling means, "to restore to friendship or harmony."
You may recall that in the Jewish culture; once a couple was engaged, the bridegroom would leave to build a place for them to live. He didn't just leave, he told his bride what was going on and promised to return. This is exactly what Jesus did before He went to the cross(John 12:26, 14:3-4.) Jesus didn't want to leave His bride which fulfilled God's promise(Deuteronomy 31:6.)
He will never let me go and I'm never alone. However, Jesus knew while He was away, some would claim to hear from God and say FOLLOW ME. Thus, He warned us(Matthew 7:15 – 23.) Notice how they "claimed" to prophecy in God's name? They claimed to be of the light. To which Jesus replied, "I never knew you." This is why I hate religion and I pray RELIGION WILL DIE.
Boys and girls, here is why we need to talk to each other and not to other people, you never know who to believe or who to follow. We don't need Facebook or cellphones to talk to God. Which is why I prefer to talk to someone face-to-face and not through the grapevine; to look them in the eyes and see if they're lying. For those of you who know me, you know I hate being lied to and ignored. If a man and woman really love each other, they will find a way to be with each other or to let each other know, love finds a way. Or else they'd spend their lives wondering about the one that got away and thinking about WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME.
You see, when you say nothing at all, it is a way of walking away from someone. When I was growing up I used the silent treatment when I didn't get what I wanted. I was pretty childish. Statesman Edmund Burke wisely stated, "Whatever disunites man from God also disunites man from man."
Jesus knew He would be away from His bride for a while and even taught that He didn't know when He would return(Matthew 24:36.) He warned us to be busy, not complacent(Matthew 25:13-30.) So God decided to speak to His people through prophets and apostles. That is what this blog will be about, the way God grows us through prophets. Which way are you going?
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The Way(prophet?Remixed and Reposted)
Before we begin this blog on the way we are going, I need to go ahead and give a disclaimer. Like most of you I am not a big fan of reading the Old Testament, although I had read the Bible through two times before, I still found myself questioning WHY, what's the point? I did however notice a cycle that took place in the Old Testament, particularly in both of the books of Kings and Chronicles. It wasn't until I read Rob Bells book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians(a manifesto for the church in Exile) that I understood WHY. It was only then did my EYES OPEN to the CIRCLE both then and now, we go in. Which is what this blog is about the ways of old and the ways of today. In which you'll see that we really do have A LOT IN COMMON with the people in both the old and New Testament.
Currently, there are over 44,000 different religions in the world. It seems like every time a new celebrity rises to fame in HOLLYWOOD there is a new worldview. I will be discussing two of these other ways to God, Judaism, Islam and how they are connected to Christianity in this blog. In CS Lewis' classic The Chronicles of Narnia, Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe the way back was the wardrobe, on one side a war-torn world and the other side paradise, sound familiar? After all, that is what religion is about, isn't it? How to to reverse the Eastward movement away from Paradise and God that I explained in my last blog, everyone is trying to FIND A WAY, because OUR WORLD FALLEN.
PROPHET?
Bell explains that by the beginning of the book of Exodus, God's people have wandered so far east that they are "slaves in Egypt, oppressed, a BROKEN PEOPLE crying out to God." You might say they were a nation within a nation. Hmm, is America still a Christian nation? Then something happened, Bell calls, it "the first redemption story."For Moses tells us in the book of Exodus, the Lord said, 'I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I've heard them crying out because of the slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I am coming down to rescue them from the land of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey."
Sounds like a paradise to me. Bell says, "the Hebrew word for cry is Sa'aq and we find it throughout the Bible, this is an expression of pain and a request for help." This is what sets Christianity apart from the other 43,999 religions, our God is not a god that is far away.
He actually hears His people and He is going to take us back the other way, back to the Paradise that was lost in the Garden. If needed He actually speaks to His people and they hear His voice. Which is why we have PROPHETS or are they false prophets? FALSE PROPHETS are anyone who tries to tell you there is another way. Listen to Jesus' warning found in Matthew(Matthew 24:24-25.) Later the apostle Peter said almost the same thing(2 Peter 2:1-2.)
A prophet is one who “speaks forth” or declares the divine will to interpret the purposes of God or to make known in any way THE TRUTH of God, which is designed to influence God's people as a community. Which as you'll see throughout this blog how God raised up and used prophets to correct and teach His people. They were not the way, but pointed the way. Later in the book of Exodus, Moses had a "mountaintop" experience where God called to him again and gave him a promise (Exodus 19: 1-25.)
Two words stand out in what God told Moses to tell the people, "if"and"covenant." The word "if" implies that there is a choice and there are consequences. We will talk about this more later in another blog. The word covenant, we already discussed in an earlier blog and it is a promise you can count on. Later in the New Testament, the apostle Peter reminds us we are His CHOZEN(1 Peter 3:15-16.) Did the Israelites listen? Did the early church, do we? The answer is no, somehow they forgot their IDENTITY.
And each time they lost their way, God raised up a prophet to correct them. Which in his book, The Remnant, author Larry Stockstill writes about what he calls," the uncorrected church. The world looks upon the church's abuse of AUTHORITY and lack of accountability as the ultimate hypocrisy. The body of Christ and its leaders must have spiritual fathers in their lives, who act as both the role of affirmation(the apostle) and the role of correction(the prophet.)" Last year, while I was at National Day of Prayer Summit in Colorado I met author Bruce Assaf, who wrote in his book Behind the Veil(of Radical Islam) , over 25% of the Bible is devoted to prophecy, all prophecy revolves around the nation of Israel." We will discuss why later in this blog.
From Moses all the way to Malachi, God used prophets to speak to His people and try to turn them around. More often than not, the prophets were killed or ridiculed, it was not a life of luxury or being a mogul. Even the great prophet Elijah, you know the FIRESTARTER that took on the the 450 Baal priests, was fed by ravens. Do you see the difference between the prophets that God actually spoke to in the early Bible and the so-called" prophets" of today? Being a prophet isn't about being FAMOUS or prosperous, it's not even about being successful, all SWAGGED OUT WITH TAGS OUT.
Yet, I recently saw one advertising to pray for you if you sow a seed of X amount. Is it about CASH OR CHRIST, I'd like to ask them WHAT DO YOU PURSUE? They are acting like they are fortune tellers telling people who they will marry or what God's will is for them. Which Luke condemns in the book of Acts(Acts 16:16.) As I explained in an earlier blog, the apostle Paul says. "Prophecy is for the church(1 Corinthians 14:22.)" Not to be confused with the gift of discernment, which I'll discuss more later in the series. Like my friend Joe White says, "it's not about how I LIKE ME, but about does God like me."
Before the Israelites even make it to the promised land, Moses tells us that they are already complaining and crying again(Exodus 14:11-12.) I don't know about you, but I can relate to that. Whenever I try to go AGAINST THE GRAIN and do things God's way, I just want to give up and ask, WHY'S IT GOTTA BE SO HARD? However listen to God's reply to their crying( Exodus 14:13.) The Lord will fight for you; you need only to BE STILL."Isn't it great to know that if I, America and the church would just trust God, He will fight our battles. He is by your side. This is what Bell says, "it's all grace, a gift. Rescue, redemption, liberation- it's all a gift we receive from God."
By the end of the book of Deuteronomy Israel is east(hmm) of the Jordan River, hanging on by a thread and about to enter the promise land when the Lord warned Moses again( Deuteronomy 31-32:27.) After he did what the Lord told him, Moses finished writing in a book he told Israelites what was about to happen(Deuteronomy 31:26-27.) And just like God said the Israelites became HEADSTRONG and went another way, did they?
Don't we? I know I do and each time I think, HERE I GO AGAIN. where are you going? Joshua Harris explains it this way in his book Dug Down Deep, "there is a story in the Bible of a young king named Josiah who lived about 640 years before Christ. I think Josiah could've related to me-- being religious, but ignorant of God. Josiah's generation had lost God's word. And I don't mean that figuratively. They literally lost God's word. It sounds ridiculous, but they essentially misplaced the Bible.. the creator of the universe had communicated with man through the prophet Moses. He gave His law. He revealed what he was like and what He wanted. He told His people what it meant for them to be His people and how they were to live.
Harris continues, "All this was dutifully recorded on a scroll. Then this scroll, which was precious beyond measure, was stored in the Holy temple. But later it was misplaced. No one knows how.. but here's the really sad thing: nobody noticed it was missing. For decades those who wore the label 'God's people' actually had no communication with Him. They wore their priestly robes, they carried on their traditions in their beautiful temple... their robes were costumes and their temple was an empty shell. This story scares me because it shows that it's possible for whole generation to go happily about the business of religion, all the while having lost a true knowledge of God." Sound familiar? Maybe they should have made some Bible handles.
So the cycle continues, OUR GENERATION has forgotten it's IDENTITY and I wonder if God isn't saying," YOU DON'T KNOW me." When trials come, we follow God and become comfortable. Life gets tough, we cry out, and God rescues us. Then after a while, we get comfortable again, don't we? Then hard times come again, and we cry out. The Old Testament is full of these circles, yet God is faithful and keeps coming to our rescue. God kept His promise to the Israelites and they finally made it into the promised land. Bell says , "generations later, the descendants of these wandering slaves have settled in the land they were promised. The great King David has secured their borders, the land and people are experiencing peace, and David's son Solomon comes to power." Which fulfilled the promise God gave David."
Listen to the prophet Samuel Samuel(2 Samuel 7:12.)Solomon is brilliant and wise and wealthy, Jerusalem the capital of the kingdom and begins to gain a global reputation." Listen to the prophet Ezra's declaration( 2 Chronicles 7:16.)
This is part of God's covenant promise to the Jews. Which Assaf writes, "the Muslims say, 'the Jews came and attacked this land and stole it, this will not change the fact that this land is Muslim, and it will remain that way forever." Bell says, " Jerusalem has become the new Eden, until a from the land of Sheba comes to visit Solomon. She's from far away, from a different land, from a different kind of people, with a different religion. She praises the God of Solomon and she wants to worship this God with Solomon."
So Solomon begins to build temples so that they could worship his God. And this is where Bell says everything begins to FALL BACK the other way. "For the author of the first book of Kings, writes, 'here is the account of the forced labor king Solomon conscripted to build the Lord's Temple, his own palace, Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer.' Did you catch those words, forced labor? Which in modern-day terms is slaves. Bell asks, "this is the same Lord who set slaves free, correct? The defining event of Solomon's ancestors was the exodus, right? And now Solomon is building a temple for the God who set slaves free.. using slaves. In just a few generations, the oppressed have become the oppressors.
Bell continues, "The descendants of people who once longed for freedom in Egypt are now building another Egypt. Not only is Solomon using slaves to build temples, they are building his home and military bases.That is what Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer were. Megiddo is prophesied about later in the Old Testament. Military bases to protect his massive resources and wealth. His empire-building leads him to place a high priority on preservation, protecting and maintaining all that has been accumulated is taking more and more resources as attention is given to homeland security."
Which way is America going? Bell says, "when the commander in chief of the most powerful armed forces humanity has ever seen quotes the prophet Isaiah from the Bible, in celebration of military victory. We must ask, is this what Isaiah had in mind?"Bell is talking about the "Mission accomplished"speech delivered by Pres. George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, Bush quoted Isaiah 49;9." This is the very prophet that warned Israel that they have become corrupted and were headed the wrong way. It was also the same prophet that prophesied about God providing a better way, which we'll talk about more later. Bell says, "Israel was captive in Egypt for 430 years, until God saved them. They rebelled again, despite the warnings from the prophets and found themselves back in exile, in Babylon. It is there that Israel finds, "repentance." What does it mean to repent? To turn and go another way? The prophet Isaiah, announces that God is going to bring these exiles home-and not just them. But people from every corner of the earth. And God will do this, Isaiah says, He wants people to 'forget the former things." God is doing a NU THANG.
Bell says, what these people in exile realize is that the former thing, the first exodus, simply wasn't big enough. The first exodus was just a hint of the redemption God has in mind for all of humanity."Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, around 430 B.C. do you see the cycle? But there is a problem, Bell says, "the Roman Empire, the superpower of their day, conquers Israel. The exiles are home, but it isn't what it used to be." Sound familiar? Bell says, "there is hope for the exiles, who cling to the promises of the prophets, looking forward to the day. The day of hope when another son of David would come and lead them in a new exodus."
Bell continues, "At the height of their power, Israel misconstrued God's blessing as favoritism and entitlement. Bell says, "the Israelites became indifferent to God and to their priestly calling to bring liberation of others. There's a word for this. A word for what happens when you still have the power and the wealth and influence, and yet in some profound way you blow it because you've forgotten why you were given it in the first place. The word is exile, exile is when you forget your story. It is just location; it is about the state of your soul."Sound familiar?
bell writes, "And it's at this time we meet the major and minor prophets, powerful voices who warned of the inevitable consequences of Israel's infidelity. The prophets didn't stop with condemning the empire; they reserved their harshest critiques for the religion that animated it all. Isaiah declares that God hates with all his being, 'their feasts and festivals and evil assemblies.' God hates their religious gatherings. Let's talk about the wealth Solomon accumulated for a moment. The writer of the first book of Kings writes, "the weight of the gold Solomon receive yearly was 666, about 25 tons of gold." We will talk more about this number later in another blog. Bell points out, "the number 666, the weight of the talents of gold. It is a very Jewish way of saying that something is evil, dark, wrong, and opposed to God. But, they were all done in the name of God, weren't they? I wonder which one?
NAMES?
Author Max Lucado writes in his book The Great house of God, "the more God's people came to Know Him, the more names they gave Him. Initially, He is known as Elohim in Genesis, which is Hebrew for 'strong one and creator.' Later Abraham called God,' Jehovah-Jireh', the Lord will provide. Then to Gideon, 'Jehova-Shalom', the Lord of peace. For Moses it was 'Jehovah-rophe', the Lord who heals and 'Jehovah-nissi', the Lord is my banner. For God healed his people in the desert and delivered them to the promised land."
While I prefer "Jehovah-raah," your caring shepherd. Does that name sound familiar? We'll talk about the shepherd later. One name for God, that is not in the Bible is Allah. Bruce ASSAF says, "the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob is not referred to as Allah. The god of Islam is not the God of the Bible. The religious beliefs of Judaism and Islam are in total opposition to each other. The faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all trace their natural and spiritual heritage back to the same individual-Abraham, who lived in the area of Jerusalem. God's promise to give Abraham a son was fulfilled through Isaac, which both Judaism and Christianity recognize. Islam, however, is a world religion that cannot tolerate any other religion.
I experienced this hatred firsthand 15 years ago, while my friend Sanjay and I were both chased by the"new Muslim mafia" in Atlanta. Muslims believe that Ishmael was Abraham's child of promise." So what is the name of the child of promise? Assaf says. "The Koran attacks and undermines and denies Christianity's core beliefs. It is blasphemy for a Muslim or anyone believe that God has a Son. To the Muslim, God stands alone... Muslims do not believe in the Holy Trinity. To Muslims Jesus was a prophet of God and not the son of God. The difference between Christianity and Islam is this: in Islam their god (Allah) expects you to die for him.
In Christianity, God sent His Son to die for you." While Matthew tells us "Jesus asked his disciples, 'who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, 'some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; still other others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' But what about you?' He asked, 'who do you say,I am?'Simon Peter answered,"you're the Messiah, the son of the living God."In John's account of this passage, Jesus made this DECLARATION, "I AM THE WAY, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." It's all PART OF THE PLAN.
JESUS?
Bell says, "430 years after the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon, Jesus was born. Each of the four Gospel accounts begin by quoting the prophet Isaiah's announcement of a new exodus in Isaiah 40;3." Bruce Assaf says, "the Angel GABRIEL told Daniel that Jerusalem would be rebuilt and that 483 years later, the Messiah would come. His own people, Israel, we would reject and crucify Him, and the city and temple were destroyed again-- and so it happened. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the very day prophesied, was hailed as the Messiah. And then rejected." According to Matthew's account of this event. Jesus said, "I say to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that not be thrown down."
Matthew also tells us of an incident of a Canaanite woman, who approached Jesus saying. "Son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is possessed and suffering terribly." Jesus answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman recognized Jesus as the other "son of David" that would take Israel the other way. Jesus' reply to his call for the lost sheep lends to the name the "Good Shepherd" which is one of the many names along with Son of David given to Jesus. And what was David before he became king? A shepherd. in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Jesus was the roaring lion and He's THE KING.
If you remember the story Jesus healed the woman's daughter, because this new exodus is so big that it is for everyone who decides to go this way. During this time the Roman empire ruled the land and wanted to control everything, sound familiar? The usual fate of a country conquered by Rome was to become a subject province, governed directly from Rome by officers sent out for that purpose. Sometimes, however, petty sovereigns were left in possession of a nominal independence on the borders or within the natural limits of the province.
Augustus Caesar divided the provinces into two classes -- (1) Imperial; (2) Senatorial; retaining in his own hands, for obvious reasons, those provinces where the presence of a large military force was necessary, and committing the peaceful and unarmed provinces to the senate. The New Testament writers invariably designate the governors of senatorial provinces by the correct title anthupatoi, proconsuls. For the governor of an imperial province, properly styled "legatus Caesaris," the word hegemon (governor) is used in the New Testament. The provinces were heavily taxed for the benefit of Rome and her citizens. Sound familiar? They are said to have been better governed under the empire than under the commonwealth, and those of the emperor better than those of the senate.
Rome had even begun to influence the religious leaders of the time and eventually led Jesus down the Via Delorosa(which means the way of suffering) and hung Him on the cross. Which was actually the beginning of a red revolution. Because it doesn't end there does it? As Isaiah prophesied, "In that day when the great TRUMPET BLOW. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exile in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the Holy mountain in Jerusalem." Which later the apostle John quotes in his vision of Jesus' 2ND COMING in the book of Revelations.
Bell continues, "there was a saying of that time, "hail CAESAR, Caesar is Lord.' But the disciples of Jesus had another saying because they knew another way, 'JESUS CHRIST IS LORD'." And this is why you will never see me raise my hands during worship. If you remember in my last blog I mentioned how as a youth I was called a "Nazi fag" because I was born in Germany.
For me, raising my hands in worship reminds me too much of the hail Hitler salute. And I know where it all began. Asaff continues, "in A.D. 70, exactly as Jesus had foretold, the Roman armies under Titus sacked Jerusalem and left not one stone at Herod's Temple upon another. More than one million Jews were killed, and the remnant were scattered to every nation." And here's where it all comes full circle. Asaff says, "Herod's Temple was the replacement for the Temple Mount built by David's son Solomon. This is the same Temple where Jesus of Nazareth worshiped and taught. It was in this temple that Jesus confronted the money changers and the religious authorities. Jesus'followers continued to worship and teach there for several more decades until Rome invaded."
This is why Jerusalem is Holy to both us Christians and the Jews. Asaff explains, "centuries later Muslim Arabs took the city and in A.D. 691 Muslims built the Dome of the Rock on that same Temple Mount, enclosing the spot from which Muslims believe Mohammad ascended to heaven. Muslims consider it the third most holy site in Islam, after Mecca(which is in the East.) Where Mohammad was born, and Medina, where he found refuge and died."
Did you catch that, "died"? Because of that Christians can say, "I GOT PROOF that Jesus was who He said He was." That proof, an empty tomb. through the resurrection God taught us another lesson, you CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN. Which is why C.S. Lewis wrote in his book Mere Christianity that Jesus was either Lord, liar or lunatic?" Because, for Jesus to make the claim He was God meant sure death, why would anybody make such a claim, unless it was true?
Because Jesus is God's way to take mankind from east to west. JESUS is that STRONG TOWER humanity tried to build to reach heaven I mentioned in my last blog. Because of Jesus, I BEEN REDEEMED and I AIN'T TURNIN' BACK the other way. This is why we must PERSEVERE and GET BACK UP when they try to SHUT US DOWN with their WORLDVIEW. It's up to The church to LET'EM KNOW that JESUS IS THE WAY.
WAIT 2.0?
Christians believe that Jesus is God and God is love ((1 John 4:8.) If love is truly irresistible, doesn't mean that you can't wait for it? I guess to the ladies, it's like wanting chocolate. At this point let me share something that would BLOW MY MIND a month ago when I began preparing for this blog. For the last 14 years I have heard, believed and practiced that TRUE LOVE WAITS. I now realize that if I am to follow the example of Christ(1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1, Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:6,) I can't wait for love and I don't need to, because love has come(John 3:16.)
I don't have to wait for an ANGEL AT MY DOOR, if the relationship between Jesus and the church is a REFLECTION of the love,wedding, marriage between a man and woman, then who is supposed to wait on who? When Jesus left, He instructed His bride to wait for Him. It was through the prophets in the Old Testament that God constantly pointed out the bride's unfaithfulness by their prostituting themselves to other Gods(Deuteronomy 1:26, 31:27,2 Kings 17:8, Nehemiah 9:16, Nehemiah 9:29 ,Isaiah 1:10-11, Ezekiel 5:6,16:47, Hosea 1:1-7.) The prophets basically called Israel a slut! Someone once said, "The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love someone else." I know the feeling.
Even in the New Testament there is this sense that God's people have forgotten their first love, God(Revelation 2:4) and she still won't wait on Him. Yet, He still loves her unconditionally. That's why grace amazing. You see God's people looked godly, but gave their hearts to other gods. In fact in the old testament the prophet Joel even declared that if Israel returned to God and didn't just look godly(Joel 2:13,) "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten(Joel 2:25.) " Which is a very Jewish way of saying, "I will purify you by restoring the years that you wasted doing things your way."
Later the apostle Paul said something similar to the church in Ephesus about how husbands should love their wives(Ephesians 5:25-27 .) It is this unconditional love for an unfaithful bride that Francine Rivers wrote about in her classic book Redeeming Love.
I'm not suggesting a man shouldn't take time to know her. However, nowhere in Scripture says a man waits for a woman; in fact every time the Bible mentions waiting, it is telling the church(the bride) to wait on God. Besides waiting on God's timing is difficult enough in itself; I can't imagine having to wait on a woman as well, I know I'm not ABLE, anymore.
Maybe it goes back to how God structured the household(1 Cor. 11:3-10,) who is the head? Now, I know a lot of ladies reading this don't want to hear that and are about to have a HEART ATTACK, I can hear the OOHS AND AHHS now. I know that the world has taught you a man should put a woman on a pedestal and she is to be his "queen" and the love of his life, which is idolatry(Deuteronomy 6:5,Luke 10:27.)
Remember the Queen of Sheba? I've already shared in a previous blog that the last lesson my father taught me was to never worship a woman. If you are a CHRISTIAN GIRL, you should want a guy to love God first; moreover if you're a Christian, you can't be on a pedestal.
Remember this is a path of humility and servanthood, not supremacy. When a woman expects a man to worship her, she is expecting to be in control, remember Delilah? She wants a godly man she can control like a toy ROBOT; her parents have taught her she can have her cake and eat it too. She thinks she can live and let live how she wants. Which sounds like the sugar-coated fesis I mentioned at the beginning of this blog. In her book Redeeming Love Francine Rivers writes, "“My love isn't a weapon, it's a lifeline, reach out and take hold, and don't let go!”
This is why love does not envy(1 Corinthians 13:4,) jealousy is a type of control. The Bible says it is the fruit of the sinful nature(Galatians 5:19-20.) While love is a fruit of the Spirit(Galatians 5:22-23.) You see jealousy and love are fruits of different things, they are two different paths. Not to mention jealousy is just LAME. If your relationship is infected with lies and jealousy, it will surely fail.
I was told by an acquaintance of mine a few years ago that, "If a man really loves a woman, he'll wait for her." Last year I went out with a girl whose mother taught her, If you have a good man, hold on to him. Because a good man is hard to find." When I met her mother over lunch during Christmas, her mother told her, "A godly man is always a WANTED MAN." Which reminds me of something I promised my mother while she was on her deathbed. Ladies which way are you going?
"The world tells us, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be." Then they try to pin it on God by saying, "if it is God's will He'll bring them back." Sound familiar? While the gospel tells us that God will never let us go, love lasts forever and God is what(1 John 4:8?)
If the gospel tells me I NEED SOMEONE to love(Genesis 2:18,) then how can I let it go? How can I wait? I think Henry Van Dyke got it right when he said, "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. Maybe if the church would start teaching this to young couples, we could cut the number of divorces within the church. You see, instead of letting go when we're not happy, we need to GET BUSY and work it out. Someone once said,"True love stories never have endings." No, love doesn't end when SUMMER IS OVER.
As I mentioned earlier, in a couple of weeks we celebrate Valentine's Day. I researched the history behind Valentines Day and learned that we celebrate it because St. Valentine knew love couldn't wait. Listen to the story: The Roman emperor Claudius II was fighting many wars. He wanted a strong army, but many men did not want to be soldiers. Claudius thought the men wanted to stay home to be with their wives and children instead of leaving to fight wars.
So he decided to cancel all marriages. No one in all of Rome could get married. Claudius thought that if the men couldn’t get married, the men would ignore the women and want to be soldiers. It sounds like he misunderstood the apostle Paul(1 Corinthians 7:7-8) or the DEVIL'S BEEN TALKIN'.
Valentine, who was a priest, believed that people needed to get married. He thought that if they were not married, they would be tempted to sin by living together without being married. So he secretly and illegally married couples anyway. He performed the weddings in secret places, so the Roman soldiers would not find out. But they did find out. Valentine was arrested and brought before the Emperor. The Emperor thought Valentine was a well spoken and wise young man, and encouraged him to stop being a Christian and become a loyal Roman. Valentine would not deny his beliefs, and he refused. He was sent to prison until he could be executed.
While he was in prison, he sent out letters to his friends and asked to be prayed for by writing "Remember your Valentine." One account of the story states that Valentine healed the jailer's blind daughter. This would make sense, because one of the requirements for sainthood is a verified miracle. The legend continues that the young priest fell in love with the jailer's daughter and wrote letters to her. After all, love is a friendship caught on fire, it can burn like kerosene, so LET IT BURN. Nonetheless the priest was executed because he knew that love couldn't and shouldn't wait, he was martyred for the sake of love. With that said, for me, THE TIME IS NOW for love.
If I hadn't been so stubborn and selfish trying to love my way or who I wanted, who knows where I'd be. I wasted so much time settling for less than God's best, just to have someone in my life. When I think about all the time that I've wasted waiting, it depresses me and makes me mad. There is even a movement amongst Christian colleges encouraging couples to get married soon after an engagement. The idea is that the longer you wait to wed, the more tempted you'll become. Last year a friend of mine got married before her fiancé even had a job, they knew love couldn't wait(love ya pee-wee.)
I respect their decision for two reasons, it shows me the strength of both their love for each other and their trust in God to provide for them. I have always said, "If a man is waiting for everything to be perfect to wed, he is enjoying playing house." It doesn't take two or three years to know if you want to marry someone. If you know someone isn't God's best for you, then why waste time on less than God's best for you? Listen to what the apostle Paul said before he gave instructions on how husbands should love their wives(Ephesians 5:15-17.) At this point in my life, I need to date someone who I can see myself marrying. As the saying goes, "Don't marry someone you know you can live with, marry the person you know you can't live without."
I know some people believe in waiting for the "perfect" time, when everything is perfect(according to their standards.) The Bible is clear we are to live HERE IN THIS MOMENT(Proverbs 27:1, Luke 12:18 – 21, James 4:13-17,) to put off doing what we know is good would be both foolish and a sin(James 4: 17.) A friend on mine recently posted on their Facebook page, "One day you're going to wake up and realize how much you care for me... and on that day... I'll be waking up with the person that already knew!"
Remember the couples that expect Fantacy island in marriage? They've bought into the lies about sex, marriage and fairytales. Someone once said, "We are only given today and never promised tomorrow..So be sure to tell someone you love them. " Charles Spurgeon put it this way, "Now is the only time worth having, because, indeed, it is the only time we have."
Remember, God wants to spend eternity with us so bad that Jesus died on the cross to be with us, now. If I am to follow Jesus' example, I will DIE IF I HAVE TO just to be with someone that I love, not wait(Ephesians 5:25-28.) That is how the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD loves. Elizabeth Elliot once wrote, "Discipline, for the Christian, begins with the body. We have only one. It is this body that is the primary material given to us for sacrifice. We cannot give our hearts to God and keep our bodies for ourselves." On the flipside, we cannot give our bodies to other people and not give our hearts. When we do, we're just telling more lies.
You see if love isn't sacrificial, it's LOVE GONE WRONG. Remember, LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING. Singer beckah Shae recently posted, "Love breathes compassion. Love forsakes convenience. Love sees beyond circumstance. Love demands courage. Love despises doubt. Love Gives. Love Hopes." Herein lies the problem, we need to LEARN TO LOVE. James A. Baldwin wisely stated,"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up." Another friend recently tweeted, "You still have to do a background check on people, sometimes their childhood is still showing up in their adulthood. Find maturity!"
LOVE 2.0?
In closing this blog, let's talk about true love. Dr. Seuss confessed, "You know you are in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." You see love is so much more than a good feeling, it's not even a SUPER GOOD FEELING. It's not about being happy. If we are happy, we can become complacent and we aren't growing, are we? Nor is it about getting starry-eyed when you first meet someone or the fireworks you see during that first kiss.
Actually, that is more like lust. That's why I've always said, "marriage is a license to love, not lust." John MacArthur says, "The first characteristic of sexual sin is deceit. It never delivers what it promises." That's why I'm not thinking with "that" head anymore. Helen Keller once said, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart." Francine Rivers described it this way in her book Redeeming Love, “Love is the way back into Eden. It is the way back to life."
Right now many of you may be thinking, there is more than one kind of love. I concur; agape(fatherly,)phileo(brotherly,)(theleo(active,)(eros(sexual,)storge(family.) The first three are the only ones mentioned in the New Testament, eros isn't mentioned iin the New Testament. Perhaps because it is clear that this type of love is reserved for marriage only(1 Corinthians 7:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:4, 1 Timothy 5:14.)
I even wear a True Love Waits ring set on my wedding finger. Well, I did until last year when the"wait" ring fell off my finger during a bike ride. The problem is, we have become love addicts in today's culture, we throw the word love around so much that it has lost its meaning. We "love" chocolate and we "love" God, then we "love" our families; but we don't know how to treat them differently.
After all they are supposed to be different types of love right? This is why I rarely say, "I LOVE YOU," other than when I'm talking about my family. Other than family there is only one person that comes to mind when I think about love(any guesses who?) Let me be clear, I enjoy; biking, working out, jam skating, reading, eating meat and sleeping, not "love" them. When I say, "love," I mean it completely and for good.
Agape love is mentioned 90% of the time in the Bible. Some theologians say this type of love is impossible to achieve; however, my mentor has shown it to me time and again. If I am to love like Jesus, it will be this unconditional love, then YOUR LOVE NEVER FAILS. Listen to what Jesus told His bride before He left(Luke 10:25-27, John 13:34, John 15:12, John 15:17.)
With that said, as Christian men and women we are to love like Jesus; further listen to what John wrote to his lady(2 John 1:5-6.) So LET US LOVE by never letting go like our savior. If we're really in love, we won't give up. Love is an ALL CONSUMING FIRE, it's crazy and maybe a little obsessive. If a man chooses to wait on a woman, it is his choice. However, he is never told that he must love that way.
